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National Holidays: Then and Now is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on how national holidays began and how they are kept today, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.His.2.3-5. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 12 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

National Holidays: Then and Now

D2.His.2.3-5

NameDate

Circle the right answer.

1.On the second Monday of October, many states and cities also or instead observe which day?
  • A.Indigenous Peoples' Day
  • B.Veterans Day
  • C.Flag Day
2.In what year was Martin Luther King Jr. Day first observed as a federal holiday?
  • A.1986
  • B.1863
  • C.1776
3.Why was Labor Day created?
  • A.To celebrate the end of a war
  • B.To honor workers, after years of campaigning by labor unions
  • C.To mark the first day of school
4.How is Memorial Day often observed today?
  • A.By wearing costumes
  • B.With visits to cemeteries, parades and a moment of remembrance
  • C.By exchanging gifts
5.Why was Armistice Day renamed Veterans Day in 1954?
  • A.To move it to the spring
  • B.Because World War I was forgotten
  • C.To honor veterans of all wars, not only World War I
6.Veterans Day was first called Armistice Day. What did it mark?
  • A.The end of fighting in World War I on November 11, 1918
  • B.The end of the Civil War
  • C.The signing of the Constitution
7.What does Columbus Day, the federal holiday, mark?
  • A.The founding of Jamestown
  • B.Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas in 1492
  • C.The first Thanksgiving
8.In what year did Labor Day become a federal holiday?
  • A.1776
  • B.2021
  • C.1894

LessonPrint · D2.His.2.3-5 · Set 12 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — National Holidays: Then and Now

Set 12. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Indigenous Peoples' Day
  2. 2.1986
  3. 3.To honor workers, after years of campaigning by labor unions
  4. 4.With visits to cemeteries, parades and a moment of remembrance
  5. 5.To honor veterans of all wars, not only World War I
  6. 6.The end of fighting in World War I on November 11, 1918
  7. 7.Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas in 1492
  8. 8.1894

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.His.2.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.