Army Specialist Justin Immerso reaches for a flag to place in front of a head stone at Arlington National Cemetery in preparation for Memorial Day – Arlington VA ( photo by Jacquelyn Martin, AP News Service )
A. The Revolutionary War
B. The Civil War
C. The Spanish-American War
D. World War I
E. World War II
2) Which community was proclaimed in 1966 by the U.S. government as the birthplace of Memorial Day?
A. Springfield, Pennsylvania
B. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
C. Arlington, Virginia
D. Waterloo, New York
E. Bunker Hill, Massachusetts
3) Additionally, which of these towns claims to be the birthplace of Memorial Day:
A. Columbus, Miss.
B. Macon, Ga.
C. Richmond, Va.
D. Boalsburg, Pa.
E. All of the above
4) On what date was Memorial Day first widely observed?
A. May 30th, 1856
B. May 5th, 1866
C. May 30th, 1868
D. May 29th, 1901
E. May 15th, 1919
5) Memorial Day originated with another name. What was it?
A. Honor Day
B. Old Soldiers’ Day
C. Decoration Day
D. Remembrance Day
E. Bravery Day
6) Since the end of World War I, Memorial Day is also called which of the following?
A. Poppy Day
B. War Heroes’ Day
C. Armed Forces Day
D. Military Day
E. Old Soldiers’ Day
7) Memorial Day is different in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Virginia, Louisiana, and Tennessee. How?
A. These states celebrate Memorial Day on Jefferson Davis’ birthday.
B. Instead of a somber, solemn observance, these states celebrate the memory of the fallen with gala festivals.
C. Memorial Day in these states excludes the Union dead in the Civil War.
D. These states choose to honor Confederate dead in the Civil War on a separate day.
E. In these states, the Confederate flag is flown alongside the American flag.
8) Why is General John Alexander Logan important to the celebration of Memorial Day?
A. He is the first officially documented casualty in a war
B. He called for more official government recognition of the holiday
C. He was the first to place a wreath at the Grave of the Unknowns
D. He is responsible for accumulating and maintaining statistics of the U.S. war dead
E. He ordered that the holiday be observed by decorating the graves of the war dead
9) In which war did the most U.S. service people die?
A. The Revolutionary War
B. The Civil War
C. World War I
D. World War II
E. The Vietnam War
10) Which war had the highest percentage of U.S. casualties based on the number of troops served?
A. The Revolutionary War
B. The Civil War
C. World War I
D. World War II
E. The Vietnam War
11) According to the Department of Defense, how many U.S. service men and women have died in battle in all wars in which the United States was involved?
A. About 186,000
B. About 500,000
C. About 1 million
D. About 1.9 million
E. They don’t even estimate
12) True or False: During the first celebration of Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, after which 5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried in the cemetery.
13) True of False: On Memorial Day, the flag should be flown at half-staff throughout the day to honor the nation’s war dead.
14) The poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae, a World War I colonel and surgeon with Canada’s First Brigade Artillery, expressed McCrae’s grief over the “row on row” of graves of soldiers who had died on Flanders’ battlefields, located in a region of western Belgium and northern France. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the poem was first published in:
A) Life magazine.
B) The London Times newspaper.
C) Newsweek magazine.
D) A collection of short stories and poems edited by naturalist William Bartram.
E) The British magazine Punch.
15) True or False: The 24-note melancholy bugle call known as “Taps” is thought to be a revision of a French bugle signal, called “tattoo,” that notified soldiers to cease an evening’s drinking and return to their garrisons.
Answers
1) B. Memorial Day was founded to honor military personnel who died in the Civil War.
2) D. Waterloo, New York was proclaimed in 1966 by the U.S. government as the birthplace of Memorial Day?
3) E. All these towns claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day.
4) C. While there is some debate, most historians agree that May 30, 1868 was the first time Memorial Day was widely observed.
5) C. Memorial Day originated with the name Decoration Day.
6) A. Since the end of World War I, Memorial Day has also been called Poppy Day.
7) D. In many Southern states, the Confederate dead of the Civil War are honored on a separate day.
8) E. General John Alexander Logan ordered that the holiday be observed by decorating the graves of the war dead.
9) D. World War II was the most lethal for U.S. service people.
10) B. The Civil War had the highest percentage of U.S. casualties based on the number of troops served.
11) B. About 500,000 U.S. service men and women have died in battle in all wars in which the United States was involved, according to the Department of Defense.
12) True.
13) False. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, on Memorial Day the flag should be flown at half-staff from sunrise until noon only, then raised briskly to the top of the staff until sunset, in honor of the nation’s battle heroes.
14) E. The poem “In Flanders Fields” was first published in Punch magazine.
15) True.
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