Can you talk turkey? Take the quiz.

J. Mark Powell
·2 min read
Thanksgiving remains the holiday Americans cherish like no other, for its traditions of food and family, says Debra-Lynn B. Hook.
Thanksgiving remains the holiday Americans cherish like no other, for its traditions of food and family, says Debra-Lynn B. Hook.
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J. Mark Powell is a novelist, former TV journalist and diehard history buff. and the author of the popular feature "Holy Cow" History! This quiz is courtesy of InsideSources.com.

It’s the closest Americans come each year to everyone eating the same meal on the same day. Turkey is essential to the Thanksgiving celebration. But how much do you know about the festive fowl we enjoy every November? Find out with this short, easy, and fun quiz.

More:Columbus police distribute more than 700 free Thanksgiving turkeys across the city

1. A popular myth claims which Founding Father wanted the wild turkey as our national bird?

Despite the increase in wild turkey hunting days, numbers were down this year. The South Zone had a year-to-year decline of 13.6 percent.
Despite the increase in wild turkey hunting days, numbers were down this year. The South Zone had a year-to-year decline of 13.6 percent.

A. George Washington

B. John Adams

C. Thomas Jefferson

D. Benjamin Franklin

2. According to a national survey, what percentage of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving Day?

(REST 1113 James) Mimi's Café Thanksgiving dinner, available for take-out. The source if Mimi's Café. Photo by Lew Robertson.
(REST 1113 James) Mimi's Café Thanksgiving dinner, available for take-out. The source if Mimi's Café. Photo by Lew Robertson.

A. 75%B. 88%C. 99%D. 100%

3.  A glut of unsold turkeys after Thanksgiving 1953 sparked the creation of what popular food feature?

A. LeftoversB. Direct deliveryC. TV dinnersD. Boil and serve meals

J. Mark Powell is a novelist, former TV journalist and diehard history buff. and the author of the popular feature "Holy Cow" History! He wrote this for InsideSources.com.
J. Mark Powell is a novelist, former TV journalist and diehard history buff. and the author of the popular feature "Holy Cow" History! He wrote this for InsideSources.com.

4. Abraham Lincoln began the practice of unofficially “pardoning” a turkey in 1863. That bird was given to the Lincoln family for what occasion?

November 21, 2022: US President Joe Biden pardons Chocolate, the National Thanksgiving Turkey, as he is joined by the National Turkey Federation Chairman Ronnie Parker (C) and Alexa Starnes, Daughter of the Owner of Circle S Ranch on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC.
November 21, 2022: US President Joe Biden pardons Chocolate, the National Thanksgiving Turkey, as he is joined by the National Turkey Federation Chairman Ronnie Parker (C) and Alexa Starnes, Daughter of the Owner of Circle S Ranch on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC.

A. To celebrate the Emancipation ProclamationB. To mark the end of the Civil WarC. For Thanksgiving dinnerD. For Christmas dinner

5. In 1926, a man in Mississippi sent President Calvin Coolidge what animal to have for Thanksgiving dinner?

Lisa Zhang keeps a close eye on plates being filled with the foods that form a traditional Thanksgiving Day turkey dinner.
Lisa Zhang keeps a close eye on plates being filled with the foods that form a traditional Thanksgiving Day turkey dinner.

A. A GooseB. A TurkeyC. A PossumD. A Raccoon

Answer key

  1. Answer: D.  In a 1785 letter, Franklin criticized the bald eagle as a national symbol and suggested the turkey instead. Modern research has concluded he wasn’t serious and wrote it in jest.

  2. Answer: B.  46 million birds are consumed on Thanksgiving. Christmas is distant second with 22 million, and Easter is third with 19 million.

  3. Answer: C.  Swanson was left with 260 tons of unsold turkey sitting in 10 refrigerated railroad cars. The first TV dinners came with cornbread stuffing, peas, and sweet potatoes.

  4. Answer: D. On Christmas Eve, Lincoln’s 10-year-old son Tad tearfully begged his father to spare the turkey he had named Jack. Lincoln wrote a presidential pardon to appease the boy.

  5. Answer: D. Vinnie Joyce of Nitta Yuma, Miss. shipped the critter to the White House. Coolidge fell in love with it, named it Rebecca, and kept it as a pet.

J. Mark Powell is a novelist, former TV journalist and diehard history buff. and the author of the popular feature "Holy Cow" History! This quiz is courtesy of InsideSources.com.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Turkey trivia for thanksgiving. Thanksgiving quiz