Look Out For The Mounties Quiz | The Law

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "The Mounties always get their man" was a motto ascribed to, if not actually used by, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Which of these was adopted as the official motto?

Answer: Maintiens le droit

"Maintiens le droit" (Maintain The Right) was adopted by the RCMP when it was formed in 1920. "Per Ardua ad Astra" was the motto of the Royal Air Force (from 1917), and before it the Royal Flying Corps (1912); "Personal, Professional, Protective Policing" was the motto adopted in 2011 by the Police Service of Northern Ireland; "To Protect and To Serve" was the motto created for the Los Angeles Police Department in 1955.

2. Sgt William Preston was perhaps one of the most famous, fictional Mounties of all time. On radio and television, he brought law to the lawless Yukon, aided and abetted by his faithful dog. What was the dog's name?

Answer: Yukon King

William Preston first appeared on radio in 1938 on the Detroit station WXYZ. Initially the show was called "Challenge of the Yukon", but that changed to "Sgt. Preston of the Yukon" in 1951. The radio show ran until 1955, and then moved to television until 1958. Jay Michael was the first to play Sgt Preston on radio, followed by Paul Sutton, then Brace Beemer and Sutton again. Richard Simmons played him on TV.
King was supposedly a Siberian Husky, and while appearances did not matter on radio, on TV the starring dog was an Alaskan Malamute.

3. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police was formed in 1920 out of a combination of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police and the Dominion Police. What is the lowest regular member rank in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police?

Answer: Constable

The ranks seem to follow a police/military style, with ranks such as corporal and sergeant major mixed among the more common police ranks of inspector and superintendent. The force is commanded by a Commissioner.

4. Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police travelled far and wide to track down their suspects. In the mid 1990s, a fictional Mountie crossed the 49th Parallel to work with his US counterparts. In which city was the TV series "Due South" set?

Answer: Chicago

"Due South" ran for almost 70 episodes between 1994 and 1999. It starred Paul Gross as Benton Fraser, an RCMP Constable who teamed up with Chicago Detective Raymond Vecchio, played by David Marciano. Oh, and Frazer took his pet, a deaf wolf, along.

5. As well as being Canadian policemen maintaining law and order, Mounties have also served their country on the battlefield.

Answer: True

The RCMP was formed in 1920, but one of its forerunners, the North West Mounted Police, was founded in 1873 and some members fought (with a leave of absence) in the second Boer War, while volunteers served with the Canadian Light Horse in France in WW1. During WW2, Mounties served as Military Police.

6. The Mounties were frequently portrayed in literature and movies. Who starred in the 1940 film "North West Mounted Police"?

Answer: Gary Cooper

This was Cecil B. De Mille's first film to be shot in Technicolor. Cooper starred as a Texas Ranger who headed north in 1880 to hunt down an outlaw and ended up falling for a Canadian woman and helping the Mounties put down a rebellion.

7. Formed in 1920, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police traces its distinguished history back to 1873. Those were tough times for the original men of the Northwest Mounted Police - and they were all men. In which year did the first female Mounties take up duty?

Answer: 1975

The first class of women Mounties started training in 1974 and passed out the following year. By contrast, the USA had policewomen from about 1910 (some sources say 1903); the UK in 1915 and Australia in the same year. In Northern Ireland, the first woman police constable took up her duties in 1943, while the Republic of Ireland had to wait until 1969 for its first 'Ban Garda.'
The NWMP was awarded the prefix "Royal" by King George V in 1904 in recognition of the service of Mounties in the Second Boer War (1899 to 1902).

8. Canada is a big country, with two official languages, English and French. In order to join the Royal Canadian Mounted Police you must be able to speak both proficiently.

Answer: False

You must be aged 18 to start training, born in Canada or become a Canadian citizen, and be of good character. The RCMP website notes: "You must be able to speak, write, comprehend and read either French or English. You do not need to be bilingual."

9. Which of these creatures features on the crest of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police?

Answer: Bison

While beaver might seem the obvious answer, the insignia in question is of a stylised bison (or buffalo) head. The RCMP admits that the reasons behind the choice are a little obscure, it may have been an allusion the bull's head that appeared on the crest of the Scottish family of Commissioner James F. Macleod.
The badge comprises a buffalo or bison head facing forward; the motto "Maintiens le Droit"; maple leaves on either side; an underlying scroll with the name of the Force; and a crown at the top over the name "Canada".
James Farquharson Macleod was one of the founder members of the NWMP and did much to instil an ethos that remains to this day.

10. The bravery and commitment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police has been depicted in novels, stage shows, movies and television. Which of these was a Broadway musical that spawned three films of the same name?

Answer: Rose Marie

Rudolf Friml and Herbert Stothart wrote the music and Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II wrote the lyrics for the 1924 show. In 1928, the first movie adaption starred Joan Crawford and James Murray.
The 1936 version starred Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy and changed the storyline. Ann Blyth and Howard Keel starred in the 1954 version.
The 1936 version remains the best-known. In it Jeanette MacDonald played a soprano who was desperate to have her brother, played by James Stewart, released from a Canadian prison. He escaped from prison, but killed a Mountie in doing so. That was the cue for an RCMP sergeant, played by Nelson Eddy, to start a manhunt, and he even managed to save MacDonald from a raging river. Did he get his man? you bet he did, he was a Mountie after all. (He also got the soprano...)

Source: Author darksplash

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor stedman before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Look Out For The Mounties Trivia Quiz

The Mounties, it was said, always got their man. Here we look at some of the facts, and fiction, surrounding the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

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