Which company, known for the BlackBerry, was led by Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie?
Citizenship Test overview
Citizenship Test: Arts, sports, science and inventions
Canadian writers, painters and filmmakers, sports heroes such as Terry Fox and Wayne Gretzky, Nobel Prize-winning scientists, and great Canadian discoveries and inventions from insulin to the Canadarm.
- No sign-up
- Every answer explained
- Independent · not a government site
- 23 questions
- Topic drill
0/23
Study reference: Discover Canada (IRCC online edition, 2026), Ch. 4 Modern Canada — Arts and culture, Sports, Science and technology, Great Canadian discoveries and inventions
All 23 questions in this test
Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.
Which company, known for the BlackBerry, was led by Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie?
- Research in Motion
- Bell Canada
- SPAR Aerospace
- Bombardier
Which athlete became a world-record sprinter and double gold medallist at the 1996 Summer Olympics?
- Mark Tewksbury
- Phil Edwards
- Donovan Bailey
- Terry Fox
Who sent the world's first wireless voice message?
- Henry Woodward
- Marshall McLuhan
- Alexander Graham Bell
- Reginald Fessenden
Chantal Petitclerc became a world champion in which sport?
- Speed skating
- Wheelchair racing
- Swimming
- Women's hockey
Why did Terry Fox start his cross-country run?
- To promote Canadian tourism
- To raise money for cancer research
- To set a world speed record
- To raise money for spinal cord research
Professional teams in the Canadian Football League compete for which trophy?
- The Vanier Cup
- The Clarkson Cup
- The Stanley Cup
- The Grey Cup
Which Canadian is known for promoting a worldwide system of standard time zones?
- Dr. John A. Hopps
- Sir Sandford Fleming
- Joseph-Armand Bombardier
- Alexander Graham Bell
Which Canadian invented basketball in 1891?
- Paul Henderson
- James Naismith
- Wayne Gretzky
- Lord Stanley
Who pioneered modern Inuit art with etchings, prints and soapstone sculptures?
- Emily Carr
- Pauline Johnson
- Kenojuak Ashevak
- Louis-Philippe Hébert
Rick Hansen began his 1985–1987 wheelchair world tour to raise funds for what?
- Diabetes research
- Heart surgery
- Cancer research
- Spinal cord research
Which artist painted the forests and Aboriginal artifacts of the West Coast?
- Emily Carr
- Jean-Paul Riopelle
- Kenojuak Ashevak
- Tom Thomson
Where did Alexander Graham Bell hit on the idea of the telephone?
- At McGill University
- In a laboratory in Toronto
- On a ship crossing the Atlantic
- At his summer house in Canada
Which pioneering McGill brain surgeon was known as "the greatest living Canadian"?
- Dr. John A. Hopps
- Gerhard Herzberg
- Dr. Wilder Penfield
- Charles Best
What was Terry Fox's cross-country run in 1980 called?
- The Great Trek West
- The Marathon of Hope
- The Man in Motion Tour
- The Run for Canada
Which Canadian inventor is associated with the development of the snowmobile?
- Reginald Fessenden
- Mike Lazaridis
- Sir Sandford Fleming
- Joseph-Armand Bombardier
According to Discover Canada, to whom did Mathew Evans and Henry Woodward sell their electric-light patent?
- Reginald Fessenden
- Alexander Graham Bell
- Nikola Tesla
- Thomas Edison
Which Canadian engineer helped develop an early external cardiac pacemaker?
- Sir Frederick Banting
- Dr. Wilder Penfield
- Dr. Emily Stowe
- Dr. John A. Hopps
In 1972, Paul Henderson scored the winning goal in which hockey series?
- The Clarkson Cup
- The Winter Olympics
- The Canada-Soviet Summit Series
- The Stanley Cup final against Boston
Les Automatistes of Quebec were pioneers of what kind of art in the 1950s?
- Soapstone carving
- Historical sculpture
- Modern abstract art
- Wilderness landscape painting
Which Quebec filmmaker's films have won international awards, according to Discover Canada?
- Denys Arcand
- Émile Nelligan
- Louis Hémon
- Jean-Paul Riopelle
Which pair was part of the Toronto team that discovered and developed insulin treatment?
- Wilder Penfield and John Hopps
- Sir Frederick Banting and Charles Best
- Gerhard Herzberg and John Polanyi
- Alexander Graham Bell and Reginald Fessenden
What is the Canadarm, built by SPAR Aerospace and the NRC?
- A Canadian military rifle
- A robotic arm used in outer space
- A bridge in Prince Edward Island
- A satellite dish for television
Which group of painters, founded in 1920, is known for capturing Canada's rugged wilderness landscapes?
- The Group of Seven
- The Fathers of Confederation
- The Royal Academy
- Les Automatistes
Arts, sports, science and inventions: key rules to remember
Our summary of what the official handbook says on this topic, in our own words. Read it before or after the practice questions above, then check the original chapter. Read the official chapter ↗
Arts and culture in Canada
- Writers named: Stephen Leacock, Louis Hémon, Sir Charles G.D. Roberts, Pauline Johnson, Émile Nelligan, Robertson Davies, Margaret Laurence, Mordecai Richler; later Joy Kogawa, Michael Ondaatje, Rohinton Mistry.
- Musicians: Sir Ernest MacMillan, Healey Willan.
- Group of Seven, founded 1920: painting style capturing rugged wilderness landscapes. Tom Thomson painted "The Jack Pine".
- Emily Carr: forests and Aboriginal artifacts of the West Coast.
- Les Automatistes (Quebec): pioneers of modern abstract art in the 1950s, notably Jean-Paul Riopelle.
- Louis-Philippe Hébert: Quebec sculptor of historical figures.
- Kenojuak Ashevak: pioneered modern Inuit art (etchings, prints, soapstone).
- Filmmakers: Denys Arcand (Quebec, international awards), Norman Jewison, Atom Egoyan.
Sports
- Basketball invented by Canadian James Naismith in 1891.
- 1972: Paul Henderson scored the winning goal in the Canada–Soviet Summit Series ("the goal heard around the world").
- 1996 Olympics: Donovan Bailey, world-record sprinter and double gold medallist.
- Chantal Petitclerc: world champion wheelchair racer, Paralympic gold medallist.
- Wayne Gretzky played for the Edmonton Oilers 1979–1988.
- 1980: Terry Fox (British Columbian, lost right leg to cancer at 18) began the Marathon of Hope to raise money for cancer research; did not finish; yearly fundraising continues.
- Hansen launched the Man in Motion World Tour in 1985 and completed it in 1987, raising awareness and funds for spinal cord research and accessibility.
- Canadian football: CFL teams compete for the Grey Cup, donated by Governor General Lord Grey in 1909.
- Catriona Le May Doan: speed skating gold, 2002 Winter Olympics. Mark Tewksbury: Olympic gold medallist and gay rights activist.
Science and technology
- Pioneer thinkers: Marshall McLuhan, Harold Innis.
- Canadian Space Agency since 1989; astronauts using the Canadarm.
- Nobel Prize-winning scientists: Gerhard Herzberg (refugee from Nazi Germany), John Polanyi, Sidney Altman, Richard E. Taylor, Michael Smith, Bertram Brockhouse.
- Frederick Banting and Charles Best worked with John Macleod and James Collip in the Toronto team. Research in 1921–1922 led to effective insulin treatment; credit belongs to the team rather than only two people.
Great Canadian discoveries and inventions
- Alexander Graham Bell: idea of the telephone at his summer house in Canada.
- Joseph-Armand Bombardier is associated with the development of practical snow vehicles and snowmobiles. The study guide lists this among Canadian innovations.
- Sir Sandford Fleming was an important advocate of worldwide standard time. The development and adoption of standard time involved other contributors and international cooperation.
- The guide says Evans and Woodward sold their electric-light patent to Thomas Edison. Electric lighting developed through many inventions; their work should not be described as the first electric light of every kind.
- Reginald Fessenden: contributed to radio; first wireless voice message.
- Dr. Wilder Penfield: pioneering brain surgeon at McGill, "the greatest living Canadian".
- John A. Hopps helped develop an early external electronic pacemaker. He worked with medical researchers; this is not a claim that he alone invented every form of pacemaker.
- SPAR Aerospace / National Research Council: Canadarm.
- Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie of Research in Motion: BlackBerry.
Study the Arts, sports, science and inventions rules as flashcards →
Other topics
- Rights and freedomsWhere Canadian rights come from: Magna Carta, English common law and the French civil code, the four fundamental freedoms, habeas corpus, the 1982 Charter of Rights and Freedoms, mobility, Aboriginal and language rights, multiculturalism and the equality of women and men.
- Citizenship responsibilities and the OathThe responsibilities that come with citizenship (obeying the law, jury duty, voting, helping others, protecting heritage and environment), defending Canada, the Oath of Citizenship, and what happens at the citizenship ceremony.
- Who we are: founding peoples and diversityThe three founding peoples, First Nations, Inuit and Métis, residential schools, English and French Canada, Acadians and Quebecers, and the diversity of languages, religions and origins in Canada today.
- History: first peoples to 1791Aboriginal ways of life, the Vikings, John Cabot and Jacques Cartier, Champlain and New France, the fur trade and the Hudson's Bay Company, the Plains of Abraham, the Quebec Act, the Loyalists and the first elected assemblies.
- History: 1791 to ConfederationThe abolition of slavery, the early economy, the War of 1812, the Rebellions of 1837–38, responsible government, the Fathers of Confederation and the birth of the Dominion of Canada on July 1, 1867.
- History: the Dominion and the World WarsExpansion of the Dominion, Sir John A. Macdonald, Louis Riel and the Métis, the North West Mounted Police, the Canadian Pacific Railway, western settlement, the First World War, women's right to vote, the Depression and the Second World War.
- Modern Canada since 1945Postwar prosperity and social programs, NATO, NORAD and the United Nations, the Quiet Revolution, official languages and the Quebec referendums, the extension of the vote, refugees and multiculturalism.
- How Canadians govern themselvesCanada as a federal state, a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy: federal and provincial powers, the three parts of Parliament, how a bill becomes law, the Sovereign, the Governor General, Lieutenant Governors, Premiers and Commissioners.
- Federal elections and votingWhen federal elections are held, electoral districts and candidates, who may vote, the voters' list and voter information card, the secret ballot, majority and minority government, the Cabinet and opposition, voting procedures and municipal government.
- The justice systemDue process and the presumption of innocence, the rule of law, the Supreme Court and other courts, the RCMP and provincial and municipal police, questioning police conduct, lawyers and legal aid.
- Canadian symbolsThe Crown, the national flag and the Red Ensign, the maple leaf, the fleur-de-lys, the coat of arms and motto, the Parliament Buildings, national sports, the beaver, the official languages and the national and royal anthems.
- Honours and national holidaysThe Order of Canada, the Victoria Cross and its Canadian recipients, and the dates of national public holidays and other important days such as Vimy Day, Canada Day and Remembrance Day.
- Canada's economyCanada as a trading nation, free trade with the United States and Mexico, the three main types of industries (service, manufacturing, natural resources) and the Canada–U.S. trading relationship.
- Regions: geography, the capital and Atlantic CanadaCanada's size, oceans and five regions, provinces, territories and capital cities, Ottawa as the national capital, and the four Atlantic provinces.
- Regions: Central Canada, the Prairies, the West Coast and the NorthQuebec and Ontario, the Great Lakes, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, British Columbia, and Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, with their resources, cities and landmarks.