How Canadian are you, Eh?

Who paid attention in history class?  Apparently not any of a test group of Canadians we recently had play Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s app, How Canadian are you, Eh?

The app is designed as a multiple choice quiz, asking a random selection of twenty questions from the application’s database of over one hundred and twenty possibilities.

While some of the questions appear ridiculously hard the apps intent is to teach aswell as entertain.  How Canadian are you, Eh? tests your knowledge of Canadian history, values, symbols and political institutions in an attempt at being both  fun and educational.   While the line between fun and learning is usually pretty firm this app can provide a bit of both to users of any age.

Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney launched the application across all popular forums (Android, Blackberry, Apple, and even a version for Facebook) as part of an on-line resource named “A Fun Path to Learning”.  The program was originally launched  in April 2010 by the CIC, aimed at helping students from grades 5 to 12 learn about Canada’s history and political institutions through games and activities.

Children may have been the initial target but the app has found a home among many “new” Canadians looking to gain a broader knowledge base of their new home’s history.

This is not a “game” to be played for hours on end (unusually ten minutes or so will suffice), but it was never meant to be.

One unrecommended use encountered while doing research for this piece was a group of youngsters essentially turning the app into a drinking game (one shot for every wrong answer).

Whether you are a new Canadian, a parent, or a delinquent everyone can find How Canadian are you, Eh? as a useful and educational way to help pass a little time.