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Life in the UK Test

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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. 51.Which language of the new ruling class influenced English after 1066?

    • ALatin
    • BOld Norse
    • CAnglo-Saxon
    • DNorman French

    English developed under the influence of Norman French, spoken by the new ruling class. (The Norman Conquest)

  2. 52.What did the Normans do about Scotland?

    • AThey took some border land but did not invade Scotland
    • BThey conquered Scotland entirely
    • CThey made a treaty of union with Scotland
    • DThey left Scotland untouched

    The Normans took over some land on the border between England and Scotland but did not invade Scotland. (The Norman Conquest)

  3. 53.Which statute annexed Wales to the Crown of England?

    • AMagna Carta
    • BThe Act for the Government of Wales
    • CThe Statute of Rhuddlan
    • DThe Act of Union

    A thousand years separate the end of the Roman Empire in AD 476 from 1485, the span of the Middle Ages. (The Middle Ages: war at home and abroad)

  4. 54.In which year was the Statute of Rhuddlan introduced?

    • A1485
    • B1415
    • C1284
    • D1314

    Wales was annexed to the Crown of England by Edward I's Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284. (The Middle Ages: war at home and abroad)

  5. 55.Which king introduced the Statute of Rhuddlan?

    • AHenry V
    • BRichard III
    • CEdward I
    • DHenry VIII

    Wales was annexed to the Crown of England by Edward I's Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284. (The Middle Ages: war at home and abroad)

  6. 56.Which TWO castles were built to maintain English power in Wales?

    Choose two

    • AWindsor
    • BConwy
    • CCaernarvon
    • DEdinburgh

    Huge castles including Conwy and Caernarvon were built to maintain English power in Wales. (The Middle Ages: war at home and abroad)

  7. 57.Who led the Scottish to victory at the Battle of Bannockburn?

    • AWilliam Wallace
    • BKenneth MacAlpin
    • CRobert the Bruce
    • DBonnie Prince Charlie

    Bannockburn in 1314 saw Robert the Bruce lead the Scottish to victory over the English. (The Middle Ages: war at home and abroad)

  8. 58.In which year was the Battle of Bannockburn?

    • A1314
    • B1066
    • C1415
    • D1284

    Bannockburn in 1314 saw Robert the Bruce lead the Scottish to victory over the English. (The Middle Ages: war at home and abroad)

  9. 59.What was the area of Ireland ruled by the English around Dublin called?

    • AThe Danelaw
    • BUlster
    • CThe Pale
    • DThe Marches

    Around Dublin lay the Pale, English-ruled by 1200. (The Middle Ages: war at home and abroad)

  10. 60.What were the Crusades?

    • AThe long English wars against the Scottish kings
    • BThe Norman invasions of Wales and its borders
    • CWars in which European Christians fought for control of the Holy Land
    • DThe wars fought between Lancaster and York

    Knights joined the Crusades in numbers, European Christians fighting for the Holy Land. (The Middle Ages: war at home and abroad)

  11. 61.How long did the Hundred Years War actually last?

    • A86 years
    • B116 years
    • C150 years
    • D100 years

    The Hundred Years War with France actually lasted 116 years. (The Middle Ages: war at home and abroad)

  12. 62.Which king’s outnumbered army won the Battle of Agincourt?

    • ARichard III
    • BHenry VII
    • CEdward I
    • DHenry V

    At the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 King Henry V's vastly outnumbered English army defeated the French. (The Middle Ages: war at home and abroad)

  13. 63.In which year was the Battle of Agincourt?

    • A1066
    • B1485
    • C1415
    • D1314

    At the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 King Henry V's vastly outnumbered English army defeated the French. (The Middle Ages: war at home and abroad)

  14. 64.When did the Middle Ages end, according to the handbook?

    • A1215
    • B1485
    • C1066
    • DAD 476

    A thousand years separate the end of the Roman Empire in AD 476 from 1485, the span of the Middle Ages. (The Middle Ages: war at home and abroad)

  15. 65.What was the Norman system of land ownership called?

    • AThe Danelaw
    • BFeudalism
    • CThe manorial charter
    • DThe clan system

    The Normans used a system of land ownership known as feudalism. (Feudalism and the Black Death)

  16. 66.Under feudalism, what did the king give land to his lords in return for?

    • ALoyalty to the Church
    • BPayment of taxes
    • CService at court
    • DHelp in war

    Land came to lords from the king under feudalism, the return being help in war. (Feudalism and the Black Death)

  17. 67.What were most peasants under feudalism?

    • AGentry
    • BLandowners
    • CSerfs
    • DFreemen

    Most peasants were serfs, who had a small area of their lord's land and had to work for their lord and could not move away. (Feudalism and the Black Death)

  18. 68.Who owned the land in the north of Scotland and in Ireland?

    • AMembers of the clans
    • BThe gentry
    • CThe king directly
    • DThe Church

    In the north of Scotland and in Ireland land was owned by members of the clans, which were prominent families. (Feudalism and the Black Death)

  19. 69.In which year did the Black Death come to Britain?

    • A1066
    • B1284
    • C1348
    • D1485

    In 1348 a disease, probably a form of plague, came to Britain and was known as the Black Death. (Feudalism and the Black Death)

  20. 70.What proportion of England’s population died in the Black Death?

    • AOne third
    • BTwo thirds
    • COne tenth
    • DOne half

    One third of the population of England died in the Black Death, and a similar proportion in Scotland and Wales. (Feudalism and the Black Death)

  21. 71.What did peasants begin to demand after the Black Death?

    • ATheir own coats of arms
    • BHigher wages
    • CThe right to vote
    • DFreedom of religion

    After the Black Death there were labour shortages and peasants began to demand higher wages. (Feudalism and the Black Death)

  22. 72.Which new social class of large landowners appeared after the Black Death?

    • AThe nobility
    • BThe gentry
    • CThe clans
    • DThe serfs

    New social classes appeared after the Black Death, including owners of large areas of land later called the gentry. (Feudalism and the Black Death)

  23. 73.What developed in the towns as their wealth grew?

    • AA new nobility
    • BThe clan system
    • CThe feudal system
    • DA strong middle class

    Growing wealth in the towns led to the development of a strong middle class. (Feudalism and the Black Death)

  24. 74.In which year was Magna Carta agreed?

    • A1215
    • B1284
    • C1689
    • D1066

    Magna Carta was agreed in 1215. (Magna Carta and the rise of Parliament)

  25. 75.Which king was forced to agree to Magna Carta?

    • AKing John
    • BKing Henry V
    • CKing Edward I
    • DKing Richard III

    King John was forced by his noblemen to agree to Magna Carta. (Magna Carta and the rise of Parliament)

  26. 76.What does Magna Carta mean?

    • AThe Great Council
    • BThe Common Law
    • CThe Charter of Freedoms
    • DThe Great Charter

    Magna Carta means the Great Charter. (Magna Carta and the rise of Parliament)

  27. 77.What idea did Magna Carta establish?

    • AThat all men could vote
    • BThat even the king was subject to the law
    • CThat Parliament could remove the king
    • DThat the Church was above the law

    Even the king answered to law: that was Magna Carta's idea. (Magna Carta and the rise of Parliament)

  28. 78.Which of these did Magna Carta restrict?

    • AThe rights of the nobility
    • BThe independence of judges
    • CThe king’s power to collect taxes
    • DThe power of the House of Commons

    Magna Carta guarded the nobility's rights and curbed the king's power over taxes and over making or changing law. (Magna Carta and the rise of Parliament)

  29. 79.Who sat in the House of Lords in the Middle Ages?

    • AThe nobility, great landowners and bishops
    • BElected representatives of the counties
    • CJudges and lawyers
    • DKnights and wealthy townspeople

    The nobility, great landowners and bishops sat in the House of Lords. (Magna Carta and the rise of Parliament)

  30. 80.Who was elected to the House of Commons in the Middle Ages?

    • AAll adult men living in the towns and cities
    • BThe nobility, great landowners and bishops
    • CThe clergy, sitting as a separate estate
    • DKnights and wealthy people from towns and cities

    Election to the Commons went to knights and to wealthy townspeople. (Magna Carta and the rise of Parliament)

  31. 81.How many Houses, called Estates, did the Scottish Parliament have?

    • ATwo
    • BThree
    • CFour
    • DOne

    The Scottish Parliament had three Houses called Estates: the lords, the commons and the clergy. (Magna Carta and the rise of Parliament)

  32. 82.Which THREE Estates made up the Scottish Parliament?

    • AThe king, the lords and the commons
    • BThe lords, the commons and the clergy
    • CThe lords, the knights and the burghers
    • DThe nobility, the gentry and the serfs

    The Scottish Parliament had three Houses called Estates: the lords, the commons and the clergy. (Magna Carta and the rise of Parliament)

  33. 83.How did English judges develop common law?

    • ABy precedence and tradition
    • BBy act of Parliament
    • CBy royal decree
    • DBy codifying it in writing

    In England judges developed common law by a process of precedence and tradition. (Magna Carta and the rise of Parliament)

  34. 84.What happened to laws in Scotland?

    • AThey were set by the clans
    • BThey were imposed by England
    • CThey were codified, that is, written down
    • DThey were developed by precedence

    In Scotland the laws were codified, that is, written down. (Magna Carta and the rise of Parliament)

  35. 85.Who wrote The Canterbury Tales?

    • AGeoffrey Chaucer
    • BWilliam Caxton
    • CJohn Barbour
    • DWilliam Shakespeare

    Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales, a collection of poems about a group of people going to Canterbury on a pilgrimage. (A distinct identity and the Wars of the Roses)

  36. 86.What is The Canterbury Tales about?

    • AThe life and reign of William the Conqueror
    • BA group of people telling stories on a pilgrimage to Canterbury
    • CThe Wars of the Roses between York and Lancaster
    • DThe Battle of Bannockburn and Robert the Bruce

    Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales, a collection of poems about a group of people going to Canterbury on a pilgrimage. (A distinct identity and the Wars of the Roses)

  37. 87.Who was the first person in England to print books using a printing press?

    • ASir Christopher Wren
    • BGeoffrey Chaucer
    • CWilliam Caxton
    • DJohn Barbour

    William Caxton was the first person in England to print books using a printing press. (A distinct identity and the Wars of the Roses)

  38. 88.Who wrote The Bruce, about the Battle of Bannockburn?

    • AJohn Barbour
    • BRobert Burns
    • CGeoffrey Chaucer
    • DSir Walter Scott

    John Barbour wrote The Bruce about the Battle of Bannockburn in the Scots language. (A distinct identity and the Wars of the Roses)

  39. 89.Which cathedral is famous for its stained glass?

    • ACanterbury Cathedral
    • BSalisbury Cathedral
    • CYork Minster
    • DLincoln Cathedral

    The stained glass in York Minster is a famous example. (A distinct identity and the Wars of the Roses)

  40. 90.Which was a very important English export in the Middle Ages?

    • ACotton cloth
    • BCoal
    • CSteel
    • DWool

    English wool became a very important export in the Middle Ages. (A distinct identity and the Wars of the Roses)

  41. 91.In which year did the Wars of the Roses begin?

    • A1415
    • B1485
    • C1348
    • D1455

    The Wars of the Roses began in 1455 as a civil war to decide who should be king of England. (A distinct identity and the Wars of the Roses)

  42. 92.Which two houses fought the Wars of the Roses?

    • AThe House of Normandy and the House of Plantagenet
    • BThe House of Lancaster and the House of York
    • CThe House of York and the House of Windsor
    • DThe House of Tudor and the House of Stuart

    The Wars of the Roses was fought between the House of Lancaster and the House of York. (A distinct identity and the Wars of the Roses)

  43. 93.What was the symbol of the House of Lancaster?

    • AA white hart
    • BA red dragon
    • CA white rose
    • DA red rose

    A red rose stood for Lancaster, a white rose for York. (A distinct identity and the Wars of the Roses)

  44. 94.What was the symbol of the House of York?

    • AA white rose
    • BA red dragon
    • CA thistle
    • DA red rose

    A red rose stood for Lancaster, a white rose for York. (A distinct identity and the Wars of the Roses)

  45. 95.Which battle ended the Wars of the Roses?

    • AThe Battle of Naseby
    • BThe Battle of Agincourt
    • CThe Battle of Bannockburn
    • DThe Battle of Bosworth Field

    The Wars of the Roses ended with the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. (A distinct identity and the Wars of the Roses)

  46. 96.In which year was the Battle of Bosworth Field?

    • A1066
    • B1415
    • C1485
    • D1455

    The Wars of the Roses ended with the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. (A distinct identity and the Wars of the Roses)

  47. 97.Which king was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field?

    • AEdward I
    • BHenry V
    • CHenry VII
    • DRichard III

    King Richard III of the House of York was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field. (A distinct identity and the Wars of the Roses)

  48. 98.Who became king after the Battle of Bosworth Field?

    • ARichard III
    • BHenry VIII
    • CEdward VI
    • DHenry VII

    Henry Tudor, leader of the House of Lancaster, became King Henry VII. (A distinct identity and the Wars of the Roses)

  49. 99.Whom did Henry VII marry to unite the two families?

    • AMary Stuart
    • BCatherine of Aragon
    • CAnne Boleyn
    • DElizabeth of York

    Henry VII married Elizabeth of York, uniting the two families. (A distinct identity and the Wars of the Roses)

  50. 100.What was the symbol of the House of Tudor?

    • AA white rose alone, taken from York
    • BA red rose with a white rose inside it
    • CA white rose with a red rose inside it
    • DA red dragon on a green and white ground

    A red rose stood for Lancaster, a white rose for York. (A distinct identity and the Wars of the Roses)

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