Halloween Math & Reading — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. A haunted hayride has 8 wagons with 6 passengers each. How many passengers are there in all?
A) 42
B) 14
C) 48
D) 46
8 wagons × 6 passengers = 48 passengers. Equal groups means you multiply, not add.
2. Read: "The jack-o-lantern grinned wickedly at every passerby." What type of figurative language is this?
A) Simile
B) Personification
C) Alliteration
D) Hyperbole
Grinning is something people do, not pumpkins, so giving the jack-o-lantern a human action is personification. Similes and alliteration would need different clues.
3. Emma collected 47 candies and Noah collected 34 candies. What is the best estimate of their total when you round to the nearest ten?
A) 70
B) 90
C) 80
D) 81
Round 47 up to 50 and 34 down to 30. Then 50 + 30 = 80, which is the best estimate.
4. Which sentence contains a simile?
A) The night was a dark blanket.
B) The cat hissed loudly at the door.
C) The moon shone like a silver coin.
D) Thunder roared across the sky.
This sentence uses the word 'like' to compare the moon to a silver coin, which makes it a simile. The other sentences use metaphor, action, or description instead.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. 9 times 7 jack-o-lanterns equals 63 jack-o-lanterns.
9 × 7 = 63. You can think (10 × 7) - 7 = 70 - 7 = 63 to check.
2. The author's reason for writing a story is called the author's purpose.
Author's purpose is the reason an author writes — to inform, persuade, or entertain. Think of the trick 'PIE' (Persuade, Inform, Entertain) to remember.
3. Rounded to the nearest ten, 56 plus 27 is about 90.
Round 56 up to 60 and 27 up to 30. Then 60 + 30 = 90.
4. A word that means the opposite of another word is an antonym.
Antonyms are opposites, like hot and cold. The prefix 'ant-' means 'against', which tells you the meaning is opposite.
5. 8 times 4 costume pieces equals 32 pieces.
8 × 4 = 32. One way: double 8 twice — 8 doubled is 16, and 16 doubled is 32.