Passage Four

   If you’ve ever been pranked on April Fools’ Day, you may wonder how this tradition started. Well, you’re not alone. No one knows for sure how April Fools’ Day began. But the most likely explanation has to do with the calendar.

No, that’s not an April Fools’ Day joke. People used to celebrate New Year’s Day on April lst. Just like today, people would have big parties to celebrate. Over time, the calendar changed and so did the date for New Year’s. In the 1500s, the new calendar marked New Year’s Day as January lst. But because there was no Internet or other means to spread the word, the news traveled slowly by word of mouth. It took a while for everyone to hear about the change, and even then some people resisted it. They continued to celebrate New Year’s on April lst. These people were given the nickname“April fools”.

   People following; the new calendar played tricks on the “April fools” by sending them on“ fool’s errands”. They had the “April fools” deliver invitations to big New Year’s celebrations that weren’t really going to happen. In France, “April fools” were called “Poisson d’Avril”, which is French for “April Fish”. This began because people thought fish were easy to catch since they could be fooled into taking the bait on a hook. Children would tag a paper fish on a person’s back to mark them as an “April Fish”. When the person discovered the fish, the prankster would yell “Poisson d’Avril”.

    Not everyone is convinced that this is actually how the tradition of April Fools’Day began.  People have tried to pinpoint the exact date of the first April Fools’ Day, but this only led to more pranks. A professor from Boston University pranked a reporter by making up a story about a court jester who said he could run the empire better than the king. The jester was made king for a day on April lst. This turned out to be a big April Fools’ Day trick because the reporter thought the story was real.

    Even though we aren’t sure how this tradition began, people still celebrate April Fools’ Day by playing tricks on each other. So the next time you prank someone and yell “April Fools!” remember that the day may actually be about the people who didn’t want to change their traditions when the new calendar was adopted. Or maybe it’s just a day to celebrate the joker in all of us.

Questions 16-20 are based on Passage Four

16. If you prank somebody, it means you______.

A. play card with that person                B. win a trick over that person

  C. play a trick on that person              D. know a trick of that person

17. In the 1500s, who were given the nickname “April fools”?

  A. People who were not smart enough.

  B. People who didn’t know when April Fools’ Day was.

  C. People who celebrated New Year’s Day on January lst.

  D. People who refused to recognize New Year’s Day as January lst.

18. On April lst, children in France used to______.

  A. place paper fish on other people’s backs

  B. wear paper fish on their backs

  C. buy a new calendar

  D. go boat fishing

19. What does the underlined word errand mean in paragraph 3?

  A. A small gift sent to somebody.

  B. A short trip to get something done.

  C. A brief trip to send invitation cards.

  D. A short message sent to somebody.

20. What is the author’s purpose for writing this article?

  A. To tell readers how April Fools’ Day is celebrated.

  B. To remind readers that April Fools’ Day is coming up.

  C. To teach readers about the history of April Fools’ Day.

  D. To persuade readers into celebrating April Fools’ Day.