Canada's History: Canadian Citizenship Test Questions

Q1.From where are the ancestors of Canada's Aboriginal peoples believed to have migrated?

• Europe
• Asia
• Africa
• The South Pacific

Answer: The ancestors of Aboriginal peoples are believed to have migrated from Asia many thousands of years ago.

Q2.The name 'Canada' comes from 'kanata,' a word meaning 'village.' From which language does it come?

• French
• Inuktitut
• An Iroquoian language
• Latin

Answer: Explorer Jacques Cartier heard two guides use the Iroquoian word 'kanata,' meaning 'village.' By the 1550s, 'Canada' began appearing on maps.

Q3.Jacques Cartier made three voyages across the Atlantic (1534–1542), claiming the land for which country?

• England
• France
• Spain
• Portugal

Answer: Jacques Cartier claimed the land for King Francis I of France and was the first European to explore the St. Lawrence River.

Q4.In 1608, who built a fortress at what is now Québec City?

• John Cabot
• Samuel de Champlain
• Count Frontenac
• Jacques Cartier

Answer: In 1608 Samuel de Champlain built a fortress at what is now Québec City, founding the colony of New France.

Q5.Who won the Battle of the Plains of Abraham at Québec City in 1759?

• The French
• The British
• The Americans
• The Iroquois

Answer: In 1759 the British defeated the French at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, marking the end of France's empire in America. Both commanders, Wolfe and Montcalm, were killed.

Q6.What did the Quebec Act of 1774 do?

• Abolished the French language
• Allowed religious freedom for Catholics and restored French civil law
• Created the Dominion of Canada
• Gave women the right to vote

Answer: The Quebec Act of 1774 allowed religious freedom for Catholics, let them hold public office, and restored French civil law while keeping British criminal law.

Q7.Who were the United Empire Loyalists?

• French settlers loyal to the King of France
• Over 40,000 people loyal to the Crown who fled the American Revolution after 1776
• Soldiers who fought for the United States
• Members of the Hudson's Bay Company

Answer: After the 13 American colonies declared independence in 1776, more than 40,000 Loyalists fled to Nova Scotia and Quebec.

Q8.What was the main result of the War of 1812?

• Canada became part of the United States
• Canada (then British North America) remained independent of the United States
• France regained Quebec
• The border was abolished

Answer: The War of 1812 ensured that Canada would remain independent of the United States. British troops, First Nations (led by Tecumseh), and Canadian volunteers repelled the American invasion.

Q9.Slavery was abolished throughout the British Empire — including Canada — in which year?

• 1763
• 1833
• 1867
• 1918

Answer: The British Parliament abolished slavery throughout the Empire in 1833. Earlier, thousands of escaped slaves reached Canada via the Underground Railroad.

Q10.What does 'responsible government' mean?

• The government must balance its budget
• Ministers must have the support of a majority of elected representatives, and must resign if they lose a confidence vote
• The Queen governs directly
• Only landowners can vote

Answer: Responsible government means the ministers of the Crown must have the support of a majority of the elected representatives. Nova Scotia was the first colony to gain it (1847–48).

Q11.In what year did Canada become a country (Confederation)?

• 1812
• 1867
• 1900
• 1931

Answer: The British North America Act created the Dominion of Canada on July 1, 1867.

Q12.Which four provinces joined together at Confederation in 1867?

• Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, and British Columbia
• Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick
• Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI, and Newfoundland
• Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, and Saskatchewan

Answer: At Confederation in 1867 the four founding provinces were Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.

Q13.Who was Canada's first Prime Minister?

• Sir Wilfrid Laurier
• Sir George-Étienne Cartier
• Sir John A. Macdonald
• Sir Leonard Tilley

Answer: Sir John A. Macdonald, a Father of Confederation, became Canada's first Prime Minister in 1867. January 11 is Sir John A. Macdonald Day.

Q14.What is celebrated on July 1 each year?

• Victoria Day
• Canada Day (the anniversary of Confederation)
• Remembrance Day
• Labour Day

Answer: July 1 is Canada Day, marking the day in 1867 that Canada became a self-governing Dominion. It was formerly called Dominion Day.

Q15.Louis Riel is remembered as a leader of which people and as the founder of which province?

• The Inuit; Nunavut
• The Métis; Manitoba
• The Acadians; New Brunswick
• The Loyalists; Ontario

Answer: Louis Riel led the Métis and is regarded by many as the founder of Manitoba. He was executed for high treason in 1885.

Q16.The Canadian Pacific Railway, completed in 1885, was a symbol of what?

• Military strength
• National unity, linking the country from sea to sea
• French and English division
• American investment only

Answer: The CPR's completion in 1885 (the 'last spike') was a powerful symbol of unity, fulfilling the national dream of a railway from sea to sea. It was built with European and Chinese labour.

Q17.Who was Sir Wilfrid Laurier?

• The first Prime Minister of Canada
• The first French-Canadian Prime Minister since Confederation
• A Father of Confederation from Nova Scotia
• The inventor of the telephone

Answer: Sir Wilfrid Laurier became the first French-Canadian Prime Minister since Confederation and encouraged immigration to the West.

Q18.In 1916, which province became the first to grant women the right to vote?

• Ontario
• Quebec
• Manitoba
• British Columbia

Answer: Manitoba became the first province to grant women the right to vote, in 1916. Most women won the federal vote in 1918.

Q19.The 1917 battle in which the Canadian Corps captured a key ridge — often called the 'birth of a nation' — was the Battle of:

• Dieppe
• Vimy Ridge
• Juno Beach
• Hong Kong

Answer: The Canadian Corps captured Vimy Ridge in April 1917. April 9 is celebrated as Vimy Day.

Q20.On D-Day, June 6, 1944, Canadian troops stormed and captured which beach in Normandy?

• Omaha Beach
• Juno Beach
• Sword Beach
• Gold Beach

Answer: On D-Day, about 15,000 Canadian troops captured Juno Beach. Roughly one in ten Allied soldiers that day was Canadian.

Q21.What do Canadians remember on November 11 each year?

• Confederation
• The sacrifice of Canadians who served and died in wars
• The Queen's birthday
• The end of the fur trade

Answer: November 11 is Remembrance Day, when Canadians honour those who served and the sacrifice of those who died in military service. The red poppy is worn.

Q22.In what year did Aboriginal peoples gain the right to vote in federal elections?

• 1918
• 1948
• 1960
• 1982

Answer: Aboriginal peoples were granted the right to vote in federal elections in 1960. Japanese Canadians had gained the vote in 1948.

Q23.Which was the last province to join Canada, in 1949?

• British Columbia
• Alberta
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Prince Edward Island

Answer: Newfoundland and Labrador was the last province to join Confederation, in 1949. (Nunavut, a territory, was created in 1999.)

Q24.What was created in 1873 to bring order to the West and later became the RCMP?

• The Canadian Army
• The North West Mounted Police
• The Coast Guard
• The Hudson's Bay Company

Answer: Prime Minister Macdonald established the North West Mounted Police in 1873. Today it is the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).