Free Life in the UK mock test 2: 24 questions, 18 right to pass (75%), 45 minutes, as in the real Life in the UK test (GOV.UK). How many can you get wrong?
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True or false.Chapter 4: A modern, thriving society
The clock known as Big Ben is over 150 years old.
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Life in the UK test questions and answers: mock test 2
Life in the UK mock test, free and with no account: 10 full mock tests are open to everyone. Next: Life in the UK test: free mock test 3.
Answers and explanations (text version)
All 24 questions in this mock test, each with the right answer, the reason, and where it is in Handbook. Try the test first.
Question 1. True or false. The clock known as Big Ben is over 150 years old.
- A. True
- B. False
Answer: A. True
True. The clock has stood for more than 150 years and draws many tourists.
In the handbook, chapter 4: A modern, thriving society (Places of interest)
Question 2. What is the Giant's Causeway made of?
- A. Ancient standing stones
- B. An old coral reef
- C. Columns of volcanic rock
- D. Blocks of glacier ice
Answer: C. Columns of volcanic rock
It is made of columns formed from volcanic lava.
In the handbook, chapter 4: A modern, thriving society (Places of interest)
Question 3. How many MPs does each constituency elect?
- A. Two
- B. One
- C. Three
- D. Five
Answer: B. One
The voters of each constituency choose a single MP.
In the handbook, chapter 5: The UK government, the law and your role (The British constitution)
Question 4. True or false. The plantations had lasting effects on the history of Ireland, England and Scotland.
- A. True
- B. False
Answer: A. True
True. The handbook says the plantations had serious long-term effects on the history of all three countries.
In the handbook, chapter 3: A long and illustrious history (The Tudors and Stuarts)
Question 5. Choose two. Which TWO of these countries are Commonwealth members?
- A. Kenya
- B. Jamaica
- C. France
- D. Japan
Answer: A and B. Kenya; Jamaica
Kenya and Jamaica are among the members; France and Japan are not.
In the handbook, chapter 5: The UK government, the law and your role (The UK and international institutions)
Question 6. In which year was a mile first run in under four minutes?
- A. 1954
- B. 1924
- C. 1966
- D. 1984
Answer: A. 1954
The first sub-four-minute mile was run in 1954.
In the handbook, chapter 4: A modern, thriving society (Sport)
Question 7. Who was the first of the Danish kings who ruled England for a short time?
- A. Harold
- B. Kenneth MacAlpin
- C. Alfred
- D. Cnut
Answer: D. Cnut
Danish kings ruled England for a short time, and the first of them was Cnut, also known as Canute.
In the handbook, chapter 3: A long and illustrious history (Early Britain)
Question 8. Which statement about the Wars of the Roses is correct?
- A. Lancaster's emblem was a red rose; York's was a white rose.
- B. Lancaster's emblem was a white rose; York's was a red rose.
Answer: A. Lancaster's emblem was a red rose; York's was a white rose.
The war takes its name from the two families' emblems: a red rose for Lancaster and a white rose for York.
In the handbook, chapter 3: A long and illustrious history (The Middle Ages)
Question 9. Which poem did Dylan Thomas write for his dying father?
- A. Do Not Go Gentle
- B. If
- C. Auld Lang Syne
- D. The Canterbury Tales
Answer: A. Do Not Go Gentle
'Do Not Go Gentle' was written in 1952, while his father was dying.
In the handbook, chapter 3: A long and illustrious history (Britain since 1945)
Question 10. A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra is based on music by which earlier composer?
- A. George Frederick Handel
- B. Gustav Holst
- C. Sir Edward Elgar
- D. Henry Purcell
Answer: D. Henry Purcell
Britten built the piece on a tune by Purcell, using it to introduce each section of the orchestra.
In the handbook, chapter 4: A modern, thriving society (Arts and culture)
Question 11. Who can explain the options to someone facing domestic violence?
- A. The DVLA or HMRC
- B. A jury or a magistrate
- C. A solicitor or Citizens Advice
- D. A canvasser or a councillor
Answer: C. A solicitor or Citizens Advice
A solicitor or Citizens Advice can set out what help is available.
In the handbook, chapter 5: The UK government, the law and your role (Fundamental principles)
Question 12. What kind of system of government does the UK have?
- A. A military government
- B. An absolute monarchy
- C. A parliamentary democracy
- D. A one-party state
Answer: C. A parliamentary democracy
In a parliamentary democracy like the UK, voters elect MPs, and the government is formed from the House of Commons.
In the handbook, chapter 5: The UK government, the law and your role (The British constitution)
Question 13. What were most peasants under feudalism?
- A. Knights
- B. Landowners
- C. Serfs
- D. Merchants
Answer: C. Serfs
Most peasants were serfs. They grew food on a small piece of their lord's land and had to work for him.
In the handbook, chapter 3: A long and illustrious history (The Middle Ages)
Question 14. Which matters can the Scottish Parliament pass laws on?
- A. Only education and health
- B. Only matters agreed each year
- C. Every matter, including defence and foreign affairs
- D. All those not reserved to the UK Parliament
Answer: D. All those not reserved to the UK Parliament
Anything not specifically kept by the UK Parliament can be decided in Edinburgh.
In the handbook, chapter 5: The UK government, the law and your role (The government)
Question 15. What is the minimum age to ride a moped?
- A. 14
- B. 16
- C. 17
- D. 18
Answer: B. 16
You can ride a moped from the age of 16.
In the handbook, chapter 5: The UK government, the law and your role (Fundamental principles)
Question 16. By what margin did the UK vote to leave the European Union in 2016?
- A. 60% to 40%
- B. 75% to 25%
- C. 50.1% to 49.9%
- D. 51.9% to 48.1%
Answer: D. 51.9% to 48.1%
The vote was 51.9% for leaving and 48.1% for staying.
In the handbook, chapter 3: A long and illustrious history (Britain since 1945)
Question 17. What did the Corn Laws do before they were repealed?
- A. They stopped cheap grain being imported
- B. They fixed the wages paid to all farm workers
- C. They banned the export of wool
- D. They taxed bread sold in towns
Answer: A. They stopped cheap grain being imported
The Corn Laws had prevented cheap grain coming into Britain; their repeal helped British industry.
In the handbook, chapter 3: A long and illustrious history (A global power)
Question 18. What does the cross of St Andrew look like?
- A. A red cross on a white background
- B. A red diagonal cross on white
- C. A white diagonal cross on blue
- D. A blue cross on a white background
Answer: C. A white diagonal cross on blue
Scotland's St Andrew has a white diagonal cross set on blue.
In the handbook, chapter 3: A long and illustrious history (A global power)
Question 19. What is Loch Lomond?
- A. The highest mountain in Scotland
- B. The biggest freshwater lake on the British mainland
- C. A famous castle standing on a hill near Edinburgh
- D. The longest river flowing through Scotland
Answer: B. The biggest freshwater lake on the British mainland
Loch Lomond, the biggest freshwater lake on the British mainland, lies in the west of Scotland.
In the handbook, chapter 4: A modern, thriving society (Places of interest)
Question 20. Where was the main site of the 2012 Olympic Games?
- A. Wembley, in north London
- B. Greenwich, in south London
- C. Cardiff, in Wales
- D. Stratford, in East London
Answer: D. Stratford, in East London
Stratford hosted the main Olympic park in 2012.
In the handbook, chapter 4: A modern, thriving society (Sport)
Question 21. True or false. During the Victorian Age, the middle classes became more important in the UK.
- A. True
- B. False
Answer: A. True
True. The middle classes grew in importance, and reformers worked to improve life for the poor.
In the handbook, chapter 3: A long and illustrious history (A global power)
Question 22. True or false. Shops and businesses must accept every valid UK banknote.
- A. True
- B. False
Answer: B. False
False. Scottish and Northern Irish notes can be used anywhere in the UK, but a shop is not obliged to take them.
In the handbook, chapter 4: A modern, thriving society (The UK today)
Question 23. True or false. Most countries in the Commonwealth used to belong to the British Empire.
- A. True
- B. False
Answer: A. True
True. Most were in the Empire; a few countries that never were have joined too.
In the handbook, chapter 5: The UK government, the law and your role (The UK and international institutions)
Question 24. True or false. Charles II had several legitimate children who could inherit the throne.
- A. True
- B. False
Answer: B. False
False. Charles II had no legitimate children, so his brother James became king in 1685.
In the handbook, chapter 3: A long and illustrious history (The Tudors and Stuarts)
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