Québec... n'est-ce pas? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Québec

This one may have been a bit of a gimme because Montreal, famously, is the largest city in the province of Québec and one of the largest cities in all of Canada (only Toronto is larger). Though originally Montreal would have referred only to the island that the city was built on (on the shores of the Saint Lawrence River), it now incorporates all outlying municipalities including Point-Claire, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Pointe-aux-Trembles, and Verdun.

The city is a mixing pot of styles, aesthetics, and people and has long been considered one of the most important cultural hubs of the nation.

Answer: Ce n'est pas Québec

Found near New Brunswick's coast, the small city of Miramichi is not going to be found in Québec though it is only a three hundred kilometre drive to the province next door (as it were). Sitting on the Miramichi River as it flows into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the land here was settled in by the Mi'kmaq First Nations people before French...and then English settlers fought over the Acadian lands.

The name Miramichi isn't French at all; it was co-opted by the French, but was originally a Montagnais name meaning 'Mi'kmaq Land'.

Answer: Québec

Though this Québec is known by the name 'Three Rivers', it's actually only on two, the Saint-Maurice and the Saint Lawrence. It was only named as such because the Saint-Maurice flows into the Saint Lawrence there at three separate junctures, giving the appearance of three separate waterways.

This city, midway between Montreal and Québec City, is one of the oldest in Canada, having been established by New France in 1634. Today it's one of the province's larger urban centres.

Answer: Ce n'est pas Québec

A French city in the far south of the nation of France, Narbonne is near the Spanish border and the Mediterranean, a short drive from Carcassonne, Montpellier, and Barcelona, just across the way to the south. Originally settled by the Romans due to its convenient spot on the River Aude, Narbonne is known nowadays for its ruins, cathedral, and coastal beaches.

Oh yeah, and it's not in Québec. Nowhere near it.

Answer: Québec

Found in the southeast corner of the province, Sherbrooke is one of the largest cities in Québec despite being a fair distance away from the Saint Lawrence, considered a lifeline to early settlers in New France. Instead, you'd be closer to the U.S. State of Vermont, only a short drive south, or New Hampshire and Maine to the east than you would Montreal, further to the west. Considered one of Québec's most important educational hubs, Sherbrooke is known for its natural beauty and surrounding forests.

Answer: Ce n'est pas Québec

Dauphin seems like it would be further in the wrong direction as far as French naming would go, but this city, northwest of Winnipeg near the Saskatchewan border, was actually named after the title given to the heir of the French throne during its founding in 1741. The nearby Lake Dauphin and the French fort built there during fur trading days also share the name. Today, it's known for its significant Ukrainian population.

But it's in Manitoba, not Québec.

Answer: Québec

Directly across the Ottawa River from the nation's capital, Gatineau is often considered to be part of the National Capital Region due to its size and importance on a national scale. Formerly known as Hull, Gatineau is, today, home to many major government headquarters including Environment Canada, the Canadian Passport Office, and the Canadian Museum of History. Crossing the Ottawa River to get there is easy; several key bridges, including the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge, can be reached right next to Parliament Hill on the Ottawa side.

Answer: Québec

Translating to 'Valley of Gold', Val-d'Or is quite the northerly destination in Québec, at least as far as permanent inhabitants and as far as incorporated communities go. Found on the highway between Timmins, Ontario and Montreal, it's nearly six hundred kilometres from the latter.

It's in a part of the country known as the Canadian Shield, characterized by dense forests, deep rock, and lakes carved from glaciation in the last ice age. Taking the highways north out of Val-d'Or would bring you into First Nations towns...provided heavy snow's not blocking your route!

Answer: Ce n'est pas Québec

This is another one with a notably French name but which can't be visited if you're in Québec. You can, however, head due west from Montreal, heading through Ottawa, North Bay, and Sudbury, a thousand kilometre trip, to get there, right on the U.S. border where Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario meets Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan on its upper peninsula. Found on St. Mary's River as it feeds between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, the city was originally one but it was divided by the Canada-U.S. border, formed during the War of 1812.

It was, however, originally colonized by the French, hence the name.

Answer: Québec

Sitting between Montreal and Québec, but on the south side of the Saint Lawrence (close to Trois-Rivières, in fact), Drummondville seems to have a less French-sounding name, and it's because it was named after a Canadian-born British soldier from the War of 1812.

It's a modestly-sized city and the home of the Festival de la poutine de Drummondville, an annual summertime event celebrating, perhaps, the most important dish to come out of Québec (at least if you ask me)!