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Life in the UK Test

Chapter 4

A modern, thriving society

Population and diversity, religion and the patron saints, the festivals and bank holidays, sport, money and language, the arts, and the landmarks.

Test yourself on this chapter

Population and diversity

More diverse now than a century back, in faith and ethnicity alike: post-war arrivals mean close to a tenth of people here have a parent or grandparent born abroad. The population curve, worth learning as a sequence: a little over 4 million in 1600; 5 million by 1700; 8 million in 1801; 20 million in 1851; 40 million in 1901; 50 million by 1951; 57 million in 1998; a shade under 60 million in 2005; a shade over 62 million in 2010; and a little over 66 million by 2017. Recent growth has been quicker, driven by arrivals and by people living longer. Distribution is lopsided — England 84%, Scotland a little over 8%, Wales about 5%, Northern Ireland under 3%. Better living standards and health care have produced a record number of people aged 85 and over, which presses on pension and health costs. Asked to describe their ethnicity, most choose white — a category taking in European, Australian, Canadian, New Zealand and American descent — with Asian, black and mixed the other substantial groups.

Testable facts

  • Nearly 10% of the population of the UK has a parent or grandparent born outside the UK
  • The population of the UK was just over 4 million in 1600 and 5 million in 1700
  • The population of the UK was 8 million in 1801 and 20 million in 1851
  • The population of the UK was 40 million in 1901 and 50 million in 1951
  • The population of the UK was just over 66 million in 2017
  • Longer life expectancy, and arrivals from abroad, have both fed population growth
  • England makes up 84% of the total population of the UK
  • Wales makes up around 5% of the UK population and Scotland just over 8%
  • Northern Ireland makes up less than 3% of the UK population
  • People in the UK are living longer because of improved living standards and better health care
  • There are a record number of people in the UK aged 85 and over
  • White is the ethnic description most often chosen in surveys, taking in American, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and European descent

An equal society

Sex and marital status are both off-limits as grounds for unfair treatment: neither gender nor being married, or not, may count against you. Work, property, marriage and divorce carry equal rights, and married parents share responsibility for their children equally. Roughly half the workforce is female. Girls average better school qualifications than boys, and more women than men go to university. Opportunities have widened: women work across every sector, more hold high-level posts than ever — senior management in historically male trades included — while men's own range of jobs has broadened. Staying home rather than working is no longer the expectation; many women work on after children, and in plenty of households both partners work and split childcare and chores.

Testable facts

  • Discrimination on grounds of gender, or of being married or unmarried, is barred by law for men and women alike
  • Men and women have equal rights to work, own property, marry and divorce
  • If they are married, both parents are equally responsible for their children
  • Women in Britain today make up about half of the workforce
  • On average, girls leave school with better qualifications than boys
  • More women than men study at university
  • High-level posts hold more women than ever, senior management in historically male trades included
  • Staying at home rather than working is no longer what is expected of women

Religion in the UK

Historically Christian. The 2011 Census put Christians at 59%, with Muslims on 4.8%, Hindus 1.5%, Sikhs 0.8%, and Jewish and Buddhist respondents each below 0.5%; a quarter reported no religion. Mosques, temples, synagogues and gurdwaras stand across the country, and the legal right to pick a religion, or none, belongs to everyone. England alone has a constitutional link between Church and state, its established Church being the Church of England — Protestant, dating from the 1530s Reformation, and known elsewhere as Anglican, or Episcopal in Scotland and the United States. Its head is the monarch and its spiritual leader the Archbishop of Canterbury; the monarch may choose the Archbishop and other senior officials, though in practice the Prime Minister and a Church committee decide, and a number of its bishops sit as peers. Scotland's national Church is the Church of Scotland, Presbyterian, run by ministers and elders, its General Assembly chaired by a Moderator who serves a single year. Wales and Northern Ireland have no established Church. Other Protestant bodies include Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians and Quakers, and Roman Catholicism is the largest of the remaining Christian denominations.

Testable facts

  • In the 2011 Census 59% of people identified themselves as Christian
  • In the 2011 Census 4.8% identified as Muslim, 1.5% as Hindu, 0.8% as Sikh and less than 0.5% as Jewish or Buddhist
  • In the 2011 census 25% of people said they had no religion
  • Choosing a religion, or choosing none, is a legal right belonging to everyone here
  • In England there is a constitutional link between Church and state
  • The official Church of the state in England is the Church of England
  • Elsewhere the Church of England goes by Anglican, and in Scotland and the United States by Episcopal
  • Protestant, and dating from the Reformation of the 1530s: that is the Church of England
  • The monarch is the head of the Church of England
  • Spiritual leadership of the Church of England belongs to the Archbishop of Canterbury
  • Several Church of England bishops sit in the House of Lords
  • Scotland's national Church, the Church of Scotland, is Presbyterian, run by ministers and elders
  • A Moderator chairs the Church of Scotland's General Assembly, holding the post for one year
  • There is no established Church in Wales or Northern Ireland
  • Quakers, Presbyterians, Methodists and Baptists are other Protestant Christian groups here
  • The biggest of the other denominations of Christianity in the UK is Roman Catholic

Patron saints

Four national saints, four dates, and the pairing is what gets tested. Wales: St David, 1 March. Northern Ireland: St Patrick, 17 March. England: St George, 23 April. Scotland: St Andrew, 30 November. Official holiday status belongs only to the Northern Irish and Scottish days, and even in Scotland many workplaces stay open. Celebrations happen widely, especially where Scottish, Northern Irish and Irish heritage is strong; England and Wales mark theirs with parades and small festivals despite the loss of holiday status. Each country has a flower too, sometimes worn on the day: rose for England, thistle for Scotland, daffodil for Wales, shamrock for Northern Ireland.

Testable facts

  • St David's Day, for Wales, is 1 March
  • St Patrick's Day, for Northern Ireland, is 17 March
  • St George's Day, for England, is 23 April
  • St Andrew's Day, for Scotland, is 30 November
  • Official holiday status for the patron saint's day belongs to Northern Ireland and Scotland alone
  • The patron saints' days of England and Wales are no longer public holidays but are still celebrated
  • The flower associated with England is the rose
  • The flower associated with Scotland is the thistle
  • The flower associated with Wales is the daffodil
  • The flower associated with Northern Ireland is the shamrock

Christian festivals

Christmas Day on 25 December is a public holiday marking Christ's birth, with church on Christmas Eve, the 24th, or the day itself. Most people stay home over a meal that often runs to roast turkey, Christmas pudding and mince pies, exchange gifts, send cards, decorate the house and often a tree; small children expect presents overnight from Father Christmas, also called Santa Claus. Boxing Day, the 26th, is another public holiday. Easter falls in March or April: Good Friday marks the crucifixion and Easter Sunday the resurrection, with Good Friday and Easter Monday both public holidays. The 40 days before are Lent, for reflection and preparation — once a fast, now more often giving up something like a favourite food. Lent's eve is Shrove Tuesday, better known as Pancake Day, the pancakes having used up eggs, fat and milk before the fast. Lent opens on Ash Wednesday, with services marking Christians with an ash cross on the forehead for death and sorrow for sin. Non-religious people keep Easter too, chocolate eggs standing for new life.

Testable facts

  • Christmas Day, 25 December, celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ and is a public holiday
  • Christmas Eve is 24 December
  • A traditional Christmas meal often includes roast turkey, Christmas pudding and mince pies
  • Father Christmas is also known as Santa Claus
  • A public holiday follows Christmas Day: Boxing Day
  • Easter takes place in March or April
  • Good Friday marks Christ's death and Easter Sunday his rising from the dead
  • Good Friday and Easter Monday are both public holidays
  • The 40 days before Easter are known as Lent
  • The day before Lent starts is called Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day
  • Eggs, fat and milk were used up in pancakes before the fast
  • Ash Wednesday opens Lent, Christians receiving an ash cross on the forehead for death and sorrow for sin
  • Chocolate Easter eggs are often given as presents at Easter as a symbol of new life

Other religious festivals

Five to keep apart. Diwali, five days in October or November, the Festival of Lights, kept by Hindus and Sikhs for good's victory over evil and for knowledge gained, with a famous celebration at Leicester. Hannukah, eight days in November or December, recalling the Jewish struggle for religious freedom, a candle added daily to an eight-branched stand called a menorah for the oil that lasted eight days instead of one. Eid al-Fitr, closing Ramadan's month of fasting, when Muslims give thanks to Allah for the strength to finish, on a date that moves each year, marked with special services and meals. Eid ul Adha, recalling Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son at God's command and so their own commitment to God, when many sacrifice an animal to eat — in Britain that must happen in a slaughterhouse. And Vaisakhi, or Baisakhi, on 14 April, the Sikh festival for the founding of the Khalsa, kept with parades, dancing and singing.

Testable facts

  • Diwali normally falls in October or November and lasts for five days
  • Diwali is often called the Festival of Lights and is celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs
  • Diwali celebrates the victory of good over evil and the gaining of knowledge
  • There is a famous celebration of Diwali in Leicester
  • Hannukah is in November or December and is celebrated for eight days
  • Hannukah remembers the Jews' struggle for religious freedom
  • During Hannukah a candle is lit each day on a stand of eight candles called a menorah
  • A month of Muslim fasting, Ramadan, is brought to a close by Eid al-Fitr
  • The date of Eid al-Fitr changes every year
  • Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son at God's command is what Eid ul Adha recalls
  • Many Muslims sacrifice an animal to eat during Eid ul Adha, which in Britain has to be done in a slaughterhouse
  • The Khalsa's founding is celebrated by the Sikh festival Vaisakhi, also spelled Baisakhi
  • Vaisakhi is celebrated on 14 April each year with parades, dancing and singing

Other festivals and bank holidays

A calendar of secular and folk dates. 1 January, New Year, a public holiday, celebrated the night before on New Year's Eve; Scotland calls 31 December Hogmanay, adds 2 January as a holiday, and for some Scots it outranks Christmas. 14 February, Valentine's Day, cards and gifts between lovers, sometimes anonymously to someone secretly admired. 1 April, April Fool's Day, jokes until noon, with television and newspapers joining in. Mothering Sunday, or Mother's Day, three Sundays before Easter, for cards and gifts to mothers; Father's Day is the third Sunday in June. 31 October, Halloween, ancient and rooted in a pagan marker for winter's start, when young people wear frightening costumes for trick or treat and pumpkins are carved into lanterns. 5 November, Bonfire Night, fireworks across Great Britain, recalling the 1605 attempt by Guy Fawkes and fellow Catholics to blow up Parliament and kill the Protestant king. 11 November, Remembrance Day, for those who died fighting for the UK and its allies — first the First World War's dead, that war having ended on 11 November 1918 — marked by poppies, the red battlefield flower, a two-minute silence at 11.00 am and wreaths at the Cenotaph in Whitehall. Bank holidays are the remainder: no religious meaning, falling in early May, late May or early June, and August, when banks and many businesses shut. Northern Ireland adds the Battle of the Boyne anniversary in July.

Testable facts

  • New Year, 1 January, is a public holiday
  • Hogmanay is Scotland's name for 31 December, and 2 January is a public holiday there too
  • For some Scottish people Hogmanay is a bigger holiday than Christmas
  • Valentine's Day is 14 February, when lovers exchange cards and gifts
  • April Fool's Day is 1 April, when people play jokes on each other until midday
  • Mothering Sunday, or Mother's Day, is the Sunday three weeks before Easter
  • Father's Day is the third Sunday in June
  • Halloween, 31 October, is an ancient festival with roots in the pagan festival to mark the beginning of winter
  • At Halloween young people often dress up in frightening costumes to play trick or treat, and people carve lanterns out of pumpkins
  • Bonfire Night is 5 November, when people in Great Britain set off fireworks
  • In 1605 Guy Fawkes and fellow Catholics planned to bomb the Houses of Parliament and kill the Protestant king, and failed — the origin of Bonfire Night
  • Those who died fighting for the UK and its allies are commemorated on 11 November, Remembrance Day
  • First World War dead were the original focus of Remembrance Day, that war having ended on 11 November 1918
  • The poppy worn is the red flower of First World War battlefields
  • Whitehall's Cenotaph receives wreaths, and a two-minute silence falls at 11.00 am
  • Early May, late May or early June, and August: bank holidays, carrying no religious significance
  • July's Battle of the Boyne anniversary is an additional public holiday in Northern Ireland

Sport

Cricket, football, lawn tennis, golf and rugby all began here. Big fixtures fill Wembley Stadium in London and the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, while councils and private firms run pools, courts, pitches, dry ski slopes and gyms. Three Olympics have been hosted — 1908, 1948, 2012 — the last centred on Stratford in East London, where Britain finished third in the medal table and which also hosted the Paralympics; those trace back to Dr Sir Ludwig Guttman, a German refugee at Stoke Mandeville hospital in Buckinghamshire, who developed spinal-injury treatments and pushed patients towards exercise and sport. Cricket games can run five days and still be drawn, and the Ashes, England against Australia in a series of Tests, is the famous one. Football is the most popular sport, professional clubs dating from the late 19th century, with separate leagues in all four countries; England's single international trophy came at the 1966 World Cup, hosted here. Rugby began in England early in the 19th century and splits into union and league under different rules — the Six Nations, with England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and Italy, is union's showpiece, the Super League league's best-known club competition. Horse racing brings three names: Royal Ascot; Ayr's Scottish Grand National; and the Grand National itself, run at Aintree near Liverpool. Golf in its modern form traces to 15th century Scotland, St Andrews is called its home, and The Open is the only Major staged outside the United States. Tennis took modern shape in late 19th century England, the first club opening at Leamington Spa in 1872, and Wimbledon is both the world's oldest tournament and the only Grand Slam on grass.

Testable facts

  • Many famous sports began in Britain, including cricket, football, lawn tennis, golf and rugby
  • Three Olympic Games have been hosted here: 1908, then 1948, then 2012
  • Stratford in East London held the main site of the 2012 Games
  • The British team finished third in the medal table at the 2012 Olympic Games
  • Dr Sir Ludwig Guttman, a German refugee working at Stoke Mandeville hospital in Buckinghamshire, is where the Paralympics began
  • Cricket began in England, and a game may run five days and still be drawn
  • The most famous cricket competition is the Ashes, a series of Test matches played between England and Australia
  • Most popular of British sports is football, its first professional clubs dating from the late 19th century
  • One international football trophy has come England's way: the 1966 World Cup, held here
  • Rugby originated in England in the early 19th century and has two types with different rules, union and league
  • Union rugby's showpiece is the Six Nations, contested by Italy, France, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and England
  • The Super League is the most well-known rugby league club competition
  • Three famous races: Royal Ascot; Ayr's Scottish Grand National; and Aintree's Grand National, near Liverpool
  • Golf in its modern form goes back to Scotland in the 15th century
  • St Andrews in Scotland is known as the home of golf
  • The Open Championship is the only Major golf tournament held outside the United States
  • Modern tennis evolved in England in the late 19th century and the first tennis club was founded in Leamington Spa in 1872
  • Oldest tennis tournament anywhere, and the sole Grand Slam on grass, is Wimbledon
  • Under four minutes for the mile was first achieved by Sir Roger Bannister, in 1954
  • Bobby Moore captained the English football team that won the World Cup in 1966

Money, languages and traditional food

Currency first: the pound sterling, written £, split into 100 pence. Coins run 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1, £2; notes £5, £10, £20, £50. Scotland and Northern Ireland issue notes of their own, good anywhere in the UK, though no shop or business is obliged to take them. On language, accents and dialects vary widely, and three languages sit alongside English: Welsh, wholly distinct from English and taught in Welsh schools and universities; Gaelic, also distinct, in parts of the Scottish Highlands and Islands; and Irish Gaelic, spoken by some in Northern Ireland. Traditional dishes go by country. England: roast beef with potatoes, vegetables and Yorkshire puddings — oven-baked batter — with fish and chips also popular. Wales: Welsh cakes, a snack of flour, dried fruit and spices, served hot or cold. Scotland: haggis, a sheep's stomach filled with offal, suet, onions and oatmeal. Northern Ireland: the Ulster fry, taking in bacon, eggs, sausage, black and white pudding, tomatoes, mushrooms, soda bread and potato bread.

Testable facts

  • The currency in the UK is the pound sterling, with the symbol £
  • There are 100 pence in a pound
  • UK coins are 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1 and £2
  • UK notes are £5, £10, £20 and £50
  • Notes issued by Scotland and Northern Ireland are good throughout the UK
  • Shops and businesses do not have to accept Northern Irish and Scottish banknotes
  • In Wales many people speak Welsh, a completely different language from English, taught in schools and universities
  • Parts of the Scottish Highlands and Islands speak Gaelic
  • In Northern Ireland some people speak Irish Gaelic
  • A traditional English food is roast beef, served with potatoes, vegetables and Yorkshire puddings
  • Yorkshire puddings are batter that is baked in the oven
  • Welsh cakes are a traditional Welsh snack made from flour, dried fruits and spices
  • Haggis is a traditional Scottish food, a sheep's stomach stuffed with offal, suet, onions and oatmeal
  • Northern Ireland's Ulster fry combines bacon, eggs, sausage, black and white pudding, mushrooms, tomatoes, soda bread and potato bread

Arts, culture and leisure

Music, stage, art and prizes. The Proms runs eight summer weeks of orchestral classical music, the Royal Albert Hall among its venues, BBC-organised since 1927 and best known for its Last Night. Composers to attach to works: Henry Purcell, organist at Westminster Abbey, who built a British style distinct from Europe's; Handel, German-born, a British citizen from 1727, who wrote the Water Music for George I, Music for the Royal Fireworks for George II, and the oratorio Messiah; Gustav Holst, whose The Planets gave the tune of I vow to thee my country from its Jupiter movement; Sir Edward Elgar of Worcester, whose Pomp and Circumstance March No 1 is Land of Hope and Glory, a Last Night fixture; Ralph Vaughan Williams, steeped in English folk music; Sir William Walton, who wrote coronation marches; and Benjamin Britten, known for the operas Peter Grimes and Billy Budd, for A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, and for founding the Aldeburgh festival in Suffolk. Wales holds the National Eisteddfod, largely in Welsh. The Mercury Prize goes each September to the best album from the UK and Ireland, and the Brit Awards cover categories such as best British group. On stage, London's West End is also Theatreland, where Agatha Christie's murder-mystery The Mousetrap has run since 1952 — the longest initial run in history. Musical theatre runs from Gilbert and Sullivan's comic operas — HMS Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado — to Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats and The Phantom of the Opera. Pantomime is the Christmas tradition, built on fairy stories, its signature character the Dame, a woman played by a man. Edinburgh's summer festivals are led by the Fringe. Prizes: the Laurence Olivier Awards for theatre, named for the actor; the Turner Prize, from 1984, for contemporary art, named for Joseph Turner; the Man Booker Prize for Fiction, awarded since 1968; and the British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA's answer to the Oscars. Fifteen national parks cover England, Wales and Scotland, and the National Trust — started in 1895 by three volunteers — works with the National Trust for Scotland to preserve buildings, coast and countryside.

Testable facts

  • The Proms is an eight-week summer season of orchestral classical music organised by the BBC since 1927
  • The Last Night of the Proms is the most well-known concert of the Proms
  • Henry Purcell was the organist at Westminster Abbey and developed a British style distinct from that elsewhere in Europe
  • George Frederick Handel was German-born and became a British citizen in 1727
  • George I received Handel's Water Music; his son George II received the Music for the Royal Fireworks
  • Handel wrote an oratorio, Messiah, which is sung regularly by choirs
  • Gustav Holst wrote The Planets and adapted Jupiter as the tune for I vow to thee my country
  • Sir Edward Elgar was born in Worcester and is best known for the Pomp and Circumstance Marches
  • Land of Hope and Glory — Elgar's March No 1 — is a Last Night of the Proms fixture
  • Ralph Vaughan Williams was strongly influenced by traditional English folk music
  • Operas are what Benjamin Britten is best known for, Billy Budd and Peter Grimes among them
  • Benjamin Britten founded the Aldeburgh festival in Suffolk
  • The National Eisteddfod of Wales is an annual cultural festival largely in Welsh
  • Each September the Mercury Prize goes to the best album out of the UK and Ireland
  • London's West End is also known as Theatreland
  • Agatha Christie's murder-mystery The Mousetrap has held the West End since 1952
  • The Mousetrap has had the longest initial run of any show in history
  • Gilbert and Sullivan wrote comic operas including HMS Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado
  • Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote the music for shows including Cats and The Phantom of the Opera
  • One of the traditional characters in a pantomime is the Dame, a woman played by a man
  • The biggest and most well-known part of the Edinburgh Festival is the Edinburgh Festival Fringe
  • The Laurence Olivier Awards are named after the British actor Sir Laurence Olivier
  • The Turner Prize was established in 1984 and celebrates contemporary art
  • The Turner Prize is named after Joseph Turner
  • The Man Booker Prize for Fiction has been awarded since 1968
  • The British Academy Film Awards are hosted by BAFTA and are the British equivalent of the Oscars
  • There are 15 national parks in England, Wales and Scotland
  • The National Trust was founded in 1895 by three volunteers

Landmarks and places of interest

Landmarks worth fixing to a place. Big Ben is properly the great bell of the clock at the Houses of Parliament, though the clock takes the name too; it is over 150 years old, and the tower became Elizabeth Tower for the Diamond Jubilee of 2012. The Eden Project sits in Cornwall in south west England, its biomes working like giant greenhouses for plants from everywhere. Edinburgh Castle dominates that city's skyline, reaches back to the early Middle Ages and is cared for by Historic Scotland. The Giant's Causeway lies on Northern Ireland's north-east coast, columns of volcanic lava formed some 50 million years ago. Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park covers 720 square miles in western Scotland, and Loch Lomond itself is mainland Britain's largest body of fresh water. The London Eye, 443 feet of Ferris wheel on the Thames' south bank, was built for the millennium celebrations. Snowdonia is a North Wales national park of 838 square miles, crowned by Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales. The Tower of London goes back to William the Conqueror after 1066; Yeoman Warders, or Beefeaters, give the tours, and the Crown Jewels are kept there. England's largest national park is the Lake District at 885 square miles, known for lakes and mountains, its biggest water Windermere — while Wastwater was voted Britain's favourite view by television viewers in 2007. Westminster Abbey has crowned monarchs since 1066 and holds many of their graves, with poets buried or commemorated in Poet's Corner.

Testable facts

  • Big Ben is properly the nickname of the great bell in the clock at London's Houses of Parliament
  • Elizabeth Tower is the name given to the clock tower, honouring the 2012 Diamond Jubilee
  • Cornwall, in England's south west, is where the Eden Project stands
  • The biomes of the Eden Project are like giant greenhouses and house plants from all over the world
  • Edinburgh Castle is looked after by Historic Scotland and dates back to the early Middle Ages
  • The Giant's Causeway is located on the north-east coast of Northern Ireland
  • Columns of volcanic lava make up the Giant's Causeway, formed some 50 million years ago
  • Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park covers 720 square miles in the west of Scotland
  • Loch Lomond is the largest expanse of fresh water in mainland Britain
  • The London Eye is a Ferris wheel 443 feet tall on the southern bank of the River Thames
  • Millennium celebrations were the reason the London Eye was built
  • Snowdonia is a national park in North Wales covering an area of 838 square miles
  • Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales
  • William the Conqueror raised the Tower of London on taking the throne in 1066
  • Tours of the Tower of London are given by the Yeoman Warders, also known as Beefeaters
  • The Crown Jewels can be seen at the Tower of London
  • The Lake District is England's largest national park, covering 885 square miles
  • The biggest stretch of water in the Lake District is Windermere
  • In 2007 television viewers voted Wastwater as Britain's favourite view
  • Coronations have taken place at Westminster Abbey since 1066, and many monarchs are buried there
  • Poet's Corner in Westminster Abbey holds the graves and memorials of many of the best-known poets

This is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorised by the government of United Kingdom. Practice questions are written from the official study guide and are not the real exam questions. No government publishes those.