Canadian citizenship test sample questions with answers (2026)

The Canadian citizenship test has 20 questions, and you have 45 minutes to answer them. You need 15 correct answers (75%) to pass. Each question is multiple choice or true/false, and the test is in English or French. This page gives you 20 sample questions in the same style, with the answer and a short explanation for each one.

Please note: these are not questions from the real test. IRCC does not publish the questions it uses on the citizenship test. We wrote these practice questions ourselves, using facts from the official study guide, Discover Canada. The real test asks about the same facts, but the wording and the options will be different. So learn the fact behind each question, not the exact words.

How to use these questions

• Try to answer each question before you read the answer. Cover the answer with your hand or a piece of paper. Guessing first and then checking helps you remember.
• Write down your answers, then count your score at the end.
• For every question you get wrong, read the explanation, then read the chapter it comes from.

There are two questions from each of the ten chapters of Discover Canada, in the same order as the guide. Most are multiple choice with four options, and three are true/false, as on the real test.

Chapter 1: Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship

Questions from this chapter are about the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, freedoms such as mobility rights, and duties such as obeying the law and serving on a jury. Study the Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship chapter primer.

1. In what year was the Constitution amended to entrench the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms?

• A. 1867
• B. 1215
• C. 1982
• D. 1960

Answer: C. 1982 The Charter was entrenched in the Constitution in 1982. 1215 is Magna Carta and 1867 is Confederation, two dates that are often confused with it.

2. Every young Canadian must complete compulsory military service.

• A. True
• B. False

Answer: B. False Canada has no compulsory military service. Joining the Canadian Forces is a voluntary and honourable choice.

Chapter 2: Who We Are

Expect questions on the three Aboriginal groups, the two official languages, the Acadians and Quebecers. Study the Who We Are chapter primer.

3. The term “Aboriginal peoples” includes which three groups?

• A. Cree, Haida and Inuit
• B. First Nations, Inuit and Métis
• C. First Nations, Acadians and Métis
• D. Inuit, Métis and Loyalists

Answer: B. First Nations, Inuit and Métis Aboriginal peoples are made up of First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Cree and Haida are individual First Nations, and Acadians and Loyalists are settler groups, not Aboriginal peoples.

4. Who are the Acadians?

• A. Descendants of Loyalists who came from the United States
• B. Descendants of Scottish settlers in Nova Scotia
• C. Métis people of the Prairie provinces
• D. Descendants of French colonists who settled in the Maritime provinces

Answer: D. Descendants of French colonists who settled in the Maritime provinces Acadians descend from French colonists who settled in today’s Maritime provinces. Do not confuse them with Quebecers (the people of Quebec) or the Métis.

Chapter 3: Canada’s History

This is the longest chapter, so many test questions come from it. Dates and people are very common. Study the Canada’s History chapter primer.

5. In what year did the British defeat the French at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham?

• A. 1763
• B. 1774
• C. 1791
• D. 1759

Answer: D. 1759 The battle was fought at Quebec City in 1759. Remember: 1759 is the battle, 1774 the Quebec Act and 1791 the Constitutional Act.

6. In what year did Canadian soldiers capture Vimy Ridge?

• A. 1917
• B. 1918
• C. 1939
• D. 1944

Answer: A. 1917 Canadians captured Vimy Ridge in April 1917, earning a reputation as formidable assault troops. Many Canadians see it as a moment of great national pride.

Chapter 4: Modern Canada

Questions cover Canada after the Second World War: Quebec, the arts, sports and Canadian discoveries. Study the Modern Canada chapter primer.

7. Who discovered insulin?

• A. Alexander Graham Bell
• B. Wilder Penfield
• C. Sir Frederick Banting and Charles Best
• D. John A. Hopps

Answer: C. Sir Frederick Banting and Charles Best Sir Frederick Banting and Charles Best of Toronto discovered insulin, which has saved millions of lives around the world. Penfield was a brain surgeon and Hopps invented the pacemaker.

8. Quebec held referendums on sovereignty in 1980 and 1995, and both were defeated.

• A. True
• B. False

Answer: A. True Both referendums were defeated, so Quebec remains part of Canada. The question of Quebec’s autonomy is still debated.

Chapter 5: How Canadians Govern Themselves

Learn the three parts of Parliament and the difference between the head of state and the head of government. Study the How Canadians Govern Themselves chapter primer.

9. What are the three parts of Parliament?

• A. The Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the House of Commons
• B. The Senate, the House of Commons and the Supreme Court
• C. The Sovereign, the Senate and the House of Commons
• D. The Governor General, the Prime Minister and the Senate

Answer: C. The Sovereign, the Senate and the House of Commons Parliament is made up of the Sovereign (the King), the Senate and the House of Commons. The Prime Minister and Cabinet lead the government, and the Supreme Court belongs to the justice system.

10. Who is Canada’s head of state?

• A. The Prime Minister
• B. The Governor General
• C. The Chief Justice of Canada
• D. The Sovereign, King Charles III

Answer: D. The Sovereign, King Charles III The Sovereign, King Charles III, is head of state. The Governor General represents the King in Canada, and the Prime Minister is head of government; both are common wrong answers.

Chapter 6: Federal Elections

Know who can vote, how voting works and how often federal elections happen. Study the Federal Elections chapter primer.

11. Who can vote in a federal election?

• A. Permanent residents who have lived in Canada for three years
• B. Canadian citizens who are at least 18 years old on voting day
• C. Anyone aged 16 or older who lives in Canada
• D. Canadian citizens who are at least 21 years old

Answer: B. Canadian citizens who are at least 18 years old on voting day To vote federally you must be a Canadian citizen, be at least 18 years old on voting day, and be on the voters’ list. Permanent residents cannot vote until they become citizens.

12. You cannot vote on election day. What can you do?

• A. Vote at an advance poll or by special ballot
• B. Ask a relative to vote for you
• C. Vote by phoning your MP
• D. Vote twice in the next election

Answer: A. Vote at an advance poll or by special ballot Voters who cannot vote on election day can vote early at an advance poll or use a special ballot. No one else can cast your vote for you.

Chapter 7: The Justice System

A short chapter about the courts, the police and the legal rights of people accused of a crime. Study the The Justice System chapter primer.

13. Which principle means a person accused of a crime is treated as innocent until proven guilty?

• A. Due process
• B. Presumption of innocence
• C. Habeas corpus
• D. Freedom of association

Answer: B. Presumption of innocence In criminal cases, Canada presumes an accused person is innocent until guilt is proven. Due process is a related but different idea: the government must respect a person’s legal rights.

14. Which police force enforces federal laws throughout Canada?

• A. The Ontario Provincial Police
• B. The Sûreté du Québec
• C. Municipal police
• D. The RCMP

Answer: D. The RCMP The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) enforces federal laws everywhere in Canada. Provincial and municipal forces mainly handle policing within their own province or city.

Chapter 8: Canadian Symbols

The flag, the motto, the anthems, the national sports and Canada’s honours. Study the Canadian Symbols chapter primer.

15. What does Canada’s motto, A mari usque ad mare, mean?

• A. Peace, order and good government
• B. From sea to sea
• C. Strong and free
• D. I remember

Answer: B. From sea to sea The Latin motto means “from sea to sea,” describing a country that stretches between oceans. “Peace, order and good government” comes from the 1867 constitution, and “I remember” (Je me souviens) is Quebec’s motto.

16. Lacrosse is Canada’s official winter sport.

• A. True
• B. False

Answer: B. False Lacrosse is the summer sport and hockey is the winter sport. Memory tip: hockey is played on ice, so think winter.

Chapter 9: Canada’s Economy

The three types of industry and Canada’s trade with other countries. Study the Canada’s Economy chapter primer.

17. Which list names Canada’s three main types of industry?

• A. Service, manufacturing and natural resources
• B. Farming, fishing and mining
• C. Banking, tourism and retail
• D. Oil, gas and hydroelectricity

Answer: A. Service, manufacturing and natural resources The three main types are service, manufacturing and natural resources. The other lists are only examples that fit inside one of those three groups.

18. Which country is Canada’s largest trading partner?

• A. The United Kingdom
• B. Japan
• C. The United States
• D. France

Answer: C. The United States The United States is by far Canada’s largest trading partner, buying most of Canada’s exports.

Chapter 10: Canada’s Regions

Provinces, territories, capital cities and the five regions of Canada. Study the Canada’s Regions chapter primer.

19. How many provinces and territories does Canada have?

• A. 8 provinces and 4 territories
• B. 9 provinces and 3 territories
• C. 10 provinces and 2 territories
• D. 10 provinces and 3 territories

Answer: D. 10 provinces and 3 territories Canada is made up of 10 provinces and 3 territories, and each one has its own capital city. Nunavut, created in 1999, is the newest territory.

20. Which is Canada’s only officially bilingual province?

• A. New Brunswick
• B. Quebec
• C. Ontario
• D. Manitoba

Answer: A. New Brunswick New Brunswick is the only province that is officially bilingual in English and French. Quebec is mostly French-speaking, but it is not officially bilingual.

How did you do?

Twenty questions cannot cover the whole guide. The real test can ask about any chapter, so a good score here is a start, not a guarantee. Many wrong answers come from two facts that look alike, such as the Governor General and the Prime Minister, or 1867 and 1982. Our list of facts people mix up explains the most common ones.

Ready for the full version? Take Practice Test 1, then try a mock exam with 20 mixed questions and a 45-minute timer, just like the real test.