Montreal, Québec's Metropolis Trivia Quiz

Answer: It was named for Mount Royal, a hill within the city limits.

There are a few hypotheses about how Montreal got its name, but the prevailing one is that it was named for a hill with triple peaks, Mount Royal, which is located west of the downtown area. "Real" used to hold the meaning "royal". None of the other three choices is in contention for the honor, as far as I know-I invented them all.

Answer: A huge complex of stores, restaurants and shopping malls

It's so big, it's called The Underground City. It is both a network of tunnels connecting locations above ground and actual shops, restaurants and other attractions below ground level. In all there are more than 20 miles of underground construction.

Answer: Hochelaga Village

Jacques Cartier documented the existence of Hochelaga Village near Montreal's present site, in 1535 and possibly-although accounts vary on this point-again in 1536. According to his notes, the village was populated by the Iroquois tribe and had about 50 longhouses housing around 1500 people. He revisited the area in 1541 but did not mention Hochelaga by name in his log of that trip. A later French expedition, in 1603, found the village deserted. It is not known why the Iroquois vacated the settlement, but the time frame was consistent with a general exodus of the tribe from the area, because it had been excluded from a trade agreement between Europeans and other native groups. No trace of the village survives, and the sole documentation of its existence are the relatively brief notes about it in Cartier's papers. On the strength of those notes alone, the area was the first designated National Historic Site of the Montreal area.

Trafalgar Lodge was added to the list of Historic Sites in 2009 due to its design. It is an example of the Gothic Revival style, which is not common in Quebec.

Mount Royal Cemetery was designated a historic site in 2009 because of its design features and a variety of markers, which serve to illustrate the city's cultural, social and historic qualities.

Merchants Textile Mill, designated an historical site in 1989, was the second-largest textile mill in the country from 1899 to World War II.

Answer: A pavilion of the 1967 Montreal Expo

The Biosphere, a museum dedicated to environmental education and activism, opened its doors in 1995, but originally it served as the US Pavilion at the 1967 Montreal Expo (Expo '67). Its famous geodesic dome, designed by Buckminster Fuller, now houses two wind turbines.

The museum also features an indoor garden, a green roof, a geothermal system and a green wastewater treatment plant.

Answer: A month-long stand-up comedy show

"Just for Laughs" debuted in 1983, the brain child of one Gilbert Rozon. Originally a French-speaking event, in 1985 it added English speakers and over time grew to a month-long festival that features not only stand-up comics, but street performers such as mimes and jugglers. It takes place each year in July.

Answer: Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and L'Orchestre Metropolitan du Grand Montreal

In addition to the ballet, the symphony, and the orchestra, the Place des Arts hosts the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (Modern Art Museum of Montreal) the dance company Danse Danse, the Duceppe theatre company, L'Opera de Montréal, and is the primary venue for a number of other cultural and artistic entities.

Of the other choices, they either came from my brain or they aren't in Montreal!

Answer: The Saint Lawrence Seaway was completed.

Montreal is about halfway down the course of the St. Lawrence River, which runs from Lake Ontario to the Atlantic Ocean. Before the Seaway existed, the river wasn't navigable past Montreal-it wasn't deep enough for oceangoing vessels, and there were elevation changes due to dams and rapids along the way.

The Seaway's construction is still regarded as an amazing feat of engineering. It deepened the shipping channel and installed a series of locks along the river to enable ships to navigate past the rapids and dams.

When the Seaway opened, oceangoing vessels were able to run all the way to Duluth on Lake Superior, and this resulted in Montreal's being literally passed by. However, in 1962 the Canadian government decided to use icebreakers to keep the St. Lawrence open year round from Quebec City to Montreal, which helped offset some of the Seaway losses (the river wasn't open west of Montreal year round).

Answer: McGill University

In addition to its Rhodes Scholars and Nobelists, McGill has educated multiple Pulitzer Prize winners, Academy Award winners, Canadian and foreign political leaders, and Olympic medalists. Among its many distinguished alumni are Charles Krauthammer, Burt Bacharach, Leonard Cohen, and William Shatner.

Answer: No

Cirque du Soleil's origins lie in the small village of Baie-Saint-Paul which is east of Quebec City. In that hamlet was a troupe of stilt walkers, put together by one Guy LaLiberte. When Quebec planned a celebration of the 450th anniversary of Jacques Cartier's "discovery" of Canada, LaLiberte lobbied for a traveling show of circus-type performances, and the organizers went for it.

It was so well-received that LaLiberte received a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts to develop his circus.

The was the seed for the present-day Cirque du Soleil, which is arguably the biggest attraction Montreal has to offer, and which is seen around the world today. Its headquarters moved to Montreal in the mid-1980s.

Answer: Rue Ste. Catherine

Saint Catherine Street, as it is known in English, is a major thoroughfare in the heart of the city. It is a shopper's Mecca, with many retail shops as well as landmarks and points of interest. The Place des Arts is located close to Saint Catherine Street, as are the Christ Church Cathedral and McGill University.