TrackMyPRCanadian immigration workspace
Citizenship study / Free practice test 27 of 52

Canadian citizenship practice test 27

20 questions drawn from Discover Canada, the official study guide, in the format of the citizenship test: multiple choice and true or false, with 15 correct answers needed to pass. The real test allows 45 minutes; aim to finish this one in 30.

16 multiple-choice and 4 true-or-false questions · free, no account needed · answers explained

The 20 questions

  1. Which inventor hit on the idea of the telephone at his summer house in Canada?

    1. Reginald Fessenden
    2. Alexander Graham Bell
    3. Joseph-Armand Bombardier
    4. Sir Sandford Fleming
    Show answer

    Answer: Alexander Graham Bell. Alexander Graham Bell hit on the idea of the telephone at his summer house in Canada.

    Study this in Canada’s history.

  2. Into how many distinct regions is Canada often divided?

    1. Three
    2. Four
    3. Five
    4. Ten
    Show answer

    Answer: Five. Canada includes five distinct regions: the Atlantic provinces, Central Canada, the Prairie provinces, the West Coast and the Northern territories.

    Study this in Canada’s regions.

  3. Which level of government is responsible for national defence and foreign policy?

    1. The federal government
    2. The provincial governments
    3. The municipal governments
    4. The band councils
    Show answer

    Answer: The federal government. The federal government takes responsibility for matters of national and international concern, including defence, foreign policy, interprovincial trade and communications, currency, navigation, criminal law and citizenship.

    Study this in How Canadians govern themselves.

  4. Which document, agreed to in England in 1215, is also known as the Great Charter of Freedoms?

    1. The British North America Act
    2. The Constitution Act
    3. The Quebec Act
    4. The Magna Carta
    Show answer

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

    Study this in Rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

  5. Dr. Emily Stowe was the first Canadian woman to practise medicine in Canada.

    1. True
    2. False
    Show answer

    Answer: True. Dr. Emily Stowe was the first Canadian woman to practise medicine in Canada and a leader of the women's suffrage movement.

    Study this in Canada’s history.

  6. What does Canada's motto 'A mari usque ad mare' mean?

    1. 'From sea to sea'
    2. 'Peace, order and good government'
    3. 'Strong and free'
    4. 'Our land'
    Show answer

    Answer: 'From sea to sea'. Canada's motto, 'A mari usque ad mare,' means 'from sea to sea.'

    Study this in Canadian symbols.

  7. By law, when must a federal general election normally be held?

    1. On the first Tuesday of November every five years
    2. Whenever the Senate demands one
    3. On the third Monday of October every four years following the most recent general election
    4. On July 1 every four years
    Show answer

    Answer: On the third Monday of October every four years following the most recent general election. By law, federal elections must be held on the third Monday of October every four years following the most recent general election, though an election can come earlier if the government loses the confidence of the House.

    Study this in Federal elections.

  8. Which Canadian inventor contributed to the invention of radio by sending the first wireless voice message in the world?

    1. Alexander Graham Bell
    2. Mike Lazaridis
    3. Joseph-Armand Bombardier
    4. Reginald Fessenden
    Show answer

    Answer: Reginald Fessenden. Reginald Fessenden contributed to the invention of radio, sending the first wireless voice message in the world.

    Study this in Canada’s history.

  9. What does the rule of law mean in Canada?

    1. Only judges must follow the law
    2. No person or group is above the law
    3. The police may make their own laws
    4. Laws apply only to Canadian citizens
    Show answer

    Answer: No person or group is above the law. One of Canada's founding principles is the rule of law: individuals and governments are regulated by laws, and no person or group is above the law.

    Study this in The justice system.

  10. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is part of Canada's Constitution and was entrenched in it in 1982.

    1. True
    2. False
    Show answer

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

    Study this in Rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

  11. Which region of Canada is sometimes called the 'Land of the Midnight Sun'?

    1. The Northern territories
    2. The Atlantic provinces
    3. The West Coast
    4. Central Canada
    Show answer

    Answer: The Northern territories. The Northern territories are known as the 'Land of the Midnight Sun' because at the height of summer daylight can last up to 24 hours.

    Study this in Canada’s regions.

  12. Thanks in large part to whose efforts did women in Quebec win the right to vote in 1940?

    1. Laura Secord
    2. Agnes Macphail
    3. Thérèse Casgrain
    4. Emily Carr
    Show answer

    Answer: Thérèse Casgrain. Due in large part to the work of Thérèse Casgrain, Quebec granted women the vote in 1940.

    Study this in Canada’s history.

  13. After a federal election, who is normally invited to become Prime Minister?

    1. The senator with the longest service
    2. The leader of the party with the most seats in the House of Commons
    3. The Speaker of the House of Commons
    4. The Chief Justice of Canada
    Show answer

    Answer: The leader of the party with the most seats in the House of Commons. The party with the most seats in the House of Commons usually forms the government, and its leader becomes Prime Minister.

    Study this in How Canadians govern themselves.

  14. Under the Charter's mobility rights, Canadians can live and work anywhere in Canada, enter and leave the country freely, and do what else?

    1. Vote in other countries' elections
    2. Avoid paying provincial taxes
    3. Refuse to serve on a jury
    4. Apply for a passport
    Show answer

    Answer: Apply for a passport. The Charter's mobility rights let Canadians live and work anywhere they choose in Canada, enter and leave the country freely, and apply for a passport.

    Study this in Rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

  15. Who invented the snowmobile, a light-weight winter vehicle?

    1. Joseph-Armand Bombardier
    2. John A. Hopps
    3. Sir Sandford Fleming
    4. Matthew Evans
    Show answer

    Answer: Joseph-Armand Bombardier. Joseph-Armand Bombardier invented the snowmobile, a light-weight winter vehicle.

    Study this in Canada’s history.

  16. Canada's official summer sport is Canadian football.

    1. True
    2. False
    Show answer

    Answer: False. Lacrosse, an ancient sport first played by Aboriginal peoples, is Canada's official summer sport.

    Study this in Canadian symbols.

  17. What is habeas corpus?

    1. The right to free legal advice
    2. The requirement to serve on a jury
    3. The right to challenge unlawful detention by the state
    4. The power of police to search any home
    Show answer

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

    Study this in The justice system.

  18. How do senators obtain their positions, and until what age may they serve?

    1. They are elected by voters for four-year terms
    2. They are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister and serve until age 75
    3. They are chosen by provincial premiers for life
    4. They are elected by MPs for ten-year terms
    Show answer

    Answer: They are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister and serve until age 75. Senators are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister and serve until age 75.

    Study this in How Canadians govern themselves.

  19. Which two Canadians invented the first electric light bulb and later sold the patent to Thomas Edison?

    1. Frederick Banting and Charles Best
    2. Marshall McLuhan and Harold Innis
    3. Sandford Fleming and Reginald Fessenden
    4. Matthew Evans and Henry Woodward
    Show answer

    Answer: Matthew Evans and Henry Woodward. Matthew Evans and Henry Woodward together invented the first electric light bulb and later sold the patent to Thomas Edison, who is often mistakenly credited with the invention.

    Study this in Canada’s history.

  20. In Canada, men and women are equal under the law.

    1. True
    2. False
    Show answer

    Answer: True. The equality of women and men is a fundamental Canadian value: men and women are equal under the law.

    Study this in Rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

What your score means

15 or more correct is a pass. Below that, open the questions you missed and follow the link under each answer: the test is drawn entirely from Discover Canada, so the chapter it points to is exactly what to revise. A score that is a pass here is a good sign, not a guarantee; the real test draws different questions from the same guide.

More practice

Questions are written from the Government of Canada study guide, Discover Canada, which is the authority on what the test covers. They are practice questions, not the official test.