Practice by chapter
Canadian Symbols: practice quiz and dates
Ten questions from the symbols chapter, each answer corrected as you go. Below, the dates of flags, anthem and honours, and the pairs of symbols that the test likes to swap.
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Practice questions written by Radif Partners from the facts of the official guide. Not the official test.
The symbols chapter of Discover Canada is a list of emblems with a date or a meaning attached, and 15 of the 150 questions in our bank draw on it. The flag with the red maple leaf was first raised in 1965; its red-white-red pattern comes from the Royal Military College in Kingston, and red and white have been the national colours since 1921. O Canada was sung for the first time in 1880, in Québec City and proclaimed the national anthem in 1980. The motto A Mari Usque Ad Mare means "from sea to sea". The beaver, first adopted by the Hudson's Bay Company, is on the five-cent coin. Hockey is the national winter sport and lacrosse the official summer sport; the Stanley Cup dates from 1892. The Order of Canada was founded in 1967 and the Victoria Cross is the highest honour. On Remembrance Day, November 11, Canadians wear a red poppy. The Peace Tower, finished in 1927, honours the First World War. Each item is a short fact, so this chapter rewards a quick list more than reading, a useful shortcut toward 15 correct answers out of 20.
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The dates of the symbols
Symbol questions are short: a year, a meaning, an object. The trouble is that several of them share decades and look alike. Sort them once in the table below, then check yourself with the 15 symbol questions of our bank in the quiz above.
| Year | Symbol |
|---|---|
| 496 | tradition dates the fleur-de-lys of the French king to this year |
| 1700s | French Canadians adopt the maple leaf |
| 1850s | maple leaf on uniforms and insignia |
| 1854 | first Victoria Cross awards (about a hundred Canadians since) |
| 1880 | O Canada first sung, in Québec City |
| 1892 | Stanley Cup donated by Lord Stanley |
| 1916 | Centre Block of Parliament destroyed by an accidental fire |
| 1921 | red and white become national colours |
| 1927 | Peace Tower completed, in memory of the First World War |
| 1948 | Quebec adopts its fleur-de-lys flag |
| 1965 | maple leaf flag first raised |
| 1967 | Order of Canada created |
| 1980 | O Canada proclaimed national anthem |
| 2005 | Clarkson Cup for women’s hockey |
Emblems and their meaning
The motto A Mari Usque Ad Mare, "from sea to sea", was adopted with the coat of arms after the First World War; the arms carry red maple leaves and symbols of England, France, Scotland and Ireland. The beaver, a hard-working rodent first adopted by the Hudson's Bay Company, appears on the five-cent coin and on the arms of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Montreal and Toronto. The Union Jack, or Royal Union Flag, is Canada's official Royal Flag. The Parliament Buildings are in Gothic Revival style, and the Peace Tower holds the Books of Remembrance, which record the names of those who died serving Canada. On November 11, Canadians wear a red poppy and keep a minute of silence at 11 a.m.; the poem In Flanders Fields is often read. Thanksgiving falls on the second Monday of October.
Pairs that get swapped
1965 or 1980? The flag is 1965; the anthem was proclaimed in 1980 but first sung in 1880. Hockey or lacrosse? Winter and summer. Union Jack or Red Ensign? The Union Jack is the Royal Flag today; the Red Ensign was the national flag before 1965. Victoria Cross or Order of Canada? Bravery facing the enemy versus outstanding citizenship, and the Victoria Cross ranks highest. Fleur-de-lys or maple leaf? The fleur-de-lys stands for the French monarchy and is on Quebec's flag; the maple leaf is the national emblem. Anyone can nominate a fellow citizen for an honour.
Neighbouring chapters
Before this one comes The Justice System; after it, Canada’s Economy. Several symbols reappear elsewhere: the Hudson's Bay Company in history, the Royal Military College in Kingston, the RCMP in justice. Read each symbol question with its answer in the question bank, then mix all chapters in the timed mock test. Facts summarized from Discover Canada.