Free Discover Canada study guide practice: 17 questions; the real Canadian citizenship test has 20 questions and you need 15 right, per IRCC. How many can you get wrong?
Federal Elections
What should you bring to the polling station on election day?
Keyboard: A to D or 1 to 4 picks an answer. Enter moves on.
Federal Elections: questions and answers from Discover Canada
Federal Elections is part 6 of Discover Canada, the Canadian citizenship test study guide. Some people call the Canadian citizenship test the Discover Canada test, because its questions come from this guide.
Answers and explanations (text version)
All 17 questions in this practice set, each with the right answer, the reason, and where it is in Discover Canada. Try the questions first.
Question 1. What should you bring to the polling station on election day?
- A. Your voter information card and proof of identity and address
- B. Your birth certificate and your school test results
- C. Your passport and nothing else at all
- D. Nothing; no identification is needed
Answer: A. Your voter information card and proof of identity and address
Bring your voter information card and proof of your identity and address.
In Discover Canada: Federal Elections
Question 2. How are Members of Parliament chosen?
- A. They are appointed by the Prime Minister
- B. They are chosen by the provincial premiers
- C. They are appointed by the Governor General
- D. They are elected by voters in their riding
Answer: D. They are elected by voters in their riding
Each riding elects one MP. Voters in the riding choose the candidate they want.
In Discover Canada: Federal Elections
Question 3. Which of these is a job of the Cabinet?
- A. Counting all of the votes after a federal election
- B. Appointing the next Sovereign of Canada
- C. Running the schools in each province
- D. Drafting the budget and putting forward most new laws
Answer: D. Drafting the budget and putting forward most new laws
The Cabinet makes important decisions, prepares the budget and proposes most new laws.
In Discover Canada: Federal Elections (After an Election)
Question 4. Who can require you to tell them how you voted?
- A. Your employer
- B. No one
- C. Your family
- D. Your union representative
Answer: B. No one
Canadian law guarantees a secret ballot. You may share your vote if you wish, but no one can make you.
In Discover Canada: Federal Elections
Question 5. What is a majority government?
- A. A government that won more than half the provinces
- B. A government that the Senate supports
- C. A government whose party has at least half the seats
- D. A government formed by two parties together
Answer: C. A government whose party has at least half the seats
When the governing party has at least half the seats, it is a majority government.
In Discover Canada: Federal Elections (After an Election)
Question 6. After marking your ballot behind the screen, what do you do?
- A. Show it to the other voters in line
- B. Take it home and mail it later
- C. Hand it to one of the candidates
- D. Fold it and give it to an official
Answer: D. Fold it and give it to an official
Fold the ballot to keep it secret and present it to the poll officials.
In Discover Canada: Federal Elections
Question 7. What is a candidate in an election?
- A. A person who counts the ballots
- B. A person who is running for office
- C. A person who is on the voters' list
- D. A person who works for Elections Canada
Answer: B. A person who is running for office
Candidates are the people running for election. A riding can have many candidates.
In Discover Canada: Federal Elections (Other Levels of Government in Canada)
Question 8. In the guide's table, which of these is a job for Members of Parliament (the federal level)?
- A. Recycling and garbage programs
- B. Education
- C. International trade
- D. Snow removal
Answer: C. International trade
International trade is federal. Recycling and snow removal are municipal, and education is provincial.
In Discover Canada: Federal Elections (Other Levels of Government in Canada)
Question 9. In each riding, which candidate becomes the Member of Parliament?
- A. The candidate chosen by the party leader
- B. The candidate with the most votes
- C. The oldest candidate
- D. The candidate chosen by the Governor General
Answer: B. The candidate with the most votes
The candidate who gets the most votes in the riding becomes its MP.
In Discover Canada: Federal Elections
Question 10. True or false. Elections in provinces, territories and towns use the very same rules as federal ones.
- A. True
- B. False
Answer: B. False
They also use a secret ballot, but their rules differ from federal ones. Find out the rules where you live.
In Discover Canada: Federal Elections (Other Levels of Government in Canada)
Question 11. What else are federal electoral districts called?
- A. Counties or parishes
- B. Provinces or territories
- C. Wards or boroughs
- D. Ridings or constituencies
Answer: D. Ridings or constituencies
An electoral district is also called a riding or a constituency.
In Discover Canada: Federal Elections
Question 12. After an election is called, what does Elections Canada mail to each elector in the register?
- A. A ballot to fill in at home
- B. A citizenship card
- C. A voter information card
- D. A list of all candidates' policies
Answer: C. A voter information card
The voter information card tells you when and where to vote.
In Discover Canada: Federal Elections
Question 13. How many Members of Parliament does each electoral district elect?
- A. One
- B. Two
- C. Three
- D. It depends on the population
Answer: A. One
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons.
In Discover Canada: Federal Elections
Question 14. As long as they have the confidence of a majority of MPs, who governs?
- A. The Prime Minister and the governing party
- B. The Governor General, acting alone without the House
- C. The Official Opposition
- D. The Senate and its Speaker
Answer: A. The Prime Minister and the governing party
The Prime Minister and the governing party run the government while they keep the confidence of most MPs.
In Discover Canada: Federal Elections (After an Election)
Question 15. Who may be a candidate in a federal election?
- A. Any resident of Canada, of any age
- B. Any citizen of Canada aged 18 or older
- C. Only members of a large political party
- D. Only people who own land or a house in Canada
Answer: B. Any citizen of Canada aged 18 or older
Canadian citizens aged 18 or older may run as candidates.
In Discover Canada: Federal Elections
Question 16. Where do most Cabinet ministers come from?
- A. The Senate
- B. The House of Commons
- C. The provincial legislatures
- D. The Supreme Court
Answer: B. The House of Commons
The Prime Minister picks the Cabinet ministers, and most of them sit in the House of Commons.
In Discover Canada: Federal Elections (After an Election)
Question 17. What is the role of the opposition parties?
- A. To approve every government bill without debate
- B. To peacefully oppose or improve government plans
- C. To appoint the judges of the Supreme Court
- D. To run the federal government departments
Answer: B. To peacefully oppose or improve government plans
Opposition parties peacefully challenge government proposals or try to improve them.
In Discover Canada: Federal Elections (After an Election)
Link to this practice set
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