Canadian Symbols: Canadian Citizenship Test Questions

Q1.What is the name of Canada's national anthem?

• God Save the King
• O Canada
• The Maple Leaf Forever
• True North

Answer: 'O Canada' became the official national anthem in 1980, a hundred years after its first performance in Québec City (1880).

Q2.What is Canada's national motto, 'A mari usque ad mare'?

• 'Strong and free'
• 'From sea to sea'
• 'Peace, order and good government'
• 'God keep our land'

Answer: The motto 'A mari usque ad mare' is Latin for 'from sea to sea.'

Q3.What is Canada's best-known symbol?

• The beaver
• The maple leaf
• The loon
• The fleur-de-lys

Answer: No symbol of Canada is better known than the maple leaf. It has appeared on uniforms and insignia since the 1850s and is on the national flag.

Q4.On which Canadian coin does the beaver appear?

• The one-cent coin
• The five-cent coin (nickel)
• The ten-cent coin (dime)
• The one-dollar coin (loonie)

Answer: The industrious beaver — a symbol from the fur trade — appears on the five-cent coin.

Q5.What is the Royal Anthem of Canada, played to honour the Sovereign?

• O Canada
• God Save the King
• The Maple Leaf Forever
• Rule Britannia

Answer: The Royal Anthem is 'God Save the King' (it was 'God Save the Queen' during Queen Elizabeth II's reign). It can be played on occasions honouring the Sovereign.

Q6.In what year was the current Canadian flag (the red-and-white maple leaf flag) first raised?

• 1867
• 1921
• 1965
• 1982

Answer: Today's red-and-white maple leaf flag was first raised in 1965.

Q7.What is Canada's official national winter sport?

• Curling
• Ice hockey
• Skiing
• Lacrosse

Answer: Ice hockey is Canada's national winter sport and most popular spectator sport. (Lacrosse is the official summer sport.)

Q8.What is Canada's official national summer sport?

• Soccer
• Baseball
• Lacrosse
• Canadian football

Answer: Lacrosse, a game first played by Aboriginal peoples, is Canada's official summer sport, while soccer has more registered players than any other sport.

Q9.What are the two official colours of Canada?

• Blue and white
• Red and white
• Red and gold
• Green and white

Answer: Red and white have been Canada's national colours since 1921, when they were assigned by King George V.

Q10.The Order of Canada, created in 1967, is part of Canada's system of:

• Taxes
• Honours that recognize outstanding citizens
• Military ranks
• Courts

Answer: In 1967, the hundredth anniversary of Confederation, Canada created the Order of Canada and began its own system of honours for outstanding citizens.

Q11.The fleur-de-lys is a symbol most associated with which heritage?

• British
• French
• Aboriginal
• Scottish

Answer: The fleur-de-lys (lily flower) was a symbol of French royalty for centuries and appears on the flag of Quebec, adopted in 1948.

Q12.What does Victoria Day celebrate?

• The end of WWI
• The Sovereign's birthday
• Confederation
• The founding of Quebec

Answer: Victoria Day (the Monday before May 25) celebrates the Sovereign's birthday.

Q13.What is the name of the central tower of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa?

• The CN Tower
• The Peace Tower
• The Clock Tower
• The Victoria Tower

Answer: The Peace Tower stands at the centre of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa and honours Canadians who died in the First World War.

Q14.Since about which decade has the maple leaf been used on Canadian uniforms and insignia?

• The 1750s
• The 1850s
• The 1920s
• The 1960s

Answer: French-Canadians adopted the maple leaf as a symbol in the 1700s. Since the 1850s it has been part of Canadian uniforms and insignia, and in 1965 it became the centre of the national flag.

Q15.True or False: Canada's national flag is sometimes referred to as the Maple Leaf flag.

• True
• False

Answer: True. The red-and-white national flag, featuring a single red maple leaf, was first raised in 1965 and is commonly called the Maple Leaf flag.

Q16.Why was the beaver chosen as an early emblem of Canada?

• It is the largest Canadian animal
• Its fur was central to the early fur-trade economy
• It appears on the national flag
• It is Canada's national winter sport

Answer: The hardworking beaver became an emblem of Canada because its pelts drove the fur trade that was central to the country's early economy.

Q17.Which Canadian coin shows a common loon, the bird that gives the coin its nickname?

• The 'toonie'
• The 'loonie'
• The 'nickel'
• The 'penny'

Answer: The one-dollar coin shows a common loon and is popularly known as the 'loonie'; the two-dollar coin is nicknamed the 'toonie.'

Q18.What does the Latin motto 'A mari usque ad mare' on Canada's coat of arms refer to geographically?

• Canada's mountain ranges
• Canada stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean
• Canada's many lakes
• The border with the United States

Answer: 'A mari usque ad mare' means 'from sea to sea,' reflecting that Canada stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

Q19.In Canada, what does the Crown represent?

• A symbol of the state, shared by all Canadians
• A single political party
• Canada's largest bank
• The capital city of Canada

Answer: The Crown is a symbol of the state and of Canada's parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, shared across the Commonwealth.

Q20.In what year did 'O Canada' officially become Canada's national anthem?

• 1867
• 1931
• 1965
• 1980

Answer: Though written and sung long before, 'O Canada' was proclaimed the official national anthem of Canada in 1980.

Q21.Which trophy, donated by a Governor General in 1892, is the championship prize of the National Hockey League?

• The Grey Cup
• The Stanley Cup
• The Clarkson Cup
• The Memorial Cup

Answer: Lord Stanley, then Governor General, gave the Stanley Cup in 1892. The Grey Cup, given by Lord Grey in 1909, goes to the Canadian Football League champions, and the Clarkson Cup, created in 2005 by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, is awarded in women's hockey.

Q22.Where does the red-white-red pattern of Canada's flag come from?

• The flag of the Royal Military College in Kingston
• The flag of the Hudson's Bay Company
• The colours of the first Parliament in Ottawa
• The uniforms of the North West Mounted Police

Answer: The Maple Leaf flag, first raised in 1965, borrows its red-white-red pattern from the Royal Military College's flag; the college, in Kingston, was founded in 1876. Red and white have been Canada's national colours since 1921.

Q23.Which flag is Canada's official Royal Flag?

• The Canadian Red Ensign
• The fleur-de-lys flag
• The Maple Leaf flag
• The Union Jack

Answer: The Union Jack is Canada's official Royal Flag. The Maple Leaf flag has been the national flag since 1965, and before that the Canadian Red Ensign served as Canada's flag for about 100 years.

Q24.For about how long did the Canadian Red Ensign serve as Canada's flag?

• About 10 years
• About 50 years
• About 100 years
• About 300 years

Answer: The Canadian Red Ensign was Canada's flag for about a century, until the Maple Leaf flag was raised in 1965. Its design included the fleur-de-lys, and veterans have officially carried it since 2005.

Q25.In Canada, the Crown symbolizes government. Which institutions does it stand for?

• Parliament, the courts, the police and the Canadian Forces
• Only the Royal Family and its homes in Britain
• Only the Senate and the Governor General's office
• Private banks, businesses and trade unions

Answer: The Crown has stood for the Canadian state for some 400 years. It represents government in all its forms: Parliament, the provincial legislatures, the police, the courts and the Canadian Forces.

Q26.Since when has Canada been a constitutional monarchy of its own, rather than a colony?

• Since Quebec City was founded in 1608
• Since the Royal Proclamation of 1763
• Since Confederation in 1867
• Since the First World War ended in 1918

Answer: Canada became a constitutional monarchy of its own at Confederation in 1867, in the reign of Queen Victoria. Before that, New France and then British North America were colonies.

Q27.Which symbol is carved into the headstones of Canada's fallen soldiers, in Canada and overseas?

• A fleur-de-lys
• A maple leaf
• A beaver
• A Union Jack

Answer: The maple leaf, Canada's best-known symbol, is carved into the headstones of Canadian soldiers who died in service, whether they are buried at home or abroad. Since the 1850s it has also been used on Canadian uniforms and insignia.

Q28.Quebec's flag, adopted in 1948, is based on which symbols?

• The maple leaf and the beaver
• The lion and the unicorn
• The crown and the anchor
• The cross and the fleur-de-lys

Answer: The fleur-de-lys was a symbol of the French kings for more than a thousand years, including in New France. In 1948 Quebec adopted a flag that combines a cross with the fleur-de-lys.

Q29.Besides red maple leaves, Canada's coat of arms includes symbols of which countries?

• England, Spain, Portugal and France
• France, Italy, Germany and Spain
• England, France, Scotland and Ireland
• Scotland, Wales, Norway and Denmark

Answer: After the First World War, as a sign of national pride, Canada adopted an official coat of arms with the motto 'A mari usque ad mare'. The arms combine symbols of England, France, Scotland and Ireland with red maple leaves.

Q30.Where can Canada's coat of arms be seen today?

• Only in museums and history books
• On government documents and public buildings
• Only on the Prime Minister's official car
• On every provincial and territorial flag

Answer: Canada's coat of arms, adopted after the First World War, appears on official papers such as government documents and on public buildings across the country. Each province and territory has its own flag.

Q31.Which part of the original Parliament Buildings survived the fire of 1916?

• The Peace Tower
• The House of Commons chamber
• The Library
• The Senate chamber

Answer: An accidental fire destroyed the Centre Block in 1916, and it was rebuilt by 1922. Only the Library remains from the original building. The Peace Tower, completed in 1927, is a memorial to the First World War.

Q32.What is kept in the Memorial Chamber of the Peace Tower in Ottawa?

• The original Constitution
• The Crown Jewels
• The first Canadian flag
• The Books of Remembrance

Answer: The Books of Remembrance, kept in the Peace Tower's Memorial Chamber, record the names of members of the armed forces who lost their lives serving Canada, in wartime or on duty.

Q33.Which sport was introduced to Canada by Scottish pioneers?

• Lacrosse
• Baseball
• Canadian football
• Curling

Answer: Curling, a game played on ice, came to Canada with Scottish pioneers and is popular across the country. Lacrosse was first played by Aboriginal peoples and is Canada's official summer sport.

Q34.The beaver appears on the coats of arms of which two provinces?

• Ontario and Quebec
• Saskatchewan and Alberta
• Nova Scotia and New Brunswick
• British Columbia and Prince Edward Island

Answer: The beaver was a symbol of the Hudson's Bay Company for centuries, and in 1834 it was chosen as an emblem by a French-Canadian patriotic association, the St-Jean-Baptiste Society. Today you can see it on the five-cent coin, on the arms of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and on those of Toronto and Montreal.

Q35.Which is one of the three main goals of the Official Languages Act?

• Equality of English and French in federal institutions
• Requiring all Canadians to speak both languages
• Making English the only language of the courts
• Ending French-language schools outside Quebec

Answer: The Official Languages Act dates from 1969. Its goals are to make French and English equal in Parliament, in federal institutions and across Canadian society, and to support English and French minority communities.

Q36.True or False: French-speaking and English-speaking Canadians sing different words to 'O Canada'.

• True
• False

Answer: True. 'O Canada', first sung in Québec City in 1880 and proclaimed the national anthem in 1980, has a French version and an English version with different words.

Q37.What is the highest honour available to Canadians?

• The Order of Canada
• The Stanley Cup
• The Governor General's Award
• The Victoria Cross

Answer: The Victoria Cross is Canada's highest honour. It recognizes the most conspicuous bravery or self-sacrifice in the presence of the enemy, and Canadians have received it since 1854. The Order of Canada, created in 1967, recognizes outstanding citizens.

Q38.Who was the first Black recipient of the Victoria Cross?

• Billy Bishop
• Filip Konowal
• William Hall
• Paul Triquet

Answer: William Hall, a sailor from Horton, Nova Scotia, whose parents had been enslaved in the United States, received the Victoria Cross for his role at the Siege of Lucknow in 1857. Billy Bishop, Filip Konowal and Paul Triquet also received it, in the two World Wars.

Q39.When is Thanksgiving Day in Canada?

• The second Monday of October
• The first Monday of September
• The fourth Thursday of November
• The last Monday of May

Answer: Canadian Thanksgiving falls on the second Monday of October. Labour Day is the first Monday of September, and the fourth Thursday of November is Thanksgiving in the United States.

Q40.What is celebrated in Quebec on June 24?

• The Fête nationale
• Remembrance Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Victoria Day

Answer: June 24 is Quebec's Fête nationale, held on the Feast of St. John the Baptist. By contrast, Victoria Day is the Monday before May 25, Thanksgiving is the second Monday of October, and Remembrance Day is November 11.