This is a reading comprehension lesson to test
your ability to understand information written in
English. Read the information below
and then answer the 10 test questions.
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Holiday:Hanukkah
Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish holiday. It
traditionally celebrates the victory of the Maccabees over
the larger Seleucid army. It also celebrates a miracle that
happened during this time, wherein just a days supply of
olive oil allowed the menorah in the rededicated Temple in
Jerusalem to remain lit for eight days. Therefore, Jewish
people celebrate Hanukkah for eight days. Hanukkah begins on
the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar.
Hanukkah begins in late November or December. The Hebrew word hanukkah means
dedication.
The hanukiah (or hanukkah menorah) is an important Hanukkah candle holder. It has nine candles. Traditionally, one
candle is separated from the rest, usually by being higher
than the other eight. On the first night, only one candle is
lit, on the right side of the hanukiah. On the second night,
a second candle is added to the right side, and then they are lit from left to
right. This continues for all eight nights. The candles are
never lit directly - instead, the higher candle, (called a shamash, meaning "attendant") is lit first, and then used to
light the rest of the candles. Before the candles are lit,
blessings are said over them.
Jewish children often play a game called dreidel.
During the 2nd century BC, the Seleucid Empire
forced Greek culture on the Jewish people and forbade Jewish
religious practices. The Maccabees revolted and liberated
Jerusalem. The Maccabees found the Temple defiled. They
sought to rededicate it to the Jewish God, and they needed
to relight the menorah, which fed on sacred olive oil.
According to the Talmud, the Jewish people only found a
single container of undefiled oil, and that oil was only enough
to last a single day. The Jewish people took a leap of faith
and relit the menorah. To their surprise, the menorah stayed
lit for eight days, which was seven more days than they
expected. The Jewish people attributed the surprising amount
of time that the oil lasted to God (a miracle).
Hanukkah is an eight-day celebration, and each day
commemorates each day that the oil lasted. On each day, a
branch of the nine-branch Hanukkah menorah is lit with the
shamash ("helper" candle), which sits on the ninth branch.
Hanukkah is a wonderful holiday and the menorah with
eight candles on the last night of the holiday is really
beautiful. This is a nice holiday for Jewish families,
and of course for the kids, who get a present for each
of the eight nights.
Test:
Reading Comprehension
Hanukkah
Read
the information above. In the test questions
below choose which is the best answer for each
question. There are 10 questions. Good luck.
1. Hanukkah is a Jewish
holiday with how many days?
a. nine
b. eight
c. ten
d. seven
2. Hanukkah
traditionally celebrates the victory of which group over the
larger Seleucid army?
a. Maccabees
b. Macadamias
c. Mesozoics
d. Mesopotamians
3. What type of oil
allowed the menorah to stay lit for eight days?
a. corn
b. olive
c. vegetable
d. sesame
4. Hanukkah begins on
which day according to the Hebrew calendar?
a. 25th day of Kishka
b. 25th day of Kislev
c. 25th day of Kreplach
d. 25th day of Challah
5. What is the
English
meaning of the word Hanukkah?
a. dedication
b. commemoration
c. atonement
d. reverence
6. What is a menorah?
a. a holiday food
b. a candle holder
c. a holiday game
d. a table lamp
7. What is the
Hebrew
word for attendant?
a. shlameel
b. shlamazel
c. shamash
d. schmuck
8. Jewish children
often play which game on Hanukkah.
a. strudel
b. matzo
c. kugel
d. dreidel
9. When did the
Maccabees revolt and liberate Jerusalem?
a. 2nd century BC
b. 2nd century AD
c. 1st century BC
d. 1st century AD
10. What does each day
of Hanukkah commemorate?
a. each drop of oil in the latkes
b. each day that the oil lasted in the menorah
c. each day that olive oil was used to make the
Hanukkah sedar
d. playing the dreidel in ancient times
