The days are getting shorter. The night air is becoming crisp. The mornings have a chilly edge. You have a fire burning in your fireplace. You watch football with your family on Sunday afternoon. Everywhere you walk, brilliantly colored leaves crunch beneath your feet. You might wonder why pumpkins are appearing on your neighbors' porches.Pumpkins represent the fall season. Once called pompion, pumpkins were grown in England as early as 1570. Pumpkin pie originated in England. Now it is an all-American dessert, often served during fall and winter festivities. The original version of pumpkin pie was prepared with apples. People would cut a hole in the side of the pumpkin, remove the seeds and pulp, and then fill the shell with apples. The apple-filled pumpkin was then baked for a sweet harvest treat. Later, people eliminated the pumpkin shell and the apples. This became the dessert that we are familiar with today—pumpkin pie.Making pie is not the only use for the celebrated autumn fruit. Some people like to roast and salt the pumpkin seeds. Others carve faces into the exterior of the hollowed pumpkin. When a face is carved into a pumpkin, it is usually called a jack-o'-lantern. Historians say that jack-o'-lanterns originated in either Scotland or Ireland, and were used as actual lanterns. People who traveled at night cut frightening faces into gourds and put candles inside them. They carried their lit gourds with them on their nighttime journeys. They believed that the illuminated face would ward off fairies or other beings that might lead the traveler astray. They also believed that a lit gourd in a window would protect their households. Americans adopted this tradition, but instead of carving gourds, they carved pumpkins. Whether the pumpkin is decorative, edible, or both, it represents a time of bounty and change to many.

Question

The days are getting shorter. The night air is becoming crisp. The mornings have a chilly edge. You have a fire burning in your fireplace. You watch football with your family on Sunday afternoon. Everywhere you walk, brilliantly colored leaves crunch beneath your feet. You might wonder why pumpkins are appearing on your neighbors' porches.Pumpkins represent the fall season. Once called pompion, pumpkins were grown in England as early as 1570. Pumpkin pie originated in England. Now it is an all-American dessert, often served during fall and winter festivities. The original version of pumpkin pie was prepared with apples. People would cut a hole in the side of the pumpkin, remove the seeds and pulp, and then fill the shell with apples. The apple-filled pumpkin was then baked for a sweet harvest treat. Later, people eliminated the pumpkin shell and the apples. This became the dessert that we are familiar with today—pumpkin pie.Making pie is not the only use for the celebrated autumn fruit. Some people like to roast and salt the pumpkin seeds. Others carve faces into the exterior of the hollowed pumpkin. When a face is carved into a pumpkin, it is usually called a jack-o'-lantern. Historians say that jack-o'-lanterns originated in either Scotland or Ireland, and were used as actual lanterns. People who traveled at night cut frightening faces into gourds and put candles inside them. They carried their lit gourds with them on their nighttime journeys. They believed that the illuminated face would ward off fairies or other beings that might lead the traveler astray. They also believed that a lit gourd in a window would protect their households. Americans adopted this tradition, but instead of carving gourds, they carved pumpkins. Whether the pumpkin is decorative, edible, or both, it represents a time of bounty and change to many.

Which sentence BEST summarizes the passage's first paragraph?

A.
Fall is marked by pumpkins that appear as decorations.

B.
The temperature drops as summer shifts into autumn.

C.
Many people are curious about why pumpkins symbolize fall.

D.
Things around us noticeably change as autumn emerges.

Answer 1

D. Things around us noticeably change as autumn emerges.