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Life in the UK Test questions and answers

Every question in the bank, with the answer and an explanation. Written from Life in the UK: A Guide for New Residents (3rd edition). Browsing is free and needs no account. But you will learn far more by taking a timed test than by reading answers.

1. 551.Where can the modern game of golf be traced back to?

   • A15th century Scotland
   • B16th century Wales
   • C19th century England
   • D18th century Ireland

   Golf in its modern form goes back to Scotland in the 15th century. (Sport)

2. 552.Which place is known as the home of golf?

   • ALeamington Spa
   • BSt Andrews
   • CRoyal Ascot
   • DWimbledon

   St Andrews in Scotland is known as the home of golf. (Sport)

3. 553.What is notable about The Open Championship?

   • AIt is the only Major golf tournament held outside the United States
   • BIt is always held at St Andrews
   • CIt is the only Major played on grass
   • DIt is the oldest golf tournament in the world

   The Open Championship is the only Major golf tournament held outside the United States. (Sport)

4. 554.Where was the first tennis club founded?

   • ALeamington Spa
   • BAscot
   • CSt Andrews
   • DWimbledon

   Modern tennis evolved in England in the late 19th century and the first tennis club was founded in Leamington Spa in 1872. (Sport)

5. 555.What is notable about The Wimbledon Championships?

   • AIt is the only Grand Slam event held outside the United States
   • BIt is the only Grand Slam event to be played on clay courts
   • CIt is the newest of the four Grand Slam events in the calendar
   • DIt is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and the only Grand Slam played on grass

   Modern tennis evolved in England in the late 19th century and the first tennis club was founded in Leamington Spa in 1872. (Sport)

6. 556.Who was the first man in the world to run a mile in under four minutes?

   • ASir Mo Farah
   • BSir Chris Hoy
   • CSir Steve Redgrave
   • DSir Roger Bannister

   Under four minutes for the mile was first achieved by Sir Roger Bannister, in 1954. (Sport)

7. 557.In which year did Sir Roger Bannister run a mile in under four minutes?

   • A1948
   • B1972
   • C1954
   • D1966

   Under four minutes for the mile was first achieved by Sir Roger Bannister, in 1954. (Sport)

8. 558.What is the currency of the UK?

   • AThe pound and the Euro
   • BThe Euro
   • CThe shilling
   • DThe pound sterling

   The currency in the UK is the pound sterling, with the symbol £. (Money, languages and traditional food)

9. 559.How many pence are there in a pound?

   • A10
   • B50
   • C100
   • D20

   There are 100 pence in a pound. (Money, languages and traditional food)

10. 560.Which of these is a UK banknote denomination?

    • A£100
    • B£50
    • C£25
    • D£2

    UK notes are £5, £10, £20 and £50. (Money, languages and traditional food)

11. 561.What is the position of Scottish and Northern Irish banknotes elsewhere in the UK?

    • AValid, though shops and businesses do not have to accept them
    • BValid everywhere, and all shops must accept them
    • CValid only once exchanged at a bank
    • DValid only in the country that issued them

    Shops and businesses do not have to accept Northern Irish and Scottish banknotes. (Money, languages and traditional food)

12. 562.Which language, completely different from English, is spoken in Wales?

    • AWelsh
    • BCornish
    • CIrish Gaelic
    • DGaelic

    In Wales many people speak Welsh, a completely different language from English, taught in schools and universities. (Money, languages and traditional food)

13. 563.Where in Scotland is Gaelic spoken?

    • AIn some parts of the Highlands and Islands
    • BIn Edinburgh and Glasgow, but not elsewhere
    • COnly in the Borders, next to England
    • DThroughout Scotland, in every town and city

    Parts of the Scottish Highlands and Islands speak Gaelic. (Money, languages and traditional food)

14. 564.Which language do some people speak in Northern Ireland?

    • AScots Gaelic
    • BUlster Scots only
    • CWelsh
    • DIrish Gaelic

    In Northern Ireland some people speak Irish Gaelic. (Money, languages and traditional food)

15. 565.What is a Yorkshire pudding?

    • AA type of sausage
    • BBatter that is baked in the oven
    • CA sweet dessert served with cream
    • DA cake made with dried fruit

    Yorkshire puddings are batter that is baked in the oven. (Money, languages and traditional food)

16. 566.Which traditional food is associated with Wales?

    • AWelsh cakes
    • BThe Ulster fry
    • CHaggis
    • DRoast beef

    Welsh cakes are a traditional Welsh snack made from flour, dried fruits and spices. (Money, languages and traditional food)

17. 567.Which traditional food is associated with Scotland?

    • AHaggis
    • BFish and chips
    • CThe Ulster fry
    • DWelsh cakes

    Haggis is a traditional Scottish food, a sheep's stomach stuffed with offal, suet, onions and oatmeal. (Money, languages and traditional food)

18. 568.What is haggis?

    • AA snack made from flour, dried fruits and spices
    • BA fried meal with bacon, eggs and sausage
    • CA sheep’s stomach stuffed with offal, suet, onions and oatmeal
    • DBatter baked in the oven

    Haggis is a traditional Scottish food, a sheep's stomach stuffed with offal, suet, onions and oatmeal. (Money, languages and traditional food)

19. 569.Which traditional food is associated with Northern Ireland?

    • AThe Ulster fry
    • BRoast beef
    • CWelsh cakes
    • DHaggis

    The currency in the UK is the pound sterling, with the symbol £. (Money, languages and traditional food)

20. 570.Which traditional food is associated with England?

    • AThe Ulster fry
    • BHaggis
    • CRoast beef
    • DWelsh cakes

    A traditional English food is roast beef, served with potatoes, vegetables and Yorkshire puddings. (Money, languages and traditional food)

21. 571.How long is the Proms season?

    • AA two-week season
    • BA four-week season
    • CA twelve-week season
    • DAn eight-week season

    The Proms is an eight-week summer season of orchestral classical music organised by the BBC since 1927. (Arts, culture and leisure)

22. 572.Which organisation has organised the Proms since 1927?

    • AThe National Trust
    • BThe Royal Albert Hall
    • CThe Arts Council
    • DThe BBC

    The Proms is an eight-week summer season of orchestral classical music organised by the BBC since 1927. (Arts, culture and leisure)

23. 573.Where was Handel born?

    • AItaly
    • BAustria
    • CEngland
    • DGermany

    The Proms is an eight-week summer season of orchestral classical music organised by the BBC since 1927. (Arts, culture and leisure)

24. 574.In which year did Handel become a British citizen?

    • A1727
    • B1927
    • C1759
    • D1685

    George Frederick Handel was German-born and became a British citizen in 1727. (Arts, culture and leisure)

25. 575.For which king did Handel write the Water Music?

    • AKing James I
    • BKing George VI
    • CKing George II
    • DKing George I

    George I received Handel's Water Music; his son George II received the Music for the Royal Fireworks. (Arts, culture and leisure)

26. 576.Which work by Gustav Holst is a suite themed around the planets?

    • AThe Planets
    • BFaçade
    • CPeter Grimes
    • DMessiah

    Gustav Holst wrote The Planets and adapted Jupiter as the tune for I vow to thee my country. (Arts, culture and leisure)

27. 577.Which piece is usually played at the Last Night of the Proms?

    • AAuld Lang Syne
    • BMessiah
    • CThe Planets
    • DLand of Hope and Glory

    Land of Hope and Glory — Elgar's March No 1 — is a Last Night of the Proms fixture. (Arts, culture and leisure)

28. 578.Where was Sir Edward Elgar born?

    • AScotland
    • BWorcester
    • CLondon
    • DSuffolk

    Sir Edward Elgar was born in Worcester and is best known for the Pomp and Circumstance Marches. (Arts, culture and leisure)

29. 579.Which composer was strongly influenced by traditional English folk music?

    • AHenry Purcell
    • BSir William Walton
    • CBenjamin Britten
    • DRalph Vaughan Williams

    Ralph Vaughan Williams was strongly influenced by traditional English folk music. (Arts, culture and leisure)

30. 580.Which festival did Benjamin Britten found?

    • AThe Aldeburgh festival
    • BThe Proms
    • CGlastonbury
    • DThe Edinburgh Festival

    Benjamin Britten founded the Aldeburgh festival in Suffolk. (Arts, culture and leisure)

31. 581.By what name is London’s West End also known?

    • AThe Strand
    • BTheatre Row
    • CThe Fringe
    • DTheatreland

    London's West End is also known as Theatreland. (Arts, culture and leisure)

32. 582.Which play has been running in the West End since 1952?

    • AThe Mousetrap
    • BThe Mikado
    • CThe Phantom of the Opera
    • DCats

    Agatha Christie's murder-mystery The Mousetrap has held the West End since 1952. (Arts, culture and leisure)

33. 583.Who wrote The Mousetrap?

    • AAndrew Lloyd Webber
    • BDame Agatha Christie
    • CHarold Pinter
    • DSir Laurence Olivier

    Agatha Christie's murder-mystery The Mousetrap has held the West End since 1952. (Arts, culture and leisure)

34. 584.Which TWO comic operas did Gilbert and Sullivan write?

    Choose two

    • ACats
    • BThe Pirates of Penzance
    • CPeter Grimes
    • DHMS Pinafore

    Gilbert and Sullivan wrote comic operas including HMS Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado. (Arts, culture and leisure)

35. 585.Which of these did Andrew Lloyd Webber write the music for?

    • AThe Mikado
    • BBilly Budd
    • CThe Phantom of the Opera
    • DThe Mousetrap

    Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote the music for shows including Cats and The Phantom of the Opera. (Arts, culture and leisure)

36. 586.Which traditional pantomime character is a woman played by a man?

    • AThe Dame
    • BThe Ugly Sister
    • CThe Principal Boy
    • DThe Fairy

    One of the traditional characters in a pantomime is the Dame, a woman played by a man. (Arts, culture and leisure)

37. 587.What is the biggest part of the Edinburgh Festival?

    • AThe Edinburgh Festival Fringe
    • BThe National Eisteddfod
    • CThe Laurence Olivier Awards
    • DThe Proms

    The biggest and most well-known part of the Edinburgh Festival is the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. (Arts, culture and leisure)

38. 588.Which prize celebrates contemporary art?

    • AThe Man Booker Prize
    • BThe Brit Awards
    • CThe Mercury Prize
    • DThe Turner Prize

    The Turner Prize was established in 1984 and celebrates contemporary art. (Arts, culture and leisure)

39. 589.In which year was the Turner Prize established?

    • A1984
    • B1927
    • C1952
    • D1968

    The Turner Prize was established in 1984 and celebrates contemporary art. (Arts, culture and leisure)

40. 590.Since which year has the Man Booker Prize for Fiction been awarded?

    • A1927
    • B1968
    • C1984
    • D1952

    The Man Booker Prize for Fiction has been awarded since 1968. (Arts, culture and leisure)

41. 591.What are the British equivalent of the Oscars?

    • AThe Turner Prize
    • BThe Brit Awards
    • CThe British Academy Film Awards
    • DThe Laurence Olivier Awards

    The British Academy Film Awards are hosted by BAFTA and are the British equivalent of the Oscars. (Arts, culture and leisure)

42. 592.How many national parks are there in England, Wales and Scotland?

    • A5
    • B15
    • C10
    • D20

    There are 15 national parks in England, Wales and Scotland. (Arts, culture and leisure)

43. 593.In which year was the National Trust founded?

    • A1984
    • B1895
    • C1927
    • D1952

    The National Trust was founded in 1895 by three volunteers. (Arts, culture and leisure)

44. 594.Who founded the National Trust?

    • AThree volunteers
    • BQueen Victoria
    • CThe BBC
    • DAn Act of Parliament

    The National Trust was founded in 1895 by three volunteers. (Arts, culture and leisure)

45. 595.What is Big Ben?

    • AThe clock tower that stands at Westminster Abbey
    • BThe largest of the bells hanging in St Paul’s Cathedral
    • CThe Ferris wheel on the south bank of the River Thames
    • DThe nickname for the great bell of the clock at the Houses of Parliament

    Big Ben is properly the nickname of the great bell in the clock at London's Houses of Parliament. (Landmarks and places of interest)

46. 596.What is the clock tower at the Houses of Parliament called?

    • AElizabeth Tower
    • BSt Stephen’s Tower
    • CThe Peace Tower
    • DVictoria Tower

    Elizabeth Tower is the name given to the clock tower, honouring the 2012 Diamond Jubilee. (Landmarks and places of interest)

47. 597.Why is the clock tower named Elizabeth Tower?

    • AIn honour of Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012
    • BIn honour of the coronation held in 1953
    • CAfter the Elizabeth Line across London
    • DAfter Queen Elizabeth I, who reigned to 1603

    Elizabeth Tower is the name given to the clock tower, honouring the 2012 Diamond Jubilee. (Landmarks and places of interest)

48. 598.Where is the Eden Project?

    • ACornwall
    • BNorth Wales
    • CDevon
    • DThe Lake District

    Cornwall, in England's south west, is where the Eden Project stands. (Landmarks and places of interest)

49. 599.What are the Eden Project’s biomes like?

    • AGiant greenhouses
    • BOpen-air gardens
    • CGlass towers
    • DUnderground caverns

    The biomes of the Eden Project are like giant greenhouses and house plants from all over the world. (Landmarks and places of interest)

50. 600.Which organisation looks after Edinburgh Castle?

    • AHistoric Scotland
    • BThe National Trust for Scotland
    • CHistoric England
    • DThe National Trust

    Edinburgh Castle is looked after by Historic Scotland and dates back to the early Middle Ages. (Landmarks and places of interest)