Life in the UK Practice Test 6
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.
The Proms, an eight-week summer season of orchestral classical music, has been organised by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) since 1947.
All 24 questions, answers and explanations
1. The Proms, an eight-week summer season of orchestral classical music, has been organised by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) since 1947.
- • True
- ✓ False
Why: False. The Proms has been organised by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) since 1927, not 1947. It is an eight-week summer season of orchestral classical music held in various venues, including the Royal Albert Hall in London.
2. Ealing Studios has a claim to being the oldest continuously working film studio facility in the world.
- ✓ True
- • False
Why: True. Films were first shown publicly in the UK in 1896 and Ealing Studios has a claim to being the oldest continuously working film studio facility in the world. Many films produced in the UK today are made by foreign companies using British expertise.
3. In 2003, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen was voted the country's best-loved novel.
- • True
- ✓ False
Why: False. In 2003 it was The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien that was voted the country's best-loved novel. Jane Austen (1775-1817) did write Pride and Prejudice, and many of her novels have been made into television programmes or films.
4. Spitting Image was the satirical television show of the 1960s, and That Was The Week That Was followed in the 1980s and 1990s.
- • True
- ✓ False
Why: False. It is the other way round: That Was The Week That Was was the satire show of the 1960s and Spitting Image came in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1969, Monty Python's Flying Circus introduced a new type of progressive comedy.
5. Which of the following statements about the British tradition of pantomime is correct?
- • Pantomimes are produced at Easter and are based on stories from the Bible, with the music sung by a large choir.
- • In a pantomime, the Dame is a male character who is always played by a woman.
- • Pantomimes are experimental theatre productions showcased at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe each summer.
- ✓ Many theatres produce a pantomime at Christmas; they are based on fairy stories and are light-hearted plays with music and comedy.
Why: Pantomimes are produced at Christmas, are based on fairy stories and are light-hearted plays with music and comedy enjoyed by family audiences. One traditional character is the Dame, a woman played by a man, and there is often a pantomime horse or cow played by two actors in the same costume. Experimental work is a feature of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
6. Which of the following statements about notable British artists is correct?
- • Sir John Lavery (1856-1941) was the influential landscape painter who raised the profile of landscape painting.
- • David Hockney (1937-) was a Scottish painter whose most famous work is called The Origin of Painting.
- ✓ John Constable (1776-1837) was a landscape painter most famous for his works of Dedham Vale on the Suffolk-Essex border.
- • Thomas Gainsborough (1727-88) was a sculptor best known for his large bronze abstract sculptures.
Why: Constable's best-known works show Dedham Vale. The large bronze abstract sculptures were by Henry Moore, The Origin of Painting is by the Scottish painter David Allan, and it was Joseph Turner who raised the profile of landscape painting. Gainsborough painted portraits in country or garden scenery, Hockney contributed to the 1960s 'pop art' movement, and Lavery was a Northern Irish portrait painter who painted the Royal Family.
7. Which of the following statements about British garden design and landscaping is correct?
- ✓ In the 18th century, Lancelot 'Capability' Brown designed the grounds around country houses so that the landscape appeared to be natural, with grass, trees and lakes.
- • The annual Chelsea Flower Show showcases garden design from Britain only.
- • Lancelot 'Capability' Brown designed the colourful gardens around the country houses designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.
- • In the 18th century, Gertrude Jekyll designed the grounds around country houses to look natural and often said that a place had 'capabilities'.
Why: 'Capability' Brown worked in the 18th century and often said that a place had 'capabilities'. Gertrude Jekyll came later and often worked with Sir Edwin Lutyens to design colourful gardens around the houses he designed. The annual Chelsea Flower Show showcases garden design from Britain and from around the world.
8. Which TWO of these writers named in the handbook have won the Nobel Prize in Literature?
- ✓ Seamus Heaney
- • Ian McEwan
- • Hilary Mantel
- • Sir William Golding
Why: The novelist Sir William Golding, the poet Seamus Heaney and the playwright Harold Pinter are the writers named as winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Ian McEwan and Hilary Mantel are past winners of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction, which has been awarded annually since 1968.
9. Which famous music festival takes place in the UK every summer?
- ✓ Glastonbury
- • Burning Man
- • Coachella
- • Tomorrowland
Why: Glastonbury is one of the famous festivals that takes place in the UK every summer, along with the Isle of Wight Festival and the V Festival.
10. Which TWO bands have had an important influence on British pop music since the 1960s?
- ✓ The Beatles
- • ABBA
- • The Eagles
- • The Rolling Stones
Why: The Beatles and The Rolling Stones have had an important influence on music both in the UK and abroad since the 1960s.
11. Who wrote the Harry Potter series?
- ✓ J K Rowling
- • Ian Fleming
- • Agatha Christie
- • Charles Dickens
Why: J K Rowling wrote the Harry Potter series of children's books, which have enjoyed huge international success.
12. Lent, the 40 days before Easter, begins on which day?
- • Good Friday
- • Shrove Tuesday
- ✓ Ash Wednesday
- • Easter Monday
Why: Lent is the 40 days before Easter and begins on Ash Wednesday, when at church services Christians are marked with an ash cross on the forehead. Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) is the day before Lent starts.
13. Why were pancakes traditionally made and eaten on Shrove Tuesday?
- • To celebrate the rising of Jesus Christ from the dead
- • To mark the end of the 40 days of Lent
- • As a symbol of new life at the start of spring
- ✓ To use up foods such as eggs, fat and milk before fasting
Why: Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day, is the day before Lent begins. Pancakes were traditionally made to use up foods such as eggs, fat and milk before the period of fasting.
14. Boxing Day, which is a public holiday, falls on which day?
- • The first Monday of the New Year
- ✓ The day after Christmas Day
- • The day after New Year's Day
- • The day before Christmas Day
Why: Boxing Day is the day after Christmas Day and is a public holiday. Christmas Day itself is 25 December and Christmas Eve is 24 December.
15. How long does the festival of Diwali normally last?
- • One month
- ✓ Five days
- • Eight days
- • Three days
Why: Diwali normally falls in October or November and lasts for five days. It is often called the Festival of Lights.
16. Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is celebrated by which two religious groups?
- ✓ Hindus and Sikhs
- • Sikhs and Muslims
- • Jews and Hindus
- • Hindus and Buddhists
Why: Diwali is celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs. It celebrates the victory of good over evil and the gaining of knowledge, and there are different stories about how the festival came about.
17. Which UK city is known for a famous celebration of Diwali?
- ✓ Leicester
- • Glasgow
- • Bradford
- • Leeds
Why: There is a famous celebration of Diwali in Leicester. Diwali falls in October or November, lasts five days and is often called the Festival of Lights.
18. When is Father's Day in the UK?
- • The third Sunday in May
- • The Sunday three weeks before Easter
- • The first Sunday in June
- ✓ The third Sunday in June
Why: Father's Day is the third Sunday in June, when children send cards or buy gifts for their fathers. Mothering Sunday, by contrast, is the Sunday three weeks before Easter.
19. On April Fool's Day, until what time of day are jokes traditionally played on people?
- ✓ Midday
- • 11.00 am
- • Midnight
- • 6.00 pm
Why: April Fool's Day is 1 April, and people play jokes on each other only until midday. Television and newspapers often carry stories that are April Fool jokes.
20. Halloween is an ancient festival with roots in a pagan festival that marked what?
- ✓ The beginning of winter
- • The beginning of spring
- • The longest night of the year
- • The end of the harvest
Why: Halloween, 31 October, has its roots in the pagan festival marking the beginning of winter. Young people often dress up in frightening costumes to play 'trick or treat', and many people carve lanterns out of pumpkins.
21. The public holidays known as bank holidays all have a religious significance.
- • True
- ✓ False
Why: False. Bank holidays are of no religious significance. They fall at the beginning of May, in late May or early June, and in August, and on these days banks and many other businesses are closed.
22. On Valentine's Day people sometimes send anonymous cards to someone they secretly admire.
- ✓ True
- • False
Why: True. Valentine's Day is 14 February, when lovers exchange cards and gifts, and sometimes people send anonymous cards to someone they secretly admire.
23. Which of these statements about Bonfire Night is correct?
- • It is on 11 November and commemorates those who died fighting for the UK and its allies.
- ✓ It is on 5 November and recalls an event in 1605 when a group of Catholics led by Guy Fawkes failed in their plan to kill the Protestant king with a bomb in the Houses of Parliament.
- • It is on 5 November and recalls an event in 1605 when a group of Protestants led by Guy Fawkes failed in their plan to kill the Catholic king.
- • It is on 31 October and marks the beginning of winter, when people carve lanterns out of pumpkins.
Why: Bonfire Night is 5 November, when people in Great Britain set off fireworks at home or in special displays. Its origin was an event in 1605 when a group of Catholics led by Guy Fawkes failed in their plan to kill the Protestant king with a bomb in the Houses of Parliament.
24. Which of these statements about Eid al-Fitr is correct?
- • It remembers that the prophet Ibrahim was willing to sacrifice his son, and many Muslims sacrifice an animal to eat.
- • It marks the start of Ramadan, the month during which Muslims fast, and it always falls on 14 April.
- • It is celebrated for eight days, and a candle is lit on a stand of eight candles on each day.
- ✓ It celebrates the end of Ramadan, when Muslims have fasted for a month, and the date it falls on changes every year.
Why: Eid al-Fitr celebrates the end of Ramadan, when Muslims have fasted for a month, and they thank Allah for giving them the strength to complete the fast. The date changes every year, and Muslims attend special services and meals.