The History of Trick-or-Treating - Answer Key - Halloween Door-to-Door Traditions

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by acoobca

A reading passage explains how Halloween door-to-door traditions developed into the modern phrase “trick or treat.” It describes early practices in England and Ireland, when children went house to house, sang songs, and received sweet soul cakes instead of candy. It then traces how the words spread to America about ninety years ago and how, by the 1950s, most towns had trick-or-treaters at every door.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

The Passage: Halloween Door-to-Door History

Comprehension Questions (1-8)

Do you love to knock on doors on Halloween? When you say"trick or treat," you get candy! Kids have knocked on doors for avery, very long time. Long before candy, kids knocked for cakes. In old England and Ireland, children went door to door. They sang songs and got sweet soul cakes to eat. Those songs grew into the words we say now. Kids in America began to say "trick or treat" about ninety years ago. By the 1950s, most towns had happy trickor-treaters at every door! The History of Trick-or-Treating Name: | Solve each problem.
Use the article to answer the question.
1) In the passage, what does "door to door" mean?
A. Closing every door tight B. Going from one house to the next
C. Building a door for a home D. Living inside one big house | | | 1.
2. | | Answers | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2) What is this whole passage mostly about?
A. How to bake sweet soul cakes
B. How towns make big Halloween parties
C. How England is far from America
D. How kids came to knock on doors for treats | | | 3.
4.
5. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 3) What did children get long before candy?
A. Sweet soul cakes B. Warm apple treats
C. Big pumpkin pies D. Shiny gold coins | | | 6.
7.
8. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4) What did the children do to get their soul cakes?
A. They sang songs at the doors B. They carried bright lamps
C. They wore scary masks D. They danced in the street | | | | | | | | | | | 5) When did kids in America start to say "trick or treat"?
A. About four years ago B. About five hundred years ago
C. About one week ago D. About ninety years ago | | | | | | | | | | | 6) What do kids say to get candy on Halloween?
A. "Sweet cakes" B. "Happy Halloween"
C. "Knock, knock" D. "Trick or treat" | | | | | | | | | | | 7) In which places did children go door to door long ago?
A. Canada and Mexico B. England and Ireland
C. Italy and Greece D. France and Spain | | | | | | | | | | | 8) Why did the old songs matter to the words we say now?
A. The songs were sung on every holiday
B. The songs grew into the words "trick or treat"
C. The songs told kids to bake cakes
D. The songs stopped kids from knocking | | | | | | | | | | | 1-8 | 88 | 75 | 63 | 50 | | 38 | 25 | 13 | 0 | Reading [www.CommonCoreSheets.com](www.CommonCoreSheets.com) Page 2 of 2 Do you love to knock on doors on Halloween? When you say"trick or treat," you get candy! Kids have knocked on doors for avery, very long time. Long before candy, kids knocked for cakes. In old England and Ireland, children went door to door. They sang songs and got sweet soul cakes to eat. Those songs grew into the words we say now. Kids in America began to say "trick or treat" about ninety years ago. By the 1950s, most towns had happy trickor-treaters at every door! The History of Trick-or-Treating Name: Answer Key | Solve each problem.
Use the article to answer the question.
1) In the passage, what does "door to door" mean?
A. Closing every door tight B. Going from one house to the next
C. Building a door for a home D. Living inside one big house | | | Answers
1. B
2. D | | | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2) What is this whole passage mostly about?
A. How to bake sweet soul cakes
B. How towns make big Halloween parties
C. How England is far from America
D. How kids came to knock on doors for treats | | | 3.
4.
5. | | A | | | | | | | | | | | A | | | | | | | | | | | D | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 3) What did children get long before cand

FAQs

What does “door to door” mean in the passage?

It means going from one house to the next to ask for treats.

What did children get long before candy on Halloween?

They received sweet soul cakes instead of candy.

Why did old songs matter to the words we say now?

The songs grew into the words “trick or treat.”

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by acoobca