Halloween Math & Reading — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. A haunted house has 6 rooms with 4 ghosts each, so there are 24 ghosts.
6 rooms × 4 ghosts = 24 ghosts. Equal groups always call for multiplication, not addition.
2. The phrase her smile was sunshine is an example of a metaphor.
A metaphor says one thing IS another without using 'like' or 'as'. Here, her smile is being directly compared to sunshine.
3. 7 witches each carried 3 potions, making 21 potions in all.
7 × 3 = 21 potions. Seven equal groups of 3 is solved by multiplying.
4. Rounded to the nearest ten, 38 trick-or-treaters is about 40.
The ones digit in 38 is 8, which is 5 or greater, so you round up to 40.
5. The wind howled through the trees uses personification to describe the wind.
Howling is something people and animals do, not wind. Giving human or animal actions to a non-living thing is personification.
6. 5 monsters each had 8 claws, so there were 40 claws total.
5 × 8 = 40 claws. You can also skip-count by 8 five times: 8, 16, 24, 32, 40.
7. When you estimate 49 plus 32 by rounding to the nearest ten you get 80.
Round 49 up to 50 and 32 down to 30. Then add the rounded numbers: 50 + 30 = 80.
8. The graveyard was as quiet as a mouse is a simile.
'As quiet as a mouse' is a common simile because mice are known for being silent. The word 'as' tells you it is a simile.
9. 9 pumpkins with 3 seeds each means 27 seeds altogether.
9 × 3 = 27 seeds. You can flip it to 3 × 9 and skip-count by 9: 9, 18, 27.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
Simile
→ A comparison using like or as
The same starting sound repeats
Metaphor
→ A direct comparison without like or as
A comparison using like or as
Personification
→ Gives human traits to non-human things
Gives human traits to non-human things
Alliteration
→ The same starting sound repeats
A direct comparison without like or as
Each device has a unique clue: similes use 'like' or 'as', metaphors compare directly without those words, personification gives human traits to things, and alliteration repeats starting sounds. Spot the key feature to make each match.