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Quiz about Montreal Qubecs Metropolis
Quiz about Montreal Qubecs Metropolis

Montreal, Québec's Metropolis Trivia Quiz


Montreal is one of the world's most sparkling cities. Come take a tour and see why!

A multiple-choice quiz by austinnene. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
austinnene
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
370,772
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
312
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 96 (7/10), mitchmopar (7/10), Guest 142 (0/10).
This quiz has 2 formats: you can play it as a or as shown below.
Scroll down to the bottom for the answer key.
1. Although it is not known for certain, which of these is a prevailing opinion about how Montreal got its name? Hint

It was named for a French monastery, home to Capuchin monks who were sent to Canada as missionaries.
It is a mistranslation of "my trail", Jacques Cartier's route when exploring the Canadian coast of the St. Lawrence.
It was named for Mount Royal, a hill within the city limits.
It was named for Ferdinand Montreal, a fur trader who established a thriving business in the area.

2. Under the city of Montreal lies what? Hint

A vast aquifer
The only existing water supply system made of stone
A huge complex of stores, restaurants and shopping malls
Silver veins in abundance-they just haven't figured out how to mine it

3. There are 50 National Historic Sites of Canada in Montreal, the most of any Canadian city. The first was so designated back in 1920, even though there was no remaining physical evidence of its existence. Which one? Hint

Mount Royal Cemetery
Trafalgar Lodge
Hochelaga Village
Merchants Textile Mill

4. The Biosphere is a museum located in Parc Jean-Drapeau. What was it before it became a museum? Hint

A pavilion of the 1967 Montreal Expo
A shantytown where the homeless gathered
A burial site for French settlers, run by Franciscan friars
A castle built by an 18th-century French noble

5. Montreal is chock-full of cultural events. What is the annual event, "Just for Laughs"? Hint

A three-day exhibition and workshops by cartoonists
A three-day series of one-act farces by local amateur groups
A week-long transvestites' parody of Fashion Week's runways
A month-long stand-up comedy show

6. Besides the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, which artistic companies are at home in the Place des Arts? Hint

Canadian Academy of Performing Arts and The Modern Dance Troupe of Canada
Le Jardin de la Sculpture Internationale and Le Musée pour Enfants
Le Musée d'Arts Impressioniste and The Royal Conservatory of Music
Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and L'Orchestre Metropolitan du Grand Montreal

7. What event that took place in 1959 led to a gradual decrease in the city's dominance as a port city? Hint

The Trans-Canadian railway began operations.
The Saint Lawrence Seaway was completed.
Air traffic capabilities of Canadian cities overtook maritime transport capacities
Maple Leaf Freight, a long-distance trucking network, achieved dominance in transportation of goods across Canada.

8. Founded in 1821 with a bequest from a Scottish businessman, what is Montreal's famed institute of higher learning that can count among its alumni more than 130 Rhodes Scholars and at least 10 Nobel Prize winners (among them Ernest Rutherford)? Hint

Ryerson University
Université du Québec à Montréal
McGill University
McMaster University

9. Cirque du Soleil, the internationally acclaimed circus spectacular, is headquartered in Montreal. Did it originate there?

Yes
No

10. Canada has legalized same-sex marriage, and Montreal has a vibrant gay community. What is the name of the street running through the heart of a downtown predominantly gay neighborhood, a portion of which is closed to traffic all summer, allowing for nightly street parties? Hint

Montreal Boulevard
Rue Ste. Catherine
Avenue Arc en Ciel
Avenue St. Lawrence


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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Although it is not known for certain, which of these is a prevailing opinion about how Montreal got its name?

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.
2. Under the city of Montreal lies what?

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.
3. There are 50 National Historic Sites of Canada in Montreal, the most of any Canadian city. The first was so designated back in 1920, even though there was no remaining physical evidence of its existence. Which one?

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.
4. The Biosphere is a museum located in Parc Jean-Drapeau. What was it before it became a museum?

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.
5. Montreal is chock-full of cultural events. What is the annual event, "Just for Laughs"?

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.
6. Besides the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, which artistic companies are at home in the Place des Arts?

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!
7. What event that took place in 1959 led to a gradual decrease in the city's dominance as a port city?

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).
8. Founded in 1821 with a bequest from a Scottish businessman, what is Montreal's famed institute of higher learning that can count among its alumni more than 130 Rhodes Scholars and at least 10 Nobel Prize winners (among them Ernest Rutherford)?

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.
9. Cirque du Soleil, the internationally acclaimed circus spectacular, is headquartered in Montreal. Did it originate there?

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.
10. Canada has legalized same-sex marriage, and Montreal has a vibrant gay community. What is the name of the street running through the heart of a downtown predominantly gay neighborhood, a portion of which is closed to traffic all summer, allowing for nightly street parties?

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.
Source: Author austinnene

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