United Kingdom
Practice questions and answers
385 questions on the facts of the official handbook, each with the right answer. Open a question to read why the answer is right.
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Values 1
Which of these is one of the fundamental principles of British life?Correct answer:The rule of law
Values 2
What does the rule of law mean in the UK?Correct answer:Everyone must obey the law, including the government and the police
Values 3
Which statement best describes individual liberty in the UK?Correct answer:People are free to make their own choices, as long as they stay within the law
Values 4
Your new neighbours follow a religion that is different from yours. Which response shows the British value of tolerance?Correct answer:Respecting their right to hold and practise their own beliefs
Values 5
Which of these is an example of participating in community life?Correct answer:Volunteering to help at a local food bank
Values 6
In the UK's democracy, what can voters do if they are unhappy with the government?Correct answer:Vote for a different party or candidate at the next election
Values 7
Values 8
Which of these is a responsibility expected of people who live in the UK?Correct answer:Looking after the area where they live and the environment
Values 9
Which of these freedoms does the UK offer to the people who live there?Correct answer:Freedom of speech
Values 10
A person has been accused of a crime. What does their right to a fair trial mean?Correct answer:Their case must be heard fairly by an independent court
Values 11
Values 12
Which of these is an example of unfair discrimination?Correct answer:Not giving someone a job because of their religion
Values 13
A colleague has political views that are very different from yours. What should you do?Correct answer:Respect their right to their own opinion
Values 14
Values 15
Someone takes the Life in the UK test and does not pass. What can they do?Correct answer:Book the test again and take it another time
Values 16
What does the Life in the UK test check?Correct answer:Your knowledge of British life, including its history, traditions and laws
Values 17
Most adults who apply for permanent residence or British citizenship must show two things. What are they?Correct answer:That they can speak and read English, and understand life in the UK
Values 18
Values 19
Apart from an approved English test, which of these can be used to prove your English when applying for citizenship?Correct answer:A degree taught or researched in English that is recognised as equal to a UK degree
Values 20
Which of these people does not need to take the Life in the UK test?Correct answer:Someone aged 65 or over
Values 21
Values 22
Who usually arranges citizenship ceremonies for new British citizens?Correct answer:The local authority (council)
Values 23
At a citizenship ceremony, why might a new citizen make an affirmation instead of an oath of allegiance?Correct answer:Because they would prefer not to swear by God
Values 24
In the citizenship pledge, what do new British citizens promise?Correct answer:To uphold the UK's democratic values and observe its laws faithfully
Values 25
The UK 1
Which four countries make up the United Kingdom?Correct answer:England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
The UK 2
Which countries together form Great Britain?Correct answer:England, Scotland and Wales
The UK 3
What is the full official name of the country?Correct answer:The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
The UK 4
Which city is the capital of the United Kingdom?Correct answer:London
The UK 5
What is the capital city of Scotland?Correct answer:Edinburgh
The UK 6
What is the capital city of Wales?Correct answer:Cardiff
The UK 7
What is the capital city of Northern Ireland?Correct answer:Belfast
The UK 8
The Republic of Ireland is part of the United Kingdom.Correct answer:False
The UK 9
The Channel Islands are part of the United Kingdom.Correct answer:False
The UK 10
The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are Crown dependencies. How are they governed?Correct answer:They have their own governments
The UK 11
Which of these is a British overseas territory?Correct answer:The Falkland Islands
The UK 12
British overseas territories, such as St Helena, are part of the United Kingdom.Correct answer:False
The UK 13
Where does the UK Parliament sit?Correct answer:Westminster, in London
The UK 14
Which country of the UK does NOT have its own devolved parliament or assembly?Correct answer:England
The UK 15
The Union Flag is often called the Union Jack.Correct answer:True
The UK 16
How many crosses are combined in the Union Flag?Correct answer:Three
The UK 17
The UK 18
What does the cross of St Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland, look like?Correct answer:A diagonal white cross on a blue background
The UK 19
The UK 20
Why is Wales not shown on the Union Flag?Correct answer:Wales was already united with England when the first Union Flag was made in 1606
The UK 21
The UK 22
What is shown on the national flag of Wales?Correct answer:A red dragon on a white and green background
The UK 23
On which date is St David's Day, the national day of Wales?Correct answer:1 March
The UK 24
Which plant is a national symbol of Scotland?Correct answer:The thistle
The UK 25
On which date is St George's Day, the national day of England?Correct answer:23 April
History 1
For much of the Stone Age, how could people travel from mainland Europe to Britain?Correct answer:By walking across land that joined Britain to the continent
History 2
About 6,000 years ago, newcomers brought a new way of life to Britain. What was it?Correct answer:Farming
History 3
In which English county is Stonehenge?Correct answer:Wiltshire
History 4
True or false? Stonehenge was built by the Romans.Correct answer:False
History 5
Skara Brae, the best-preserved prehistoric village in northern Europe, is found where?Correct answer:On Orkney, off the north coast of Scotland
History 6
In the Bronze Age, many people buried their dead in what kind of tomb?Correct answer:Round barrows
History 7
True or false? People in Bronze Age Britain lived in roundhouses.Correct answer:True
History 8
Maiden Castle in Dorset is a famous example of what?Correct answer:An Iron Age hill fort
History 9
What kind of languages did people in Iron Age Britain speak?Correct answer:Celtic languages, related to modern Welsh
History 10
In which period were the first coins made in Britain?Correct answer:The Iron Age
History 11
What was the result of Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain in 55 BC?Correct answer:It did not succeed, and Britain was not conquered at that time
History 12
History 13
Who was Boudicca?Correct answer:A queen of the Iceni who fought against the Romans
History 14
Where in the UK can you see a well-known statue of Boudicca?Correct answer:At the end of Westminster Bridge in London
History 15
Why did the Romans build Hadrian's Wall?Correct answer:To keep out the Picts living in the north
History 16
True or false? Hadrian's Wall is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Correct answer:True
History 17
Which of these did the Romans leave behind in Britain?Correct answer:A network of roads and public buildings, and a system of law
History 18
After the Romans left in AD 410, which peoples from northern Europe invaded and settled in Britain?Correct answer:The Jutes, the Angles and the Saxons
History 19
History 20
What was discovered at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk?Correct answer:The ship burial of an Anglo-Saxon king, with treasure and armour
History 21
Where did St Columba found a monastery that helped spread Christianity in the north?Correct answer:On the island of Iona, off Scotland's west coast
History 22
Who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury?Correct answer:St Augustine
History 23
Where did the Vikings who came to Britain originally come from?Correct answer:Denmark and Norway
History 24
What was the Danelaw?Correct answer:An area in the north and east of England where many Vikings settled
History 25
History 26
Who defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings in 1066?Correct answer:William, Duke of Normandy, from France
History 27
History 28
What is the Bayeux Tapestry?Correct answer:A long embroidery that tells the story of the Norman Conquest and Hastings
History 29
Why did William the Conqueror have the Domesday Book made?Correct answer:To record the towns and villages of England, who owned the land and what animals they had
History 30
History 31
Which castles were built in Wales in the Middle Ages to keep English control there?Correct answer:Conwy and Caernarfon
History 32
What happened at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314?Correct answer:The Scots, led by Robert the Bruce, defeated the English
History 33
History 34
By about 1200, the English ruled only part of Ireland. What was this area called?Correct answer:The Pale, around Dublin
History 35
History 36
Which English king won the Battle of Agincourt against the French in 1415?Correct answer:Henry V
History 37
The Black Death reached Britain in 1348. About how much of England's population died?Correct answer:About one third
History 38
Which of these was a result of the Black Death?Correct answer:There were fewer people to work the land, so peasants began to ask for higher wages
History 39
In 1215 a group of noblemen forced King John to accept a charter of rights. What is this charter called?Correct answer:The Magna Carta
History 40
What was the main importance of the Magna Carta?Correct answer:It set out the idea that even the king must obey the law
History 41
In medieval England, who sat in the House of Commons?Correct answer:Knights, who were usually smaller landowners, and richer townspeople
History 42
In the Middle Ages, the Scottish Parliament had three Houses, called Estates. Which groups were they?Correct answer:The lords, the commons and the clergy
History 43
How did English judges develop 'common law' in the Middle Ages?Correct answer:By following earlier decisions (precedent) and tradition
History 44
After the Norman Conquest, which language did the king and his noblemen speak?Correct answer:Norman French
History 45
History 46
What is Geoffrey Chaucer's 'The Canterbury Tales' about?Correct answer:A group of pilgrims travelling to Canterbury who tell each other stories
History 47
What was William Caxton the first person in England to do?Correct answer:Print books using a printing press
History 48
The Wars of the Roses began in 1455. Supporters of which two families fought in them?Correct answer:The House of Lancaster and the House of York
History 49
What happened at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485?Correct answer:King Richard III was killed and Henry Tudor became King Henry VII
History 50
Henry VII married Elizabeth of York to bring the two rival families together. What became the symbol of the new House of Tudor?Correct answer:A red rose with a white rose inside it, joining both houses
History 51
Henry VII, the first Tudor king, won the crown by defeating Richard III at which battle in 1485?Correct answer:The Battle of Bosworth Field
History 52
Why did Henry VIII break away from the Church of Rome?Correct answer:Because the Pope would not allow him to end his first marriage
History 53
When Henry VIII set up the Church of England, the Pope remained its head.Correct answer:False
History 54
Which of Henry VIII's wives was the mother of Elizabeth I?Correct answer:Anne Boleyn
History 55
Which of Henry VIII's wives gave birth to his son Edward and died soon afterwards?Correct answer:Jane Seymour
History 56
Catherine Parr, the sixth and last wife of Henry VIII, outlived him.Correct answer:True
History 57
What happened to Wales during the reign of Henry VIII?Correct answer:It was formally united with England by law, and Welsh MPs began to sit in Parliament
History 58
What was the Reformation?Correct answer:A movement in Europe against the Pope's authority and Catholic ideas and practices
History 59
Which book, first written during the reign of Edward VI, set out church services in English and is still used in some churches today?Correct answer:The Book of Common Prayer
History 60
How is Mary I, Henry VIII's elder daughter, mainly remembered?Correct answer:As a devout Catholic who persecuted Protestants
History 61
What did Elizabeth I do about religion when she became queen?Correct answer:She re-established the Church of England as the country's official church
History 62
History 63
Elizabeth I never married and had no children.Correct answer:True
History 64
What happened to Mary, Queen of Scots, after she fled from Scotland to England?Correct answer:Elizabeth I kept her prisoner for years, and later had her executed for plotting
History 65
What kind of church was established in Scotland after its Parliament broke with the Pope in 1560?Correct answer:A Protestant Church of Scotland with a Presbyterian structure
History 66
Which of these works was written by William Shakespeare?Correct answer:Romeo and Juliet
History 67
Who became King of England after Elizabeth I died in 1603?Correct answer:James VI of Scotland, who became James I of England
History 68
History 69
Which important book was published in 1611, during the reign of James I?Correct answer:A new English translation of the Bible, the King James Bible
History 70
What was the 'plantation' of Ulster in the early 1600s?Correct answer:Land in the north of Ireland was taken from Catholic landowners and given to Protestant settlers
History 71
Charles I believed in the 'Divine Right of Kings'. What does this idea mean?Correct answer:The king was chosen by God and did not have to answer to Parliament
History 72
In the Civil War that began in 1642, what were the supporters of King Charles I called?Correct answer:Cavaliers
History 73
After Charles I was executed in 1649, England became a republic. What was it called?Correct answer:The Commonwealth
History 74
What title did Oliver Cromwell take as leader of the republic after the Civil War?Correct answer:Lord Protector
History 75
What happened in 1660, in the event known as the Restoration?Correct answer:Charles II was invited back from exile and the monarchy was restored
History 76
In 1665, a major outbreak of plague in London killed thousands of people.Correct answer:True
History 77
After the Great Fire of London in 1666, who designed the new St Paul's Cathedral?Correct answer:Sir Christopher Wren
History 78
What did the Habeas Corpus Act of 1679 guarantee?Correct answer:That a person held prisoner must be brought before a court, so no one is held unlawfully
History 79
Why is the change of monarch in 1688 called the 'Glorious Revolution'?Correct answer:Because there was no fighting in England when William of Orange replaced James II
History 80
What did the Bill of Rights of 1689 do?Correct answer:It confirmed the rights of Parliament and the limits of the monarch's power
History 81
The Act of Union of 1707 created the Kingdom of Great Britain. Which two kingdoms did it join together?Correct answer:England (including Wales) and Scotland
History 82
Which of these did Scotland keep after the Act of Union of 1707?Correct answer:Its own legal and education systems
History 83
History 84
Who is generally thought of as Britain's first Prime Minister?Correct answer:Sir Robert Walpole
History 85
Who led the Jacobite rising that began in Scotland in 1745?Correct answer:Charles Edward Stuart, known as Bonnie Prince Charlie
History 86
At which battle were the Jacobites finally defeated in 1746?Correct answer:Culloden
History 87
What happened during the Highland Clearances?Correct answer:Landlords removed many small farmers from their land to make room for sheep and cattle
History 88
Which thinker of the Scottish Enlightenment is best known for his ideas about economics?Correct answer:Adam Smith
History 89
History 90
Richard Arkwright is remembered for which achievement of the Industrial Revolution?Correct answer:Developing machines and mills that spun cotton much more efficiently
History 91
What did the process developed by Henry Bessemer make possible?Correct answer:The mass production of steel
History 92
Why were many canals built in Britain in the late 18th and early 19th centuries?Correct answer:To carry raw materials and goods between factories, towns and ports
History 93
Which new form of transport, powered by steam, spread quickly across Britain in the 1830s and 1840s?Correct answer:The railways
History 94
Which engineer designed the Great Western Railway and the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol?Correct answer:Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the Victorian engineer
History 95
Which Member of Parliament led the campaign in Parliament to end the slave trade?Correct answer:William Wilberforce
History 96
What did the law passed by Parliament in 1807 do?Correct answer:It made it illegal to trade slaves on British ships or from British ports
History 97
History 98
History 99
Why did many British colonists in North America rebel against Britain in the 1770s?Correct answer:They objected to taxes set by a Parliament in which they had no representatives
History 100
History 101
Which sea battle of 1805 is remembered for Admiral Nelson's victory and his death?Correct answer:The Battle of Trafalgar
History 102
Who commanded the army that defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815?Correct answer:The Duke of Wellington
History 103
History 104
How old was Victoria when she became queen in 1837?Correct answer:18
History 105
By around 1900, roughly how many people lived in the British Empire?Correct answer:About 400 million
History 106
Florence Nightingale is best known for which of these?Correct answer:Caring for wounded soldiers in the Crimean War and founding modern nursing
History 107
What caused the famine in Ireland in the mid-1840s?Correct answer:The potato crop failed because of a plant disease
History 108
What did the Reform Act of 1832 do?Correct answer:It increased the number of voters and gave more seats to towns and cities
History 109
History 110
Emmeline Pankhurst is best known for which of these?Correct answer:Leading the campaign for women's right to vote
History 111
In which year did the Battle of the Somme begin?Correct answer:1916
History 112
When did the fighting in the First World War end?Correct answer:11 November 1918
History 113
Which of these countries fought against Britain in the First World War?Correct answer:Austria-Hungary, which fought on Germany's side
History 114
In the early 1920s Ireland was divided into two parts. Which part stayed in the United Kingdom?Correct answer:Six counties in the north, which became Northern Ireland
History 115
During the Depression of the 1930s, which kind of industry was hit especially hard in Britain?Correct answer:Shipbuilding
History 116
History 117
Which event led Britain to declare war on Germany in 1939?Correct answer:Germany's invasion of Poland
History 118
Whom did Winston Churchill replace as Prime Minister in 1940?Correct answer:Neville Chamberlain
History 119
What happened at Dunkirk in 1940?Correct answer:More than 300,000 soldiers were rescued from the beaches of northern France
History 120
Which RAF fighter planes are most closely linked with the Battle of Britain in 1940?Correct answer:The Spitfire and the Hurricane
History 121
History 122
Where did the Allied D-Day landings take place on 6 June 1944?Correct answer:Normandy
History 123
Which party won the general election of 1945, just after the war in Europe ended?Correct answer:Labour, led by Clement Attlee
History 124
Which of these was one of the five 'giant evils' named in the Beveridge Report of 1942?Correct answer:Squalor
History 125
As Minister of Health after the war, who led the creation of the National Health Service?Correct answer:Aneurin (Nye) Bevan
History 126
In which year was the National Health Service set up?Correct answer:1948
History 127
Which countries gained independence from Britain in 1947?Correct answer:India and Pakistan
History 128
History 129
History 130
Which of these changes happened in Britain in the late 1960s?Correct answer:Laws on divorce and abortion were made less strict in England and Wales
History 131
History 132
Which policy is Margaret Thatcher's government best known for?Correct answer:Selling many state-owned industries to private owners
History 133
History 134
History 135
What did the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 lead to?Correct answer:A power-sharing Northern Ireland Assembly
History 136
What did Alexander Fleming discover in 1928?Correct answer:Penicillin
History 137
Alan Turing is best known for which achievement?Correct answer:Describing a theoretical machine that laid the foundations of modern computers
History 138
What did Sir Tim Berners-Lee invent?Correct answer:The World Wide Web
History 139
Sir Frank Whittle, an RAF officer, is remembered for developing which invention in the 1930s?Correct answer:The jet engine
History 140
The Scottish engineer John Logie Baird is best known for his work on which invention?Correct answer:The television
Society 1
Who is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England?Correct answer:The monarch
Society 2
What kind of church is the Church of Scotland?Correct answer:A Presbyterian church run by ministers and elders
Society 3
Who chairs the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland?Correct answer:The Moderator, who holds the post for one year
Society 4
Society 5
St David is the patron saint of Wales. On which date is St David's Day?Correct answer:1 March
Society 6
In which part of the UK is St Patrick's Day, 17 March, an official holiday?Correct answer:Northern Ireland, as a bank holiday every year
Society 7
What is the period of about four weeks before Christmas called?Correct answer:Advent
Society 8
Society 9
What do Christians celebrate on Easter Sunday?Correct answer:Jesus rising from the dead
Society 10
Diwali, often called the festival of lights, is mainly celebrated by which groups?Correct answer:Hindus and Sikhs, over five days
Society 11
Which festival lasts eight days and involves lighting candles on a menorah?Correct answer:Hanukkah
Society 12
What does the festival of Eid al-Fitr mark?Correct answer:The end of Ramadan, a month of fasting
Society 13
Vaisakhi is a Sikh festival. What does it celebrate?Correct answer:The founding of the Sikh community known as the Khalsa
Society 14
Society 15
What do people traditionally do on Valentine's Day, 14 February?Correct answer:Send cards or gifts to someone they love, sometimes unsigned
Society 16
Society 17
When is Mothering Sunday in the UK?Correct answer:The Sunday three weeks before Easter
Society 18
Halloween, on 31 October, has its roots in an ancient pagan festival. What did that festival mark?Correct answer:The beginning of winter
Society 19
Why do many people in the UK set off fireworks on 5 November?Correct answer:To remember a failed plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605
Society 20
What happens at 11 am on Remembrance Day, 11 November?Correct answer:People keep a two-minute silence
Society 21
In cricket, the Ashes is a series of Test matches between England and which country?Correct answer:Australia
Society 22
Bobby Moore captained the England football team to victory in which competition?Correct answer:The 1966 World Cup
Society 23
Society 24
Society 25
Which town in Scotland is known as the home of golf?Correct answer:St Andrews
Society 26
What makes Wimbledon different from the other Grand Slam tennis tournaments?Correct answer:It is the only one played on grass
Society 27
Jackie Stewart, a Scottish sportsman, won three world championships in which sport?Correct answer:Motor racing, in Formula 1
Society 28
Society 29
In which years has the UK hosted the Olympic Games?Correct answer:1908, 1948 and 2012
Society 30
The Paralympic Games grew out of sport for patients with spinal injuries at a hospital in which place?Correct answer:Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire
Society 31
In 1954 Roger Bannister became the first person to do what?Correct answer:Run a mile in under four minutes
Society 32
Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean won Olympic gold medals in 1984 in which sport?Correct answer:Ice dancing
Society 33
Steve Redgrave won gold medals at five Olympic Games in a row. In which sport?Correct answer:Rowing
Society 34
At the 2004 Olympic Games, Kelly Holmes won two gold medals. In which events?Correct answer:The 800 metres and the 1,500 metres
Society 35
Society 36
Chris Hoy and Bradley Wiggins both won Olympic gold medals in which sport?Correct answer:Cycling
Society 37
David Weir and Ellie Simmonds have both won gold medals at which sporting event?Correct answer:The Paralympic Games
Society 38
At the London 2012 Olympics, Mo Farah won gold medals in which events?Correct answer:The 5,000 metres and the 10,000 metres
Society 39
Jessica Ennis won a gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics in which event?Correct answer:The heptathlon
Society 40
Society 41
Which composer was born in Germany, made his home in Britain and wrote the Water Music for King George I?Correct answer:George Frederick Handel, who wrote Messiah
Society 42
Which composer wrote the music that is sung as 'Land of Hope and Glory' at the Last Night of the Proms?Correct answer:Edward Elgar
Society 43
What is Gustav Holst's best-known work?Correct answer:The Planets
Society 44
The composer Benjamin Britten helped to found a music festival in which town?Correct answer:Aldeburgh
Society 45
Which of these is a comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan?Correct answer:The Pirates of Penzance, a Victorian stage work from 1879
Society 46
Which of these musicals was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber?Correct answer:The Phantom of the Opera, a musical first staged in 1986
Society 47
Society 48
Thomas Gainsborough, an 18th-century painter, is best known for what kind of work?Correct answer:Portraits, often with a country or garden background
Society 49
Who painted The Hay Wain, a famous picture of the countryside on the border of Suffolk and Essex?Correct answer:John Constable
Society 50
The Turner Prize, set up in 1984, is an award for what?Correct answer:Contemporary art
Society 51
Society 52
In the 1960s David Hockney became an important figure in which art movement?Correct answer:Pop art
Society 53
Which architect designed the new St Paul's Cathedral after the Great Fire of London in 1666?Correct answer:Sir Christopher Wren
Society 54
Robert Adam, an 18th-century Scottish architect, was known for what?Correct answer:Designing the interiors of his buildings as well as the outside
Society 55
Sir Edwin Lutyens designed which war memorial in Whitehall, London?Correct answer:The Cenotaph
Society 56
Thomas Chippendale was an 18th-century designer of what?Correct answer:Furniture
Society 57
Which of these novels was written by Jane Austen?Correct answer:Pride and Prejudice
Society 58
Oliver Twist and Great Expectations were written by which author?Correct answer:Charles Dickens
Society 59
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created which famous fictional character?Correct answer:Sherlock Holmes
Society 60
Which novel was voted the country's best-loved book in the BBC's national 'Big Read' poll in 2003?Correct answer:The Lord of the Rings
Society 61
Which poet wrote the words of 'Auld Lang Syne', sung in many countries at New Year?Correct answer:Robert Burns
Society 62
The poet William Wordsworth was inspired by the landscape of which area, now England's largest national park?Correct answer:The Lake District
Society 63
What is the main subject of Wilfred Owen's best-known poems?Correct answer:The First World War
Society 64
True or false: Dylan Thomas, who wrote Under Milk Wood, was a Scottish poet.Correct answer:False
Society 65
Society 66
What are the BAFTAs?Correct answer:Awards for film and television
Society 67
Society 68
Society 69
Society 70
The Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland is made of thousands of stone columns. How were they formed?Correct answer:By lava from a volcanic eruption millions of years ago
Society 71
Which is the largest stretch of fresh water in mainland Britain by surface area?Correct answer:Loch Lomond
Society 72
Why was the London Eye first built?Correct answer:To celebrate the millennium
Society 73
Which famous items are kept and shown to visitors at the Tower of London?Correct answer:The Crown Jewels
Society 74
In which part of the UK is the Snowdonia (Eryri) national park?Correct answer:North Wales
Society 75
Edinburgh Castle, which dominates the city's skyline, stands on what?Correct answer:The rock of an extinct volcano
Government and law 1
Which statement best describes the UK constitution?Correct answer:It is not written in one document but comes from laws, conventions and court decisions.
Government and law 2
The UK is a constitutional monarchy. Who decides government policy?Correct answer:The elected government, which answers to Parliament
Government and law 3
At the start of each new session of Parliament, the monarch reads a speech. What does this speech set out?Correct answer:The government's main plans and proposed laws for the session
Government and law 4
Government and law 5
A bill has been passed by both Houses of Parliament. What must happen before it becomes law?Correct answer:It must receive Royal Assent from the monarch.
Government and law 6
Government and law 7
How is an MP elected in a general election?Correct answer:The candidate with the most votes in the constituency wins, even without more than half of them.
Government and law 8
What normally happens when an MP dies or resigns?Correct answer:A by-election is held in that constituency.
Government and law 9
What is the longest a Parliament can last before a general election must be held?Correct answer:Five years
Government and law 10
What is the main job of party whips in Parliament?Correct answer:To make sure their party's MPs attend and vote as the party wants
Government and law 11
How do most members of the House of Lords get their seats today?Correct answer:They are appointed for life by the monarch, on the advice of the Prime Minister.
Government and law 12
Government and law 13
How is the Speaker of the House of Commons chosen?Correct answer:MPs elect the Speaker in a secret ballot.
Government and law 14
After a general election, who usually becomes Prime Minister?Correct answer:The leader of the party that wins the most seats in the House of Commons
Government and law 15
What is the Prime Minister's official home and office in London?Correct answer:10 Downing Street
Government and law 16
Who chooses the ministers who make up the cabinet?Correct answer:The Prime Minister
Government and law 17
Which cabinet minister is responsible for the economy?Correct answer:The Chancellor of the Exchequer, who runs the Treasury
Government and law 18
What is the shadow cabinet?Correct answer:Senior members of the main opposition party, each following a government department
Government and law 19
Government and law 20
Which statement about civil servants is correct?Correct answer:They are politically neutral and carry out the policies of whichever party is in government.
Government and law 21
Which of these is a local tax that helps to pay for council services?Correct answer:Council tax
Government and law 22
Government and law 23
In which city does the Scottish Parliament meet?Correct answer:Edinburgh
Government and law 24
In which city does the Senedd (the Welsh Parliament) meet?Correct answer:Cardiff
Government and law 25
Which agreement led to the creation of the Northern Ireland Assembly?Correct answer:The Good Friday Agreement of 1998
Government and law 26
Government and law 27
Which group of people living in the UK can vote in UK general elections, if they meet the other conditions?Correct answer:British citizens, Irish citizens and eligible Commonwealth citizens
Government and law 28
Government and law 29
Which of these people cannot stand for election as an MP while they are still in that job?Correct answer:A serving member of the armed forces
Government and law 30
How do political parties appear on UK television to explain their views?Correct answer:They get free party political broadcasts but cannot buy advertising time.
Government and law 31
Government and law 32
Government and law 33
Government and law 34
Government and law 35
What is NATO?Correct answer:An alliance of European and North American countries that agree to defend each other
Government and law 36
Which of these would usually be dealt with under civil law rather than criminal law?Correct answer:A disagreement with your landlord about repairs to your flat
Government and law 37
Which of these is against the law in the UK?Correct answer:Smoking a cigarette inside a pub or restaurant
Government and law 38
Which of these is one of the main jobs of the police in the UK?Correct answer:Protecting life and property and preventing and detecting crime
Government and law 39
What do police community support officers (PCSOs) do?Correct answer:They support police officers, for example by patrolling the streets and helping at large events
Government and law 40
If you believe a police officer has treated you unfairly, what is a proper way to complain?Correct answer:Contact the police force concerned, for example by writing to its chief constable
Government and law 41
What should you do if you think someone may be planning a terrorist attack?Correct answer:Report it to the police, for example through the anti-terrorist hotline
Government and law 42
Government and law 43
In Scotland, which court deals with most minor criminal cases?Correct answer:The Justice of the Peace Court
Government and law 44
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, where are serious criminal cases, such as murder, tried?Correct answer:In the Crown Court
Government and law 45
How many people sit on a jury in a criminal trial in Scotland?Correct answer:15
Government and law 46
Government and law 47
In England and Wales, youth courts hear cases against young people of which ages?Correct answer:10 to 17
Government and law 48
Government and law 49
What is true of the small claims procedure?Correct answer:It is an informal way to settle smaller money disputes without needing a lawyer
Government and law 50
In England and Wales, which court deals with most civil disputes, such as unpaid debts or broken contracts?Correct answer:The County Court
Government and law 51
Where can you get free advice and find out about local solicitors and the kinds of law they deal with?Correct answer:Citizens Advice
Government and law 52
Government and law 53
Which of these is a right protected by the European Convention on Human Rights?Correct answer:The right to a fair trial
Government and law 54
In England, Scotland and Wales, the Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful to treat someone less favourably at work because of which of these?Correct answer:Their religion or belief
Government and law 55
Government and law 56
Government and law 57
What is true about forced marriage in the UK?Correct answer:It is a crime to force someone to marry against their will
Government and law 58
How do most employees in the UK pay income tax?Correct answer:Their employer takes it from their pay before they get it, through PAYE (Pay As You Earn)
Government and law 59
Why is it important to pay National Insurance contributions?Correct answer:They help you qualify for the State Pension and some other benefits
Government and law 60
Which of these is a legal requirement for anyone driving a car on public roads in the UK?Correct answer:Being insured to drive the car
Government and law 61
Which of these is one of the shared responsibilities that people living in the UK are expected to accept?Correct answer:Respecting other people's rights, including their right to their own opinions
Government and law 62
Voting in UK elections is compulsory for every adult citizen.Correct answer:False
Government and law 63
You have just moved into a new home. What is a good way to start a friendly relationship with your neighbours?Correct answer:Introduce yourself when you see them
Government and law 64
Your council collects household rubbish and recycling on set days. What should you do?Correct answer:Put your rubbish and recycling out on the correct collection day
Government and law 65
What is volunteering?Correct answer:Choosing to work for a good cause without being paid
Government and law 66
Apart from helping other people, how can volunteering benefit the volunteer?Correct answer:It can give you experience and skills that help when looking for work
Government and law 67
What do parent-teacher associations (PTAs) often do in schools?Correct answer:Organise events and raise money for the school
Government and law 68
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, which of these is a role of school governors?Correct answer:Setting the school's strategic direction and checking how well it is doing
Government and law 69
In England, who can apply to become a school governor?Correct answer:Parents and other members of the local community
Government and law 70
What is 'canvassing' during an election campaign?Correct answer:Going from door to door to ask people to support a party or candidate
Government and law 71
Why does the NHS need people to give blood regularly?Correct answer:Hospitals use donated blood to treat patients, for example after accidents or in operations
Government and law 72
You would like your organs to help other people after your death. What is a sensible step to take?Correct answer:Register your decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register and tell your family
Government and law 73
Government and law 74
Which of these is a good way to help protect the environment at home?Correct answer:Recycling as much of your household waste as you can
Government and law 75
How can shopping locally help your community and the environment?Correct answer:It supports local businesses and cuts pollution because goods travel shorter distances
Government and law 76
On the day of a general election, polling stations are usually open during which hours?Correct answer:7am to 10pm
Government and law 77
How are people chosen to do jury service?Correct answer:They are picked at random from the electoral register
Government and law 78
Government and law 79
What must you do before you can vote in a UK election?Correct answer:Make sure your name is on the electoral register
Government and law 80
Values 26
Which TWO of these are responsibilities expected of people who live in the UK?Correct answer:Paying the taxes they owe
Correct answer:Treating other people fairly
Values 27
Which TWO of these are among the fundamental principles of British life?Correct answer:Taking part in community life
Correct answer:Democracy
Values 28
Which TWO of these can people who live in the UK expect?Correct answer:Freedom to follow the religion of their choice
Correct answer:Protection by law from unfair discrimination
Values 29
Which TWO of these are good ways to take part in community life?Correct answer:Joining a residents' association
Correct answer:Helping at a local charity or community group
Values 30
Which TWO of these are ways of taking part in democracy in the UK?Correct answer:Voting in elections
Correct answer:Writing to your MP about a local problem
Values 31
Which TWO of these are British values that new residents are expected to respect?Correct answer:Individual liberty
Correct answer:Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs
The UK 26
The UK 27
Which TWO of these places are Crown dependencies?Correct answer:Jersey
Correct answer:The Isle of Man
The UK 28
Which TWO of these languages are spoken in parts of the UK, as well as English?Correct answer:Welsh
Correct answer:Scottish Gaelic
The UK 29
Which TWO of these pairs of a date and a saint's day are correct?Correct answer:17 March - St Patrick
Correct answer:30 November - St Andrew
The UK 30
Which TWO statements about Northern Ireland are correct?Correct answer:It is part of the island of Ireland
Correct answer:It has a land border with the Republic of Ireland
The UK 31
Which TWO statements about the UK's mountains are correct?Correct answer:Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales
Correct answer:Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the UK
History 141
Which TWO statements about Alfred the Great are correct?Correct answer:He was king of Wessex
Correct answer:He fought against the Vikings and agreed a boundary with them
History 142
Which TWO were results of the Norman Conquest of England?Correct answer:Many Anglo-Saxon nobles lost their land to Norman lords
Correct answer:Castles were built to help the Normans control the country
History 143
Which TWO statements about Thomas Becket are correct?Correct answer:He was Archbishop of Canterbury
Correct answer:He was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral
History 144
Which TWO of Henry VIII's wives were executed?Correct answer:Catherine Howard
Correct answer:Anne Boleyn
History 145
Which TWO of these women ruled England as queen in their own right?Correct answer:Mary I
Correct answer:Elizabeth I
History 146
Which TWO changes followed the Glorious Revolution of 1688?Correct answer:A Catholic could not become monarch
Correct answer:Parliament became more powerful than the monarch
History 147
Which TWO industries were important in the Industrial Revolution in Britain?Correct answer:Coal mining
Correct answer:Cotton spinning and weaving
History 148
Which TWO statements about Queen Victoria are correct?Correct answer:The Great Exhibition took place in her reign
Correct answer:Her husband was Prince Albert
History 149
Which TWO statements about women's right to vote in the UK are correct?Correct answer:In 1918 some women over 30 won the vote
Correct answer:In 1928 women won the vote on the same terms as men
History 150
Which TWO countries fought against Britain in the Second World War?Correct answer:Italy
Correct answer:Germany
History 151
Which TWO of these countries became independent from Britain after 1945?Correct answer:Ghana
Correct answer:Jamaica
History 152
Which TWO statements about the Falklands War of 1982 are correct?Correct answer:Britain sent a task force and took the islands back
Correct answer:Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands
History 153
Which TWO statements about the Channel Tunnel are correct?Correct answer:It opened in 1994
Correct answer:It links England and France
History 154
Which TWO of these scientists worked in the 17th century?Correct answer:Robert Boyle
Correct answer:Isaac Newton
Society 76
Which TWO of these festivals are celebrated by Muslims?Correct answer:Eid al-Fitr
Correct answer:Eid al-Adha
Society 77
Which TWO of these days are public holidays in all parts of the UK?Correct answer:Christmas Day
Correct answer:Good Friday
Society 78
Which TWO of these music groups are from Britain?Correct answer:The Beatles
Correct answer:The Rolling Stones
Society 79
Which TWO of these novels were written by the Brontë sisters?Correct answer:Wuthering Heights
Correct answer:Jane Eyre
Society 80
Which TWO of these are annual arts festivals held in the UK?Correct answer:The Edinburgh Festival
Correct answer:The National Eisteddfod of Wales
Society 81
Which TWO of these are national parks in the UK?Correct answer:The Cairngorms
Correct answer:The Peak District
Society 82
Which TWO of these are Christmas traditions in the UK?Correct answer:Decorating a Christmas tree
Correct answer:Singing carols
Society 83
Which TWO of these are traditionally linked with Easter in the UK?Correct answer:Eating hot cross buns
Correct answer:Giving Easter eggs
Government and law 81
Which TWO are main jobs of Parliament?Correct answer:Debating and passing new laws
Correct answer:Checking the work of the government
Government and law 82
Which TWO of these matters are decided by the devolved governments, for example in Scotland?Correct answer:Education
Correct answer:Health
Government and law 83
Which TWO of these services are provided by local councils?Correct answer:Collecting household rubbish
Correct answer:Running public libraries
Government and law 84
Which TWO courts are found in Scotland?Correct answer:The High Court of Justiciary
Correct answer:The Court of Session
Government and law 85
Which TWO of these are made up of people chosen by voters?Correct answer:The House of Commons
Correct answer:The Senedd
Government and law 86
Which TWO statements about the UK Supreme Court are correct?Correct answer:It is the highest court for civil cases in the whole UK
Correct answer:It sits in London
Source
Our own practice questions on the facts covered by the official handbook “Life in the United Kingdom: A Guide for New Residents” (3rd edition). They are not the real test questions, which are not published, and no wording of the handbook is reused. Each was written, answered blind and fact-checked by separate passes. Not affiliated with the Home Office.
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