Citizenship test questions and answers

Which applicants must have adequate knowledge of English or French to become Canadian citizens?

Answer: Those between the ages of 18 and 54

Which of the following is NOT what Canadians profess loyalty to?

Answer: A banner such as a flag

According to the Oath, what will new citizens faithfully observe?

Answer: The laws of Canada, including the Constitution

What does Discover Canada say Canadians have done to defend their way of life?

Answer: They have made sacrifices

Alongside their rights, what two things must Canadian citizens do?

Answer: Obey Canada's laws and respect the rights and freedoms of others

In Canada's constitutional monarchy, who encompasses the constitution, the flag and the country?

Answer: The Sovereign

Whom does the Oath of Citizenship name as the Sovereign?

Answer: His Majesty King Charles the Third, King of Canada

Besides voting procedures, which subjects must citizenship applicants learn about?

Answer: History, symbols, democratic institutions, geography, and rights and responsibilities

Why does the Oath of Citizenship begin "I swear (or affirm)"?

Answer: So it can be taken either as a religious oath or as a solemn affirmation

What title does the Oath of Citizenship give the Sovereign in relation to Canada?

Answer: King of Canada

What do you receive if you pass the test and meet all the other requirements?

Answer: A Notice to Appear to Take the Oath of Citizenship

When you apply for citizenship, what do officials do?

Answer: Check your status, verify you are not prohibited from applying, and ensure you meet the requirements

Whom does the guide suggest asking to help you practise answering questions about Canada?

Answer: A friend or family member

What are all of the citizenship test questions based on?

Answer: The subject areas noted in the Citizenship Regulations

What provides the information on how your ability to meet the knowledge of Canada requirement is determined?

Answer: The Citizenship Regulations

Besides taking the Oath and receiving your certificate, what else do you do at the ceremony?

Answer: Sign the oath form

Which adult applicants do not need to write the citizenship test?

Answer: Those 55 years of age and over

What form does the citizenship test usually take?

Answer: A written test, though it could be an interview

The citizenship test assesses two basic requirements. What are they?

Answer: Knowledge of Canada and of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, and adequate knowledge of English or French

Where does the guide suggest asking for information about citizenship classes?

Answer: A local school or school board, a college, a community centre, or an immigrant-serving organization

What is habeas corpus?

Answer: The right to challenge unlawful detention by the state

From which legal tradition does habeas corpus come?

Answer: English common law

Which three kinds of Canadian heritage does every citizen have a role in protecting?

Answer: Natural, cultural and architectural

What must you do if you are called to serve on a jury?

Answer: You are legally required to serve

What does the justice system depend on that makes jury service a privilege?

Answer: Impartial juries made up of citizens

In which country was Magna Carta signed?

Answer: England

By what other name is Magna Carta known?

Answer: The Great Charter of Freedoms

In what year was Magna Carta signed?

Answer: 1215

What does Discover Canada say about men and women in Canada?

Answer: They are equal under the law

What do Mobility Rights allow Canadians to do?

Answer: Live and work anywhere in Canada, enter and leave the country freely, and apply for a passport

In what year did Ottawa formally apologize to former residential school students?

Answer: 2008

In which decade did black Loyalists — escaped slaves and freed men and women of African origin — flee to Canada from America?

Answer: The 1780s

According to Discover Canada, what share of Vancouver's population speaks Chinese languages at home?

Answer: 13%

Settlers from which four groups established the basic way of life in English-speaking areas?

Answer: English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish

What is the federal government required by law to do regarding English and French?

Answer: Provide services throughout Canada in both languages

In what were diverse First Nations cultures rooted?

Answer: Religious beliefs about the Creator, the natural environment and each other

About how many reserve communities do roughly half of First Nations people live in?

Answer: About 600

In which decade did the term "First Nations" begin to be used?

Answer: The 1970s

Which four beliefs does Discover Canada say enabled Canadians to build a prosperous society?

Answer: Ordered liberty, enterprise, hard work and fair play

According to Discover Canada, how many Francophones are there in Canada?

Answer: Seven million

About how many black Loyalists, freedmen and slaves, came north seeking a better life?

Answer: About 3,000

How many Canadians volunteered to fight in the South African (Boer) War?

Answer: Over 7,000

What kinds of bonds did Aboriginals and Europeans form in their first 200 years of coexistence?

Answer: Economic, religious and military bonds

How many British and how many Americans immigrated to Canada during the boom of the 1890s and early 1900s?

Answer: One million each

Under which prime minister did women first get the right to vote in federal elections?

Answer: Sir Robert Borden

What were the Atlantic colonies and the two Canadas known collectively as?

Answer: British North America

What happened to Major-General Sir Isaac Brock in the War of 1812?

Answer: He captured Detroit but was killed at Queenston Heights

What was John Cabot's background?

Answer: An Italian immigrant to England

What did John Cabot do in 1497?

Answer: He drew the first map of Canada's East Coast

By which decade did the name Canada begin appearing on maps?

Answer: The 1550s

Who invented the Canadarm?

Answer: SPAR Aerospace and the National Research Council

Which Quebec filmmaker's films have been popular across Canada and won international awards?

Answer: Denys Arcand

What did Chantal Petitclerc become?

Answer: A world champion wheelchair racer and Paralympic gold medallist

How did the Cold War begin?

Answer: Eastern European countries became part of a Soviet-controlled Communist bloc

What happened to the Constitution in 1982?

Answer: It was amended without the agreement of Quebec

Which writers does Discover Canada credit with diversifying Canada's literary experience?

Answer: Joy Kogawa, Michael Ondaatje and Rohinton Mistry

What did Donovan Bailey achieve at the 1996 Olympic Summer Games?

Answer: A world record sprinter and double Olympic gold medallist

Who provides publicly funded education in Canada?

Answer: The provinces and territories

What did Emily Carr paint?

Answer: The forests and Aboriginal artifacts of the West Coast

What did Reginald Fessenden contribute to?

Answer: The invention of radio

Which levels of government exist in Canada?

Answer: Federal, provincial, territorial and municipal

How is the Governor General appointed, and for how long?

Answer: By the Sovereign on the advice of the Prime Minister, usually for five years

Who is Canada's Head of State?

Answer: A hereditary Sovereign

Who is Canada's head of government, as distinct from the head of state?

Answer: The Prime Minister

What is the House of Commons?

Answer: The representative chamber, made up of elected members of Parliament

What is the final step in the legislative process?

Answer: Royal Assent

Who appoints the Lieutenant Governor of a province?

Answer: The Governor General, on the advice of the Prime Minister

What are members of provincial and territorial legislatures called?

Answer: MLAs, MNAs, MPPs or MHAs, depending on the province or territory

How often are members of Parliament traditionally elected?

Answer: Every four years

Which of these countries does Discover Canada name as another constitutional monarchy?

Answer: Japan

What is Elections Canada?

Answer: A neutral agency of Parliament that produces the voters' lists

According to Discover Canada, into how many electoral districts is Canada divided?

Answer: 308

Which two areas are listed as shared between the federal government and the provinces in the levels-of-government table?

Answer: Immigration and agriculture

Who has major responsibilities on First Nations reserves?

Answer: Band chiefs and councillors

When must federal elections be held under legislation passed by Parliament?

Answer: The third Monday in October every four years

What usually happens if a majority of MPs vote against a major government decision?

Answer: The government is defeated and an election is usually called

What is a majority government?

Answer: The party in power holds at least half the seats

How do you mark a federal ballot?

Answer: An "X" in the circle next to your candidate's name

A vote on which kind of issue is considered a matter of confidence?

Answer: A major issue such as the budget

What is a minority government?

Answer: The party in power holds less than half the seats

Where are there municipal police departments?

Answer: In all provinces

Why are the police there?

Answer: To keep people safe and enforce the law

On what principle is Canada's judicial system founded in criminal matters?

Answer: The presumption of innocence

What essential role does Discover Canada say prisons have?

Answer: Punishing criminals and deterring crime

In most provinces, what two kinds of court are there above the provincial courts?

Answer: An appeal court and a trial court

Which court handles lesser offences?

Answer: The provincial courts

Which two provinces have their own provincial police forces?

Answer: Ontario and Quebec

What are Canada's laws intended to do?

Answer: Provide order and a peaceful way to settle disputes, and express Canadians' values

Can you question the police about their service or conduct?

Answer: Yes — almost all police forces have a process for concerns

What does the RCMP do?

Answer: Enforces federal laws, and is the provincial police everywhere except Ontario and Quebec

When is Boxing Day?

Answer: December 26

What happened to the Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings in 1916?

Answer: It was destroyed by an accidental fire and rebuilt in 1922

What is the Clarkson Cup awarded for, and who established it?

Answer: Women's hockey; established by Adrienne Clarkson

Which countries' symbols does Canada's coat of arms contain?

Answer: England, France, Scotland and Ireland

For how long has the Crown been a symbol of the state in Canada?

Answer: 400 years

Of what is the Crown a symbol?

Answer: Government — Parliament, legislatures, courts, police and the Canadian Forces

Who introduced curling to Canada?

Answer: Scottish pioneers

What did Queen Elizabeth II celebrate in 2012?

Answer: Her Diamond Jubilee — 60 years as Sovereign

What does Discover Canada say English and French are, besides official languages?

Answer: Important symbols of identity

When is the Fête nationale in Quebec?

Answer: June 24

In what year did Mexico become a partner in the broader North American free trade agreement?

Answer: 1994

What role have natural resources industries played, according to Discover Canada?

Answer: An important part in the country's history and development

Which industries are natural resources industries?

Answer: Forestry, fishing, agriculture, mining and energy

Which of the following is NOT true about the Canada/USA relationship?

Answer: Canada exports very few goods to the USA

What is inscribed on the Peace Arch at Blaine, Washington?

Answer: "Children of a common mother" and "brethren dwelling together in unity"

What share of working Canadians have jobs in service industries?

Answer: More than 75%

Which of these is a service industry?

Answer: Banking

How does Discover Canada describe the size of Canada's economy?

Answer: One of the ten largest in the world

What does Discover Canada say Canadians could not maintain their standard of living without?

Answer: Trade with other nations

What are the three main types of industries in Canada's economy?

Answer: Service, manufacturing and natural resources

About what share of all goods produced in B.C. are forestry products?

Answer: About one-half

Which languages are most spoken in B.C.'s cities after English?

Answer: Chinese and Punjabi

About how many provincial parks does British Columbia have?

Answer: About 600

Which is Canada's westernmost province?

Answer: British Columbia

What are Canada and the U.S.A. both committed to regarding their shared frontier?

Answer: A safe, secure and efficient frontier

Who are the Canadian Rangers?

Answer: Part of the Canadian Forces Reserves, serving in Canada's Arctic

What is the capital of Alberta?

Answer: Edmonton

What is the capital of British Columbia?

Answer: Victoria

What is the capital of Manitoba?

Answer: Winnipeg

What is the capital of New Brunswick?

Answer: Fredericton