Life in the UK Practice Test 2
24 questions, just like the real test. You need 18 correct to pass. Every answer is explained — and you do not need an account to take it.
Which TWO countries developed Concorde?
This question has more than one correct answer — pick all that apply, then submit.
All 24 questions, answers and explanations
1. Which TWO countries developed Concorde?
- • Germany
- • United States
- ✓ France
- • Britain
Why: Britain and France developed Concorde, the world's only supersonic passenger aircraft. It first flew in 1969 and began carrying passengers in 1976.
2. What is the capital of the UK?
- • Cardiff
- • Belfast
- • Edinburgh
- ✓ London
Why: London is the capital city of the UK with a population of over 9 million.
3. What is the capital of Scotland?
- • Dundee
- ✓ Edinburgh
- • Aberdeen
- • Glasgow
Why: Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland.
4. Which language is spoken in Wales?
- • Cornish
- • Gaelic
- • Irish
- ✓ Welsh
Why: Welsh is spoken in Wales alongside English.
5. What is the patron saint of England?
- • St Andrew
- • St David
- ✓ St George
- • St Patrick
Why: St George is the patron saint of England, celebrated on 23 April.
6. When is St Andrew's Day?
- ✓ 30 November
- • 17 March
- • 1 March
- • 23 April
Why: St Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, celebrated on 30 November.
7. Everyone in the UK has the right to religious freedom.
- ✓ True
- • False
Why: True. Everyone in the UK has the right to religious freedom.
8. When did women over 30 gain the right to vote in the UK?
- • 1969
- ✓ 1918
- • 1945
- • 1928
Why: Women over 30 gained the right to vote in 1918. Before then no women could vote in parliamentary elections, although the franchise had grown steadily through the 19th century.
9. Which TWO reforms did the Chartists campaign for in the 1830s and 1840s?
- • Women's right to vote
- ✓ Secret ballots
- • Every man to have the vote
- • Abolition of the monarchy
Why: The Chartists campaigned for six reforms including: every man to have the vote, elections every year, equal regions in the electoral system, secret ballots, any man to be able to stand as an MP, and MPs to be paid.
10. Who is the head of state in the UK?
- • The Prime Minister
- ✓ The monarch
- • The Speaker of the House
- • The Lord Chancellor
Why: The monarch is the head of state of the UK. The UK has a constitutional monarchy.
11. Who is responsible for crime, policing and immigration?
- • The Chancellor
- • The Defence Secretary
- • The Foreign Secretary
- ✓ The Home Secretary
Why: The Home Secretary is responsible for crime, policing and immigration.
12. Which statement is correct about carrying weapons in the UK?
- • You can carry a weapon for self-defence
- ✓ It is a criminal offence to carry any kind of weapon, even for self-defence
Why: It is a criminal offence to carry a weapon of any kind, even if it is for self-defence. This includes a gun, a knife or anything made or adapted to cause injury.
13. What is the minimum age for buying tobacco products in the UK?
- • 21
- ✓ 18
- • 16
- • 25
Why: It is illegal to sell tobacco products (cigarettes, cigars, roll-up tobacco) to anyone under the age of 18.
14. What is the minimum age for buying alcohol in the UK?
- ✓ 18
- • 21
- • 25
- • 16
Why: It is a criminal offence to sell alcohol to anyone who is under 18 or to buy alcohol for people under 18. There is one exception: people aged 16 or over can drink alcohol with a meal in a hotel or restaurant.
15. Selling or buying drugs such as heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis is illegal in the UK.
- ✓ True
- • False
Why: True. Selling or buying drugs such as heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis is illegal in the UK.
16. How many member states does the Commonwealth currently have?
- • 193
- • 54
- • 27
- ✓ 56
Why: The Commonwealth has 56 member states, and the handbook lists all of them by region. Most were once part of the British Empire, though membership is voluntary and some members never were.
17. Northern Ireland is part of the UK. What does the handbook say about the rest of Ireland?
- • It is part of Great Britain
- ✓ It is an independent country
- • It is a British overseas territory
- • It is a Crown dependency
Why: The UK is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the rest of Ireland is an independent country. It is neither a Crown dependency nor a British overseas territory.
18. St Helena and the Falkland Islands are examples of what?
- • Crown dependencies
- • Parts of Great Britain
- ✓ British overseas territories
- • Countries of the United Kingdom
Why: St Helena and the Falkland Islands are British overseas territories, in other parts of the world. Like the Crown dependencies they are linked to the UK but are not part of it.
19. As well as the UK parliament, which parts of the UK have parliaments or assemblies of their own?
- • Scotland and Northern Ireland only
- • All four countries of the UK
- ✓ Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
- • England, Scotland and Wales
Why: The UK as a whole is governed by the parliament sitting in Westminster. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also have parliaments or assemblies of their own, to which some powers have been devolved. England is not listed as having one of its own.
20. What is the capital city of Northern Ireland?
- • Glasgow
- • Edinburgh
- ✓ Belfast
- • Cardiff
Why: Belfast is the capital city of Northern Ireland. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and Cardiff the capital of Wales; Glasgow is a Scottish city but not a capital. London is the capital city of the UK as a whole.
21. What is the capital city of Wales?
- ✓ Cardiff
- • Newport
- • Bristol
- • Swansea
Why: Cardiff is the capital city of Wales. Swansea and Newport are the other Welsh cities listed in the handbook, but neither is the capital, and Bristol is in England.
22. Most people in the UK live in towns and cities, although much of Britain is still countryside.
- ✓ True
- • False
Why: True. Most people live in towns and cities, but much of Britain remains countryside, and many people continue to visit it for holidays and for leisure activities such as walking, camping and fishing.
23. Wales is part of the United Kingdom but is not part of Great Britain.
- • True
- ✓ False
Why: False. 'Great Britain' refers to England, Scotland and Wales, so Wales is part of Great Britain as well as of the United Kingdom. It is Northern Ireland that is in the UK but not in Great Britain.
24. Which of these statements about the words 'Great Britain' and 'British' is correct?
- • 'Britain' refers to England alone, while 'Great Britain' adds Scotland and Wales
- • 'British' refers only to people living in Great Britain and the Crown dependencies
- ✓ 'Great Britain' refers only to England, Scotland and Wales, but the word 'British' is used to refer to everyone in the UK
- • 'Great Britain' refers to all four countries of the UK, but the word 'British' refers only to the English
Why: Two different kinds of term are at work. 'Great Britain' is geographical and strict: England, Scotland and Wales only. 'Britain', 'British Isles' and 'British' are used in the handbook broadly, for everyone in the UK - so someone from Northern Ireland is British even though they do not live in Great Britain. The Crown dependencies are not part of the UK at all.