Life in the UK Test questions and answers

1. Following one official religion
2. Military service for all adults
3. Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs
4. Compulsory membership of a political party

Answer: C. Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs

The fundamental principles are democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs, and participation in community life.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

Answer: A. TRUE

New citizens swear an oath (or make a non-religious affirmation) of allegiance and make a pledge to respect the UK's rights, freedoms, democratic values and laws.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

Answer: A. TRUE

The handbook explains that UK values grew out of its history and traditions, and are upheld by laws, customs and social expectations.

1. The right to a fair trial
2. The right to ignore laws you disagree with
3. The right to choose not to pay tax
4. Freedom from unfair discrimination

Answer: A. The right to a fair trial and D. Freedom from unfair discrimination

Freedom from unfair discrimination and the right to a fair trial are among the rights listed in the handbook.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

Answer: A. TRUE

The fundamental principles are democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs, and participation in community life.

1. Live in the same area for five years
2. Belong to a trade union
3. Do military training
4. Look after yourself and your family

Answer: D. Look after yourself and your family

Responsibilities include respecting and obeying the law, respecting others, treating others fairly, looking after yourself and your family, and looking after your area and the environment.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

Answer: A. TRUE

The handbook says these core values and principles apply to everyone who lives in the UK, not just to British citizens, and everyone should respect and support them.

1. To open a bank account
2. To show you understand life in the UK, as part of applying for settlement or citizenship
3. To register with a doctor
4. To get a driving licence

Answer: B. To show you understand life in the UK, as part of applying for settlement or citizenship

To become a permanent resident or citizen, you normally need to pass the Life in the UK test and meet the English language requirement.

1. Voting in UK elections is a right, not a legal requirement.
2. Everyone in the UK must vote by law.

Answer: A. Voting in UK elections is a right, not a legal requirement.

Voting is not compulsory in the UK, although everyone who is eligible is encouraged to take part.

1. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
2. The United Kingdom of England and Scotland
3. Great Britain and the Commonwealth
4. The British Isles

Answer: A. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The full name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

1. Westminster, London
2. Manchester
3. Cardiff
4. Edinburgh

Answer: A. Westminster, London

The UK Parliament sits at Westminster in London. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also have their own devolved bodies.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

Answer: A. TRUE

The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are Crown dependencies with their own governments.

1. Northern Ireland
2. The Isle of Man
3. Scotland
4. Wales

Answer: C. Scotland and D. Wales

Great Britain is made up of England, Scotland and Wales.

1. The Isles of Scilly
2. The Channel Islands
3. The Hebrides
4. The Orkney Islands

Answer: B. The Channel Islands

The Channel Islands are Crown dependencies. Orkney, the Hebrides and the Isles of Scilly are part of the UK.

1. Wiltshire
2. Dorset
3. Orkney
4. Cornwall

Answer: A. Wiltshire

Stonehenge, a prehistoric monument probably used for seasonal ceremonies, stands in the English county of Wiltshire.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

Answer: B. FALSE

The first coins minted in Britain were made by Iron Age people, before the Romans arrived. Some were inscribed with the names of Iron Age kings.

1. To defend London from the Normans
2. To keep out the Vikings
3. To mark the border with Wales
4. To keep out the Picts

Answer: D. To keep out the Picts

Hadrian's Wall was built on the orders of the Emperor Hadrian, across northern England, to keep the Picts (early inhabitants of what is now Scotland) out of Roman Britain.

1. The Jutes, Angles and Saxons
2. The Picts and the Scots
3. The Celts and the Iceni
4. The Normans and the Danes

Answer: A. The Jutes, Angles and Saxons

Jutes, Angles and Saxons from northern Europe invaded; their languages form the basis of modern English.

1. St Patrick
2. St George
3. St Andrew
4. St Columba

Answer: A. St Patrick

St Patrick became the patron saint of Ireland. St Columba founded a monastery on Iona, off the coast of Scotland.

1. Alba
2. Wessex
3. The Pale
4. The Danelaw

Answer: D. The Danelaw

Many Vikings stayed in the east and north of England, in an area known as the Danelaw.

1. A collection of Anglo-Saxon poems
2. A record of towns, villages, land and animals in England made for William the Conqueror
3. The first English Bible
4. A list of laws agreed by King John

Answer: B. A record of towns, villages, land and animals in England made for William the Conqueror

William the Conqueror sent people all over England to record who owned land and what it was worth. The result was the Domesday Book.

1. 99 years
2. 100 years
3. 116 years
4. 150 years

Answer: C. 116 years

Despite its name, the Hundred Years War with France lasted 116 years.

1. Robert Burns
2. William Shakespeare
3. Geoffrey Chaucer
4. William Caxton

Answer: C. Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a series of poems in English about pilgrims travelling to Canterbury. William Caxton was among the first to print books in England.

1. 1588
2. 1415
3. 1066
4. 1485

Answer: D. 1485

Henry Tudor won at Bosworth Field in 1485 and became King Henry VII. The red and white roses were joined in the Tudor rose.

1. Glasgow
2. Belfast
3. Dublin
4. Londonderry

Answer: B. Belfast

Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland. Dublin is the capital of the Republic of Ireland, which is not part of the UK.

1. 1 March
2. 23 April
3. 30 November
4. 31 December

Answer: C. 30 November

St Andrew's Day is 30 November. It is an official holiday in Scotland.

1. Hogmanay
2. Ceilidh
3. Eisteddfod
4. Burns Night

Answer: A. Hogmanay

In Scotland, 31 December is called Hogmanay and some people see it as more important than Christmas.

1. 26 December
2. 24 December
3. 31 December
4. 1 January

Answer: A. 26 December

Boxing Day is the day after Christmas Day and is a public holiday.

1. Cardiff, Wales
2. St Andrews, Scotland
3. Aintree, England
4. Belfast, Northern Ireland

Answer: B. St Andrews, Scotland

Golf can be traced back to 15th-century Scotland; St Andrews is known as the home of golf.

1. Great Ormond Street
2. Stoke Mandeville
3. Guy's Hospital
4. St Thomas' Hospital

Answer: B. Stoke Mandeville

Dr Sir Ludwig Guttmann developed new methods of treatment for people with spinal injuries at Stoke Mandeville hospital in Buckinghamshire.

1. Scotland
2. Wales
3. England
4. Northern Ireland

Answer: B. Wales

The National Eisteddfod of Wales is an annual festival of music, literature and performance, largely in Welsh.

1. Robert Louis Stevenson
2. Thomas Hardy
3. Charles Dickens
4. Jane Austen

Answer: C. Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens wrote many famous novels, including "Oliver Twist" and "Great Expectations".

1. Northern Ireland
2. Wales
3. Cornwall
4. Scotland

Answer: A. Northern Ireland

The Giant's Causeway on the north-east coast of Northern Ireland is a land formation of columns made from volcanic lava.

1. A royal palace
2. A famous bridge in London
3. The tallest tower in London
4. The nickname for the great bell of the clock at the Houses of Parliament

Answer: D. The nickname for the great bell of the clock at the Houses of Parliament

Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the Houses of Parliament. The tower is now called the Elizabeth Tower.

1. A parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarch
2. A presidential republic
3. An absolute monarchy
4. A one-party state

Answer: A. A parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarch

The UK is a parliamentary democracy with the monarch as head of state. The monarch's role is ceremonial; the elected government runs the country.

1. The monarch appoints a new MP
2. A by-election is held in their constituency
3. The seat stays empty until the next general election
4. The party chooses a replacement without an election

Answer: B. A by-election is held in their constituency

If an MP dies or resigns, there is a by-election in their constituency.

1. The Prime Minister's country house
2. The official record of debates in Parliament
3. A national newspaper
4. A government department

Answer: B. The official record of debates in Parliament

Proceedings in Parliament are recorded in Hansard, available in libraries and online. The public can also watch debates in person.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

Answer: B. FALSE

Civil servants carry out government policy. They are chosen on merit and must be politically neutral in their work, whichever party is in power.

1. By buying a TV licence
2. Write to your MP
3. Register online or by contacting your local council's electoral registration office
4. Join a political party

Answer: C. Register online or by contacting your local council's electoral registration office

To vote you must be on the electoral register. In Great Britain you can register online or through your local council's electoral registration office; in Northern Ireland, through the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland.

1. A magistrates' court
2. The Crown Court
3. A county court
4. The Supreme Court

Answer: A. A magistrates' court

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, minor criminal cases go to a magistrates' court and more serious cases are tried in the Crown Court. In Scotland, minor cases go to a Justice of the Peace court.

1. 21
2. 18
3. 16
4. 17

Answer: D. 17

You must be at least 17 to drive a car or motorcycle and hold a valid driving licence.

1. The Shadow Cabinet
2. The Cabinet
3. The House of Lords
4. The Privy Council

Answer: A. The Shadow Cabinet

The leader of the opposition appoints senior opposition MPs as "shadow ministers", who form the Shadow Cabinet.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

Answer: B. FALSE

Unlike countries such as the USA, the UK has no single written constitution. Its constitution comes from laws, conventions and court rulings built up over centuries.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

Answer: A. TRUE

The UK is a constitutional monarchy: the monarch does not rule the country but appoints the government, which the people have chosen in a democratic election.