Multiple choice questions. Choose the best answer.
- Which time period best describes when Canada was created as a nation?
a) late eighteenth century
b) early nineteenth century
c) early twentieth century
d) late twentieth century
- What is the English meaning of Canada's national motto "A mari usque ad mare"?
a) From sky to sea
b) From sea to sea
c) From mountain to mountain
d) Once British, always British
- In 1890, the American Department of the Interior stated officially that there was no longer a frontier in that country. This meant
a) that the west had no boundaries.
b) that the west was now settled.
c) that all western boundaries were in place.
d) that no immigration was to be permitted.
- The Canadian political party most supportive of British imperialism in the 1890's was
a) the Conservative Party.
b) the Liberal Party.
c) the Union Party.
d) the Reform Party.
- When British Columbia offered to join Canada, Canada offered to build a
a) wagon trail across the Rockies.
b) steamship line connecting British Columbia with San Francisco and Hawaii.
c) series of trading forts throughout the Fraser River system.
d) railway from central Canada to the Pacific Coast.
- Why was the railway to British Columbia delayed for four years?
a) American railways offered cheaper and better service.
b) Canada went through a depression.
c) Foreign wars distracted the Canadian government.
d) The Liberals won the election and did not support the project.
- The first Paririe province to join Confederation was
a) Manitoba.
b) Saskatchewan.
c) Alberta.
d) Keewatin.
- The following were planks in Macdonald's National Policy EXCEPT
a) high tariffs.
b) immigration.
c) a transcontinental railway.
d) free trade with the United States.
- The National Policy of Sir John A. Macdonald did NOT favour
a) reciprocity with the USA.
b) high tariffs.
c) reduced imports of US goods.
d) Imperial Preference (reciprocity with Britain).
- "Free trade" is synonymous with
a) annexation.
b) reciprocity.
c) high tariffs.
d) imperialism.
- "Reciprocity" is synonymous with
a) annexation.
b) free trade.
c) high tariffs.
d) imperialism.
- Why were many Canadians opposed to free trade with the United States?
a) American imports could undersell many Canadian products.
b) Americans might move in and take over Canada.
c) Canadians might adopt an American lifestyle.
d) Canadians feared American crime and gangsters.
- In 1891, why did Macdonald oppose the Liberal campaign for free trade with the United States?
a) He believed that whatever the Liberals did was wrong.
b) The British government opposed free trade with the United States.
c) He believed that under free trade, an independent Canada could not survive.
d) He believed that such a deal would ruin the Conservative Party.
- The following groups of Canadians opposed free trade with the USA EXCEPT
a) British Columbia sawmill operators.
b) Ontario factory workers.
c) Alberta ranchers and meat packers.
d) Saskatchewan farmers.
- The Manitoba schools question involved
a) the right of students to be instructed in French.
b) the rights of Roman Catholics to receive religious education.
c) the right of students to attend publically funded separate schools.
d) all of the above.
- The Manitoba schools question erupted in 1890 when legislation passed in the Manitoba legislature
a) stopped a Roman Catholic school system from operating.
b) disallowed French as an official language in Manitoba.
c) stopped government funding for Catholic schools.
d) stopped both Protestant and Catholic separate schools from operating.
- Which of the following statements explains the lack of development in the Prairies region up to 1896 and Laurier's election as Prime Minister?
a) Canada did not have a transcontinental railway in 1896.
b) The Canadian west was reserved for natives and the Hudson Bay Company.
c) Rapid growth in the American west had drawn settlers and money to the USA.
d) Techniques had not yet been devised to allow farming of semi-arid regions.
- The threatened collapse of several private railway companies lead the Canadian government to create
a) the Canadian National Railway.
b) the Canadian Pacific Railway.
c) the Canadian Northern Railway.
d) the Grand Trunk Railway.
- What was MOST significant about the change of government in Canada in 1896 from Conservative to Liberal?
a) The Conservatives did not support Macdonald's National Policy.
b) The Liberals pledged free trade with the United States.
c) The Liberals wanted to break Canada's ties with Great Britain.
d) The Liberals wanted to loosen trade rules and promote immigration.
- In the late 19th century, the number of settlers coming to the Canadian West increased because
a) the transcontinental railway was completed.
b) the Canadian Wheat Board was formed to sell Canadian wheat.
c) wars in Europe drove people to Canada.
d) there was no more good farmland freely available in the United States.
- Clifford Sifton, a minister in Laurier's government is chiefly remembered for
a) promoting immigration to western Canada.
b) resolving the Manitoba Schools controversy.
c) writing the "great Canadian novel".
d) building the Grand Trunk Railway.
- Why did Clifford Sifton prefer "a stalwart peasant in a sheepskin coat" to a city worker as a Canadian immigrant?
a) Peasants would know their place at the bottom of the social scale.
b) City workers felt superior to western farmers.
c) Sturdy peasants would settle and populate the West.
d) Sifton feared the economic domination of city workers.
- What inducement did Sifton offer to farm immigrants?
a) free passage to Canada
b) free farm equipment
c) free land
d) free trade with the United States
- In 1900, many immigrants faced discrimination EXCEPT
a) British immigrants.
b) Ukrainian immigrants.
c) Asian immigrants.
d) Irish immigrants.
- What discovery drew the most people to western Canada around 1900?
a) gold in the Yukon
b) nickel at Sudbury
c) a new strain of wheat
d) oil in the Turner Valley
- Many French Canadians opposed the Laurier government's immigration policies because
a) many immigrants migrated to Quebec and took jobs from French Canadians.
b) most immigrants learned to speak English and French Canadians became a minority.
c) immigrants wanted their native languages recognized as equal with French.
d) French Canadians were not welcome in western Canada.
- Many French Canadians felt increasingly isolated and defensive in Quebec during the Laurier years for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:
a) The decline in the French Canadian proportion of Canada's total population.
b) Other provinces rejected the use of French as an official language.
c) The Catholic Church remained strong in Quebec.
d) Poverty and unemployment were forcing many young "Canadiens" to leave Quebec.
- Many poor Canadians opposed the Laurier government's immigration policies because
a) they feared the strange customs and language of the new immigrants.
b) they feared the competition for jobs and houses which the immigrants wanted.
c) they wanted to preserve the British identity of Canada.
d) immigrants brought crime and disease to Canada.
- Why were western farmers enthusiastic about the plans of the Grand Trunk Railway and the Canadian National Railway to build a transcontinental rail line?
a) They were looking for investment opportunities.
b) New lines would break the CPR monopoly and lower freight rates.
c) There would be more work in building the rail lines.
d) More immigrants would come to the West.
- Western farmers could earn extra money during the off season from farm work by
a) taking office jobs in the nearby cities.
b) working on the railway construction.
c) working in factories.
d) travelling to the United States.
a)
b)
c)
d)
a)
b)
c)
d)
Answer key 1. _ 6. _ 11. _ 2. _ 7. _ 12. _ 3. _ 8. _ 13. _ 4. _ 9. _ 14. _ 5. _ 10. _ 15. _
Compiling such a data bank is an ongoing process. Comments and contributions are appreciated by those persons who use this resource.
Return to Top
See also Canada and the Boer War
Back to Test Questions
Back to Homepage