Montreal Quiz: Canada's French-Speaking Island City

This Montreal quiz explores Canada's French-speaking island city in Quebec, from Mount Royal and Expo 67 to the 1976 Olympics, the bagel rivalry with New York, poutine, Cirque du Soleil and the vast Underground City. Ten questions, 90 seconds.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 90 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 90s

Basics
In which Canadian province is Montreal?
Language
What is the main language spoken in Montreal?
Geography
Montreal is mainly built on what?
Names
Which hill in the city center gave Montreal its name?
History
Which world's fair did Montreal host in 1967?
Sport
In which year did Montreal host the Summer Olympics?
Food
Montreal's bagels are often compared with those of which other city?
Food
Which Quebec dish combines fries, cheese curds and gravy?
Culture
Which circus company, founded in Quebec in 1984, has its headquarters in Montreal?
City Life
What is Montreal's network of indoor walkways and shopping areas below the city often called?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: In which Canadian province is Montreal?
Answer: Quebec
Montreal is the largest city in Quebec and the second-largest in Canada after Toronto. Quebec City, not Montreal, is the provincial capital.
Q2: What is the main language spoken in Montreal?
Answer: French
French is the official language of Quebec and the first language of most Montrealers, making Montreal one of the largest French-speaking cities in the world.
Q3: Montreal is mainly built on what?
Answer: An island
The city sits on the Island of Montreal, where the St. Lawrence and Ottawa rivers meet. Dozens of bridges and tunnels connect it to the mainland.
Q4: Which hill in the city center gave Montreal its name?
Answer: Mount Royal
Explorer Jacques Cartier named the hill Mont Royal in 1535, and the city name grew from it. Its park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed New York's Central Park.
Q5: Which world's fair did Montreal host in 1967?
Answer: Expo 67
Expo 67 celebrated Canada's 100th birthday and drew more than 50 million visits. Its geodesic dome, now the Biosphère, still stands on Île Sainte-Hélène.
Q6: In which year did Montreal host the Summer Olympics?
Answer: 1976
At the 1976 Games, 14-year-old gymnast Nadia Comăneci scored the first perfect 10. The Olympic Stadium's leaning tower is the tallest inclined tower in the world.
Q7: Montreal's bagels are often compared with those of which other city?
Answer: New York
Montreal bagels are smaller and sweeter than New York bagels, boiled in honey water and baked in wood-fired ovens. Bakeries such as St-Viateur and Fairmount are open around the clock.
Q8: Which Quebec dish combines fries, cheese curds and gravy?
Answer: Poutine
Poutine was born in rural Quebec in the 1950s and is now sold across Canada. Tourtière is a meat pie often eaten at Christmas.
Q9: Which circus company, founded in Quebec in 1984, has its headquarters in Montreal?
Answer: Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil began with street performers and became a global entertainment company known for shows without animals. Its shows have been seen by hundreds of millions of people.
Q10: What is Montreal's network of indoor walkways and shopping areas below the city often called?
Answer: Underground City
The Underground City, or RÉSO, links metro stations, malls, offices and hotels through about 32 kilometers of tunnels, helpful during cold winters.

Montreal Quiz – Where Europe Meets North America

Montreal feels like a European city in the middle of North America. French is heard on its streets, old stone churches stand beside modern towers and outdoor cafés fill up as soon as the snow melts. With around 4 million people in its metropolitan area, it is Canada's second-largest city and the cultural heart of Quebec.

The city's story began long before Europeans arrived. The Iroquoian village of Hochelaga stood here when Jacques Cartier visited in 1535 and named Mount Royal. French settlers founded Ville-Marie in 1642, and the city later grew into a major port and trading center under British rule, keeping its French language and culture.

Montreal has a talent for big events. It welcomed the world for Expo 67 and the 1976 Summer Olympics, and today it hosts the Montreal International Jazz Festival, the Just for Laughs comedy festival and the Canadian Grand Prix. Cirque du Soleil, founded in Quebec, made the city a center for circus arts.

Food is a big part of the city's identity, from wood-fired bagels and smoked meat sandwiches to poutine and maple treats. In winter, Montrealers move indoors through the Underground City or head outside for festivals that celebrate the snow.

This quiz covers Montreal's geography, history, food and culture.

Getting around is easy for visitors. The metro links most neighborhoods, the BIXI bike-share system was one of the first large public bike programs in North America, and Old Montreal, the Plateau and the Mile End are all best explored on foot, with murals, bakeries and small shops on almost every corner.

What This Quiz Teaches

This quiz suits travelers to Canada, French learners and anyone interested in North American cities.

Where Montreal is and what language most people speak
How Mount Royal gave the city its name
What Expo 67 and the 1976 Olympics left behind
Why Montreal bagels and poutine are famous
How Cirque du Soleil grew from Quebec
What the Underground City is

Quick Facts About Montreal

Notre-Dame Basilica in Old Montreal is famous for its deep blue, star-studded ceiling.
The Montreal Canadiens have won more Stanley Cups than any other NHL team.
Many Montrealers move house on July 1, known locally as Moving Day.
Montreal's metro has rubber tires, like the Paris metro.
The city has hundreds of outdoor spiral staircases on its homes.
Habitat 67, a famous housing complex of stacked concrete boxes, was built for Expo 67.