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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 16 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.In what year was Martin Luther King Jr. Day first observed as a federal holiday?
  • A.1986
  • B.1776
  • C.1863
2.Why was Armistice Day renamed Veterans Day in 1954?
  • A.Because World War I was forgotten
  • B.To honor veterans of all wars, not only World War I
  • C.To move it to the spring
3.What does Columbus Day, the federal holiday, mark?
  • A.The founding of Jamestown
  • B.The first Thanksgiving
  • C.Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas in 1492
4.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
5.Juneteenth was celebrated in Black communities for generations. When did it become a federal holiday?
  • A.1931
  • B.2021
  • C.1865
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 signing of the Constitution
  • C.The end of the Civil War
7.On the second Monday of October, many states and cities also or instead observe which day?
  • A.Veterans Day
  • B.Flag Day
  • C.Indigenous Peoples' Day
8.In what year did Labor Day become a federal holiday?
  • A.1776
  • B.1894
  • C.2021

LessonPrint · D2.His.2.3-5 · Set 16 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — National Holidays: Then and Now

Set 16. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1986
  2. 2.To honor veterans of all wars, not only World War I
  3. 3.Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas in 1492
  4. 4.To honor workers, after years of campaigning by labor unions
  5. 5.2021
  6. 6.The end of fighting in World War I on November 11, 1918
  7. 7.Indigenous Peoples' Day
  8. 8.1894

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