All-About the American Turkey Trivia Quiz

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, a cherished holiday here in the U.S.! In recognition of this event I thought it’d be fun to post a Trivia Quiz all about the centerpiece attraction at our traditional Thanksgiving meal, the American turkey!

If you'd like to take the quiz it is easy: get out a piece of paper and pen or pencil. Write down on the paper numbers 1-12 (because there are twelve questions in all). Scroll down to the questions and read, and from the four possible answers given for each question choose one. Write this selection # down and proceed to the next question. After the questions section you will find the Answers, and here you can tally up your score to find out how well you've done. Good luck!

1. The flap of skin that hangs over a turkey’s beak is called a what?

a. the turl

b. the wattle

c. the snood

d. the carbuncle

2. What part of the turkey can change colors if they are distress or excited?

a. Their beak

b. Their throat

c. Their feathers

d. Their eggs

3. Baby turkeys are called what?

a. Poults

b. Chicks

c. Pennies

d. Turds

4. What will male turkeys do as part of their mating ritual?

a. Puff themselves up, spread their tail feathers and trot

b. Kill off the competition with a battle of their spurs

c. Sing

d. Bring the female a mink coat

5. Domestic turkeys typically don’t fly because of what?

a. Their wings are clipped

b. Their feathers are removed

c. Their tails are docked, which compromises their sense of balance

d. They are too fat

6. A male turkey is called what?

a. a Tom

b.a Cockheel

c. a Cockjack

d. a Stoner

7. One sub-species of the American wild turkey was named what and for what famous man?

a. Wayne’s High Sierra Wild Turkey (for John Wayne)

b. Hawthorne’s Wild Turkey (for Nathaniel Hawthorne)

c. Merriam’s Wild Turkey (for C. Hart Merriam)

d. Dean’s Mountain Gobbler (for singer Jimmy Dean)

8. American turkeys typically make nests where?

a. In thick shrubs

b. In tree branches

c. On the ground

d. In a cabbage patch

9. In addition to nuts, berries, seeds and some types of insects, turkeys are also known to eat what?

a. Small reptiles

b. Smaller birds

c. Small mammals

d. Wild mushrooms

10. What American founding father wanted the turkey to be the symbol of the new country instead of the bald eagle?

a. Thomas Jefferson, landowner and statesman

b. Benjamin Franklin, inventor, publisher and ambassador

c. George Washington, soldier and first President

d. Henry Butterball, farmer and breeder of the juiciest obese turkeys this side of the Atlantic

11. American wild turkeys were valued in 18^th century Europe for what?

a. Their beautiful tail feathers were used in cap making

b. Their eggs were thought to bring prosperity

c. Their feet were boiled and made into cough medicine

d. They could be trained to chase unwanted dogs off property

12. The scientific (Latin) name for the American wild turkey is what?

a. Melagris Vultuaris

b. Meleagris Gallopavo

c. Poultreis Strumalotus

d. Roasted Goodeatinus

Find the answers to the trivia quiz below the dinner table!

1. c. the snood

2. b. Their throat

3. a. Poults

4. a. Puff themselves up, spread their tail feathers and trot

5. d. They are too fat

6. a. a Tom

7. c. Merriam’s Wild Turkey (for C. Hart Merriam)

8. c. On the ground

9. a. Small reptiles

10. b. Benjamin Franklin, inventor, publisher and ambassador

11. a. Their beautiful tail feathers were used in cap making

12. b. Meleagris Gallopavo

This Hub ©November 21, 2012 by Beth Perry