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Canada's Constitutional History

A test using the Canada in the Making site

This test was developed for use with the Canada's Constitutional history portion of the Canada in the Making Web site.

Sections:

Multiple Choice
True/False
Fill in the Blanks
Matching
Short Answer
Essay Questions

Multiple Choice

Circle the correct response:

1. New France used the system of law known as

a. common law.
b. civil law.
c. Custom of Paris law.
d. none of the above.

2. The first part of what is now Canada to gain both representative and responsible government was

a. Newfoundland.
b. Ontario.
c. Nova Scotia.
d. Québec.

3. In the period between the conquest of New France and the Treaty of Paris (between France and Britain), New France was under martial law. The document that most dictated their rule was

a. the Québec Act.
b. the Constitutional Act.
c. the Royal Proclamation.
d. the Articles of Capitulation for Montreal.

4. James Murray, the first governor of Québec, was forced from his office by the protests of

a. British merchants.
b. the Catholic Bishop.
c. French Canadian seigneurs.
d. all of the above.

5. American revolutionaries referred to the Québec Act as one of the

a. Irresponsible Acts.
b. Intolerable Acts.
c. Unforgivable Acts.
d. Just Acts.

6. The Loyalists who settled in Québec after the American Revolution expected

a. to take over the land of French Canadians.
b. responsible government.
c. representative government.
d. a warm welcome.

7. During the early part of the 19th century, governors had little respect for and seldom listened to the

a. Legislative assemblies.
b. Executive councils.
c. Legislative councils.
d. British colonial office.

8. The most radical leader of the French Canadian nationalists in the 1830s was

a. Sir Francis Bond Head.
b. Louis-Hyppolite LaFontaine.
c. Elzéar Bédard.
d. Louis-Joseph Papineau.

9. The governor general responsible for making responsible government a reality was

a. Georges Vanier.
b. Guy Carleton.
c. James Elgin.
d. Charles Metcalfe.

10. The first meeting on Confederation, held at Charlottetown in 1864, was supposed to be about

a. the Fenian border raids.
b. Maritime Union.
c. resolving the border crisis between Maine and New Brunswick.
d. none of the above.

11. The people who represented the British North American colonies at one or more of the three conferences that paved the way for Confederation are referred to as

a. members of the Confederation League.
b. the Fathers of Liberty.
c. the Fathers of Confederation.
d. members of the Temperance Society.

12. A large increase in the population of Canada West led many in the province to call for

a. western expansion.
b. an end to immigration.
c. assimilation of French Canadians.
d. representation by population.

13. After Confederation, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in Britain was criticized for

a. failing to understand the conditions in Canada.
b. favouring provincial power over federal power.
c. overturning key court decisions in Canada.
d. all of the above.

14. The document that ended Canada's status as a colony of Britain was the

a. Statute of Westminster.
b. declaration of war in 1939.
c. Constitution Act, 1982.
d. British North America Act.

15. The Supreme Court of Canada finally became the last court of appeal in Canada in

a. 1931
b. 1982
c. 1949
d. 1956

True/False

Fill in the Blanks

26. The system of government in which the monarch had absolute power was called ____________________.

27. After the conquest of New France, the British army had New France under ____________________ law.

28,29. The Constitutional Act, divided Québec into ____________________ and ____________________.

30,31. The two groups of ruling elites in Canada during the early 19th century were called the "Family ____________________" and the "Château ____________________."

32. Those seeking to change government in Upper Canada to gain responsible government were called the ____________________.

33. The party dominating the Legislative Assembly in Lower Canada was called the ____________________.

34. The ____________________ were Irish-Americans who were part of a secret revolutionary organization formed in 1857 and dedicated to the overthrow of British rule in Ireland.

35. The first prime minister of Canada was ____________________.

Matching

Match the document with the year:

Short Answer

Answer two (2) of the following questions in less than ten lines (100 words).

46. Explain the difference between representative and responsible government.

47. Identify and explain two problems brought about by one of the following acts:

Constitutional Act
Union Act

48. Identify and explain two of the recommendations of the Durham Report.

49. What was the purpose of the Great Coalition?

50. Why were the British interested in seeing a union for all of British North America?

Essay Questions

Answer one of the following essay questions.

51. Identify the significant provisions and consequences of one of the following acts:

British North America Act
Constitution Act
Constitutional Act
Québec Act
Union Act

52. The constitution is composed of both written acts and unwritten conventions. Describe and explain.

53. The colonial administration of British North America fluctuated between accommodating French Canadian religious, language and cultural rights, and attempting to assimilate French Canadians. Describe and explain.

54. Canadian law has its roots in common law and civil law. Explain the meaning of each and how they influence law in Canada today.