by Neena Strichart
How much do you know about the turkey? Did you know that it could have been chosen as our national bird? Alan Tolkoff, friend of the Signal Tribune, sent us the following quiz to test our readers’ knowledge of fowl facts. Enjoy your day and share your blessings aloud with friends and family.
1. When was the first Thanksgiving celebration?
a. 1492
b. 1567
c. 1621
d. 1777
2. Where was the turkey first domesticated?
a. Canada
b. Mexico and Central America
c. New Zealand
d. India
3. What is a female turkey called?
a. a roster
b. a cuckoo
c. a chick
d. a hen
4. What is a male turkey called?
a. a larry
b. a clark
c. a harry
d. a tom
5. What great American statesman lobbied to make the turkey the national symbol?
a. Benjamin Franklin
b. Thomas Jefferson
c. John Adams
d. Andrew Jackson
6. What sound does a female turkey make?
a. gobble
b. cluck
c. chirp
d. peep
7. What sound does a male turkey make?
a. gobble
b. cluck
c. chirp
d. peep
8. About how many feathers does a mature turkey have?
a. 1,500
b. 2,000
c. 3,500
d. 5,000
9. What state produces the most turkeys annually?
a. Kansas
b. Ohio
c. Arkansas
d. Minnesota
10. How fast can a wild turkey run?
a. 5 mph
b. 15 mph
c. 25 mph
d. 45 mph
11. How does Arkansas rank among the other states in turkey production?
a. first
b. third
c. eighth
d. fourteen
12. What Native-American tribe celebrated the first Thanksgiving with the colonists?
a. the Wampanoag tribe
b. the Sioux tribe
c. the Choctaw tribe
d. the Arapaho tribe
13. Can wild turkeys fly? If so, how fast?
a. No
b. Yes, up to 25 mph
c. Yes, up to 40 mph
d. Yes, up to 55 mph
14. Approximately what percentage of American homes eats turkey on Thanksgiving?
a. 49%
b. 67%
c. 82%
d. 90%
15. Approximately what percentage of American homes eats turkey on Christmas?
a. 34%
b. 50%
c. 67%
d. 89%
16. What is the name of the skin that hangs from a turkey’s neck?
a. snark
b. wattle
c. garble
d. swag
17. Which U.S. president specified that Thanksgiving would fall on the last Thursday of November?
a. Martin Van Buren
b. Andrew Jackson
c. William H. Taft
d. Abraham Lincoln
18. Which president attempted to move the Thanksgiving holiday to the fourth Thursday in November to create a longer Christmas shopping season?
a. Franklin D. Roosevelt
b. Dwight D. Eisenhower
c. Harry S. Truman
d. Gerald R. Ford
19. Which country consumes the most turkey per year per capita?
a. The United States
b. Isreal
c. Spain
d. The United Kingdom
20. What is the best way to defrost a turkey?
a. with a hair dryer
b. in the refrigerator
c. in cold water
d. in the microwave
Answers:
1 c, 2 b, 3 d, 4 d, 5 a, 6 b, 7 a, 8 c, 9 d, 10 c, 11 b, 12 a, 13 d, 14 d, 15 b, 16 b, 17 d, 18 a, 19 b, 20 b.
* According to Alan Tolkoff, his wife Jenny is part Wampanoag Indian. That, as you now know, is the tribe that celebrated the first Thanksgiving. She is waiting for one of our crack reporters to call for an interview as she wants to tell our readers that the modern Wampanoag successfully incorporates crock-pot cooking as part of the Thanksgiving feast preparation.
