How well do you know Wellesley’s traditions, current and defuct? Numbers 31 to 39 of our list of 150 things you should know about the College takes the form of a quiz! Test yourself, then learn more at the upcoming exhibition at the Davis Museum, Only To Be There: Student Traditions at Wellesley, opening in February 2026.
31 A College Hall tradition called “going through Harriet” involved encouraging freshmen to crawl under the seat of a statue of which 18th-century Harriet?
a) Harriet Beecher Stowe, author and social activist
b) Harriet Martineau, English social theorist
c) Harriet Hosmer, first female professional sculptor
32 Which of the following were a part of Wellesley students’ now-defunct “forensic burning” tradition?
a) A secret fire
b) Masks
c) Latin dirges
d) All of the above
33 Which of the following was not part of Float Night as it evolved from the 1880s to the 1940s?
a) Original songs performed by rowing crews
b) Fireworks displays
c) Live bands, including one from Harvard, floating on a large platform
d) A competition for best academic speech, delivered from a decorated canoe
34 Which of the following statements about Hooprolling is inaccurate?
a) It was founded by students who thought Wellesley took itself too seriously.
b) It was once won by a Harvard student.
c) The course was originally in the Academic Quad.
d) President Emerita Diana Chapman Walsh ’66 won Hooprolling in 1966.
35 During what decade did the term “Scream Tunnel” become widely used to describe the section of the Boston Marathon that passes by Wellesley?
a) 1940s
b) 1960s
c) 1980s
d) 2000s
36 What inspired Flower Sunday, Wellesley’s oldest surviving tradition?
a) Students wanted to honor President Ada Howard’s birthday.
b) College co-founder Henry Durant decided to create a more uplifting service after a somber 1875 chapel sermon.
c) Students modeled it after a similar tradition at Mount Holyoke.
d) A bumper crop of zinnias inspired a floral-themed chapel service.
37 Which of the following is not a Stepsinging song?
a) “Ballad of a Bold, Bad Man”
b) “The Way a Wellesley Gal Should”
c) “Where, Oh Where”
d) “We’ll Sing in Shakespeare’s Garden”
38 Which of the following statements about Wellesley fudge cake is false?
a) It was inspired by students’ late-night fudge-making parties in the late 1800s.
b) By the 1920s, the cake was served at several Vil establishments, including the Wellesley Tea Room.
c) A copy of the recipe was placed in the town of Wellesley’s centennial time capsule, to be opened in 2081.
d) Wellesley College Alumnae of Boston once sold decorative tins inspired by the cake.
39 In what decade was Lake Day first held?
a) 1940s
b) 1960s
c) 1980s
d) 2000s
Scroll down for the answers!
Answers: b, d, d, c, d, b, d, d, c.
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