Life in the UK test questions and answers

Chapter 1: Values and principles

1. How many fundamental principles of British life does the handbook list?

   • AThree
   • BFour
   • CFiveRight
   • DSeven

   The handbook lists five: democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs, and participation in community life.

2. Looking after yourself and your family is one of the responsibilities of a permanent resident or citizen.

   • ATrueRight
   • BFalse

   This is true. The handbook lists looking after yourself and your family among the responsibilities of anyone who wants to be a permanent resident or citizen.

3. Which statement is correct?

   • AResidents should respect other people's rights, including their right to hold their own opinions.Right
   • BResidents only need to respect the opinions of people they agree with.

   The handbook says residents should respect the rights of others, and that includes their right to hold their own opinions, even ones you disagree with.

4. The handbook says the UK offers freedom from unfair discrimination.

   • ATrueRight
   • BFalse

   This is true. Freedom from unfair discrimination is one of the five freedoms the handbook says the UK offers, along with freedom of belief and religion, freedom of speech, a fair trial and a say in electing a government.

5. Which statement is correct?

   • AThe handbook lists a right to free housing among the freedoms the UK offers.
   • BThe handbook lists a right to take part in electing a government among the freedoms the UK offers.Right

   A right to take part in electing a government is one of the freedoms on the handbook's list. Free housing is not on it.

Practise chapter 1

Chapter 2: The UK and its nations

1. The United Kingdom is made up of five countries.

   • ATrue
   • BFalseRight

   The UK is made up of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

2. Which list shows the countries of the United Kingdom?

   • AEngland, Scotland, Wales and Northern IrelandRight
   • BEngland, Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man
   • CEngland, Scotland and Wales only
   • DEngland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands

   The UK has four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are linked to the UK but are not part of it.

3. Which TWO of these are Crown dependencies?

   Two answers are right.

   • AThe Isle of ManRight
   • BSt Helena
   • CThe Channel IslandsRight
   • DThe Falkland Islands

   The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are Crown dependencies. St Helena and the Falkland Islands are British overseas territories, which is a different group.

4. St Helena is a British overseas territory.

   • ATrueRight
   • BFalse

   St Helena is one example of a British overseas territory. The Falkland Islands are another.

5. St Helena is part of the United Kingdom.

   • ATrue
   • BFalseRight

   St Helena is a British overseas territory. It is linked to the UK, but it is not part of it.

Practise chapter 2

Chapter 3: UK history

1. In which English county is Stonehenge?

   • ADorset
   • BSuffolk
   • CWiltshireRight
   • DCheshire

   Stonehenge still stands in Wiltshire, in the south of England. Early farmers built it, and it was probably a special place where people gathered for ceremonies at certain times of the year.

2. What were round barrows used for in the Bronze Age?

   • AMaking coins
   • BKeeping animals
   • CBurying the deadRight
   • DStoring grain

   In the Bronze Age, people buried their dead in round barrows, which are burial mounds. They lived in roundhouses and were skilled at making things from bronze and gold.

3. Which Roman emperor led the successful invasion of Britain in AD 43?

   • ANero
   • BHadrian
   • CClaudiusRight
   • DAugustus

   Julius Caesar tried to invade in 55 BC but failed. Nearly 100 years later, in AD 43, the Emperor Claudius led the invasion that began Roman rule in Britain.

4. Why did the Emperor Hadrian build a wall across the north of England?

   • ATo mark the border with Wales
   • BTo keep out the PictsRight
   • CTo stop the Anglo-Saxons leaving
   • DTo keep out the Vikings

   The Romans never conquered all of what is now Scotland. Hadrian built his wall to keep out the Picts, who lived to the north and were ancestors of the Scottish people.

5. In which year did the Vikings first come to Britain to raid?

   • AAD 410
   • BAD 600
   • CAD 789Right
   • DAD 1066

   The Vikings first raided Britain in AD 789. They attacked towns on the coast and carried away goods and slaves. Later, some of them settled in Britain.

6. What did the Statute of Rhuddlan of 1284 do?

   • AIt created the Kingdom of Great Britain
   • BIt joined Wales to the Crown of EnglandRight
   • CIt ended the Wars of the Roses
   • DIt gave Wales its own parliament

   In 1284 King Edward I brought in the Statute of Rhuddlan. It made Wales part of the lands ruled by the English Crown.

7. After the Black Death, a shortage of workers led peasants to demand higher wages.

   • ATrueRight
   • BFalse

   This is true. So many people died that there were not enough workers. Peasants could ask for more pay, and many people moved to the towns.

8. Which TWO English words come from Norman French?

   Two answers are right.

   • AApple
   • BCow
   • CBeautyRight
   • DParkRight

   After the Norman Conquest, Norman French and Anglo-Saxon slowly mixed to make English. Park and beauty come from Norman French, while apple and cow come from Anglo-Saxon.

9. What were the supporters of James II and his descendants called?

   • AJacobitesRight
   • BChartists
   • CRoundheads
   • DWhigs

   People who still believed James II and his descendants were the rightful kings were called Jacobites. They remained a threat for many years.

10. Where was Bonnie Prince Charlie's army defeated in 1746?

    • ABosworth Field
    • BKilliecrankie
    • CCullodenRight
    • DBannockburn

    Bonnie Prince Charlie landed in Scotland in 1745 and raised an army of Highland clansmen. George II's army defeated him at the Battle of Culloden in 1746.

11. What were the Highland Clearances?

    • AThe removal of soldiers from Scotland after 1746
    • BThe building of new roads through the Highlands
    • CClearing away small farms called crofts to keep sheep and cattle on the landRight
    • DThe cutting down of forests to build ships

    After Culloden, many Scottish landlords cleared away small farms known as crofts and used the land for sheep and cattle instead. This was the Highland Clearances, and many people left for North America.

12. What job did Richard Arkwright originally train for?

    • ASailor
    • BBlacksmith
    • CTeacher
    • DBarberRight

    Richard Arkwright first worked as a barber and wig maker. Later he moved into textiles, improved the carding machine and ran factories known for being well run and profitable.

13. Who mapped the coast of Australia?

    • AAdmiral Nelson
    • BCaptain James CookRight
    • CSir Francis Drake
    • DSir Walter Raleigh

    Captain James Cook mapped the coast of Australia in the 18th century, and a few British colonies were then set up there.

14. In which year did 13 American colonies declare their independence from Britain?

    • A1707
    • B1776Right
    • C1801
    • D1815

    The American colonists objected to being taxed without representation in Parliament. In 1776, 13 colonies declared independence, and Britain recognised it in 1783.

15. What did repealing the Corn Laws in 1846 allow?

    • ACheap grain to be importedRight
    • BIreland to have its own parliament
    • CChildren to work longer hours
    • DWomen to vote

    The Corn Laws had blocked imports of cheap grain. Repealing them in 1846 was part of a move to free trade, which helped British industry.

16. Which engineer built the Great Western Railway?

    • ASir Christopher Wren
    • BGeorge Stephenson
    • CIsambard Kingdom BrunelRight
    • DRichard Arkwright

    Isambard Kingdom Brunel built the Great Western Railway, which links London Paddington with the West Midlands, Wales and the south west of England. Many of his bridges are still used today.

17. In 1918, women over what age were given the right to vote?

    • A18
    • B21
    • C30Right
    • D40

    In 1918 women over the age of 30 got the vote, partly because of the work women did in the First World War. In 1928 the age became 21, the same as for men.

18. Whose assassination in June 1914 set off the events that led to the First World War?

    • AThe King of Belgium
    • BThe German Kaiser
    • CArchduke Franz Ferdinand of AustriaRight
    • DThe Russian Tsar

    Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated on 28 June 1914. This started a chain of events that led to the First World War.

19. In the early 1970s, Britain took in 28,000 people of Indian descent who had been expelled from which country?

    • ASouth Africa
    • BGhana
    • CNigeria
    • DUgandaRight

    Even though new laws had made immigration harder, Britain took in 28,000 people of Indian descent in the early 1970s after they were expelled from Uganda.

20. Who invented the World Wide Web?

    • AJohn Logie Baird
    • BSir Tim Berners-LeeRight
    • CAlan Turing
    • DSir Peter Mansfield

    Sir Tim Berners-Lee, a British scientist, invented the World Wide Web. Information was first sent successfully over the web on 25 December 1990.

Practise chapter 3

Chapter 4: Modern society

1. According to the handbook, about what share of the UK population has a parent or grandparent born outside the UK?

   • ANearly 25%
   • BNearly 75%
   • CNearly 10%Right
   • DNearly 50%

   The handbook says nearly 10% of people have a parent or grandparent born abroad, mainly because of immigration after the Second World War. The real share is higher today, but the test uses the handbook's figure.

2. UK law lets people decide to follow no religion at all.

   • ATrueRight
   • BFalse

   This is true. People in the UK are free to choose a religion, and the law also protects their right not to practise any religion at all.

3. What does the Sikh festival of Vaisakhi celebrate?

   • AThe end of Ramadan
   • BThe founding of the Khalsa, the Sikh communityRight
   • CThe Jewish struggle for religious freedom
   • DThe beginning of winter

   Vaisakhi (or Baisakhi) marks the founding of the Khalsa, the Sikh community. Sikhs celebrate it with parades, dancing and singing.

4. How many Paralympic medals did Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson win?

   • A8, including 3 gold
   • B6, all of them gold
   • C26, including 20 gold
   • D16, including 11 goldRight

   Racing in a wheelchair, Tanni Grey-Thompson won 16 Paralympic medals across five Games, and 11 of them were gold. She also won the London Marathon six times.

5. The Ashes is a series of cricket matches between England and which country?

   • ANew Zealand
   • BAustraliaRight
   • CIndia
   • DSouth Africa

   England and Australia play each other in a Test series called the Ashes, the best-known contest in cricket.

6. In a pantomime, the Dame is usually played by a woman.

   • ATrue
   • BFalseRight

   This is false. The Dame is a traditional pantomime role: a female character acted by a man. Pantomimes are family plays put on at Christmas.

7. Who designed the new St Paul's Cathedral in London?

   • ASir Edwin Lutyens
   • BInigo Jones
   • CSir Christopher WrenRight
   • DRobert Adam

   Sir Christopher Wren designed the new St Paul's Cathedral in London in the 17th century.

8. Which of these writers has won the Booker Prize (called the Man Booker Prize in the handbook)?

   • AHilary MantelRight
   • BJ K Rowling
   • CAgatha Christie
   • DIan Fleming

   The handbook names Hilary Mantel, Ian McEwan and Julian Barnes as past winners of the prize for fiction that is now called the Booker Prize.

9. Which writer created the detective Sherlock Holmes?

   • AEvelyn Waugh
   • BIan Fleming
   • CSir Arthur Conan DoyleRight
   • DAgatha Christie

   Sherlock Holmes, one of the earliest detectives in fiction, was created by the Scottish doctor and author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

10. Which national park is the biggest in England?

    • AThe Lake DistrictRight
    • BLoch Lomond and The Trossachs
    • CThe Peak District
    • DSnowdonia

    The Lake District, in the north-west of England, is England's largest national park. Snowdonia is in Wales, and Loch Lomond and The Trossachs is in Scotland.

Practise chapter 4

Chapter 5: Government and law

1. In 1928 women won the right to vote at the same age as men.

   • ATrueRight
   • BFalse

   This is true. In 1918 only women over 30 could vote. From 1928 women and men over 21 could vote on equal terms, which the handbook treats as the start of fully democratic voting.

2. In the UK the monarch rules the country and decides government policy.

   • ATrue
   • BFalseRight

   This is false. The UK is a constitutional monarchy. The monarch does not rule but appoints the government that people chose in elections, and the Prime Minister and cabinet decide policy.

3. Every Act of Parliament is made in the monarch's name.

   • ATrueRight
   • BFalse

   This is true. Acts of Parliament are made in the monarch's name. This is one of the monarch's ceremonial roles, even though Parliament decides the laws.

4. What is held when an MP dies or resigns?

   • AA by-electionRight
   • BA referendum
   • CA General Election
   • DA local election

   When an MP dies or resigns, a by-election is held in that MP's constituency. The voters there elect a new MP.

5. Which minister is responsible for crime, policing and immigration?

   • AThe Home SecretaryRight
   • BThe Chancellor of the Exchequer
   • CThe Foreign Secretary
   • DThe Leader of the Opposition

   The Home Secretary is in charge of crime, policing and immigration. It is one of the senior posts in the cabinet, which the Prime Minister appoints.

6. According to the handbook, the UK government has the power to suspend the Northern Ireland Assembly.

   • ATrueRight
   • BFalse

   This is true. The handbook says the UK government can suspend the Assembly if political leaders stop working together, and it was suspended from 2002 to 2007. That power was removed in 2007.

7. How many people are on a jury in Scotland?

   • A11
   • B12
   • C13
   • D15Right

   A jury in Scotland has 15 members, while juries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have 12. Jurors are chosen at random from the electoral register.

8. Newspapers can publish the name of a young person accused in a Youth Court.

   • ATrue
   • BFalseRight

   This is false. Members of the public are not allowed into Youth Courts, and the media cannot publish the young person's name or photographs.

Practise chapter 5