Thanksgiving and Pilgrims Quiz

Thanksgiving Quiz

Or "get to know a Pilgrim" as Colbert might say. Actually, none of the questions below directly involves Thanksgiving, but all involve the Pilgrims who celebrated it in 1621. Record your answers then send them to me.  The winner will get a beverage of your choice in the city of Geneva.   Unless otherwise noted, the source of the following questions and answers is the book   Mayflower, a story of courage, community, and war by Nathaniel Phil.

Questions

1.  From which country did the Mayflower sail in 1620?

a.) England
b.) Germany
c.) Holland
d.) Puerto Rico

2.  How did the pilgrims finance their transatlantic crossing?

a.)  They were frugal, worked hard, and saved their money, so were able to finance it themselves.
b.)  They had some wealthy sympathizers in England who gave them the money.
c.)  They found wealthy investors in England who financed their journey in expectation of making a profit.
d.)  They wrote to the Queen of Spain who provided ships and cargo.

3.  While still on board the ship, 41 men signed the so-called Mayflower Compact, which would form become the basis of the new colony's government.  In what European city is this document etched into the walls of a monument in a downtown park?

a.) London
b.) Amsterdam
c.) Geneva
d.) Berlin

4.  What was the intended destination of the Mayflower?

a.)  Florida
b.)  the Hudson River
c.)  Massachusetts
d.)  Puerto Rico

5.   Which statement best describes how the pilgrims fared their first winter?

a.)  thanks to prayer, frugality, hard work, and help from the local natives, most survived
b.)  despite prayer, frugality, hard work, and help from the local natives, most died
c.)  half of them died because of poor nutrition and inadequate shelter
d.)  half returned to England out of frustration

6.  Which of the following statements is true regarding Squanto, the Pawtuxet native whom the pilgrims encountered?

a.)  he had been captured by John Smith's expedition and intended for slavery, but escaped
b.)  he visited England, only to return to his people to find most had died from a disease outbreak
c.)  he taught the struggling white settlers how to plant corn, which was to prove critical to their survival
d.)  all of the above

7.  The Plymouth Rock settlers were not known as "Pilgrims" until about 1820.  When they first landed, which of the following terms were used to describe them (either by them or their contemporaries)?

a.) Old Comers
b.) saints
c.) pilgrimes
d.) all of the above

8.  Where did the Pilgrims first land?

a.)  Plymouth Rock
b.)  the Hudson River area around present day New York City
c.)  Puerto Rico
d.)  Cape Cod around present day Provincetown

9. The Pilgrims had religious motives for seeking the New World.  Which of the following was NOT one of their beliefs? 

a.) marriage is a holy sacrament between a man and a woman
b.) celebration of Christmas was forbidden
c.) singing in church was forbidden
d.) working on Sunday was forbidden

10.  The first execution in the Massachusetts Bay Colony was 16 year-old Thomas Granger on September 8, 1642.  For what crime was he hanged?

a.) murder
b.) rape
c.) theft
d.) bestiality

11.  56 years after the Mayflower landed, what had become the most profitable export back to England from the colonies?

a.) tobacco
b.) potatoes
c.) slavery
d.) frozen turkeys

12.  On a per capita basis, what was the most bloody war in American history?

a.) King Phillips War
b.) French and Indian Wars
c.) the Civil War
d.) World War II

13.  To pay for the war against the Native Americans, what did the Pilgrims do?

a.) cut taxes to allow for dynamic growth of the colony
b.) raise taxes for a few years, but quickly lower them to prewar levels once the war had been paid for
c.) hold an enormous bake sale, the first of its kind in the New World
d.) raise taxes for over a century

14.  By 1676, what had been legalized in the Plymouth colony?

a.) gay marriage
b.) bestiality
c.) slavery
d.) freedom of worship

15.  During the war against the Native Americans, the 9 year-old son of the Indian chief was captured.  An argument followed about what the Bible said should be done with him.   What was eventually decided?

a.) he was only a child, so was release for humanitarian reasons
b.) he was adopted by a pilgrim family, taught the Bible, and raised as a Christian
c.) he was imprisoned for several years, then released once he had pledged not to make war against the settlers
d.) he was sold into slavery, like his mother

16. What was the consequence of the war against the Native Americans?

a.) the pilgrims were now widely feared for their military prowess, so enjoyed a newfound independence and freedom
b.) the removal of friendly Indian tribes as buffer exposed the Pilgrims to more hostile tribes, increasing the settlers' dependence on England for military protection
c.) the pilgrims deeply regretted going to war against and taking the land of those who had helped them survive their first winters
d.) the pilgrims were able to decrease their independence on Britain, having proven their ability to defend themselves

17.  Approximately how many Americans are descendants of those who landed at Plymouth Rock?

a.) 1 in 1,000
b.) 1 in 100
c.) 1 in 20
d.) 1 in 10

Answers and explanations to follow....