Which is Canada's most popular spectator sport?

Discover Canada records this in one direct sentence. The guide writes: Hockey is Canada's most popular spectator sport and is considered to be the national winter sport. Ice hockey was developed in Canada in the 1800s. The sport the test wants is therefore hockey.

Hockey has two distinct titles. Discover Canada commits hockey to TWO honours: Canada's most popular spectator sport AND the national winter sport. So hockey is both the sport Canadians watch most often AND the official winter sport of the country. The two titles together establish hockey's central place in Canadian culture.

Hockey was developed in Canada. Discover Canada commits the sport's origins to a specific century: "Ice hockey was developed in Canada in the 1800s." So Canada is not just where hockey is most popular — it is the country where the modern sport was developed. The 1800s development era places hockey alongside basketball (invented 1891 by Canadian James Naismith) as a Canadian contribution to global sport.

The hockey ecosystem is rich. Discover Canada writes: "The National Hockey League plays for the championship Stanley Cup, donated by Lord Stanley, the Governor General, in 1892. The Clarkson Cup, established in 2005 by Adrienne Clarkson, the 26th Governor General (and the first of Asian origin), is awarded for women's hockey. Many young Canadians play hockey at school, in a hockey league or on quiet streets — road hockey or street hockey — and are taken to the hockey rink by their parents. Canadian children have collected hockey cards for generations." So hockey runs from the NHL's championship Stanley Cup (1892) through women's hockey and the Clarkson Cup (2005) to youth hockey at school, in leagues, on streets, and at the rink. Other Canadian sports include Canadian football (the second most popular spectator sport), curling (an ice game introduced by Scottish pioneers), lacrosse (the official summer sport, first played by Aboriginals), and soccer (most registered players of any game). But the most popular spectator sport, and the national winter sport, is hockey.

The question is testing whether new citizens know Canada's most popular spectator sport. Discover Canada commits to one sport: hockey. The right test answer matches that.

The wrong answer choices each substitute a different sport. "Lacrosse" is the official summer sport of Canada — but not the most popular spectator sport. "Soccer" has the most registered players of any game in Canada — but not the most spectator popularity. "Basketball" was invented by Canadian James Naismith in 1891 — but is not the most popular spectator sport. Only hockey — both the most popular spectator sport and the national winter sport — matches.