What is a Francophone?
Quick answer: A person who speaks French as their first language. In our practice tests 92% of 101 answers were correct, and the most common mistake is choosing “A person who speaks English as their first language”.
Why is this the correct answer?
A Francophone is a person who speaks French as their first language. Francophones make up about 21% of Canada's population, with the majority living in Quebec.
Study Tip
A Francophone is related to the French language, and it's a term used to describe a specific group of people in Canada. Think about the language spoken by a significant portion of Canada's population.
What should you know about this topic?
A Francophone is a person whose first language is French. An Anglophone is someone whose first language is English. Discover Canada explains that about 7 million Canadians have French as their first language and about 18 million have English. Most Francophones live in Quebec, but there are also many in New Brunswick, Ontario and Manitoba, and smaller communities across the country.
French has deep roots in Canada. Explorers such as Jacques Cartier and Samuel de Champlain helped establish New France, and for many years most Europeans in what is now Canada spoke French. Today, Francophone communities include Quebecers, Acadians in the Atlantic Provinces, and Franco-Ontarians and other groups across Canada. The Official Languages Act of 1969 made English and French equal in Parliament and throughout the federal government, so Francophones can receive federal services in their language.
This question connects to the test topics of official languages, Canada's history of English and French cooperation, and minority language education rights in the Charter. New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province. The other answer choices refer to telephones because of the word ending "-phone", but here it comes from a Greek word for voice or sound. A Francophone is simply a person who speaks French, and the term does not describe a device. Bilingual Canadians who speak both English and French help connect the two language communities.
Why are the other answers wrong?
- A smartphone designed by the Canadian company RIM: This is a joke option; "Francophone" is a term for a French speaker, not a device.
- A person who speaks English as their first language: This describes an Anglophone, not a Francophone.
- The first phone in Canada, invented by Alexander Graham Bell: Bell invented the telephone, but "Francophone" has nothing to do with phones; it refers to French speakers.
What is the most common mistake?
The word ends in "-phone", so some learners think of a telephone. In Canada, "Francophone" means a person whose first language is French.
How can you remember the answer?
Franco = French and "phone" = voice: a Francophone has a French voice.
Original data
How many people get this question right?
92% of 101 practice answers from about 72 people were correct. The most common wrong answer is "A person who speaks English as their first language", chosen 4% of the time. The data covers practice tests on BecomeACitizen.ca from March 31, 2026 to September 30, 2026.
How hard is this question compared with others?
It is the 26th easiest of the 167 questions we have enough data to rank. The average for the Who We Are chapter is 79% correct, and the average across all questions is 75%. You need 75% to pass the real test.
These are practice questions written from the official Discover Canada guide. IRCC does not publish the real test questions. See the full ranking in the 20 most-missed citizenship test questions or browse more Who We Are questions.
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Which part of Discover Canada is this question from?
This question is from the Who We Are section of the Canadian citizenship test. The test consists of 20 multiple-choice questions drawn from the official Discover Canada study guide. You need to score at least 75% (15 out of 20 correct) to pass.
This chapter has 43 questions in our database. Studying chapter by chapter is one of the most effective ways to prepare, as it helps you build deep understanding of each topic before moving to the next.
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Start by reading the complete how-to-pass guide, then work through each chapter in the study mode. When you feel ready, take a full exam simulation with the real 45-minute time limit.