Life in the UK Test — Exam 21 of 24
Exam 21 of 24 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 22. 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
A woman who has been convicted of an offence believes her trial was unfair. What can she usually do?
People convicted in a UK court can usually appeal to a higher court, which reviews the conviction or sentence.
Question 2 · Chapter 2: What is the UK?
Which of the following crosses is NOT part of the Union Flag?
The Union Flag combines three crosses: the cross of St George for England, the cross of St Andrew for Scotland and the cross of St Patrick for Ireland. The cross of St David does not appear in it — Wales has no cross of its own in the flag.
Question 3 · Chapter 3: History
Which TWO of these were created in the years after the Second World War as part of the new welfare state?
Choose TWO answers — select both to see the result
The Beveridge Report of 1942 led to the modern welfare state with social security for all, and the National Health Service was established in 1948, providing care free at the point of use. The Bank of England was founded much earlier, in 1694, and the Open University was founded in 1969, teaching its first students from 1971.
Question 4 · Chapter 4: Modern Society
The FA Cup is the oldest national football cup competition in the world.
First held in the 1871–72 season, the FA Cup is the world's oldest national football competition.
Question 5 · Chapter 5: Government, Law & Your Role
Which TWO of these statements about petitions on the UK Parliament petitions website are correct?
Choose TWO answers — select both to see the result
When a petition reaches 10,000 signatures the government must provide a formal response, and at 100,000 signatures the Petitions Committee considers it for a debate in Parliament. A petition never becomes law automatically, and there is no debate in the same week at 10,000 signatures.
Question 6 · Chapter 2: What is the UK?
Which historic county is the largest in the United Kingdom?
Yorkshire is the largest of the historic counties, traditionally divided into three ridings.
Question 7 · Chapter 3: History
Julius Caesar first came to Britain with a Roman force in 54 BC.
Caesar first landed in Britain in 55 BC and returned with a larger force in 54 BC, but these expeditions did not lead to a permanent Roman conquest.
Question 8 · Chapter 4: Modern Society
The Forth Bridge, the great cantilever bridge near Edinburgh, was built to carry what across the Firth of Forth?
The Forth Bridge is a railway bridge: its red steel cantilevers have carried trains across the Firth of Forth since 1890.
Question 9 · Chapter 5: Government, Law & Your Role
Citizens Advice is a department of the local council.
Citizens Advice is an independent, free service run largely by trained volunteers; it is not part of the local council, and nobody is charged for its advice.
Question 10 · Chapter 3: History
Under the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, people who were too poor to support themselves could usually get help only by going where?
The 1834 Poor Law deliberately made relief hard to claim: the able-bodied poor could get help only inside the workhouse, whose conditions were meant to be worse than the lowest-paid job outside.
Question 11 · Chapter 4: Modern Society
The Paralympic Games grew out of games organised for injured servicemen at which British hospital?
Dr Ludwig Guttmann organised sports for patients with spinal injuries at Stoke Mandeville in 1948, the seed from which the Paralympic movement grew.
Question 12 · Chapter 5: Government, Law & Your Role
Who normally decides whether a planning application to build a new block of flats in a town can go ahead?
Local councils act as planning authorities and decide most applications to build or change the use of land and buildings in their area.
Question 13 · Chapter 3: History
Henry VII, who took the throne in 1485, was the first monarch of which royal dynasty?
By defeating Richard III at Bosworth in 1485, Henry VII founded the Tudor dynasty, which ruled England until 1603.
Question 14 · Chapter 4: Modern Society
In the UK, Mother's Day is traditionally called Mothering Sunday and falls during which period of the Christian calendar?
Mothering Sunday is the fourth Sunday in Lent, the period before Easter, when people traditionally visited their 'mother church' — it is now marked as Mother's Day in the UK.
Question 15 · Chapter 5: Government, Law & Your Role
Tom has joined the parent-teacher association at his daughter's school, helping to organise fundraising events. In the handbook's terms, what is he doing?
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.
Question 16 · Chapter 3: History
British rule in India came to an end in 1947, when the country was partitioned into India and which new state, created for Muslim-majority regions?
In August 1947 British India was partitioned into the independent dominions of India and Pakistan; Pakistan's eastern wing later broke away in 1971 to become Bangladesh.
Question 17 · Chapter 4: Modern Society
The Shipping Forecast, a much-loved BBC radio broadcast, gives weather information mainly for whom?
The Shipping Forecast on BBC radio gives weather reports and forecasts for the seas around the British Isles, for the benefit of sailors.
Question 18 · Chapter 5: Government, Law & Your Role
According to the official handbook, what is the age of criminal responsibility in Scotland?
The handbook gives Scotland’s age of criminal responsibility as 8, lower than the age of 10 in England and Wales. (Scotland raised its age to 12 in 2021, after the handbook was published.)
Question 19 · Chapter 3: History
At the Battle of Crécy in 1346, an English army defeated a much larger French force, largely thanks to which weapon used by its archers?
English and Welsh longbowmen devastated the French at Crécy in 1346, demonstrating the power of the longbow that featured in English victories throughout the Hundred Years War.
Question 20 · Chapter 4: Modern Society
The sculptor Henry Moore is best known for works in what form?
Henry Moore became world famous for his monumental bronze sculptures, many of them reclining human figures with smooth, curved forms.
Question 21 · Chapter 5: Government, Law & Your Role
How do voters normally show their choice on a paper ballot in a UK parliamentary election?
Voters mark a cross (X) in the box next to the one candidate they choose; in first-past-the-post elections each voter picks a single candidate.
Question 22 · Chapter 3: History
Which product was one of England's most valuable exports during the Middle Ages?
English wool was prized across Europe in the Middle Ages and the wool trade brought great wealth to England's landowners and merchants.
Question 23 · Chapter 5: Government, Law & Your Role
Who is responsible for compiling and keeping up to date the electoral register for your local area?
The electoral register is compiled and maintained locally: each area has an electoral registration officer, working through the local council, who runs the annual canvass and keeps the list of voters up to date.
Question 24 · Chapter 5: Government, Law & Your Role
What do the trustees of a charity do?
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.
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