Life in the UK Test — Exam 1 of 17
Exam 1 of 17 in the CitizenReady series: a fixed paper of 24 questions — the same questions every visit, so you can retake it, watch your score climb, then move on to Exam 2. Weighted like the real test (history, government and society heaviest) with the real format mix and the real pass mark of 18 out of 24 (75%). Tap an answer to check it instantly and read the explanation.
Question 1 · Chapter 1: Values & Principles
At a primary school assembly, children take turns to explain how their families mark different religious festivals through the year. Which value is the school encouraging?
Learning about and respecting festivals from different faiths encourages tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.
Question 2 · Chapter 2: What is the UK?
Fingal's Cave, the famous sea cave on the uninhabited island of Staffa, is formed from columns of basalt in what distinctive shape?
Fingal's Cave is formed entirely from hexagonally jointed basalt columns, created as lava cooled and cracked. They are part of the same ancient lava flow as the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland.
Question 3 · Chapter 3: History
Which TWO of these are connected with Edward I's conquest of Wales?
Choose TWO answers — select both to see the result
Edward I issued the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284, introducing the English system of laws and courts to Wales, and built great castles such as Caernarfon and Conwy to hold down the country he had conquered. Offa's Dyke was built centuries earlier on the orders of King Offa of Mercia, and the Danelaw was the area of England under Danish law in the Viking age — neither was Edward's work.
Question 4 · Chapter 4: Modern Society
The Grand National is a steeplechase in which horses jump a series of large fences.
The Grand National, held at Aintree near Liverpool, is a steeplechase — horses jump a series of large fences over a long distance.
Question 5 · Chapter 5: Government, Law & Your Role
Which of these is NOT something the House of Lords does?
The Prime Minister is the leader of the party that commands the House of Commons; choosing the Prime Minister is not a role of the House of Lords.
Question 6 · Chapter 2: What is the UK?
The Scottish city of Aberdeen is especially associated with which industry?
Aberdeen grew into a centre for the North Sea oil and gas industry from the 1970s onwards.
Question 7 · Chapter 3: History
The Great Fire of London of 1666 is traditionally said to have started in a bakery in Pudding Lane.
The fire began in a baker's shop in Pudding Lane and, driven by wind through closely packed wooden buildings, destroyed much of the old City of London over several days.
Question 8 · Chapter 4: Modern Society
By law, when a dog is in a public place in the UK, what must it wear?
Dogs in public must wear a collar with the owner's name and address on it, so that a lost or straying dog can be returned and identified.
Question 9 · Chapter 5: Government, Law & Your Role
Which TWO of these matters can the Northern Ireland Assembly make decisions about?
Choose TWO answers — select both to see the result
The Northern Ireland Assembly decides on transferred matters such as agriculture and the environment, along with health, education and social services. Defence and foreign policy are reserved to the UK Parliament at Westminster, so they are not Assembly matters.
Question 10 · Chapter 3: History
In August 1940, at the height of the Battle of Britain, Churchill said that never had so much been owed by so many 'to so few'. Who were 'the Few'?
Churchill's words of 20 August 1940 paid tribute to the aircrew of RAF Fighter Command — the pilots of the Battle of Britain, who have been known as 'the Few' ever since.
Question 11 · Chapter 4: Modern Society
Dennis the Menace, the mischievous schoolboy with a spiky hairstyle and striped jumper, appears in which British comic?
Dennis the Menace has appeared in The Beano since 1951, usually with his dog Gnasher in tow.
Question 12 · Chapter 5: Government, Law & Your Role
Local councillors are normally elected for a term of five years.
Councillors are normally elected for a four-year term, after which they must stand down or seek re-election.
Question 13 · Chapter 3: History
Which king is remembered for defeating the Vikings and uniting Anglo-Saxon resistance?
Alfred the Great of Wessex defeated the Vikings and began uniting the English kingdoms.
Question 14 · Chapter 4: Modern Society
The Last Night of the Proms traditionally ends with the audience joining in with which patriotic song?
The Last Night of the Proms features a rousing sequence of patriotic music, including 'Rule, Britannia!', with the audience singing along.
Question 15 · Chapter 5: Government, Law & Your Role
What is Hansard?
Hansard is the official report of debates and speeches in Parliament; copies can be found in large libraries and online.
Question 16 · Chapter 3: History
The Festival of Britain, a national exhibition intended to lift the country's spirits and showcase recovery after the war, was held in which year?
The Festival of Britain took place in 1951, a century after the Great Exhibition, with its main site on the South Bank of the Thames in London.
Question 17 · Chapter 4: Modern Society
The monarch's Christmas message is broadcast on television and radio on which day each year?
The King's Christmas message is broadcast on Christmas Day, a tradition begun by George V on radio in 1932 and continued on television by Elizabeth II.
Question 18 · Chapter 5: Government, Law & Your Role
The Bank of England is sometimes given a nickname. What is it?
The Bank of England, whose headquarters are on Threadneedle Street in the City of London, is nicknamed the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street.
Question 19 · Chapter 3: History
The first major pitched battle of the Civil War, fought in October 1642, took place where?
The Battle of Edgehill in Warwickshire, fought on 23 October 1642, was the first major battle of the war, and it ended without a clear winner.
Question 20 · Chapter 4: Modern Society
Blackpool, the Lancashire seaside resort, is famous for its tower and for its autumn display of lights along the promenade, known as what?
Blackpool's Illuminations light up six miles of promenade each autumn and have drawn visitors to the resort for over a century.
Question 21 · Chapter 5: Government, Law & Your Role
How many people sit on a jury in Scotland?
Scottish juries have 15 members — three more than the 12 used in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Question 22 · Chapter 3: History
When the Gunpowder Plot was discovered in November 1605, Guy Fawkes was arrested while doing what?
Fawkes was found in the cellar beneath the Houses of Parliament, guarding 36 barrels of gunpowder the plotters had hidden there, and was arrested before the plot could be carried out.
Question 23 · Chapter 5: Government, Law & Your Role
Arranging care and support for elderly and disabled people living at home is mainly the responsibility of which body?
Local councils run adult social care: they assess people's needs and arrange support such as home care for elderly and disabled residents.
Question 24 · Chapter 5: Government, Law & Your Role
As well as hearing criminal cases, magistrates in England and Wales may also sit in which court, which deals with matters such as arrangements for children?
Specially trained magistrates also sit in the Family Court, which deals with matters affecting children and families.
Green = correct · red = wrong · red ring = marked for review · gold outline = current question
Your result
Advertisement
Sit Exam 1 under real exam conditions
In the free app this exact paper runs against the 45-minute clock, with mark-for-review and a pre-submit check — and finishing it ticks Exam 1 off your series progress, saved on your device. The Pass Pack (£9.99, one-time) adds the printable PDF of all 1240 questions, the audio pack, bilingual explanations and a personal finish plan.