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Citizenship Test: Canadian symbols

The 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.

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Canadian symbols · Question 1Score 0/0

Since when has Canada been a constitutional monarchy in its own right?

Study reference: Discover Canada (IRCC online edition, 2026), Ch. 8 Canadian Symbols — Crown, Flags, Maple leaf, Coat of arms, Parliament Buildings, Sports, Beaver, Official languages, Anthems

All 32 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

  1. Since when has Canada been a constitutional monarchy in its own right?

    1. Since Confederation in 1867
    2. Since the new flag in 1965
    3. Since the Charter in 1982
    4. Since the Quebec Act of 1774

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

    1. Ice hockey
    2. Curling
    3. Skiing
    4. Lacrosse

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

    1. The beaver
    2. The maple leaf
    3. The Peace Tower
    4. The fleur-de-lys

  4. Which of these does the Crown symbolize in Canada?

    1. Government, including Parliament and the courts
    2. The Prime Minister's political party
    3. Only the Royal Family's private property
    4. The provinces' independence from Ottawa

  5. What is Canada's national motto?

    1. E Pluribus Unum
    2. A Mari Usque Ad Mare
    3. Dieu et mon droit
    4. Je me souviens

  6. The Royal Arms of Canada contain symbols of which countries?

    1. England, Spain, France and Italy
    2. France, Scotland, Wales and Germany
    3. Britain, the United States and France
    4. England, France, Scotland and Ireland

  7. The beaver was adopted centuries ago as a symbol of which organization?

    1. The Royal Canadian Navy
    2. The Canadian Pacific Railway
    3. The North West Mounted Police
    4. The Hudson's Bay Company

  8. What did the fleur-de-lys, or lily flower, symbolize for more than a thousand years?

    1. The English Parliament
    2. The Catholic Church in Ireland
    3. Aboriginal nations
    4. French royalty

  9. Which of these is one of the three main objectives of the Official Languages Act?

    1. Make French mandatory in all schools
    2. Require bilingualism for all citizens
    3. Maintain official language minority communities
    4. Limit English to federal offices

  10. What is Canada's official summer sport?

    1. Soccer
    2. Baseball
    3. Lacrosse
    4. Canadian football

  11. Since what year have red and white been Canada's national colours?

    1. 1867
    2. 1812
    3. 1921
    4. 1965

  12. Which part of the original Centre Block survived the 1916 fire?

    1. The Library
    2. The East Block clock
    3. The Senate chamber
    4. The Peace Tower

  13. Which Canadian coin shows the beaver?

    1. The five-cent coin
    2. The two-dollar coin
    3. The one-dollar coin
    4. The ten-cent coin

  14. Who introduced curling to Canada?

    1. American Loyalists
    2. French explorers
    3. Aboriginal peoples
    4. Scottish pioneers

  15. The Clarkson Cup, established in 2005, was created for which sport?

    1. Curling
    2. University hockey
    3. Women's hockey
    4. Canadian football

  16. What is the Royal Anthem of Canada?

    1. God Save the King (or Queen)
    2. O Canada
    3. The Maple Leaf Forever
    4. In Flanders Fields

  17. For a standard adult citizenship application, which age group is outside the normal 18–54 language-proof requirement?

    1. Anyone with a university degree
    2. Adults aged 55 and over
    3. Adults aged 45 and over
    4. Spouses of Canadian citizens

  18. Who first adopted the maple leaf as a symbol, in the 1700s?

    1. The Hudson's Bay Company
    2. The Royal Navy
    3. French-Canadians
    4. The Loyalists

  19. Who donated the Stanley Cup in 1892?

    1. Wayne Gretzky
    2. Lord Grey, the Governor General
    3. Lord Stanley, the Governor General
    4. Adrienne Clarkson

  20. What does Canada's motto, A Mari Usque Ad Mare, mean?

    1. From sea to sea
    2. Glorious and free
    3. Peace, order and good government
    4. Strong and free

  21. Where was O Canada first sung?

    1. Québec City
    2. Ottawa
    3. Toronto
    4. Halifax

  22. Which historical flag was widely used to represent Canada before the maple leaf flag and is also carried by veterans?

    1. The Union Jack
    2. The Canadian Red Ensign
    3. The flag of Quebec
    4. The Royal Military College flag

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

    1. It was moved to Kingston
    2. It was bombed during the war
    3. It was largely destroyed by fire
    4. It was struck by an earthquake

  24. In what year was the current Canadian flag first raised?

    1. 1982
    2. 1921
    3. 1965
    4. 1867

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

    1. 150 years
    2. 400 years
    3. 100 years
    4. 1,000 years

  26. Where does the red-white-red pattern of the Canadian flag come from?

    1. The flag of New France
    2. The Union Jack
    3. The flag of the Hudson's Bay Company trading posts
    4. The flag of the Royal Military College, Kingston

  27. The Peace Tower was completed in 1927 in memory of what?

    1. Confederation
    2. The War of 1812
    3. The First World War
    4. The Second World War

  28. In 1948, which province adopted a flag based on the Cross and the fleur-de-lys?

    1. Ontario
    2. Manitoba
    3. New Brunswick
    4. Quebec

  29. Which books are traditionally housed in the Peace Tower’s Memorial Chamber?

    1. The Books of Remembrance
    2. The Crown Jewels
    3. The Stanley Cup
    4. The original Constitution

  30. In what year was O Canada proclaimed the national anthem?

    1. 1867
    2. 1965
    3. 1980
    4. 1880

  31. Which sport does Discover Canada describe as having the most registered players?

    1. Curling
    2. Soccer
    3. Hockey
    4. Lacrosse

  32. Which flag is known in Canada as the Royal Union Flag?

    1. The maple leaf flag
    2. The Union Jack
    3. The Red Ensign
    4. The fleur-de-lys flag

Canadian symbols: 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 ↗

The Canadian Crown

  • The Crown has been a symbol of the state in Canada for 400 years.
  • Canada has been a constitutional monarchy in its own right since Confederation in 1867, during Queen Victoria's reign.
  • The Crown symbolizes government: Parliament, legislatures, courts, police services and the Canadian Forces.
  • The mace of the House of Commons is pictured as a symbol.

Flags in Canada

  • New Canadian flag first raised in 1965.
  • Red-white-red pattern comes from the flag of the Royal Military College, Kingston (founded 1876).
  • Red and white: colours of France and England since the Middle Ages; Canada's national colours since 1921 (assigned by King George V, per history chapter).
  • The Union Jack is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It retains an official role symbolizing allegiance to the Crown and membership in the Commonwealth. It is distinct from the Sovereign’s personal Canadian flag.
  • The Canadian Red Ensign was widely used to represent Canada before 1965, although the Royal Union Flag was the official flag. The current National Flag is the maple leaf design.
  • Provinces and territories have their own flags.

The maple leaf

  • Canada's best-known symbol. Adopted by French-Canadians in the 1700s; on uniforms and insignia since the 1850s; carved on headstones of fallen soldiers.

The fleur-de-lys

  • Said to have been adopted by the French king in 496; symbol of French royalty for over 1,000 years, including New France.
  • Revived at Confederation; included in the Canadian Red Ensign.
  • 1948: Quebec adopted its own flag based on the Cross and the fleur-de-lys.

Coat of arms and motto

  • Adopted after the First World War as an expression of national pride.
  • Motto: A Mari Usque Ad Mare, Latin for "from sea to sea".
  • The arms contain symbols of England, France, Scotland and Ireland and red maple leaves; seen on dollar bills, government documents and public buildings.

Parliament Buildings

  • Towers, arches, sculptures, stained glass embody French, English and Aboriginal traditions and Gothic Revival style (Victorian era).
  • The Library survived the fire that destroyed most of the original Centre Block. This does not mean that every other original Parliament Hill building was destroyed.
  • The Books of Remembrance record Canadians who died in service. They are traditionally housed in the Memorial Chamber. They were temporarily moved to the Room of Remembrance in West Block during the Centre Block renovation.
  • Quebec National Assembly: French Second Empire style; other legislatures Baroque, Romanesque, neoclassical.

Popular sports

  • Hockey: most popular spectator sport; national winter sport; developed in Canada in the 1800s.
  • NHL plays for the Stanley Cup, donated by Governor General Lord Stanley in 1892.
  • Clarkson Cup (women's hockey) established 2005 by Adrienne Clarkson, 26th Governor General and first of Asian origin.
  • Canadian football: second most popular sport. Curling: introduced by Scottish pioneers. Lacrosse: ancient sport first played by Aboriginals; official summer sport. Soccer: most registered players.

The beaver

  • Adopted centuries ago as a symbol of the Hudson's Bay Company; emblem of the St. Jean Baptiste Society (1834).
  • On the five-cent coin, the coats of arms of Saskatchewan and Alberta, and of Montreal and Toronto.

Canada's official languages

  • English and French: official languages and symbols of identity; partnership for more than 300 years.
  • Adults who are 55 or older when they sign their application are outside the usual language-proof requirement. Age is assessed at signing, and IRCC has specific waiver and application rules.
  • Official Languages Act 1969, three objectives: equality of French and English in Parliament, the Government of Canada and institutions under the Act; maintain and develop official language minority communities; promote equality of French and English in society.

National anthem / Royal anthem

  • O Canada proclaimed national anthem in 1980; first sung in Québec City in 1880. French and English versions have different words.
  • Royal Anthem: "God Save the King (or Queen)", played or sung to honour the Sovereign.

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