Citizenship · Holidays Vocabulary

Read: 'Thanksgiving is in November.' What is celebrated?

Correct answer

A traditional American holiday celebrating gratitude, family, and the autumn harvest; observed on the fourth Thursday of November

  1. A A summer beach festival
  2. B A celebration of the new year
  3. C A military victory parade
  4. D A traditional American holiday celebrating gratitude, family, and the autumn harvest; observed on the fourth Thursday of November

Why this is the answer

THANKSGIVING is on the USCIS HOLIDAYS VOCABULARY list. It is celebrated on the FOURTH THURSDAY OF NOVEMBER each year — a major American federal holiday focused on GRATITUDE, FAMILY, and the harvest. Origins: traditionally traced to a 1621 feast shared by the Pilgrims (English colonists at Plymouth) and the Wampanoag Native Americans after the colonists' first successful harvest in the New World. President Abraham Lincoln declared a national Thanksgiving Day in 1863 during the Civil War. In 1941, Congress made it a federal holiday on the fourth Thursday of November. Sample reading test sentences: 'Thanksgiving is in November.' 'We have Thanksgiving Day.' 'Thanksgiving is a holiday.' Typical Thanksgiving traditions: FAMILY GATHERING and meal; TURKEY (centerpiece of the meal — Thanksgiving is sometimes called 'Turkey Day'); stuffing/dressing; cranberry sauce; sweet potatoes; pumpkin pie; mashed potatoes; gravy; green bean casserole. PARADES (Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, televised nationally); FOOTBALL games; the President officially 'pardons' a turkey at the White House (since the 1980s as formal tradition); volunteering at soup kitchens and food banks. The day after Thanksgiving is BLACK FRIDAY, the traditional start of Christmas shopping season — one of the busiest shopping days. Many Americans travel home for Thanksgiving, making it one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
Source: USCIS Reading Vocabulary — Thanksgiving

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About this topic: Holidays Vocabulary

Holidays vocabulary covers the holiday names on the USCIS reading list — Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving — and the months that go with them. This is one of 6 Reading Vocabulary questions on holidays vocabulary, each with a full explanation on a single study page.

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