Five questions about Life in the UK – Quick Quiz answers
We asked you five questions drawn from practice tests about Life in the UK for would-be British citizens. Here come the answers!
- Who usually chooses who will be the Archbishop of Canterbury?
- The monarch
- The Prime Minister and a committee appointed by the Church of England
- A committee appointed by the Church of England
- The Prime Minister
Technically, the reigning monarch as Head of the Church of England appoints the Archbish as Primate of All England, but in practice does so on the advice of the PM and a Church of England committee.
- Which of these statements about Olympic gold medal winner Mary Peters is not true?
- She won gold at the 1976 Olympics in the 200 metres
- She became team manager for the women’s British Olympics team
- In 2000 she was made a Dame of the Order of the British Empire
- She moved to Northern Ireland as a child and continues to promote sport and tourism there
Although Mary Peters did win Olympic gold after running 200 metres, it was as part of the women’s modern pentathlon, which at the Summer Olympics in Munich in 1972—the year when she won her medal—also included the 80 metre hurdles, shot put, high jump and long jump.
- Which of these groups below came to England during the Middle Ages to trade or to work?
- Mercenaries from Spain
- Glass manufacturers from Italy
- Missionaries from Holland
- Nurses from Turkey
Venice was a major centre of mediæval glassmaking and guarded its secrets jealously, but towards the end of the Middle Ages some Venetian glass manufacturers made it to England and set up shop there.
- Which of the following statements is correct?
- St Helena and the Falkland Islands are Crown Dependencies
- St Helena and the Falkland Islands are British Overseas Territories
Both Overseas Territories (known as Dependent Territories before 1997) and Crown Dependencies are largely self-governing territories whose defence and international relations the UK looks after. But OTs are linked to the UK as former colonies, whereas the Crown Dependencies’ link is through the Sovereign – as Lord of Mann (for the Isle of Man) and as successor to the English Dukes of Normandy (in the cases of the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey).
- Who succeeded Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector following his death in 1658?
- His son, Robert
- His son, Richard
- His son, Thomas
- Charles II
Richard was Oliver’s third son. He had little role in politics until a year before his father’s death, and ruled as Lord Protector for less than a year before being effectively sidelined by the Army. He died aged 85, making him the longest-lived ruler of England until the present Queen.
To be honest, I’d not have got any of these right other than by a lucky guess.
How did you get on? Would you be able to pass the citizenship test? Why not let us know?
Buy the books!
Life in the UK Test: Handbook
2016 Edition
Paperback, 192 pages
2015, Red Squirrel Publishing
ISBN 978-1907389351
RRP: £7.99
Life in the UK Test: Study Guide
2016 Edition
Paperback, 248 pages
2015, Red Squirrel Publishing
ISBN 978-1907389320
RRP: £9.99
One Response to “Five questions about Life in the UK – Quick Quiz answers”
Although the tests are multiple choice, the Study Guide warns that they’re quite tricky. For instance, technically any of the people named in Question 1 above could choose, but the word ‘usually’ means that the correct answer must be (b).
Similarly, the Study Guide warns people taking the test to watch out for true-or-false questions which include absolute statements, eg ones which include the words ‘all’, ‘always’ or ‘never’. Because there are so many things about British life which are determined by custom, convention or accepted practice rather than regulation, absolute statements are often false.