Invaders From the North Trivia Quiz

Answer: Inuit

The Inuit are a group of people who live in the Arctic and subarctic areas of Canada, as well as in Greenland with a smaller population in Alaska. Igloos are snowhouses associated with certain groups of Inuit, though the word 'iglu' in Inuit can mean any house or dwelling; in some dialects 'igluvijaq' specifically means a house made of snow.

Nowadays, Inuit generally live in regular houses and buildings, though temporary igloos and icehouses may still be constructed for hunting and fishing expeditions; this practice has become increasingly rare, though. An igloo can also be constructed as a survival shelter should you find yourself lost in an Arctic region.

Answer: Yes

Yes you can, in the northern areas, though they can range as far south as parts of Newfoundland and James Bay. Though polar bear sightings are not all that rare near human settlements in areas such as Nunavut, the vast majority of Canadians will never see one in person, unless at a zoo.

The Canadian two dollar coin (the toonie) features an image of a polar bear. In a competition launched by the Royal Canadian Mint, the name Churchill was chosen for the polar bear on the coin.

Answer: Raptors

The Raptors are a National Basketball Association team who play in Toronto, the only modern Canadian NBA team since the Vancouver Grizzlies relocated to Memphis in 2001. The Leafs (Maple Leafs) also play in Toronto; I suppose you can choose to root for them if you like, but as an Ottawan, I urge you not to.

The Senators play in Ottawa, the Flames in Calgary and the Jets in Winnipeg. The Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens and Vancouver Canucks round out the rest of the Canadian NHL teams.

Answer: $5

Unless we are talking about Canadian Tire money, $5 is the correct answer. Canada previously had $1 and $2 notes but they were withdrawn from circulation in 1989 and 1996 respectively. Both were replaced with a coin, though the one dollar coin, the loonie, was introduced in 1987, two years before Canada stopped producing the one dollar paper note. It is called a loonie because the original design featured an image of a common loon. The two dollar coin is called the toonie (combination of 'two' and 'loonie').

That leaves the five dollar note as the lowest denomination of paper money (though now they're polymer) at the turn of the 21st century. We like different colours for our money, and the fiver is blue (and has been since 1937). It features former Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier. On the 'Frontier Series' five dollar bill first printed in 2013, the reverse side shows the Canadarm2, a robotic component of the International Space Station. In 2005, the Canadian government polled residents about the possibility of discontinuing the paper five dollar note and introducing a five dollar coin; the result was a resounding "No, thank you".

Answer: Don Cherry

Don Cherry, a former hockey player and coach, is a long-time personality on the Saturday night staple "Hockey Night in Canada". He has also appeared as a commentator on ESPN in the US. He was first hired by the CBC as a commentator in 1980; shortly afterwards the 'Coach's Corner' segment of "Hockey Night in Canada" was created for Cherry to voice his sometimes flagrant opinions. He is known for wearing a different suit for each broadcast. These suits usually have 'interesting' colours and patterns.

In 2004, Don Cherry finished seventh in "The Greatest Canadian", a CBC program which saw Canadians voting for who they felt were the greatest Canadians in history. Interestingly (weirdly?), Cherry placed ahead of Sir John A. MacDonald (Canada's first prime minister), Alexander Graham Bell and even the great Wayne Gretzky. Tommy Douglas (a politician and the father of universal health care) finished first.

Answer: Three Dog Night

Three Dog Night is an American band from Los Angeles, California.

April Wine is Canadian; they formed in 1969 in Halifax. The Guess Who are one of the more well-known Canadian classic rock groups; they formed in Winnipeg in 1965. Randy Bachman of Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO) is a former member of The Guess Who. The Barenaked Ladies, a band from Toronto who formed in 1988 are also reasonably well-known outside of Canada. In addition to their famous hits such "If I Had $1,000,000" and "One Week", they also sing the theme song for "The Big Bang Theory".

Answer: True

This is true; beavers form families much like humans traditionally do. An adult male and adult female form a monogamous pair and raise their babies together, though the mother usually stays with the young full time for the first month or so while the father continues working on building dams and lodges (homes). They will generally mate for life, though will take on new mates if one dies. Young beavers stay with their parents typically for at least two years and help the adults with the work on building and maintaining their lodges. Older beaver children also help take care of the younger ones.

Despite being largely associated with Canada, the North American beaver is also found throughout the United States, including very urban areas like New York City and Chicago, and even in Mexico. The other species, the Eurasian beaver, lives in many parts of Europe all the way into China and Mongolia.

Answer: "Huh? Do you mean the cricket match?"

You could certainly find cricket games in Canada, but unlike many other former dominions of the British Empire, it is not a major sport here, nor is it often shown on television. The "Huh?" is also a dead giveaway; most Canadians would say "I'm sorry?", "Pardon me?" or at the very least "Eh?"

If a Canadian asks you about 'the game', you can safely bet a small fortune that we're talking about hockey; if we're talking about something else, we'll specify. The 'Cup' refers to the Stanley Cup, the ultimate prize in NHL hockey. Even if you happened to not see the game, it is generally safe to complain about the refs.

Answer: Maple syrup

A 'cabane à sucre' is a sugar house or sugar shack. In these shacks (now largely commercially run), sap collected from maple trees is boiled and made into maple syrup. The cabanes are usually located in a 'sugar bush', the farm or area where the trees are tapped for sap. As they are now mostly commercial businesses, many cabanes offer tours to the public; a visit to the sugar bush was a yearly field trip when I was in elementary school.

Cabanes à sucre are found largely in Quebec but can also be found in some parts of Ontario and the Maritimes. More than 80% of the world's maple syrup supply comes from Canada, mostly from Quebec. The United States is the only other country that produces a significant amount of maple syrup, mostly in Vermont.

Answer: Zed

As Joe Canadian ranted in his "I am Canadian!" commercial, "And it is pronounced zed - not zee, zed!" This refers to a popular Molson Canadian (beer) commercial first aired in 2000; in it, a man named Joe made a speech about being Canadian and things that distinguish Canadians from Americans. Other items from the speech include "I pronounce it about, not aboot", "I believe in peacekeeping, not policing" and "Diversity, not assimilation".

Molson first used the slogan "I am Canadian" in 1994 and used it off and on until 2005, when the company merged with the American Coors company.