Free Life in the UK mock test 1: 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
London hosted the Paralympic Games in 2012.
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Life in the UK test questions and answers: mock test 1
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 2.
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. London hosted the Paralympic Games in 2012.
- A. True
- B. False
Answer: A. True
True. The 2012 Paralympics were held in London as well as the Olympics.
In the handbook, chapter 4: A modern, thriving society (Sport)
Question 2. What does it cost to watch a debate in the Houses of Parliament?
- A. Free of charge
- B. A fee of a few pounds
- C. A fee of about twenty pounds
- D. No less than fifty pounds
Answer: A. Free of charge
Watching debates costs nothing, as entrance is free.
In the handbook, chapter 5: The UK government, the law and your role (The government)
Question 3. Choose two. Which TWO things must police officers never do?
- A. Arrest someone they suspect of a crime
- B. Patrol the streets of their area
- C. Make a false statement
- D. Commit racial discrimination
Answer: C and D. Make a false statement; Commit racial discrimination
Officers must not make false statements or commit racial discrimination, nor misuse their authority or be abusive.
In the handbook, chapter 5: The UK government, the law and your role (Respecting the law)
Question 4. What do magistrates decide in the cases they hear?
- A. The verdict and, if guilty, the sentence
- B. Only the sentence, never the verdict
- C. The verdict, with the jury setting the sentence
- D. The new laws that Parliament should pass
Answer: A. The verdict and, if guilty, the sentence
Magistrates reach the verdict and, when someone is found guilty, set the sentence.
In the handbook, chapter 5: The UK government, the law and your role (The role of the courts)
Question 5. Many settlers in the Irish plantations came from which area?
- A. North-east England
- B. South-west Scotland
- C. Wales
- D. The Netherlands
Answer: B. South-west Scotland
A large share of the settlers were from south-west Scotland; companies in London were also given land.
In the handbook, chapter 3: A long and illustrious history (The Tudors and Stuarts)
Question 6. Why did Elizabeth I keep Mary, Queen of Scots, a prisoner?
- A. Mary had led an army into England
- B. She wanted Mary to give up Scotland
- C. Mary had become a leader of Scotland's Protestants
- D. She suspected Mary of wanting the English throne
Answer: D. She suspected Mary of wanting the English throne
Elizabeth feared Mary wanted to take the English throne, so she held her prisoner for 20 years.
In the handbook, chapter 3: A long and illustrious history (The Tudors and Stuarts)
Question 7. While governments and Prime Ministers change, what does the monarch provide?
- A. A new set of laws each year
- B. Election results
- C. Tax policy
- D. Stability and continuity
Answer: D. Stability and continuity
Stability and continuity come from the monarch, who stays as head of state and is a focus for national pride.
In the handbook, chapter 5: The UK government, the law and your role (The British constitution)
Question 8. In the 'Highland Clearances', what did many Scottish landlords do?
- A. Built new villages for their clansmen
- B. Gave all of their land to the Church of Scotland for free
- C. Opened coal mines across the Highlands
- D. Destroyed small farms to make room for sheep and cattle
Answer: D. Destroyed small farms to make room for sheep and cattle
Landlords cleared small farms, called crofts, so they could keep large flocks of sheep and herds of cattle.
In the handbook, chapter 3: A long and illustrious history (A global power)
Question 9. Which law of 1833 abolished slavery throughout the British Empire?
- A. The Emancipation Act
- B. The Reform Act
- C. The Bill of Rights
- D. The Act of Union
Answer: A. The Emancipation Act
The Emancipation Act of 1833 ended slavery across the British Empire.
In the handbook, chapter 3: A long and illustrious history (A global power)
Question 10. In the Boer War, who did the British fight?
- A. Tribes in northern India
- B. Colonists in North America
- C. Dutch settlers in South Africa
- D. French and Spanish sailors
Answer: C. Dutch settlers in South Africa
The Boers were settlers from the Netherlands, and the British fought them in South Africa.
In the handbook, chapter 3: A long and illustrious history (A global power)
Question 11. What was music hall?
- A. A form of variety theatre
- B. A kind of church music
- C. A hall for orchestras
- D. A type of pub game
Answer: A. A form of variety theatre
Music hall was a form of variety theatre that thrived until TV took over.
In the handbook, chapter 4: A modern, thriving society (Leisure)
Question 12. When was the United Nations set up?
- A. After the First World War
- B. After the Second World War
- C. In the 19th century
- D. In the 1990s
Answer: B. After the Second World War
Set up after the Second World War, the UN works to stop wars and support peace.
In the handbook, chapter 5: The UK government, the law and your role (The UK and international institutions)
Question 13. Which trading company came to control much of India?
- A. The Hudson Trading Company
- B. The East India Company
- C. The Royal African Company
- D. The London Wool Company
Answer: B. The East India Company
The East India Company began as a trading company and came to control much of India.
In the handbook, chapter 3: A long and illustrious history (A global power)
Question 14. Choose two. Which TWO writers were prominent in the inter-war years?
- A. Charles Dickens
- B. William Shakespeare
- C. Graham Greene
- D. Evelyn Waugh
Answer: C and D. Graham Greene; Evelyn Waugh
Graham Greene and Evelyn Waugh were leading writers between the wars.
In the handbook, chapter 3: A long and illustrious history (The 20th century)
Question 15. When were parliaments especially called in medieval England?
- A. When a new Pope was chosen
- B. When the king needed money
- C. When the harvest had failed
- D. When a king had died
Answer: B. When the king needed money
Above all, parliaments met when the king wanted money and needed his nobles' agreement.
In the handbook, chapter 3: A long and illustrious history (The Middle Ages)
Question 16. What do you need to show to become a permanent resident or a naturalised citizen?
- A. That you have owned a home in the UK for several years
- B. That you have a written job offer from a UK employer
- C. That you speak and read English and understand life in the UK
- D. That you have visited all four countries of the UK
Answer: C. That you speak and read English and understand life in the UK
You need good English, both spoken and read, and a sound knowledge of UK life. Owning a home or holding a job offer is not part of this.
In the handbook, chapter 1: The values and principles of the UK (Becoming a permanent resident)
Question 17. True or false. Tate Modern was built as an art gallery from the start.
- A. True
- B. False
Answer: B. False
False. The gallery moved into the old Bankside Power Station in central London.
In the handbook, chapter 4: A modern, thriving society (Arts and culture)
Question 18. At what time of year do many theatres put on a pantomime?
- A. Christmas
- B. Easter
- C. Midsummer
- D. Halloween
Answer: A. Christmas
Pantomimes, light-hearted plays based on fairy stories, are a Christmas tradition.
In the handbook, chapter 4: A modern, thriving society (Arts and culture)
Question 19. Parliament's origins can be traced to which body?
- A. The king's council of advisers
- B. The Roman senate in Britain
- C. The council of Viking leaders
- D. The courts of the Church
Answer: A. The king's council of advisers
Parliament grew out of the king's council of advisers, which included leading noblemen and Church leaders.
In the handbook, chapter 3: A long and illustrious history (The Middle Ages)
Question 20. Which alliance did the UK join after the Second World War to resist a feared Soviet invasion?
- A. The United Nations
- B. NATO
- C. The European Union
- D. The Commonwealth
Answer: B. NATO
NATO was an alliance formed against the danger of attack from the Soviet Union, and the UK became a member.
In the handbook, chapter 3: A long and illustrious history (Britain since 1945)
Question 21. What are Easter eggs, often made of chocolate, a symbol of?
- A. Good luck
- B. Wealth
- C. Peace
- D. New life
Answer: D. New life
As a sign of new life, people give chocolate eggs at Easter.
In the handbook, chapter 4: A modern, thriving society (Customs and traditions)
Question 22. Which decades were a high point for British film comedies?
- A. The 1950s and 1960s
- B. The 1920s and 1930s
- C. The 1970s and 1980s
- D. The 1990s and 2000s
Answer: A. The 1950s and 1960s
Comedies such as Passport to Pimlico and the Carry On films came from the 1950s and 1960s.
In the handbook, chapter 4: A modern, thriving society (Leisure)
Question 23. In England and Wales, which body can help with problems of discrimination?
- A. The Police Ombudsman's Office in London
- B. The Equality and Human Rights Commission
- C. The Law Society of England and Wales
- D. HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)
Answer: B. The Equality and Human Rights Commission
The Equality and Human Rights Commission covers England and Wales; Citizens Advice can also help.
In the handbook, chapter 5: The UK government, the law and your role (Fundamental principles)
Question 24. What is 'mentoring' as a kind of volunteering?
- A. Teaching a full class at a secondary school
- B. Giving blood at a hospital
- C. Supporting someone, such as an ex-prisoner
- D. Caring for animals at a shelter
Answer: C. Supporting someone, such as an ex-prisoner
Mentors give support, for example to someone who has recently left prison.
In the handbook, chapter 5: The UK government, the law and your role (Your role in the community)
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