Skip to the main content
BritWise — Life in the UK Test Practice
Start free test
Timed practice · Test 7 of 24

Life in the UK practice test 7: Timed Sitting

Paper 7 starts the timed block. From here the clock is the default, because the official test gives you 45 minutes whether or not you feel ready to use them.

How to sit this one. Start the timer and do not pause it. If you finish with time to spare, spend it re-reading the questions you flagged rather than the ones you were sure of.

24 questions in 45 minutes, with 18 correct to pass — the same 75% the official test asks for. Nothing is saved to an account: your progress stays in this browser, so you can close the tab and pick the paper up where you left it.

Questions
24
Time limit
45 minutes
Pass mark
18 of 24 (75%)
How do you want to practise?

Answers and explanations

Every question in paper 7, with the right answer and the handbook section it comes from. Open it after you have had a go.

Show all 24 answers and explanations

  1. 1. How can you contact your MP about a problem?

    • By letter, telephone or email through their constituency office — correct answer
    • Only by writing to the monarch
    • Only by attending a party conference
    • Only through a solicitor

    You can write to, telephone or email your MP at their constituency office, or write to them at the House of Commons in London. Many MPs also hold surgeries. Handbook section 5.8.

  2. 2. What does the word 'democracy' mean when it is used to describe how a country is run?

    • A system in which the people hold power, usually through representatives they elect — correct answer
    • A system in which the army chooses the leader
    • A system in which one family rules for life
    • A system in which judges decide who governs

    Democracy means government by the people. In the UK the people do not vote on every decision themselves; they elect representatives to Parliament to decide on their behalf. Handbook section 5.1.

  3. 3. What do people traditionally eat on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent begins?

    • Pancakes — correct answer
    • Hot cross buns
    • Christmas pudding
    • Haggis

    Shrove Tuesday is often called Pancake Day, because people traditionally eat pancakes on the day before Lent starts. Handbook section 4.4.

  4. 4. How can someone support a political party without becoming a candidate?

    • By campaigning for it, such as delivering leaflets or canvassing voters — correct answer
    • By voting more than once
    • By paying the party's taxes
    • By joining the civil service

    Party supporters help by canvassing, delivering leaflets and raising money. Anyone who wants a bigger role can also stand for election. Handbook section 5.18.

  5. 5. In which year was Magna Carta agreed?

    • 1215 — correct answer
    • 1314
    • 1415
    • 1066

    Magna Carta was agreed in 1215. Its name is Latin for the Great Charter. Handbook section 3.6.

  6. 6. How old must you be to stand for election as an MP?

    • 18 or over — correct answer
    • 16 or over
    • 21 or over
    • 25 or over

    The minimum age to stand for election to the House of Commons is 18, the same age at which you can vote. Handbook section 5.7.

  7. 7. In a democracy, where does power ultimately lie?

    • With the people, who elect representatives to govern — correct answer
    • With the civil service
    • With the courts
    • With the largest newspaper

    Democracy means government by the people. In the UK the people elect Members of Parliament, and those MPs make the law on their behalf. Handbook section 1.1.

  8. 8. How many national parks are there in England, Wales and Scotland?

    • 15 — correct answer
    • 5
    • 25
    • 50

    There are 15 national parks in England, Wales and Scotland, protecting some of the finest countryside in the UK. Handbook section 4.12.

  9. 9. What are the BAFTAs?

    • British awards for film and television — correct answer
    • A chain of British cinemas
    • A film school in London
    • A television licensing body

    The BAFTAs are British awards for film and television and are often described as the British equivalent of the Oscars. Handbook section 4.11.

  10. 10. How large was the British Empire by 1900?

    • It covered only India
    • It was smaller than the French empire
    • It had no overseas territory
    • It was the largest empire the world has ever seen — correct answer

    By 1900 the British Empire was the largest empire the world has ever seen. It covered India, Australia and large parts of Africa. Handbook section 3.15.

  11. 11. Which of these plays was written by Shakespeare?

    • Macbeth — correct answer
    • The Importance of Being Earnest
    • Peter Grimes
    • Under Milk Wood

    Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's plays, along with Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Handbook section 4.7.

  12. 12. Which two statements about the Proms are correct?

    • They are organised by the BBC — correct answer
    • They are held at the Royal Albert Hall in London — correct answer
    • They take place every winter in Edinburgh
    • They are only open to professional musicians

    The Proms are organised by the BBC and held at the Royal Albert Hall in London each summer. Handbook section 4.6.

  13. 13. In which year was Ireland divided into two parts?

    • 1918
    • 1922 — correct answer
    • 1928
    • 1916

    Ireland was divided in 1922, following a peace treaty the year before. The two parts went separate ways. Handbook section 3.17.

  14. 14. As well as the UK, what else is the monarch head of state of?

    • A number of other Commonwealth countries — correct answer
    • Every country in Europe
    • All members of the United Nations
    • The Republic of Ireland

    The monarch is head of state of the UK and of several other Commonwealth countries, each of which has its own elected government. Handbook section 5.3.

  15. 15. What is Hogmanay?

    • The Scottish celebration of New Year — correct answer
    • A Welsh harvest festival
    • A Northern Irish spring parade
    • An English midsummer fair

    Hogmanay is the Scottish celebration of New Year, and in Scotland 2 January is a public holiday as well as 1 January. Handbook section 4.4.

  16. 16. What were the supporters of King Charles I in the Civil War called?

    • Jacobites
    • Whigs
    • Cavaliers — correct answer
    • Roundheads

    The king's supporters were called Cavaliers. Parliament's supporters were known as Roundheads. Handbook section 3.10.

  17. 17. What is expected of residents in dealing with household rubbish?

    • Dispose of it properly, using the collections and recycling the council provides — correct answer
    • Burn it in the garden
    • Leave it on the pavement at any time
    • Take it to a neighbour's bin

    Rubbish should go out for collection at the right time and in the right bins. Dumping waste elsewhere is fly-tipping, which is against the law. Handbook section 5.18.

  18. 18. How old must you be to buy alcohol in a pub in the UK?

    • 18 — correct answer
    • 16
    • 21
    • 17

    You must be 18 or over to buy alcohol in a pub, a shop or a night club in the UK. Handbook section 4.13.

  19. 19. For what is John Keats remembered?

    • His poetry — correct answer
    • His paintings
    • His inventions
    • His work in Parliament

    John Keats is remembered for his poetry, written in the early nineteenth century when he died at only 25. Handbook section 4.17.

  20. 20. Where is a criminal case against a person aged 10 to 17 normally heard in England and Wales?

    • In a youth court, which the public may not attend — correct answer
    • In an open Crown Court with a jury
    • In the county court
    • In the Supreme Court

    Young people appear in a youth court before magistrates or a district judge. Members of the public are not admitted, and parents or carers are expected to attend. Handbook section 5.15.

  21. 21. Which of these is a responsibility of everyone who wants to live permanently in the UK?

    • Respecting and obeying the law — correct answer
    • Learning a second European language
    • Working in the public sector
    • Living in the same town for ten years

    Respecting and obeying the law is the first responsibility listed for anyone who wants to be a permanent resident or citizen. It applies to everyone equally. Handbook section 1.2.

  22. 22. Who was the first woman Prime Minister of the UK?

    • Theresa May
    • Margaret Thatcher — correct answer
    • Emmeline Pankhurst
    • Queen Elizabeth II

    Margaret Thatcher was the first woman to become Prime Minister of the UK. She led a Conservative government from 1979. Handbook section 3.19.

  23. 23. Which British bands became famous around the world in the 1960s?

    • The Beatles and the Rolling Stones — correct answer
    • Queen and Oasis
    • The Spice Girls and Blur
    • Pink Floyd and Coldplay

    The Beatles and the Rolling Stones led the British music of the 1960s. The decade is often called the Swinging Sixties. Handbook section 3.19.

  24. 24. What is the relationship between the British overseas territories and the UK?

    • They are linked to the UK but are not part of it — correct answer
    • They are counties of England
    • They are countries of the UK
    • They are part of the Republic of Ireland

    The overseas territories are linked to the UK, which looks after their defence and foreign affairs, but they are not part of the United Kingdom. Handbook section 2.4.

What paper 7 asks about

These 24 questions come from 5 chapters of the official handbook. By the difficulty the questions were written at, that is 14 easy, 9 medium and 1 harder.

Chapters in this paper

The topics it leans on most

Revise before the next paper

A mock test tells you where you stand. These pages are where you close the gaps.