Build a Museum Exhibit and We’ll Tell You Which Canadian “Heritage Moment” You Are

By: Ashley Linkletter
Estimated Completion Time
5 min
Build a Museum Exhibit and We’ll Tell You Which Canadian “Heritage Moment” You Are
Image: TommL / E+ / Getty Images

About This Quiz

If you've watched any Canadian television over the last 30 years, there's an excellent chance you've seen your fair share of "Heritage Minutes." These 60-second spots tell the story of individual Canadians as well as influential groups of people, usually through dramatic re-enactments and voiceover narration, which is often performed by another famous Canadian. Past topics have run the gamut from Canadian midwives to the Battle of Vimy Ridge to Tommy Prince, Canada's most-decorated Indigenous soldier. Today there are 90 "Heritage Minutes" on rotation, with the earliest television spot appearing in 1991. Funded by Canada Post and the Government of Canada (amongst others), "Heritage Minutes" are created with the intention to surprise, provoke and reveal truths about Canada's political, cultural and military history. 

Being the Canadian history buff that you are, we thought it would be fun to help you design a museum of your own (you could call it a "Heritage Minute" on display.) Although Canada is a relatively young country, its citizens have proven to be innovative thinkers, brave in the face of injustice and incredibly valuable in terms of their contribution to the arts and humanities. It's time to think about your exhibit from every perspective: content, appearance, ambiance and accessibility are just some of the things you'll have to think about as you answer these questions. Are you ready to take your museum exhibit to the next level? Let's find out which Canadian "Heritage Minute" you really are!

Museum 1
Wiki Commons by Natulive Canada
Which museum is showing your exhibit?
Vancouver Art Gallery
Canadian Medical Hall of Fame
Canadian Museum for Human Rights
Green Gables Heritage Place

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Museum 2
FatCamera / E+ / Getty Images
The right name is sure to attract visitors! What is the name of your exhibit?
"Cancer Research Throughout the Last 50 Years"
"Mood and the Writer's Portfolio"
"The Civil Rights Movement in the Maritimes"
"Post-impressionism in the Pacific Northwest"

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Museum 3
Marius Gomes / Moment / Getty Images
Exhibits often travel to different museums. If you could take your exhibit anywhere in Canada, where would it go?
Prince Edward Island
Nova Scotia
Ontario
British Columbia

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Museum 4
Nikada / E+ / Getty Images
When visitors arrive in the lobby of your museum, what do they see?
A map of Canada
Original manuscripts
A framed $10 bill from 2018
A painting of trees and the ocean

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Museum 5
Henrik Sorensen / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Does your exhibit have any interactive features?
No
Yes — you can dress up as your favourite literary heroine.
Yes — a short film about the civil rights movement in Nova Scotia
Yes — a VR running route across the east coast of Canada

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Museum 6
Vostok / Moment / Getty Images
Right next to the exhibit, the museum has a big cafeteria; what does it serve?
Sandwiches
Salads made from seasonal ingredients
Popcorn
Carrot cake

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Museum 7
Wiki Commons by Verne Equinox
You might need a corporate sponsor to help fund your exhibit. Who do you turn to?
Maritime Electric
Canadian Cancer Society
Scotia Bank
Canadian Council for the Arts

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Museum 8
Wiki Commons by Xicotencatl
Which already-existing museum looks the most like the one housing your exhibit?
Museum of Modern Art in New York City
National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa
Musée D'Orsay in Paris
Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver

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Museum 9
Artur Debat / Moment / Getty Images
When you're building an exhibit, light is one of the most important factors to consider. How is your exhibit lit?
Incandescent lighting
Natural lighting
Fibre optic lighting
Warm lighting

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Museum 10
Coto Elizondo / DigitalVision / Getty Images
How many stories is the museum where your exhibit is being held?
One
Six
Two
Three

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Museum 11
Thomas Barwick / DigitalVision / Getty Images
You plan on having some museum prints for sale in the lobby. What do the prints have on them?
Running shoes and a running route
Views of Vancouver Island
A movie theatre
A lighthouse

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Museum 12
Jason Moskowitz Photography / Moment / Getty Images
Does your exhibit have any outdoor features?
A big violet garden
Bronze statues of running figures
Abstract works of art made from red clay
A thick forest of evergreen trees

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Museum 13
Hill Street Studios / DigitalVision / Getty Images
You want to put a plaque on the entrance of your museum exhibit with a quote from your favourite Canadian. What does it say?
"I'm not doing anything wrong."
"Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it."
"I think that one's art is a growth inside one. I do not think one can explain growth. It is silent and subtle."
"I know that you can do the impossible."

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Museum 14
Image Source / Getty Images
What other exhibits are showing at the museum?
A Bill Reid retrospective
Canadian women and the history of human rights
The world of emerging medical technology
The women who shaped Canada's literary voice

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Museum 15
Anna Fedoseeva / Moment / Getty Images
Does your museum exhibit involve historical re-enactments?
No
Yes — once a day
Yes — with lots of costumes from the early 1900s
No — but there are plenty of old news reports to watch.

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Museum 16
Digital Vision. / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Your patrons will spend most of the time walking around looking at your exhibit. What kind of flooring did you choose for your exhibit?
Sandstone
Cobblestone
Shock-absorbent flooring
Pine flooring

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Museum 17
TommL / E+ / Getty Images
If your museum exhibit is more than one story, how do people get from floor to floor?
Stairs
My museum is on one floor.
Escalator
Elevator

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Museum 18
Elizabeth Livermore / Moment / Getty Images
When you buy a museum pass you receive a free gift. What do you give your patrons?
Pine tree magnet
Purple tote bag
Racing t-shirt
Laminated bookmark

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Museum 19
Walt Disney Pictures / Walt Disney Animation Studios
On the first Monday of the month, your museum hosts free family movie nights that tie into the theme of your exhibit. Which of the following movies are next on the roster?
"The Adventures of Pippi Longstocking"
"Frozen"
"The Karate Kid"
"Bambi"

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Museum 20
Shana Novak / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Your museum has a smaller satellite building down the block which focuses on one exhibit only. What is the exhibit's most famous item?
Letters from school children
Indigenous art from Haida Gwaii
The world's biggest lobster
A Royal Canadian Mint retrospective

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Museum 21
Wiki Commons by Holger Motzkau
Which distinguished Canadian would be a keynote speaker at your exhibit's charity event?
Roberta Bondar
Donovan Bailey
David Suzuki
Adrienne Clarkson

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Museum 22
cesarr t. / Moment / Getty Images
There's nothing like a pop of colour to make museum artifacts pop. What colour are the walls painted in your exhibit?
Red
Gold
Violet
Green

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Museum 23
Jupiterimages / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Does your exhibit have any ambient noise for effect?
Yes — rainforest noises
No
Yes — fiddle music
Yes — speeches are played every 30 minutes.

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Museum 24
Mark C Stevens / Moment / Getty Images
In the museum's calendar, a nature photo inspired by your exhibit is used for the month of August. What is in the photo?
A Nova Scotia sunrise
Summer foliage in Quebec
An evergreen forest in British Columbia
A beach in P.E.I. with red sand

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Museum 25
Wiki Commons by Daderot
Your exhibit will be shown at a Canadian university or college; which school will it be?
McGill University
University of Victoria
Nova Scotia College of Art and Design
Holland College

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Museum 26
Zero Creatives / Cultura / Getty Images
What kind of small treats and trinkets are sold by the cash register in the gift shop?
Small folding map of Canada
Blackberry hard candies
Postcards from the Royal Canadian Mint
Prints of the Pacific Northwest

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Museum 27
SDI Productions / E+ / Getty Images
If your museum had a motto, what would it be?
"Wealth from the sea"
"Carpe diem"
"Health and abundance"
"She acquires strength as she goes."

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Museum 28
StudioThreeDots / E+ / Getty Images
The gift shop sells copies of which complementary book to your museum exhibit?
"When Breath Becomes Air" by Paul Kalanithi
"The Lacuna" by Barbara Kingsolver
"Underground to Canada" by Barbara Smucker
"A Room of One's Own" by Virginia Woolf

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Museum 29
SolStock / E+ / Getty Images
How much is admission to your museum?
$20
$10
Free
$15

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Museum 30
Wiki Commons by Ian Dougherty
Please exit through the gift shop. What do your visitors see before they leave your museum?
A donation box for cancer research
Indoor tropical plants
A red-headed security guard
A survey asking you what you learned from the exhibit

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You Got: