Who We Are: Canadian Citizenship Test Questions

Q1.Who are the three founding peoples of Canada?

• English, French, and Spanish
• Aboriginal, French, and British
• Inuit, Loyalist, and Acadian
• First Nations, American, and Irish

Answer: To understand what it means to be Canadian, it is important to know about the three founding peoples: Aboriginal, French, and British.

Q2.The term 'Aboriginal peoples' refers to which three distinct groups?

• French, English, and Métis
• First Nations (Indian), Inuit, and Métis
• Inuit, Acadian, and Loyalist
• Cree, Sioux, and Haida

Answer: Aboriginal peoples include three distinct groups: First Nations (also called Indian), Inuit, and Métis.

Q3.What does the word 'Inuit' mean?

• 'The hunters'
• 'The people'
• 'The north'
• 'The first ones'

Answer: 'Inuit' means 'the people' in the Inuktitut language. The Inuit live in small communities across the Arctic.

Q4.Who are the Métis?

• Recent immigrants from France
• A distinct people of mixed Aboriginal and European ancestry, most of whom live in the Prairies
• People who live only in Quebec
• The original inhabitants of the Arctic

Answer: The Métis are a distinct people of mixed Aboriginal and European ancestry. The majority live in the Prairie provinces and many speak Michif.

Q5.What are the two official languages of Canada?

• English and Spanish
• English and French
• French and Inuktitut
• English and Indigenous languages

Answer: English and French are Canada's two official languages. The federal government must provide services across Canada in both.

Q6.Which is the only officially bilingual province in Canada?

• Quebec
• Ontario
• New Brunswick
• Manitoba

Answer: New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province. About one-third of its population lives and works in French.

Q7.Who are the Acadians?

• The descendants of French colonists who settled in the Maritimes starting in 1604
• Early British settlers of Ontario
• A First Nations group of the Prairies
• Immigrants from the Caribbean

Answer: The Acadians are descendants of French colonists who began settling in the Maritime provinces in 1604. Many were deported during the 'Great Upheaval' (1755–1763).

Q8.In 2006, the House of Commons recognized that the Québécois form what?

• A separate country
• A nation within a united Canada
• A province with no ties to Canada
• An official language group

Answer: In 2006 the House of Commons recognized that the Québécois form a nation within a united Canada.

Q9.What is the largest religious affiliation in Canada?

• Islam
• Christianity (with Catholic being the largest)
• Hinduism
• No religion

Answer: The great majority of Canadians identify as Christians; the largest affiliation is Catholic, followed by various Protestant churches.

Q10.In which province do the majority of Canada's French-speaking population live?

• New Brunswick
• Ontario
• Quebec
• Manitoba

Answer: The majority of French-speaking Canadians live in Quebec, where French is the language of everyday life for most people.

Q11.What is the policy by which Canada encourages people of all backgrounds to belong and contribute while keeping their cultures?

• Assimilation
• Multiculturalism
• Segregation
• Bilingualism

Answer: Multiculturalism is a fundamental characteristic of Canada; people of many cultures are encouraged to participate fully while keeping their traditions within the law.

Q12.In which region of Canada do most Inuit traditionally live?

• The Arctic (far north)
• Southern Ontario
• The Prairies
• Vancouver Island

Answer: The Inuit are an Aboriginal people who live in the Arctic, the far north of Canada.

Q13.True or False: English and French have equal status in Parliament and throughout the federal government.

• True
• False

Answer: True. English and French are the two official languages and have equal status in Parliament, the courts, and the federal government across Canada.

Q14.The deportation of the Acadians by the British, beginning in 1755, is known by what name?

• The Quiet Revolution
• The Great Upheaval (le Grand Derangement)
• The October Crisis
• The Last Spike

Answer: The forced removal of the Acadians from their lands beginning in 1755 is called the Great Upheaval, or 'le Grand Derangement.'

Q15.Approximately what share of Canadians speak French as their first language?

• About 5%
• About one-quarter
• About one-half
• About three-quarters

Answer: Roughly one-quarter of Canadians speak French as a first language, the majority of them living in Quebec.

Q16.Which group is NOT one of Canada's three founding peoples?

• Aboriginal peoples
• The French
• The British
• The Acadians

Answer: The three founding peoples are Aboriginal, French, and British; the Acadians are descendants of early French settlers, not a separate founding people.

Q17.What is the best description of Canada's approach to its many cultures?

• Newcomers must abandon their traditions
• Canadians take pride in being a diverse, tolerant, multicultural society
• Only two cultures are recognized
• Each culture lives entirely separately

Answer: Canadians are proud of a diverse, tolerant society where people of all backgrounds participate fully while keeping their identities within Canadian law.

Q18.Which two languages are spoken by the largest numbers of Canadians as a mother tongue?

• English and Mandarin
• English and French
• French and Punjabi
• English and Spanish

Answer: English and French, the two official languages, are the mother tongues of the largest numbers of Canadians, with English the most common overall.

Q19.True or False: The Inuit, First Nations, and Metis are all recognized as Aboriginal peoples of Canada.

• True
• False

Answer: True. Canada's Aboriginal peoples are made up of three distinct groups: First Nations, Inuit, and Metis.

Q20.Canada's long history of welcoming newcomers from around the world makes it best described as:

• A nation of immigrants
• A nation closed to immigration
• A single-culture society
• A nation of only two peoples

Answer: Canada is often described as a land of immigrants, having welcomed millions of newcomers from around the world who help build the country.