Canadian Citizenship Test — All Questions

Which document forms the basis of many rights and freedoms in Canada?

• a.The Treaty of Paris
• b.The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms✓
• c.The Quebec Act
• d.The Magna Carta of Canada

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, part of the Constitution since 1982, sets out fundamental freedoms and rights for people in Canada, as described in Discover Canada.

Which of the following is a responsibility of Canadian citizenship?

• a.Obeying the law and serving on a jury if called✓
• b.Owning a house
• c.Speaking only English
• d.Belonging to a political party

Discover Canada lists obeying the law, serving on a jury, voting in elections, and helping others in the community among the responsibilities of citizenship.

Freedom of religion, freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly are examples of:

• a.Government duties
• b.Provincial taxes
• c.Fundamental freedoms protected by the Charter✓
• d.Rules that apply only during elections

The Charter protects fundamental freedoms including freedom of conscience and religion, freedom of expression, and freedom of peaceful assembly, as listed in Discover Canada.

According to Discover Canada, Canadian law and rights draw partly on which historical sources?

• a.Only the laws of the United States
• b.Only written statutes passed since 1982
• c.No earlier historical tradition
• d.English common law, French civil law and unwritten British traditions✓

Canadian law draws on English common law, the civil code of France, and unwritten constitutional traditions inherited from Britain, as the guide explains.

Discover Canada describes three founding peoples of Canada. They are:

• a.British, American and French
• b.Aboriginal (Indigenous), French and British✓
• c.French, Spanish and Dutch
• d.English, Irish and Scottish

The guide identifies Aboriginal (Indigenous), French, and British peoples as the founding peoples of Canada.

The three main groups of Aboriginal peoples in Canada are:

• a.First Nations, Inuit and Metis✓
• b.Cree, Inuit and British
• c.Metis, French and Inuit
• d.First Nations, Acadian and Loyalist

Discover Canada explains that Aboriginal peoples include First Nations, the Inuit, and the Metis.

Which two languages are the official languages of Canada?

• a.English and Spanish
• b.French and Inuktitut
• c.English and French✓
• d.English and German

English and French are the two official languages of Canada, a key fact in Discover Canada, reflecting the country's British and French heritage.

The name 'Canada' is generally believed to come from a word meaning:

• a.'Village' or 'settlement' in an Iroquoian language✓
• b.'Great river' in French
• c.'New land' in Latin
• d.'North' in English

Discover Canada notes that 'Canada' likely comes from 'kanata,' the Huron-Iroquois word for a village or settlement.

In 1867 Confederation created the Dominion of Canada. This is celebrated each year on:

• a.Remembrance Day
• b.Victoria Day
• c.Canada Day, on July 1✓
• d.Labour Day

The Constitution Act of 1867 united the colonies into the Dominion of Canada. This is celebrated on Canada Day, July 1, as noted in the guide.

Sir John A. Macdonald is remembered in Canadian history as:

• a.The last king of Canada
• b.Canada's first Prime Minister✓
• c.A famous Arctic explorer
• d.The founder of Quebec City

Sir John A. Macdonald was Canada's first Prime Minister and a key figure in the creation of the country, as described in Discover Canada.

Canadian soldiers are especially remembered for a First World War battle in 1917 at:

• a.Normandy
• b.Waterloo
• c.Gettysburg
• d.Vimy Ridge✓

The Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917 is seen as a defining moment for Canada, when Canadian forces captured the ridge. Discover Canada highlights it as a source of national pride.

Who were the United Empire Loyalists?

• a.Settlers loyal to the British Crown who moved to Canada during and after the American Revolution✓
• b.French explorers who first mapped the St. Lawrence
• c.The first members of the Canadian Parliament
• d.Soldiers who fought only in the Second World War

The Loyalists were people loyal to the Crown who left the American colonies for Canada in the 1770s and 1780s, as described in Discover Canada.

Jacques Cartier, an important figure in early Canadian history, was:

• a.A British admiral
• b.A French explorer who claimed land for France✓
• c.Canada's first Prime Minister
• d.An Inuit leader

Jacques Cartier was a French explorer who in the 1530s claimed land for France and recorded the name 'Canada,' according to the guide.

Canada's system of government is best described as:

• a.A republic led by an elected president
• b.A direct democracy with no parliament
• c.A federal state, parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy✓
• d.A one-party state

Discover Canada describes Canada as a federal state, a parliamentary democracy, and a constitutional monarchy, with the Sovereign as head of state.

Who is Canada's head of state?

• a.The Sovereign (the King or Queen), represented by the Governor General✓
• b.The Prime Minister
• c.The Chief Justice
• d.The Speaker of the House of Commons

The Sovereign is Canada's head of state and is represented in Canada by the Governor General. The Prime Minister is the head of government.

After a federal election, who normally becomes Prime Minister?

• a.The Governor General
• b.The oldest member of Parliament
• c.A leader chosen by the Senate
• d.The leader of the party with the most seats in the House of Commons✓

The leader of the political party that wins the most seats in the House of Commons is usually asked to form the government and become Prime Minister.

The three parts of Parliament in Canada are:

• a.The President, the Senate and the courts
• b.The Sovereign, the Senate and the House of Commons✓
• c.The provinces, the territories and the cities
• d.The Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the Governor General

Discover Canada explains that Parliament has three parts: the Sovereign (the Crown), the appointed Senate, and the elected House of Commons.

Members of the House of Commons are called:

• a.Members of Parliament (MPs)✓
• b.Senators
• c.Premiers
• d.Justices

Canadians elect Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons. Senators, by contrast, are appointed rather than elected.

Which animal, an emblem of the fur trade, appears on the Canadian five-cent coin (the nickel)?

• a.The moose
• b.The polar bear
• c.The beaver✓
• d.The loon

The beaver, a symbol of Canada's fur-trade history, appears on the nickel and is an official emblem of Canada, as noted in Discover Canada.

What appears at the centre of the national flag of Canada?

• a.A beaver
• b.A red maple leaf✓
• c.A crown
• d.A fleur-de-lis

The national flag of Canada, adopted in 1965, shows a single red maple leaf on a white square between two red bands.

Which country is Canada's largest trading partner?

• a.Brazil
• b.Australia
• c.India
• d.The United States✓

Discover Canada notes that Canada has one of the world's largest economies and that the United States is its largest trading partner.

Canada borders three oceans: the Atlantic, the Pacific and the:

• a.Arctic✓
• b.Indian
• c.Southern
• d.Mediterranean

Canada is bordered by the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic oceans, reflected in the national motto meaning 'from sea to sea,' as described in the guide.