The History of Halloween

Instructions:

Listen to the video carefully and answer the following questions. Choose the best answer for each question. Click “Submit Answers” when you’re done to see your results.

The History of Halloween – Listening Comprehension Exercise

The History of Halloween – Listening Comprehension Exercise

Instructions:

Listen carefully and choose the best answer for each question.

1. Where did Halloween originate?
  • In America
  • With the Celts
  • In Ancient Rome
  • In the Middle Ages
2. What did the Celts celebrate on October 31st?
  • The New Year and the end of the harvest season
  • The birth of their gods
  • The arrival of winter only
  • The first day of spring
3. Why was this night considered magical by the Celts?
  • They believed it was the shortest night of the year
  • They believed the veil between life and death was thinnest
  • They thought the stars were closer to Earth
  • They believed it was the only night ghosts could not appear
4. What did villagers light to keep spirits away?
  • Torches in their homes
  • Huge bonfires
  • Candles in pumpkins
  • Lanterns made of skulls
5. How did the Catholic Church react to the Celtic festival?
  • It encouraged the practice
  • It merged it with a church holiday
  • It ignored it completely
  • It banned it completely
6. What was November 1st designated as by the Church?
  • All Hallow's Eve
  • All Saints Day
  • Day of the Dead
  • Feast of Spirits
7. What does "Hallow" mean?
  • Spirit
  • Holy or saintly
  • Darkness
  • Harvest
8. How did "All Hallow's Eve" become "Halloween"?
  • It was shortened and gradually changed in pronunciation
  • It was translated from Latin
  • It was named by Irish immigrants
  • It was renamed by the American government
9. When did Halloween come to America?
  • During the 1600s
  • During the Irish Potato Famine in the 1840s
  • During the American Revolution
  • In the early 1900s
10. What are some customs the Irish brought with them?
  • Pumpkin carving and fireworks
  • Bobbing for apples and playing tricks
  • Trick-or-treating and costumes
  • Carving watermelons
11. What problem happened with Halloween in the 1930s?
  • Children stopped celebrating it
  • It became dangerous with hooliganism and vandalism
  • It was banned in many cities
  • It was only celebrated by adults
12. What did storekeepers start doing to stop vandalism?
  • Calling the police
  • Giving out treats as bribes
  • Closing their shops early
  • Holding community meetings

Your Results

The History of Halloween – Vocabulary Quiz

The History of Halloween – Vocabulary Quiz (B2 Level)

Instructions:

Choose the best answer for each question, then click "Check Answer" to see if you're correct. You can check each question individually before submitting the entire quiz.

1. What does the phrase "a patchwork holiday" mean?
  • A mix of many different customs and traditions
  • A holiday about sewing and clothes
  • A celebration for farmers
  • A short holiday
2. The word "stitched together" in this context means...
  • Combined or joined from different parts
  • Sewn with a needle
  • Cut into pieces
  • Decorated with thread
3. The phrase "the veil between death and life was at its thinnest" means...
  • The barrier between the living and the dead was weak
  • People couldn't see clearly
  • The weather was foggy
  • Ghosts disappeared forever
4. What does "to drive the dead back to the spirit world" mean?
  • To send away ghosts or spirits
  • To make the dead walk again
  • To scare animals
  • To light fires for fun
5. The expression "the Church frowned on the pagan rituals" means...
  • The Church disapproved of or didn't accept them
  • The Church liked and supported them
  • The Church copied them
  • The Church ignored them completely
6. What does "to bring more people into the fold" mean?
  • To make more people join a group or religion
  • To teach people to fold paper
  • To help people find a home
  • To make people leave the group
7. The word "hallow" in All Hallows' Eve means...
  • Holy or sacred
  • Dark or scary
  • Old or ancient
  • Peaceful or quiet
8. The phrase "morphed into Halloween" means...
  • Gradually changed or transformed
  • Was invented suddenly
  • Was forgotten
  • Became a religious service
9. What does "playing tricks on neighbors" mean?
  • Doing jokes or small pranks to surprise people
  • Helping neighbors with their work
  • Decorating houses together
  • Cooking for the community
10. The word "vandalism" means...
  • Damaging or destroying property
  • Building new houses
  • Decorating for holidays
  • Selling old things
11. What does the expression "extortion deal" mean in the context of trick-or-treating?
  • Getting something by using threats
  • Trading candy with friends
  • Asking politely for a gift
  • Giving candy to adults
12. The phrase "trick-or-treat became the holiday greeting" means...
  • People started saying "trick or treat" as the main phrase for Halloween
  • Trick-or-treat was banned
  • It became a game only for adults
  • It was no longer part of Halloween

Your Results

from communion with the dead to pumpkins
and pranks Halloween is a patchwork
holiday stitched together with cultural
religious and occult Traditions that
span
centuries it all began with the Kelts a
people whose culture had spread across
Europe more than 2,000 years ago October
31st was the day they celebrated the end
of the harvest season in a festival
called
SE that night also marked the Celtic New
Year and was considered a time between
years a magical time when the ghost of
the Dead walked the Earth it was the
time when the veil between death and
life was supposed to be at its
thinnest on sa the villagers G gathered
and lit huge bonfires to drive the dead
back to the spirit world and keep them
away from the
living but as the Catholic Church’s
influence grew in Europe it frowned on
the Pagan rituals like
sa in the 7th Century the Vatican began
to merge it with a church sanctioned
holiday so November 1st was designated
All Saints Day to honor Martyrs and the
deceased
faithful both of these holidays had to
do with the afterlife
and about survival after death it it was
a calculated move on the part of the
church to bring more people into the
fold All Saints Day was known then as
halus hallow means holy or saintly so
the translation is roughly mass of the
Saints the night before October 31st was
all Hallow’s Eve which gradually morphed
into Halloween
the holiday came to America with the
wave of Irish immigrants during the
Potato Famine of the
1840s they brought several of their
holiday customs with them including
bobbing for apples and playing tricks on
neighbors like removing gates from the
front of
houses the young pranksters wore masks
so they wouldn’t be recognized but over
the years the tradition of harmless
tricks grew into outright vandalism back
in the 19 30s it really became a
dangerous holiday I mean there was um
such uh hooliganism and
vandalism trick-or-treating was
originally a extortion deal give us
candy or we’ll uh trash your house
storekeepers and neighbors began giving
treats or bribes to stop the tricks and
children were encouraged to travel door
too for treats as an alternative to to
troublemaking by the late 30s trick or
treat became the holiday greeting