SeasonalAges 10+15 questions

Halloween Quiz

Halloween has roots that go back more than 2,000 years, long before pumpkins and fancy dress parties. This quiz covers where the festival came from, the folklore behind jack-o'-lanterns, the classic monster stories and a few spooky facts to surprise your friends.

Read the questions and answers here, or host the quiz live at your Halloween party or in class: put it on a big screen, let everyone join on their phones with a PIN, and see who takes the crown.

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The questions

  1. 1.On what date is Halloween celebrated?

    • A31 October
    • B1 November
    • C30 October
    • D31 December
    Show the answer

    31 October. Halloween falls on 31 October every year, the evening before All Saints' Day.

  2. 2.What is "Halloween" short for?

    • AHollow Evening
    • BHallowed Winter
    • CAll Hallows' Eve
    • DAll Holy Events
    Show the answer

    All Hallows' Eve. "Hallow" is an old word for a saint, so All Hallows' Eve is the evening before All Saints' Day.

  3. 3.Which ancient Celtic festival is Halloween closely linked to?

    • ABeltane
    • BSamhain
    • CImbolc
    • DLughnasadh
    Show the answer

    Samhain. Samhain marked the end of the harvest and the start of winter, when the spirit world was said to be close.

  4. 4.In Ireland and Scotland, which vegetable was carved into lanterns before pumpkins?

    • ACarrots
    • BCabbages
    • COnions
    • DTurnips
    Show the answer

    Turnips. People carved faces into turnips. Irish emigrants in America later used pumpkins, which are easier to carve.

  5. 5.Botanically speaking, a pumpkin is a fruit.

    True or false?

    Show the answer

    True. Botanically a pumpkin is a fruit, because it grows from the flower and holds the plant's seeds.

  6. 6.Who wrote the novel "Frankenstein"?

    • AMary Shelley
    • BBram Stoker
    • CEdgar Allan Poe
    • DCharles Dickens
    Show the answer

    Mary Shelley. Mary Shelley published "Frankenstein" in 1818. She began writing it when she was just 18.

  7. 7.Who wrote the novel "Dracula"?

    • AMary Shelley
    • BOscar Wilde
    • CBram Stoker
    • DArthur Conan Doyle
    Show the answer

    Bram Stoker. Bram Stoker, an Irish author, published "Dracula" in 1897.

  8. 8.In Bram Stoker's novel, Count Dracula's castle is in which region?

    • ABavaria
    • BTransylvania
    • CTuscany
    • DSiberia
    Show the answer

    Transylvania. In the novel, Dracula lives in a castle in the Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania.

  9. 9.All bats are blind.

    True or false?

    Show the answer

    False. No bat is blind. Many use echolocation to hunt in the dark, and fruit bats have especially good eyesight.

  10. 10.In Irish folklore, who is the jack-o'-lantern named after?

    • AJack Frost
    • BJumping Jack
    • CJack the Giant Killer
    • DStingy Jack
    Show the answer

    Stingy Jack. Legend says Stingy Jack tricked the Devil and was left to wander the earth with only a coal in a turnip to light his way.

  11. 11.What is the fear of spiders called?

    • AArachnophobia
    • BClaustrophobia
    • CAcrophobia
    • DAgoraphobia
    Show the answer

    Arachnophobia. Arachnophobia comes from the Greek "arachne", meaning spider. It is one of the most common fears.

  12. 12.Which Mexican celebration on 1 and 2 November honours loved ones who have died?

    • ACinco de Mayo
    • BCarnival
    • CDay of the Dead
    • DLas Posadas
    Show the answer

    Day of the Dead. On the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), families build colourful altars with photos, flowers and food.

  13. 13.In Scotland, what is going door to door in costume at Halloween traditionally called?

    • AMumming
    • BWassailing
    • CCaroling
    • DGuising
    Show the answer

    Guising. Children in disguise, or "guise", would perform a song, poem or joke in return for treats.

  14. 14.What is the day after Halloween called in the Christian calendar?

    • ABonfire Night
    • BAll Saints' Day
    • CAdvent Sunday
    • DAsh Wednesday
    Show the answer

    All Saints' Day. All Saints' Day on 1 November honours all saints. All Souls' Day follows on 2 November.

  15. 15.Which famous escape artist died on Halloween in 1926?

    • AHarry Houdini
    • BDavid Copperfield
    • CCharlie Chaplin
    • DBuster Keaton
    Show the answer

    Harry Houdini. Harry Houdini died in Detroit on 31 October 1926, from a ruptured appendix.

Play it live, everyone on their phones

Put the questions on a big screen, share the PIN, and the leaderboard keeps score. Change any question first — it becomes your own quiz.