Rights & Responsibilities: Canadian Citizenship Test Questions

Q1.Which of the following are responsibilities of Canadian citizenship?

• Owning property, joining a union, and learning French
• Obeying the law, taking responsibility for yourself and your family, and serving on a jury
• Voting for the Conservative Party and attending church
• Recycling, owning a business, and flying the flag

Answer: Responsibilities of citizenship include obeying the law, taking responsibility for yourself and your family, serving on a jury when called, voting in elections, helping others in the community, and protecting our heritage and environment.

Q2.What are the four fundamental freedoms protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms?

• Freedom of conscience and religion; thought, belief, opinion and expression; peaceful assembly; and association
• Freedom to vote, drive, marry, and travel
• Freedom of speech, the right to a passport, the right to vote, and the right to work
• Freedom from taxes, freedom to bear arms, free health care, and free education

Answer: The Charter lists four fundamental freedoms: (1) conscience and religion; (2) thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press; (3) peaceful assembly; and (4) association.

Q3.In what year was the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms entrenched in the Constitution?

• 1867
• 1931
• 1982
• 1995

Answer: The Constitution of Canada was amended in 1982 to entrench the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Q4.True or False: There is compulsory (mandatory) military service in Canada.

• True
• False

Answer: False. There is no compulsory military service in Canada. Serving in the Canadian Armed Forces is voluntary.

Q5.Habeas corpus — the right to challenge unlawful detention by the state — comes from which legal tradition?

• French civil law
• English common law
• The Quebec Act
• Aboriginal law

Answer: Habeas corpus, the right to challenge unlawful detention, comes from English common law.

Q6.What do 'mobility rights' guarantee Canadians?

• The right to free public transit
• The right to live and work anywhere in Canada, enter and leave the country, and apply for a passport
• The right to a driver's licence at 16
• The right to immigrate relatives

Answer: Mobility rights mean Canadians can live and work anywhere in Canada, enter and leave the country freely, and apply for a passport.

Q7.The ancient 800-year-old tradition of freedoms in Canada traces back to which document signed in England in 1215?

• The Constitution Act
• Magna Carta
• The Royal Proclamation
• The British North America Act

Answer: Many of our freedoms trace back to Magna Carta of 1215, also known as the Great Charter of Freedoms.

Q8.What does the equality of men and women mean in Canada?

• Men and women must do the same jobs
• Men and women are equal under the law
• Women cannot serve in the military
• Men have legal authority over the household

Answer: In Canada, men and women are equal under the law. Practices that tolerate spousal abuse, 'honour killings,' or other gender-based violence are crimes.

Q9.Which is an example of a responsibility that comes with the right to vote?

• Telling others how you voted
• Voting in federal, provincial/territorial, and municipal elections
• Joining a political party
• Donating to a campaign

Answer: The right to vote comes with the responsibility to vote in federal, provincial or territorial, and local elections.

Q10.Canadian law comes from several sources. Which of these is one of them?

• Only the decisions of the Prime Minister
• Laws passed by Parliament and legislatures, English common law, and the civil code of France
• Religious texts only
• The United Nations charter

Answer: Canadian law has several sources: laws passed by Parliament and the provincial legislatures, English common law, the civil code of France, and the unwritten constitution inherited from Britain.

Q11.Volunteering to help others in your community is best described as:

• A legal requirement for all citizens
• A responsibility of citizenship and a way to build skills and friendships
• Something only retired people do
• A requirement to keep your citizenship

Answer: Helping others in the community through volunteering is a responsibility of citizenship and an excellent way to gain skills, friends, and contacts.

Q12.True or False: Serving on a jury when you are called is a legal requirement in Canada.

• True
• False

Answer: True. When you are called to serve on a jury, you are legally required to do so. Juries help make the justice system work.

Q13.Which of the following is one of the legal rights guaranteed to people in Canada?

• The right to free housing
• The right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty
• The right to a government job
• The right to free university tuition

Answer: Legal rights include the right to life, liberty and security, protection against unreasonable search, and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.

Q14.What do the official-language rights in the Charter guarantee?

• That everyone must speak both English and French
• The equality of English and French in dealings with the federal government, plus minority-language education rights
• That French is the only official language
• Free language classes for newcomers

Answer: Official-language rights affirm the equality of English and French in Parliament and the federal government and include minority-language education rights.

Q15.What does the Charter say about multiculturalism?

• It bans all foreign customs
• It must be interpreted in a way consistent with preserving and enhancing Canada's multicultural heritage
• It applies only in Quebec
• It is not mentioned in the Charter

Answer: The Charter states that it shall be interpreted in a manner consistent with preserving and enhancing the multicultural heritage of Canadians.

Q16.What do 'Aboriginal and treaty rights' in the Charter protect?

• Only the right to vote
• The existing Aboriginal and treaty rights of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada
• Rights for recent immigrants
• Property rights for all Canadians

Answer: The Charter protects the existing Aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples.

Q17.What does the freedom of peaceful assembly allow people in Canada to do?

• Carry weapons in public
• Gather and hold peaceful meetings, demonstrations, and protests
• Avoid paying taxes
• Refuse to obey any law

Answer: Freedom of peaceful assembly is one of the four fundamental freedoms and lets people gather peacefully, including for meetings and demonstrations.

Q18.The civil-law tradition used for private matters in Quebec originally comes from which country?

• England
• France
• Spain
• The United States

Answer: Quebec uses the civil code, a tradition from France, while the rest of Canada uses English common law for private law.

Q19.Helping to protect Canada's natural environment is best described as:

• A fundamental freedom
• A responsibility of citizenship
• A legal right
• A power of the Senate

Answer: Eliminating waste and pollution and protecting Canada's natural, cultural, and architectural heritage are responsibilities of citizenship.

Q20.What does the equality-rights section of the Charter guarantee?

• Everyone must earn the same income
• Equality before and under the law and equal protection without discrimination
• Free legal representation for everyone
• The right to hold any job

Answer: Equality rights mean every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to equal protection without discrimination.