Thanksgiving Harvest Lab

Maize

1. 100 Which tall grass producing cereal grain is also called corn? Response: maize Maize (; Zea mays), also known as corn, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. Source: Wikipedia, “Maize”
2. 200 What is the scientific name of maize? Response: Zea mays Maize (; Zea mays), also known as corn, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. Source: Wikipedia, “Maize”
3. 300 In which region did Indigenous peoples first domesticate maize? Response: southern Mexico Maize was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Source: Wikipedia, “Maize”
4. 400 From which wild grass was maize domesticated roughly 9,000 years ago? Response: teosinte Maize was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Source: Wikipedia, “Maize”
5. 500 Maize was first domesticated in southern Mexico about how long ago? Response: about 9,000 years ago Maize was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Source: Wikipedia, “Maize”

Cranberry Botany

1. 100 Which tart fruit grows on evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines? Response: cranberries Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus Oxycoccus of the genus Vaccinium. Source: Wikipedia, “Cranberry”
2. 200 Cranberries belong to which plant genus? Response: Vaccinium Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus Oxycoccus of the genus Vaccinium. Source: Wikipedia, “Cranberry”
3. 300 What is the name of the subgenus that cranberries make up? Response: Oxycoccus Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus Oxycoccus of the genus Vaccinium. Source: Wikipedia, “Cranberry”
4. 400 How does a cranberry's color change as it ripens? Response: initially light green, turning red when ripe The fruit is a berry that is larger than the leaves of the plant; it is initially light green, turning red when ripe. Source: Wikipedia, “Cranberry”
5. 500 In North America, which species does the word cranberry usually mean? Response: V. macrocarpon In Britain, cranberry may refer to the native species Vaccinium oxycoccos, while in North America, it may refer to V. macrocarpon. Source: Wikipedia, “Cranberry”

Pumpkin Growth

1. 100 Which cultivated winter squash is carved into jack-o'-lanterns? Response: pumpkin A pumpkin is a cultivated winter squash in the genus Cucurbita. Source: Wikipedia, “Pumpkin”
2. 200 Pumpkins belong to which plant genus? Response: Cucurbita A pumpkin is a cultivated winter squash in the genus Cucurbita. Source: Wikipedia, “Pumpkin”
3. 300 Which pumpkin species is among the oldest known domesticated plants? Response: C. pepo C. pepo pumpkins are among the oldest known domesticated plants, with evidence of their cultivation dating to between 7000 BCE and 5500 BCE in Mesoamerica. Source: Wikipedia, “Pumpkin”
4. 400 Pumpkins are among the oldest domesticated plants. Between which dates, and where, were they first grown? Response: between 7000 BCE and 5500 BCE in Mesoamerica C. pepo pumpkins are among the oldest known domesticated plants, with evidence of their cultivation dating to between 7000 BCE and 5500 BCE in Mesoamerica. Source: Wikipedia, “Pumpkin”
5. 500 Which two edible parts does a pumpkin's thick shell hold? Response: seeds and pulp The pumpkin's thick shell encases edible seeds and pulp. Source: Wikipedia, “Pumpkin”

Wild Turkey Science

1. 100 Which upland game bird is native to North America? Response: wild turkey The wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is an upland game bird native to North America, one of two extant species of turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. Source: Wikipedia, “Wild turkey”
2. 200 What is the wild turkey's scientific name? Response: Meleagris gallopavo The wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is an upland game bird native to North America, one of two extant species of turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. Source: Wikipedia, “Wild turkey”
3. 300 The wild turkey belongs to which bird order? Response: Galliformes The wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is an upland game bird native to North America, one of two extant species of turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. Source: Wikipedia, “Wild turkey”
4. 400 What record does the wild turkey hold among the birds of its order? Response: heaviest member The wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is an upland game bird native to North America, one of two extant species of turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. Source: Wikipedia, “Wild turkey”
5. 500 A genetic history traces today's domestic bird to which regional wild-turkey population? Response: a southern Mexican subspecies It is the ancestor to the domestic turkey (M. g. domesticus), which was originally derived from a southern Mexican subspecies of wild turkey (not the related ocellated turkey). Source: Wikipedia, “Wild turkey”

Autumn Leaves

1. 100 What seasonal phenomenon gives normally green deciduous leaves new colors? Response: autumn leaf color Autumn leaf color is a phenomenon that affects the normally green leaves of many deciduous trees and shrubs by which they take on, during a few weeks in the autumn season, various shades of yellow, orange, red, purple, and brown. Source: Wikipedia, “Autumn leaf color”
2. 200 Autumn color turns the green leaves of many trees and shrubs of which kind? Response: deciduous trees and shrubs Autumn leaf color is a phenomenon that affects the normally green leaves of many deciduous trees and shrubs by which they take on, during a few weeks in the autumn season, various shades of yellow, orange, red, purple, and brown. Source: Wikipedia, “Autumn leaf color”
3. 300 Which five colors do autumn leaves turn? Response: yellow, orange, red, purple, and brown Autumn leaf color is a phenomenon that affects the normally green leaves of many deciduous trees and shrubs by which they take on, during a few weeks in the autumn season, various shades of yellow, orange, red, purple, and brown. Source: Wikipedia, “Autumn leaf color”
4. 400 Which tourism term describes travel to see the seasonal colors? Response: leaf peeping In some areas of Canada and the United States, "leaf peeping" tourism is a major contribution to economic activity. Source: Wikipedia, “Autumn leaf color”
5. 500 Autumn leaf season runs from September to November in the Northern Hemisphere. Which months is it in the Southern Hemisphere? Response: March to May This tourist activity occurs between the beginning of color changes and the onset of leaf fall, usually around September to November in the Northern Hemisphere and March to May in the Southern Hemisphere. Source: Wikipedia, “Autumn leaf color”

Final round: Crop Origins

This wild grass was domesticated into the cereal crop now called maize or corn. Response: teosinte Maize was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Source: Wikipedia, “Maize”