CAEC Social Studies Preparation Course: Historical and contemporary Canada

1. Question 1 of 20

   Which four provinces formed Canada in 1867?

   • AOntario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick
   • BOntario, Quebec, Manitoba and British Columbia
   • CNova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland
   • DOntario, Quebec, Alberta and Saskatchewan
   Show answer

   Answer: A. Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick

   At Confederation on July 1, 1867, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick formed the Dominion of Canada.

2. Question 2 of 20

   Who became Canada's first Prime Minister in 1867?

   • ASir John A. Macdonald
   • BLouis Riel
   • CSir Wilfrid Laurier
   • DSamuel de Champlain
   Show answer

   Answer: A. Sir John A. Macdonald

   Sir John A. Macdonald was the first Prime Minister of the Dominion of Canada.

3. Question 3 of 20

   In 1670, King Charles II gave the Hudson's Bay Company exclusive trading rights over a huge area. What was the main business of the company?

   • AGold mining
   • BWheat farming
   • CBuilding railways
   • DThe fur trade
   Show answer

   Answer: D. The fur trade

   The Hudson's Bay Company traded furs over the Hudson Bay watershed, often working with First Nations trappers and traders.

4. Question 4 of 20

   What was a result of the British victory at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759?

   • AIt created the province of Manitoba
   • BIt started the War of 1812
   • CIt made French the only official language
   • DIt ended France's empire in America
   Show answer

   Answer: D. It ended France's empire in America

   The British defeat of the French at Québec City in 1759 ended France's empire in America.

5. Question 5 of 20

   What did the Quebec Act of 1774 do?

   • AIt united all the British colonies in North America into one new country
   • BIt ended the fur trade
   • CIt created Upper Canada and Lower Canada
   • DIt restored French civil law and let Catholics hold public office
   Show answer

   Answer: D. It restored French civil law and let Catholics hold public office

   The Quebec Act helped keep the loyalty of the French-speaking Catholic majority by protecting their laws and religion.

6. Question 6 of 20

   Why did the Royal Proclamation of 1763 matter for First Nations?

   • AIt guaranteed territorial rights and set the basis for treaty negotiations
   • BIt gave First Nations people the federal vote
   • CIt created the first residential schools for First Nations children across the colonies
   • DIt ended all trade with Europeans
   Show answer

   Answer: A. It guaranteed territorial rights and set the basis for treaty negotiations

   The Royal Proclamation of 1763 is the basis for negotiating treaties with First Nations.

7. Question 7 of 20

   Between 1755 and 1763, more than two-thirds of the Acadians were deported. What is this event called?

   • AThe Great Migration
   • BThe Quiet Revolution
   • CThe Gold Rush
   • DThe Great Upheaval
   Show answer

   Answer: D. The Great Upheaval

   The deportation of the Acadians during the war between Britain and France is known as the Great Upheaval. Acadian culture survived.

8. Question 8 of 20

   Who were the Loyalists who moved to Nova Scotia and Quebec in the 1780s?

   • ARefugees from Hungary
   • BGold miners who came for the Klondike
   • CFrench soldiers and their families who stayed in Quebec after the 1759 battle
   • DColonists who stayed loyal to the Crown after the American Revolution
   Show answer

   Answer: D. Colonists who stayed loyal to the Crown after the American Revolution

   After the 13 colonies declared independence in 1776, more than 40,000 Loyalists moved north.

9. Question 9 of 20

   In 1869–1870, Louis Riel led a Métis uprising at Fort Garry. Which province was created in 1870 as a result?

   • AManitoba
   • BSaskatchewan
   • CAlberta
   • DBritish Columbia
   Show answer

   Answer: A. Manitoba

   Riel's actions led to Manitoba becoming a province in 1870.

10. Question 10 of 20

    Why did British Columbia agree to join Canada in 1871?

    • AIt wanted to leave the British Empire and become a republic
    • BIt had just found oil
    • CThe United States had invaded it
    • DOttawa promised to build a railway to the West Coast
    Show answer

    Answer: D. Ottawa promised to build a railway to the West Coast

    B.C. joined after Ottawa promised a railway. The Canadian Pacific Railway was completed in 1885.

11. Question 11 of 20

    Put these events in order from earliest to latest: Newfoundland and Labrador joins Canada; Alberta becomes a province; Nunavut is created.

    • AAlberta, then Nunavut, then Newfoundland and Labrador
    • BNewfoundland and Labrador, then Alberta, then Nunavut
    • CAlberta, then Newfoundland and Labrador, then Nunavut
    • DNunavut, then Alberta, then Newfoundland and Labrador
    Show answer

    Answer: C. Alberta, then Newfoundland and Labrador, then Nunavut

    Alberta joined in 1905, Newfoundland and Labrador in 1949 and Nunavut was created in 1999.

12. Question 12 of 20

    In April 1917, Canadian soldiers captured Vimy Ridge. In which war did this happen?

    • AThe First World War
    • BThe Korean War
    • CThe War of 1812
    • DThe Second World War
    Show answer

    Answer: A. The First World War

    Canadians captured Vimy Ridge on April 9, 1917, during the First World War.

13. Question 13 of 20

    Remembrance Day is on November 11. Which event first happened on that date?

    • AD-Day in 1944
    • BThe armistice that ended the First World War in 1918
    • CThe end of the War of 1812
    • DThe day the Fathers of Confederation signed the British North America Act
    Show answer

    Answer: B. The armistice that ended the First World War in 1918

    The armistice of November 11, 1918, ended the First World War. Canadians honour those who served and died on Remembrance Day.

14. Question 14 of 20

    Which province was the first to give women the right to vote, in 1916?

    • AQuebec
    • BManitoba
    • CNova Scotia
    • DOntario
    Show answer

    Answer: B. Manitoba

    Manitoba was first in 1916. Quebec granted women the vote in 1940.

15. Question 15 of 20

    In what year were Aboriginal people granted the right to vote in federal elections?

    • A1960
    • B1918
    • C1867
    • D1982
    Show answer

    Answer: A. 1960

    Aboriginal people were granted the federal vote in 1960.

16. Question 16 of 20

    From the 1800s to the 1980s, the federal government placed many Indigenous children in residential schools. What was the main purpose of these schools?

    • ATo train teachers for northern communities
    • BTo give Indigenous children a choice of schools
    • CTo assimilate Indigenous children into mainstream culture
    • DTo teach Indigenous children their own languages and traditional ways
    Show answer

    Answer: C. To assimilate Indigenous children into mainstream culture

    The federal government placed many Indigenous children in these schools to educate and assimilate them into mainstream Canadian culture. In 2008 Ottawa formally apologized to former students.

17. Question 17 of 20

    The Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its final report in December 2015. How many Calls to Action did it make?

    • A94
    • B35
    • C150
    • D15
    Show answer

    Answer: A. 94

    The Commission documented the history and harms of residential schools and issued 94 Calls to Action.

18. Question 18 of 20

    What did the Official Languages Act of 1969 require?

    • AAll provinces to use French in their schools
    • BEvery Canadian to speak both languages
    • CFederal services in both French and English across Canada
    • DFrench only in Quebec and English only in all of the other provinces
    Show answer

    Answer: C. Federal services in both French and English across Canada

    The Act came after the Quiet Revolution in Quebec in the 1960s. It made federal services available in both official languages.

19. Question 19 of 20

    In 1988 the federal government apologized and paid compensation for the wartime relocation of Japanese Canadians. This is an example of what?

    • AFree trade
    • BAssimilation
    • CConfederation
    • DRedress
    Show answer

    Answer: D. Redress

    Redress means officially admitting a past wrong and trying to make up for it. In 2006 Canada also apologized for the Chinese Head Tax.

20. Question 20 of 20

    Read this made-up letter from a settler. What can you best conclude from it?

    Winnipeg, May 1888

    Dear Sister,

    We arrived safely! Only a few years ago, families coming west spent months on wagons and boats. This time the train brought us from Montreal in under a week, and the fare cost less than Father feared. Many other families on the train are also looking for land to farm on the Prairies. I hope you will join us next spring.

    Your loving brother,
    Thomas

    • AThe railway made travel to the West faster and cheaper for settlers.
    • BThe writer was a Father of Confederation.
    • CSettlers stopped moving west after the railway was built.
    • DThe railway was completed before Confederation.
    Show answer

    Answer: A. The railway made travel to the West faster and cheaper for settlers.

    The writer compares months of slow travel with a short, cheaper trip by train. A primary source like this shows how an event changed daily life.

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