Halloween Math & Reading — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. Jake buys 5 costumes at $48 each and pays $60 for shipping. He pays with $500. What is his change?
A) $190
B) $200
C) $210
D) $220
Costumes: 5 × $48 = $240. Add shipping: $240 + $60 = $300. Change: $500 - $300 = $200.
2. Which sentence best shows imagery in a Halloween story?
A) The party was fun.
B) Thick orange fog curled around the crumbling gravestones.
C) The ghost scared everyone.
D) It was a dark night.
Imagery uses vivid sensory words to paint a picture. 'Thick orange fog' appeals to sight, and 'curled' and 'crumbling' add movement and texture.
3. A candy shop sells 504 lollipops in 7 days. At this rate, how many does it sell in 3 days?
A) 198
B) 216
C) 234
D) 252
First find the daily rate: 504 ÷ 7 = 72 per day. Then multiply: 72 × 3 = 216 in 3 days.
4. The sentence "The old house watched them with dark, hollow eyes" uses which literary device?
A) simile
B) hyperbole
C) personification
D) onomatopoeia
Houses do not really watch or have eyes — those are human traits. Giving human features to a building is personification.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. Eight pumpkins cost $45 each. After using a coupon for $85 off, the total is $275.
First multiply: 8 × $45 = $360. Then subtract the coupon: $360 - $85 = $275.
2. A ghost divides 648 treats equally among 9 neighborhoods. Each gets 72 treats.
648 ÷ 9 = 72. Check: 9 × 72 = 648, from (9 × 70) + (9 × 2) = 630 + 18 = 648.
3. A story that builds tension before a scary ending creates suspense.
Suspense is the feeling of anxious waiting or excitement before something big happens. Writers build it slowly to keep readers hooked.
4. Six haunted houses each hold 125 visitors per night. Together they hold 750 visitors.
6 × 125 = 750. Split as (6 × 100) + (6 × 25) = 600 + 150 = 750.
5. The central message the author wants readers to learn from a story is the theme.
Theme is the big life lesson or message, like 'friendship matters'. It is what the author really wants readers to take away.