Quiz: St. Patrick’s Day

Test your knowledge about the Irish holiday Americans love

Christina Ianzito,

Published March 15, 2017

10 Questions

Quiz: St. Patrick’s Day

[ {
  "question" : "Who was St. Patrick?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "A resident of Britain who was captured and enslaved in Ireland and then went on to convert thousands of Irish people to Christianity.",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "An Irish monk who banished snakes from Ireland when they began destroying the potato crops.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "A British sailor who was captured by Irish pirates and converted them to Christianity before they made him walk the plank.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "An Irish monk who saved his countrymen by warning them of a British invasion after receiving a vision from God of a great battle.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Answer: The patron saint of Ireland was a resident of Britain, born in 387 and enslaved by pirates at age 16. After receiving a vision from God, he spent decades preaching the gospel throughout Ireland and converted thousands to Christianity.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "What do historians believe was St. Patrick’s name at birth?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Trevet Batilde",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Alden Beckette",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Maewyn Succat",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Merwyn McGeet",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Answer: Maewyn Succat. Seriously! He took the name Patrick when he became a priest.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Where and when was the first St. Paddy’s Day parade in the United States?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Boston in 1809",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Boston in 1911",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "New York in 1762",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Providence, R.I., in 1898",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Answer: The first parade in St. Patrick’s honor is thought to have been in 1762, when a gathering of Irish soldiers in the British Army paraded down lower Broadway in New York to celebrate their homeland.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Why all the green shamrocks?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "St. Patrick believed three-leaf clovers had the power to heal and used them to cure the sick.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Ghost).",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "The shamrock has come to symbolize St. Patrick’s uniting of France, Britain and Ireland in peace under Catholicism.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "None of the above",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Answer: St. Patrick was said to have used the three-leaf clover to demonstrate the Holy Trinity to potential converts.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Which city has had a huge St. Patrick’s Day parade and celebration since 1813?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Savannah, Ga.",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Cleveland, Ohio",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "San Francisco",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "New Orleans",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Answer: The old Southern town of Savannah is home to a large Irish American population and throws one of the biggest annual celebrations in the country.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "What does “Erin go bragh” mean?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Celebrate spring",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Ireland forever",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "I am Irish",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Bottoms up",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Answer: “Erin go bragh” is an English-language version of an Irish phrase that’s typically translated as “Ireland forever.”",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Which of the following is an actual St. Patrick’s Day tradition?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Green dye is dumped into the Chicago River in the Windy City.",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "The Statue of Liberty is draped with an Irish flag.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Massachusetts designates the day a state holiday and closes schools.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "None of the above",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Answer: Celebration organizers dye a segment of the Chicago River green using a mysterious powder. Its formula is “top secret,” according to the Chicago Tribune,  but officials say it is environmentally friendly.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "How many Americans claim to have some Irish ancestry?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "33.1 million",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "48.8 million",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "57.2 million",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "71.1 million",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Answer: More than 33 million people, according to the 2014 U.S. Census — a number far greater than the population of Ireland, which is 4.6 million.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "What historic site has been lit up in green on St. Paddy’s Day in recent years?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Roman Colosseum",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Leaning Tower of Pisa",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Sydney Opera House",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "All of the above",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Answer: All of them. A slew of famous sites have been bathed in green light on the holiday, including the Sphinx in Egypt and South Africa’s Table Mountain.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "How many pints of Guinness are consumed on St. Patrick’s Day worldwide?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "5 million",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "1.2 million",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "13 million",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "32.5 million",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Answer: 13 million pints are chugged on the holiday, compared with 5.5 million on an average day, according to Tourism Ireland. Cheers!",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
} ]

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Quiz: St. Patrick’s Day

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Christina Ianzito is a Washington, D.C.-based journalist who joined AARP in 2010. She’s the travel and books editor for aarp.org and AARP The Magazine and also edits and writes health, entertainment and other stories for aarp.org. She received a 2020 Lowell Thomas Award for travel writing.