Which animals sit on Hamilton’s coat of arms? Who is the Speaker of the House of Commons? How many Inuit live in Canada? On our national day, test your knowledge of our fascinating home and native land and its people. Mensa Canada’s annual Canada Day Trivia Quiz covers everything form music to history to sports and everyday life. Few Mensa Canada members could pass the entire quiz. Why not try it, eh? Here are the first dozen questions.

Check out the other 23 at thespec.com.

1. How many denominations of banknotes are currently being produced for circulation in Canada?

a) Eight

b) Seven

c) Six

d) Five

2. Hamilton’s King William Street got its name from which monarch?

a) William II

b) William III

c) William IV

d) William V

3. How many times has Canada hosted the Olympic Games?

a) Never

b) Once

c) Twice

d) Three times

4. The Royal Botanical Gardens encompasses 1,100 hectares (2,700 acres) of land. How much of that land is cultivated?

a) 120 hectares

b) 210 hectares

c) 360 hectares

d) 640 hectares

5. Who is the Speaker in the House of Commons?

a) Michaelle Jean

b) Peter Milliken

c) Gilbert Parent

d) Stephane Dion

6. Who won the senior women’s gold at the Canadian National Figure Skating Championships in Vancouver this year?

a) Mira Leung

b) Cynthia Phaneuf

c) Lesley Hawker

d) Joannie Rochette

7. There are two animals on Hamilton’s coat of arms. What are they?

a) a stag and a lion

b) a stag and a tiger

c) a lion and a tiger

d) a lion and a lamb

8. Hundreds of workers died during the construction of the Rideau Canal. What killed most of them?

a) Malaria

b) Cholera

c) A cave-in

d) Food poisoning

9. Which former prime minister of Canada is not buried in Canada?

a) John A. Macdonald

b) Charles Tupper

c) Robert Borden

d) R.B. Bennett

10. Who won the 2007 Governor General’s Award for fiction in English?

a) Margaret Atwood

b) Barbara Gowdy

c) M.G. Vassanji

d) Michael Ondaatje

11. How many Inuit were living in Canada when the latest census was taken?

a) Between 30,000 and 40,000

b) Between 40,000 and 50,000

c) Between 50,000 and 60,000

d) Between 60,000 and 70,000

12. How many eligible Canadians actually donate blood?

a) More than 25 per cent

b) Between 15 and 25 per cent

c) Between 5 and 15 per cent

d) Less than 5 per cent

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ANSWERS

Would figure-skating medallist Liz Manley know how many times Canada has hosted the Olympic Games?

1. d) Five: $5, $10, $20, $50, $100. In 2000, the Bank of Canada stopped issuing $1,000 notes to fight money laundering. After banknotes are withdrawn, they remain legal tender, so bills such as the $1 and $2 can still be spent. But any bank that receives one must send it to the central bank to be destroyed.

2. c) William IV, who was on the throne when the street was named in 1833. William IV, the last Hanoverian king, reigned from 1830 to 1837 and was succeeded by Victoria. William II reigned from 1087 to 1110, long before Europeans came to North America. William III reigned from 1689 to 1702. There has — as yet — been no William V.

3. c) Canada has played host to the Olympic Games twice: the 1976 Summer Olympics were held in Montreal and the 1988 Winter Games were held in Calgary. In 2010, Vancouver will host the Winter Olympics.

4. a) Only about 120 hectares (297 acres) are cultivated. The rest of the RBG’s land is made up of managed natural areas.

5. b) Peter Milliken has been the Speaker of the House since 2001. Gilbert Parent preceded him, serving from 1994 until 2001. Michaelle Jean is Canada’s Governor General and Stephane Dion is leader of the federal Liberal party. The Speaker is elected by fellow MPs to preside over House proceedings and run the affairs of the House.

6. d) Joannie Rochette won the 2008 women’s title, which she also took in 2005, 2006 and 2007. In fact, Rochette has medalled at the nationals every year since 2002. She also finished fifth at the 2006 Olympics. Rochette is a member of the CPA Berthierville skating club.

7. b) There is a stag on the left and a tiger on the right. The stag is said to represent natural areas in Hamilton and the tiger is a nod to the Tiger-Cats. Adopted in 2001, the crest bears the slogan “Together aspire, together achieve.”

8. a) Malaria killed hundreds out of the mainly Irish labour force that constructed the canal entirely by hand. Finished in 1832, the canal ranks among the greatest early civil-engineering feats in North America. The 202-kilometre Rideau Canal links the Ottawa River at Ottawa with Lake Ontario at Kingston. Its 46 locks raise vessels 83 metres from the Ottawa River to the portage channel at Newboro. From there, vessels descend 50 metres to Lake Ontario.

9. d) R.B. Bennett died in England in 1947 and is buried at the village churchyard in Mickleham, Surrey. Bennett was prime minister from 1930 to 1935. His struggles with the Great Depression left him unpopular and he was defeated by Mackenzie King’s Liberals in 1935. He stayed on as leader of the Opposition until 1938, when, bitter, he left Canada to live in England. British friends secured a viscountcy for him in 1941.

10. d) Michael Ondaatje won the English fiction GG (his fifth) for his novel Divisadero. Barbara Gowdy (Helpless) and M.G. Vassanji (The Assassin’s Song) were finalists for the prize. Margaret Atwood was the winner in the poetry category for The Door: Poems.

11. c) In the 2006 Census, 50,485 people reported they were Inuit, a 26 per cent increase over 1996. Canada’s Inuit population is young, with a median age of only 22. The median age for non-Aboriginal Canadians is 40, for other First Nations people, 25, and for Metis, 30. The median age is the point at which half of the population is older, half younger.

12. d) Canadian Blood Services says that less than 5 per cent (only 3.7 per cent, in fact) of eligible Canadians donate blood, although a much higher percentage say they intend to.

Mensa Canada is part of an organization of people with high IQs. To find out more about us, go to www.canada.mensa.org, phone 613-547-0824 or e-mail [email protected].

June 30, 2008
The Hamilton Spectator
(Jun 30, 2008)
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/394986