Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship

The first 10 questions, with answers

Open a question to see the answer and the explanation.

1. 1. In what year was Magna Carta signed in England, establishing freedoms that Canadians still enjoy?

   • 1215
   • 1315
   • 1015
   • 1415

   Answer: 1215. Canadian liberties such as freedom of religion, of expression and of peaceful assembly trace back to this 13th-century English charter.

2. 2. Magna Carta is also known by which name?

   • The Charter of Rights and Freedoms
   • The Great Charter of Freedoms
   • The Canadian Bill of Rights
   • The Constitution Act

   Answer: The Great Charter of Freedoms. The document earned that title because it set limits on the power of the Crown and guaranteed basic liberties to subjects.

3. 3. What does the legal principle of habeas corpus protect?

   • The right to speak freely on public matters
   • The right to be tried by a jury of one's peers
   • The right to challenge being held in custody unlawfully
   • The right to cast a ballot in an election

   Answer: The right to challenge being held in custody unlawfully. Habeas corpus comes to Canada from English common law and prevents the state from detaining a person without justification.

4. 4. In what year did the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms become law?

   • 1960
   • 1931
   • 1867
   • 1982

   Answer: 1982. The Charter was added to the Constitution in 1982, gathering long-standing freedoms into a single written guarantee.

5. 5. True or False: The Charter of Rights and Freedoms opens by stating that Canada is founded on principles recognizing the supremacy of God and the rule of law.

   • True
   • False

   Answer: True. That opening sentence sets out the two founding principles on which the rest of the Charter rests.

6. 6. Which right in the Charter allows citizens to live and work anywhere in Canada and to leave and re-enter the country?

   • Mobility Rights
   • Official Language Rights
   • Aboriginal Peoples' Rights
   • Multiculturalism

   Answer: Mobility Rights. Mobility Rights also give citizens the ability to apply for a Canadian passport.

7. 7. Which of the following is an obligation of Canadian citizenship?

   • Donating to a registered charity
   • Serving on a jury when summoned
   • Serving in the Canadian Armed Forces
   • Belonging to a trade union

   Answer: Serving on a jury when summoned. Jury duty is compulsory because the justice system depends on ordinary citizens judging their fellow citizens fairly.

8. 8. True or False: Every Canadian citizen is required by law to serve in the military.

   • True
   • False

   Answer: False. Joining the regular forces, the reserves or the Coast Guard is a voluntary and honoured way of contributing, not a legal duty.

9. 9. True or False: Canada's openness does not extend to practices such as 'honour killings', forced marriage or spousal abuse.

   • True
   • False

   Answer: True. Men and women are equal before Canadian law, and gender-based violence is a crime no matter what cultural justification is offered.

10. 10. Canadian law draws on the civil code of which country?

    • Spain
    • Italy
    • France
    • Belgium

    Answer: France. Canada's legal system was built from several sources, including laws passed by elected legislatures, English common law and the civil code of France.

25 more questions in this chapter open with a free account.