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Quiz about Songs For Canada
Quiz about Songs For Canada

Songs For Canada Trivia Quiz


My Home and Native Land has been the inspiration for many songs, in both English and French. Take a musical tour of Canada and her history with me- venez écouter Canada avec moi et apprendre son histoire! Thanks to darksplash for the challenge.

A multiple-choice quiz by Maggietabby. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
Maggietabby
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
314,085
Updated
Jul 23 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
364
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. What is our singer telling us?

"Un canadien errant, bani de ses foyers...parcourait en pleurant, des pays étrangers..."
Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. "There was a time in this great land
When the railroads did not run,
When the tall majestic mountains
Stood alone against the sun,
Long before the white man and long before the wheel,
When the green dark forest was too silent to be real."

Who is the singer-songwriter?
Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. "Suzanne takes you down,
To her place by the river,
You can hear the boats go by,
You can spend the night beside her..."

Who is Suzanne?
Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Great Big Sea sings,
"Way hey and away we go
Donkey riding, donkey riding
Way hey and away we go
Ridin' on a donkey.

Was you ever in Quebec
Launchin' timber on the deck?
Where ya break yer bleedin' neck
Ridin' on a donkey!"

What are they singing about?
Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. "Demain l'hiver, je m'en fous.
Je m'en vais dans le sud, au soleil,
Me baigner dans la mer
Et je penserai à vous
En plantant mes orteils dans le sable doux..."

What is Robert Charlebois singing about?
Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Where did the Tragically Hip see the constellations reveal themselves one star at a time? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. In what province is the song "Canadian Sunset" set? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. What is "YYZ"? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. "In the town of Springhill, Nova Scotia, deep in the heart of the Cumberland mine..." is the opening of the haunting "The Ballad of Springhill." What is unusual about this song? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. The Proclaimers are proud to be able to pronounce which Canadian place name without starting to stutter? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. What is our singer telling us? "Un canadien errant, bani de ses foyers...parcourait en pleurant, des pays étrangers..."

Answer: A wandering Canadian, banished from his home, travelled through many lands while his tears flowed.

"Un canadien errant" is one of the most poignant of Canadian folk songs. Prior to Canada's Confederation, Quebec was known as Lower Canada. After the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837-1838, several of the rebels were condemned to death or exiled to the United States. The author, Antoine Gérin-Lajoie, a Quebecois poet, wrote this song that captures the pain of exile.
2. "There was a time in this great land When the railroads did not run, When the tall majestic mountains Stood alone against the sun, Long before the white man and long before the wheel, When the green dark forest was too silent to be real." Who is the singer-songwriter?

Answer: Gordon Lightfoot

Commissioned by the CBC to write a song for a broadcast on the occasion of Canada's centennial in 1967, Gordon Lightfoot wrote "The Canadian Railroad Trilogy" to commemorate the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The Canadian Pacific Railway finally connected British Columbia to the east of Canada when it was completed in 1885, as promised to the western province when it joined Confederation in 1871.
3. "Suzanne takes you down, To her place by the river, You can hear the boats go by, You can spend the night beside her..." Who is Suzanne?

Answer: A dancer from Montreal

Suzanne Verdal was a young dancer married to a sculptor from Montreal. She became Cohen's muse in the '60s, for whom he wrote one of his most famous songs, "Suzanne." You can read more of Suzanne's story in an interview she gave to the BBC in 1998, transcribed at www.leonardcohenfiles.com/verdal.html.

But I have always thought that Suzanne could have just as easily been the wonderful city of Montreal in metaphor.
4. Great Big Sea sings, "Way hey and away we go Donkey riding, donkey riding Way hey and away we go Ridin' on a donkey. Was you ever in Quebec Launchin' timber on the deck? Where ya break yer bleedin' neck Ridin' on a donkey!" What are they singing about?

Answer: Working with a donkey winch

In the traditional song "Donkey Riding," a donkey is not an equine, it's an engine: a large winch used on sailing ships to pull chains aboard, primarily on the East Coast of Canada. Great Big Sea hails from Newfoundland and uses traditional as well as electric instruments in their performances.
5. "Demain l'hiver, je m'en fous. Je m'en vais dans le sud, au soleil, Me baigner dans la mer Et je penserai à vous En plantant mes orteils dans le sable doux..." What is Robert Charlebois singing about?

Answer: Going south for the winter

We wouldn't be Canadians if we didn't need to get away from the winter for awhile. In the early part of the 20th century, Canada considered annexing the Caribbean islands of the Turks and Caicos to Nova Scotia. At least we could get some sun without leaving Canadian soil. But it was not to be.

In "Demain, l'hiver," Charlebois leaves us his scraper, slush, and hockey while he and the ducks take flight for more clement climes.
6. Where did the Tragically Hip see the constellations reveal themselves one star at a time?

Answer: Bobcaygeon

Bobcaygeon, Ontario is about 160 km (100 miles)northeast of Toronto. The singer of "Bobcaygeon" is a police officer from Toronto who is torn between the woman he loves in Ontario cottage country and his duties in the big city. He is on duty during Toronto's infamous Christie Pits anti-Semitic riots, but he still can't stop thinking of her.

The story is that the song writer, Gord Downey, apparently picked the name Bobcaygeon because it rhymed with "constellation". Notwithstanding, many Canadians will tell you that this song is their pick for one of the most "Canadian" of songs.
7. In what province is the song "Canadian Sunset" set?

Answer: It's never stated

A skiing weekend in Canada, a change of scene, is all apparently composer Hugo Winterhaller bargained for. The singer meets the love of his life there. It's too bad that the composer couldn't say where exactly- it would have given that province's tourism industry a boost. Andy William's vocal version is the most popular after the instrumental.
8. What is "YYZ"?

Answer: The airport code for Pearson International Airport, Toronto

Another correct answer would be an instrumental by Rush, one of the most internationally famous Canadian bands. The opening of the song is YYZ in Morse code. And you do know that it's pronounced "Why Why Zed", eh?
9. "In the town of Springhill, Nova Scotia, deep in the heart of the Cumberland mine..." is the opening of the haunting "The Ballad of Springhill." What is unusual about this song?

Answer: It was not written by a Canadian.

"The Ballad of Springhill" recounts the story of the 1958 mining disaster in Springhill, Nova Scotia, in which 73 men died and 100 were rescued. Although its Canadian setting and details are vivid, the song was written by Peggy Seeger, half-sister of the American folk singer Pete Seeger. Peggy was born in New York City and lived for 30 years in Great Britain.

The most widely heard version of this song is probably the one by Peter, Paul and Mary.
10. The Proclaimers are proud to be able to pronounce which Canadian place name without starting to stutter?

Answer: Saskatchewan

The lyric comes from the Proclaimers' "Cap in Hand":
"I could tell the meaning of a world like serene
I got some "0" grades when I was sixteen
I can tell the difference 'tween margarine and butter
I can say "Saskatchewan" without starting to stutter

But I can't understand why we let someone else rule our land
We're cap in hand."

Témiscouata was a station on the historic "Grand Portage" that included Madawaska and Kamouraska. Kejimkujik is the only inland national park in the Atlantic Provinces. And Manicouagan, Quebec is the location of one of Canada's largest hydroelectric dams.
Source: Author Maggietabby

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