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Life in the UK Test

Life in the UK Test practice test 11

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All 24 questions and answers

  1. 1.When were Police and Crime Commissioners first elected?

    • ANovember 2010
    • BNovember 2012
    • CMay 2015
    • DMay 2012

    In November 2012 the public first elected Police and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales. (The police and their duties)

  2. 2.In which year was Concorde retired from service?

    • A1996
    • B1990
    • C2003
    • D1976

    Concorde first flew in 1969, began carrying passengers in 1976 and was retired from service in 2003. (British inventions of the 20th century)

  3. 3.Which Prime Minister made the ‘wind of change’ speech about decolonisation?

    • AMargaret Thatcher
    • BWinston Churchill
    • CHarold Macmillan
    • DClement Attlee

    Prime Minister Harold Macmillan was famous for his wind of change speech about decolonisation. (Decolonisation, migration and the 1960s)

  4. 4.What is the capital city of Scotland?

    • AGlasgow
    • BEdinburgh
    • CDundee
    • DAberdeen

    Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. (Capital cities and geography)

  5. 5.Which TWO did Margaret Thatcher’s government do?

    Choose two

    • ALegal controls on trade union powers
    • BEstablishing the National Health Service
    • CIntroducing a Scottish Parliament
    • DPrivatisation of nationalised industries

    Privatising nationalised industries restructured the economy under Margaret Thatcher, whose government also placed legal controls on union powers. (The 1970s onwards, Thatcher, Blair and Brexit)

  6. 6.What is Ceylon now called?

    • ABangladesh
    • BSri Lanka
    • CMyanmar
    • DPakistan

    Nine countries gained independence in 1947, Ceylon — today Sri Lanka — along with India and Pakistan. (Decolonisation, migration and the 1960s)

  7. 7.Until what time do people play jokes on April Fool’s Day?

    • ASunset
    • BThere is no time limit
    • CMidday
    • DMidnight

    April Fool's Day is 1 April, when people play jokes on each other until midday. (Other festivals and bank holidays)

  8. 8.What is the day after Christmas Day called?

    • ATwelfth Night
    • BChristmas Eve
    • CNew Year’s Day
    • DBoxing Day

    A public holiday follows Christmas Day: Boxing Day. (Christian festivals)

  9. 9.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)

  10. 10.Where was Florence Nightingale born?

    • AEngland
    • BTurkey
    • CItaly
    • DGermany

    Florence Nightingale was born in Italy to English parents and trained as a nurse in Germany at the age of 31. (Victorian trade, industry and the Crimean War)

  11. 11.When was the Boer War fought?

    • A1837 to 1901
    • B1914 to 1918
    • C1853 to 1856
    • D1899 to 1902

    The Boer War of 1899 to 1902 was fought in South Africa against settlers from the Netherlands called the Boers. (The Victorian Age and the British Empire)

  12. 12.What are polling stations called in Scotland?

    • APolling places
    • BVoting halls
    • CElection centres
    • DPolling booths

    People vote at places called polling stations, or polling places in Scotland. (Voting, standing for office and visiting Parliament)

  13. 13.What is the UK electoral system for MPs called?

    • AFirst past the post
    • BThe alternative vote
    • CProportional representation
    • DThe single transferable vote

    MPs are elected through a system called first past the post. (The Speaker and elections)

  14. 14.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)

  15. 15.What takes place every week while Parliament is sitting?

    • AThe State Opening of Parliament
    • BA cabinet meeting in public
    • CPrime Minister’s Questions
    • DA vote of confidence

    Prime Minister's Questions takes place every week while Parliament is sitting. (The Prime Minister, the cabinet and the opposition)

  16. 16.Who took over as Prime Minister in 2007?

    • AGordon Brown
    • BTheresa May
    • CDavid Cameron
    • DTony Blair

    Gordon Brown took over as Prime Minister in 2007. (The 1970s onwards, Thatcher, Blair and Brexit)

  17. 17.Which economist published influential new theories between the wars?

    • ADavid Hume
    • BAdam Smith
    • CJohn Maynard Keynes
    • DWilliam Beveridge

    The economist John Maynard Keynes published influential new theories of economics. (The partition of Ireland and the inter-war years)

  18. 18.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)

  19. 19.What level of English speaking and listening must applicants evidence?

    • AA1 of the Common European Framework of Reference
    • BC1 of the Common European Framework of Reference
    • CB1 of the Common European Framework of Reference
    • DC2 of the Common European Framework of Reference

    B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference is equivalent to ESOL Entry Level 3. (Becoming a permanent resident)

  20. 20.Which TWO are Protestant Christian groups in the UK?

    Choose two

    • ASikhs
    • BMethodists
    • CRoman Catholics
    • DBaptists

    Quakers, Presbyterians, Methodists and Baptists are other Protestant Christian groups here. (Religion in the UK)

  21. 21.How did the Church of Scotland differ from the Church of England?

    • AIt was led by the monarch
    • BIt had no elected leadership
    • CIt kept the authority of the Pope
    • DIt was not a state Church

    Scotland's new Protestant Church had elected leadership and, unlike England's, no status as a state Church. (The Reformation in Scotland and Mary, Queen of Scots)

  22. 22.In which year did Britain recognise American independence?

    • A1789
    • B1783
    • C1815
    • D1776

    Britain recognised the independence of the American colonies in 1783. (The American War of Independence and war with France)

  23. 23.What was NATO set up to resist?

    • AThe spread of fascism across post-war Europe
    • BThe decolonisation of Africa and the Caribbean
    • CThe perceived threat of invasion by the Soviet Union and its allies
    • DThe rearmament of Germany after the war

    NATO, joined by the UK, allied nations against the perceived threat of Soviet invasion. (Decolonisation, migration and the 1960s)

  24. 24.Who discovered penicillin?

    • AHoward Florey
    • BJohn Macleod
    • CAlexander Fleming
    • DErnst Chain

    Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928 while researching influenza. (Allied victory and post-war reform)

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