How many Canadians have been awarded the Victoria Cross since 1854?

Discover Canada records this in one direct sentence. The guide writes: The Victoria Cross (V.C.) is the highest honour available to Canadians and is awarded for the most conspicuous bravery, a daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice, or extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy. The V.C. has been awarded to 96 Canadians since 1854. The number the test wants is therefore 96.

Ninety-six is a small number across more than a century and a half. Discover Canada's figure of 96 Canadians since 1854 averages fewer than one Canadian V.C. recipient per year — reflecting how strict the criteria are. The honour is reserved for "the most conspicuous bravery, a daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice, or extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy."

Several named recipients are profiled in Discover Canada. The first was Lieutenant Alexander Roberts Dunn, born in present-day Toronto, who served in the British Army in the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava in 1854. Able Seaman William Hall of Horton, Nova Scotia, whose parents were American slaves, was the first Black man to be awarded the V.C. — for his role in the Siege of Lucknow during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Captain Billy Bishop, born in Owen Sound, Ontario, earned the V.C. in the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War. Brigadier Paul Triquet, V.C. is another named recipient. Lieutenant Robert Hampton Gray, killed in August 1945 while bombing a Japanese warship a few days before the end of the Second World War, was the last Canadian to receive the V.C. to date.

The 1854 starting year matches Dunn's V.C. action. So the count of 96 begins with Dunn at Balaclava and ends — for now — with Robert Hampton Gray in August 1945. Most recipients earned the honour for service in the world wars, with smaller numbers from the Crimean War, the Indian Rebellion, and other conflicts.

The question is testing whether new citizens know how many Canadians have received the Victoria Cross since 1854. Discover Canada commits to one number: 96. The right test answer matches that.

The wrong answer choices each pick a different number. 50 understates the number; 75 also understates; 120 overstates. The exact figure in the guide is 96 Canadians since 1854.