How well do I know Canada? ... not very! (WO Entry) Feb 07 '06    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Books Rick Bragg - Somebody Told Me: The Newspaper Stories of Rick Bragg From $6 260 Drum Machine Patterns From $8 The Bottom Line It's a write off entry. About Candada. And about how well I don't know it. Well, here’s my entry to Steven’s Do You Know Canada Quiz Write Off. The answer is… not very well. I did this without looking up any of the answers so many of them are probably way off base. I could be the first entrant to score less than 50!! Sometimes I got a bit bored of saying “Don’t know…” and put a really stupid answer in, so don’t take offence, none is intended! Part A: Government and Politics… 1. (1 mark) True or False: Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy under the Commonwealth of Nations, an association of independent sovereign states, almost all of which are former territories of the British Empire. ANSWER: Not sure about the constitutional monarchy bit, I thought it would be a republic… as I think this is probably a carefully-worded trick question, I’m saying FALSE 2. (1 mark) Who is Canada’s Head of State? Is it: a. The Governor General? b. The Prime Minister? c. The President? d. The Queen of England? e. Tony Robbins? Or f. None of the above. ANSWER: Not sure, but I’ll go for c. The President. 3. (1 mark) Who represents Canada’s Head of State in Canada? Is it: a. The Governor General? b. The Premier? c. The Prime Minister? d. The House of Lords? e. Tony Robbins’s Sister? or f. None of the above? ANSWER: c again? 4. (1 mark) Name at least one Canadian who has served as Governor General. ANSWER: Um… Kermit the frog? (Okay, okay, I have no idea.) 5. (1 mark) Who is the Head of Government? Is it… a. The leader of the party with the most support in Parliament? b. The Premier? c. The Prime Minister? d. Tony Robbins? e. Both A and C above? Or f. None of the above? ANSWER: What’s with all the questions already?!?!? Um… a? 6. (2 marks) Name at least two Canadian Prime Ministers. ANSWER: Laurel and Hardy. Look, I can hardly name more than a handful of British prime ministers, and I’m British! 7. (1 mark) True or False: Canada has a national political party devoted to breaking up the Country by having one of the provinces separate from Canada to form its own independent nation, and this political party has even served in the capacity of her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition. ANSWER: False (what was the question again?!?!) 8. (1 mark) True or False: Canada is so unimportant on the International stage, that it doesn’t even have its own listing on Wikipedia. ANSWER: False – I hope. 9. (1 mark) True or False: Epinions has a section for writing Epinions about Canadian post secondary institutions (such as Universities and Colleges). ANSWER: Probably… true. Part B: Economics... 10. (2 marks) True or False: The province of Alberta is the only province or state in Canada that no longer has any accumulated debt of any kind. ANSWER: Do they have any oil? I’m guessing false. 11. (2 marks) True or False: Canadian money is multicoloured. ANSWER: True? (I’ve never seen it! Does two-coloured – i.e. red ink on white paper – count as multi-coloured?!?!?_ 12. (2 marks) Canada has a one dollar coin which is commonly known as: a. The silver beaver. b. The dollar. c. The golden smelty. d. The Loonie. or e. The dollar. ANSWER: C sounds wonderful, and I’m wondering why b and e are exactly the same. I’m going for 1 as it’s kinda silly and possibly offensive to Americans. 13. (2 marks) What is the approximate current exchange rate of the Canadian Dollar to the US Dollar? That is, answer this question: $1 Canadian Dollar is worth $____ US (if you absolutely have to look this one up to maintain a perfect score, then I will allow you to). ANSWER: I have no idea whatsoever. $2.05? 14. (2 marks) What is the name of the trade agreement linking Canada, the United States and Mexico that came into effect on January 1, 1994? Is it… a. The Canada / US / Mexico Free Trade Agreement (CUMTA) b. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) c. The Continental Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) d. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ANSWER: A is too daft, C is too boring, and D is definitely wrong. So B. Part C: Geography 15. (4 marks) Where is Canada? Is it… a. North of the United States of America, but somewhat South of (or right next door to) Alaska and also kind of below / next to Greenland? b. South of the United States of America, but North of South America (you know, somewhere around where Mexico is)? c. In Europe? d. In Africa? e. All of the above? f. Other? Please describe. ANSWER: Finally, one I know!!!! A 16. (1 mark) True or False: Canada is a barren, desolate wasteland of frozen land where it snows all the time, and it’s only light for a few hours each day, with winter lasting 8 months of the year? ANSWER: Nah… I can’t believe it’s that bad!! Maybe Alaska is though… 17. (1 mark) True or False: Mount Logan, in the Yukon Territories, is the highest mountain in Canada at 5,959 m above sealevel. ANSWER: Yeah, why not. 18. (1 mark) True or False: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is located on the East Coast of Canada, one of the last large cities before you venture across the Atlantic Ocean. ANSWER: I suppose so… 19. (1 mark) True or False: The province of Newfoundland is on the West Coast of Canada, just below Alaska, on the doorstep of the Pacific Ocean. ANSWER: Can’t have 3 True answers in a row, so FALSE. 20. (39 marks) Visit this site now and tell us your score out of a maximum point level of 39: http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/canquiz.html ANSWER: My score out of 39 was: 18 21. (1 mark) True or False: It always rains in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. ANSWER: Define “always”. Nope. 22. (1 mark) Name at least two Canadian Provinces and / or Territories. ANSWER: Quebec, British Columbia, Nova Scotia? 23. (1 mark) One of our provinces has large oil reserves. Do you know which one? Name it now. ANSWER: British Columbia? 24. (10 marks) Have you ever visited Canada? If yes, where? If no, why not? Describe the geography of your favourite Canadian location. ANSWER: No, too expensive! It’s always been one of the countries I’d love to visit though, so hopefully one day. Part D: Entertainment, Sports & Culture… 25. (5 marks) Can you name any comedians from Canada? If so, who are they? Please list any that come to mind right now and describe what influence they have had on your life. ANSWER: Probably, but I can’t think of any names. 26. (5 marks) Can you name any Canadian actors? If so, who are they? Please list any that come to mind right now and list any of their works that you really, really like and hold dear to your heart. ANSWER: Er… you see, the thing is, I rarely take notice of what nationality people are, it’s just not that important to me… Oh hang on, didn’t William Shatner famously yell at a Star Trek that he was Canadian? 27. (5 marks) Can you name any Canadian musicians? If so, who are they? Please list any that come to mind right now and list any of their works that you really, really like and hold dear to your heart. ANSWER: BRYAN ADAMS!! (The nickname “Crooner from Vancouver” gives it away a bit…) I award myself 100 bonus points for having been to one of his concerts. :-D 28. (5 marks) Finally, can you name any Canadian movie directors? If so, who? Please list any that come to mind right now and list any of their works that you really, really like and hold dear to your heart. ANSWER: Can’t name all that many movie directors of any nationality, I’m afraid! (Unless Woody Allen is Canadian?) 29. (3 marks) Which set of the following tv-shows have been filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada? a. The 4400, Airwolf, Andromeda, Battlestar Gallactica (the new, re-imagined series), Dead Like Me, The Dead Zone, Sliders, Smallville, Stargate SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis, Steven Spielberg Presents: Taken b. The X-Files, Millennium, Harsh Realm & The Lone Gunman, The Beachcombers, Danger Bay c. 21 Jump Street, The L-Word, MacGyver, Monk, Neon Rider d. All of the above. ANSWER: I seem to have some vague recollection of a Stargate SG-1 feature mentioning Vancouver, so I’m going with A. (Hang on, Richard Dean Anderson isn’t a Canadian is he?) 30. (1 mark) True or False: The Vancouver, British Columbia region has the third highest levels of film and television productions in North America, outside New York City which is number two, which is behind Southern California which has the highest level of film and television production in North America. ANSWER: Sounds like it might well be true. 31. (4 marks) Can you name any Canadian Hockey teams that are members of the NHL? Can you name any Basketball teams that are members of the NBA? Please list any that come to mind right now. ANSWER: Vancouver… um… Vindicators? Not a fan of either sport I’m afraid or I might know some. 32. (1 mark) True or false: Wayne Gretzky is Canadian. ANSWER: I think so… 33. (1 mark) Name at least one Canadian beer or beer producer. ANSWER: It’s on the tip of my tongue… no, sorry, can’t bring it to mind. Part E: General Knowledge… 34. (10 marks) Do you remember when you first heard or learned about Canada? Can you describe this time? Can you describe what you first learned about Canada? Please discuss your thoughts and feelings about your first recollections of Canada now. ANSWER: Probably a geography lesson long ago. I have no idea what my thoughts and feelings were at the time, but I suspect I didn’t have any as such, it was just another place on the world map. 35. (3 marks) What colors are on the Canadian flag? What image or symbol is also pictured on the flag? Please describe the flag now. ANSWER: Hmm… now this one I might know. Isn’t it two horizontal red stripes either side of a white stripe with a red maple leaf in it? 36. (2 marks) True or False: The United States is Canada’s largest trading partner. ANSWER: I think this is probably True. 37. (1 mark) True or False: Canada has two official languages: English and French. ANSWER: I think this is also true, though I’m not sure if French is an official language outside of Quebec. 38. (1 mark) Which animal is an official emblem of Canada? Is it… a. The beaver? b. The moose? c. The Polar Bear? Or d. William Shatner? ANSWER: Either A or B… maybe A since the Moose was so integral to Northen Exposure, which was set in Alaska!!! 39. (8 marks) Do you know any Canadians? What are they like? How long have you known them? Why do you know them? Please describe your relationship to them now. ANSWER: The Canadian I know best would be Caroline. I only know her online of course but I have to say that I feel I know her fairly well by now. She’s a lovely person and a credit to all Canadians! :-D 40. (9 marks) Describe your feelings toward Canada. What do you think of Canada as a nation? How do you feel you did on this quiz? Do quizzes like this really matter when it comes to rating how Americans feel about their neighbours? ANSWER: I think I probably did pretty badly on this quiz. Since I’m a Brit it’s maybe more understandable / forgivable than if I’d been American, though I do wonder how I would fare if someone did a similar quiz about Scotland, Wales, or Ireland. Doing the quiz was quite enlightening as to just how little I know about the country and its people, though it’s hardly unique in that respect and possibly I know more about different countries’ history than their present state. The quiz is a good idea though I’m not sure it will really make much difference. However my view of how American’s feel about their Canadian neighbours is coloured by various TV shows that have broached the subject, the one I particularly remember is The Simpsons, so is probably entirely irrelevant. At the end of the day it doesn’t really matter what country someone comes from, as an individual they have their own positive and negative attributes which are a result of both internal and external influences, the country of birth and residence being only one of these influences. 41. (1 mark) Finally, the very last question... Where are you from (City/Town, State/Province, Country)? ANSWER: I’m from London, England, though presently reside in Birmingham, in the West Midlands, England, United Kingdom, Europe, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy, ostensibly a member of the human race.

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