Life in the UK Practice Test 48

The third statement is false. A jury is made up of 12 ordinary members of the public, selected randomly from the electoral register, and people aged 18 to 70 may be called to serve. It is the jury — not the judge — that decides whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty; the judge runs the trial and passes sentence.

Hansard covers both Houses of Parliament: it is the official published record of debates and proceedings in the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Anyone can read it — it is published by Parliament, including online.

In two-tier areas of England, a county council covering the whole county shares local services with district councils covering smaller areas — for example, the county council typically handles social care and education, while district councils handle things like housing and local planning.

You can write to your MP at the House of Commons in London; MPs can also usually be contacted by email and hold regular local surgeries.

If the dates in a jury summons clash with something important, such as a booked hospital operation, you can ask the court to defer your service to a later date — but ignoring a summons can lead to a fine. Jurors must decide the case only on the evidence heard in court, so they must not research it online or discuss it on social media. Jurors are not paid a salary, although they can claim expenses.

Every year, councils carry out an annual canvass of households to check and update the electoral register, adding people who have moved in and removing those who have left.

The DVLA keeps records of drivers and vehicles — including driving licences and registered vehicles — and collects vehicle tax.

The last statement is false — there is no property qualification for voting. To vote in a General Election you must be aged 18 or over and your name must be on the electoral register. You can vote in person at a polling station, by post, or by proxy, where someone you trust votes on your behalf.

Joining a parent-teacher association (PTA) is one of the ways parents can volunteer and get involved in their children's school and the local community.

Coaching a local sports team in your spare time is volunteering — giving your time to help others and take part in community life.

Charity trustees are the people who oversee a charity's work; they are usually volunteers and are responsible for making sure the charity is well run and uses its money properly.

For cars, the national speed limit is 60 mph on a single carriageway and 70 mph on a dual carriageway or motorway.

Passengers aged 14 and over are responsible for wearing their own seat belts; the driver is responsible for children under 14.

The Highway Code is the official guide to the rules of the road for drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and other road users, and some of its rules are legal requirements.

A new car does not need an MOT until it is three years old; after that, it must pass the test every year.

Although the monarch delivers the speech at the State Opening, its contents are written by the government and set out the government's plans for new laws.

In a division, MPs vote by walking through one of two lobbies — the Aye lobby for yes and the No lobby for no — where they are counted and their names recorded.

When Parliament is dissolved ahead of a general election, all MPs cease to be MPs; those who want to return must stand as candidates and be elected again.

The Senedd, the Welsh Parliament, meets in Cardiff, the capital of Wales.

The Scottish Parliament sits at Holyrood in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland.

Both Houses of the UK Parliament meet in the Palace of Westminster in London, on the bank of the River Thames.

People doing jury service are not paid for it, but they can claim back expenses including travel and food, and an allowance towards loss of earnings, within set limits.

The Speaker must be politically impartial, so on taking the chair they give up their party allegiance and do not take part in party politics.

The Lord Speaker sits on the Woolsack, a large cushion stuffed with wool, at the front of the House of Lords chamber.