Home · Chapter 4
A modern, thriving society: practice questions
This chapter covers life in the UK today: religion, saints' days and festivals, sport, music, theatre, writers, food, money and famous places to visit. Many questions ask for a date, a place or a name.
All 80 questions and answers in this chapter
Use this list to revise. Open a question to see the answer and a short explanation.
1. What is the capital city of Wales?
Answer: Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital city of Wales.
2. What is the capital city of Scotland?
Answer: Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland.
3. What is the capital city of Northern Ireland?
Answer: Belfast
Belfast is the capital city of Northern Ireland.
4. When is St David's Day, the patron saint's day of Wales?
Answer: 1 March
St David's Day is on 1 March. St Patrick's Day is 17 March, St George's Day is 23 April and St Andrew's Day is 30 November.
5. When is St Patrick's Day?
Answer: 17 March
St Patrick's Day, for the patron saint of Northern Ireland, is on 17 March.
6. When is St George's Day?
Answer: 23 April
St George's Day, for the patron saint of England, is on 23 April.
7. When is St Andrew's Day?
Answer: 30 November
St Andrew's Day, for the patron saint of Scotland, is on 30 November.
8. Who is the patron saint of Scotland?
Answer: St Andrew
St Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland.
9. Who is the patron saint of Wales?
Answer: St David
St David is the patron saint of Wales.
10. What is celebrated on 5 November each year?
Answer: Bonfire Night
Bonfire Night marks the failed plot in 1605 by Guy Fawkes and others to blow up the Houses of Parliament. People set off fireworks and light bonfires.
11. What is Hogmanay?
Answer: New Year's Eve in Scotland
Hogmanay is the name for 31 December, New Year's Eve, in Scotland. For some Scottish people it is a bigger celebration than Christmas.
12. What is commemorated on Remembrance Day, 11 November?
Answer: People who died fighting for the UK and its allies
Remembrance Day commemorates those who died fighting for the UK and its allies. Many people wear red paper poppies and there is a two-minute silence at 11 am.
13. When is Boxing Day?
Answer: 26 December
Boxing Day is the day after Christmas Day, 26 December. It is a public holiday.
14. When is Valentine's Day?
Answer: 14 February
Valentine's Day, 14 February, is when lovers exchange cards and gifts.
15. What happens on April Fool's Day, 1 April?
Answer: People play jokes on each other until midday
On April Fool's Day people play jokes on each other until midday. Newspapers and broadcasters often include fake stories.
16. Mothering Sunday is celebrated when?
Answer: Three weeks before Easter
Mothering Sunday (Mother's Day) is the Sunday three weeks before Easter.
17. Which festival celebrates the Christian belief that Jesus came back to life?
Answer: Easter
Easter commemorates the death of Jesus Christ on Good Friday and his rising from the dead on Easter Sunday.
18. What is the name of the established church in England?
Answer: The Church of England
The Church of England, also called the Anglican Church, is the official church in England. The monarch is its head.
19. Who is the spiritual leader of the Church of England?
Answer: The Archbishop of Canterbury
The monarch is head of the Church of England, but its spiritual leader is the Archbishop of Canterbury.
20. Is the following statement true or false? There is an established (official) church in Wales and in Northern Ireland.
Answer: False
There is no established church in Wales or Northern Ireland.
21. The national church of Scotland is what kind of church?
Answer: Presbyterian
The Church of Scotland is a Presbyterian church, governed by ministers and elders. Its chairperson is the Moderator, appointed for one year.
22. Where is the oldest tennis tournament in the world held?
Answer: Wimbledon
The Wimbledon Championships, held each year at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and the only Grand Slam event played on grass.
23. Which town in Scotland is known as the home of golf?
Answer: St Andrews
Golf has been played in Scotland since the 15th century, and St Andrews is known as the home of golf.
24. At which racecourse is the Grand National held?
Answer: Aintree
The Grand National, a famous horse race, is held at Aintree near Liverpool.
25. Who was the first man to run a mile in under four minutes, in 1954?
Answer: Sir Roger Bannister
In 1954 Sir Roger Bannister became the first man in the world to run a mile in under four minutes.
26. What is the National Eisteddfod of Wales?
Answer: A festival of Welsh music, dance, poetry and culture
The National Eisteddfod is an annual festival of Welsh culture, including music, dance, poetry and literature, with many events in Welsh.
27. The Proms is an eight-week summer season of what?
Answer: Orchestral classical music
The Proms is an eight-week summer season of orchestral classical music in venues including the Royal Albert Hall. It has been organised by the BBC since 1927.
28. Which famous literary detective was created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle?
Answer: Sherlock Holmes
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a Scottish doctor and writer, created the detective Sherlock Holmes.
29. Which novelist wrote 'Pride and Prejudice'?
Answer: Jane Austen
Jane Austen wrote novels including 'Pride and Prejudice' and 'Sense and Sensibility'.
30. Which novelist wrote 'Oliver Twist' and 'Great Expectations'?
Answer: Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens wrote many famous novels including 'Oliver Twist' and 'Great Expectations'.
31. Haggis is a traditional food from which country?
Answer: Scotland
Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish made from a sheep's stomach stuffed with offal, suet, onions and oatmeal.
32. Which dish is traditionally associated with England?
Answer: Roast beef with Yorkshire puddings
Roast beef, served with potatoes, vegetables, Yorkshire puddings and other accompaniments, is a traditional English dish.
33. What is Big Ben?
Answer: The nickname for the great bell of the clock at the Houses of Parliament
Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the Houses of Parliament in London. The clock tower is called the Elizabeth Tower.
34. Where is the Giant's Causeway?
Answer: Northern Ireland
The Giant's Causeway, on the north-east coast of Northern Ireland, is a land formation of columns made from volcanic lava, formed about 50 million years ago.
35. Where is the Eden Project?
Answer: Cornwall
The Eden Project in Cornwall, in the south west of England, has biomes like giant greenhouses holding plants from all over the world. It is also a charity running environmental and social projects.
36. Is the following statement true or false? Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own banknotes, which are valid everywhere in the UK.
Answer: True
Scotland and Northern Ireland issue their own banknotes, which are valid everywhere in the UK, although shops and businesses do not have to accept them.
37. How many pence are there in one pound sterling?
Answer: 100
The UK currency is the pound sterling, which is divided into 100 pence.
38. Which language is spoken by many people in Wales, alongside English?
Answer: Welsh
Welsh is widely spoken in Wales and is taught in schools. Gaelic is spoken in parts of Scotland, and Irish Gaelic in parts of Northern Ireland.
39. The National Trust was founded in 1895 to do what?
Answer: Preserve important buildings, coastline and countryside
The National Trust was founded by three volunteers in 1895. It works to preserve important buildings, coastline and countryside in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
40. What are pantomimes?
Answer: Comic plays based on fairy stories, often performed around Christmas
Pantomimes are plays based on fairy stories, with music and comedy. They are popular family entertainment, mostly produced at Christmas time.
41. About what proportion of the UK population has a parent or grandparent born outside the UK?
Answer: Nearly 10%
Post-war immigration means that nearly 10% of the population has a parent or grandparent born outside the UK.
42. Which of these is NOT a UK banknote?
Answer: £100
UK banknotes come in £5, £10, £20 and £50.
43. About what share of the UK population lives in Wales?
Answer: 5%
Wales has around 5% of the UK population.
44. About what proportion of the UK workforce is made up of women?
Answer: About half
Women make up about half of the workforce in Britain today.
45. What is a Sikh place of worship called?
Answer: A gurdwara
Religious buildings in the UK include mosques, Hindu temples, Jewish synagogues, Sikh gurdwaras and Buddhist temples.
46. Who governs the Church of Scotland?
Answer: Ministers and elders
The Church of Scotland is a Presbyterian Church governed by ministers and elders.
47. What is celebrated on Christmas Day?
Answer: The birth of Jesus Christ
Christmas Day, 25 December, celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ and is a public holiday.
48. What is the day before Lent starts also called?
Answer: Pancake Day
The day before Lent starts is Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day.
49. Which city has a famous celebration of Diwali?
Answer: Leicester
There is a famous Diwali celebration in Leicester.
50. What does the Sikh festival of Vaisakhi celebrate?
Answer: The founding of the Khalsa
Vaisakhi celebrates the founding of the Sikh community known as the Khalsa. It is held on 14 April.
51. What was the aim of the plot remembered on Bonfire Night?
Answer: To kill the Protestant king with a bomb in the Houses of Parliament
In 1605 a group of Catholics led by Guy Fawkes failed in their plan to kill the Protestant king with a bomb in the Houses of Parliament.
52. In which city is the Principality Stadium?
Answer: Cardiff
Major stadiums include Wembley Stadium in London and the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
53. At which hospital did the Paralympics originate?
Answer: Stoke Mandeville
Dr Guttman worked at Stoke Mandeville hospital in Buckinghamshire, encouraging patients with spinal injuries to take part in sport.
54. Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson won the London Marathon how many times?
Answer: Six
Tanni Grey-Thompson, a wheelchair athlete, won 16 Paralympic medals including 11 gold, and the London Marathon six times.
55. Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill won 2012 Olympic gold in which event?
Answer: The heptathlon
Jessica Ennis-Hill won 2012 Olympic gold in the heptathlon, which includes seven track and field events.
56. What is the UK's most popular sport?
Answer: Football
Football is the UK's most popular sport. The first professional clubs were formed in the late 19th century.
57. What is the most well-known rugby league club competition?
Answer: The Super League
The Super League is the most well-known rugby league club competition.
58. Where was the first tennis club founded, in 1872?
Answer: Leamington Spa
Modern tennis evolved in England in the late 19th century. The first tennis club was founded in Leamington Spa in 1872.
59. In which year did motor-car racing start in the UK?
Answer: 1902
There is a long history of motor sport in the UK. Motor-car racing in the UK started in 1902.
60. Which German-born composer became a British citizen in 1727?
Answer: George Frederick Handel
Handel spent many years in the UK and became a British citizen in 1727.
61. Ralph Vaughan Williams was strongly influenced by what?
Answer: Traditional English folk music
Ralph Vaughan Williams wrote for orchestras and choirs and was strongly influenced by traditional English folk music.
62. Where is The O2 music venue?
Answer: Greenwich, south-east London
Large music venues include Wembley Stadium, The O2 in Greenwich and The SEC Centre in Glasgow.
63. Which play has been running in the West End since 1952?
Answer: The Mousetrap
The Mousetrap, a murder-mystery by Dame Agatha Christie, has run since 1952, the longest initial run of any show in history.
64. The Laurence Olivier Awards celebrate excellence in what?
Answer: Theatre
The Laurence Olivier Awards, held annually in London, include categories such as best director, actor and actress.
65. Which painter is considered the artist who raised the profile of landscape painting?
Answer: Joseph Turner
Joseph Turner was an influential landscape painter in a modern style who raised the profile of landscape painting.
66. John Petts, a Welsh artist, was best known for what?
Answer: Engravings and stained glass
John Petts was a Welsh artist best known for his engravings and stained glass.
67. Which artist is a previous winner of the Turner Prize?
Answer: Damien Hirst
Previous Turner Prize winners include Damien Hirst and Richard Wright.
68. In which city was the Royal Crescent built?
Answer: Bath
Robert Adam's ideas influenced architects in cities such as Bath, where the Royal Crescent was built.
69. Which TWO are modern British architects whose firms work on major projects around the world?
Answer: Sir Norman Foster and Lord (Richard) Rogers
Modern British architects include Sir Norman Foster, Lord (Richard) Rogers and Dame Zaha Hadid.
70. Which TWO are leading British fashion designers of recent years?
Answer: Mary Quant and Vivienne Westwood
Leading fashion designers include Mary Quant, Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood.
71. What are Jane Austen's novels mainly concerned with?
Answer: Marriage and family relationships
Jane Austen's novels are concerned with marriage and family relationships.
72. Graham Greene's novels were often influenced by what?
Answer: His religious beliefs
Graham Greene's novels, including Brighton Rock and Our Man in Havana, were often influenced by his religious beliefs.
73. William Wordsworth was mainly inspired by what?
Answer: Nature
Poets including William Wordsworth were inspired by nature.
74. Which poet wrote 'Anthem for Doomed Youth'?
Answer: Wilfred Owen
'Anthem for Doomed Youth', about the First World War, was written by Wilfred Owen.
75. Which TWO famous gardens are in England?
Answer: Kew Gardens and Sissinghurst
Famous gardens in England include Kew Gardens, Sissinghurst and Hidcote.
76. What are Welsh cakes made from?
Answer: Flour, dried fruits and spices
Welsh cakes are a traditional snack made from flour, dried fruits and spices, served hot or cold.
77. Which British director left for Hollywood and remained an important director until his death in 1980?
Answer: Sir Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Hitchcock later left for Hollywood and remained an important director until his death in 1980.
78. What are the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) the British equivalent of?
Answer: The Oscars
The annual British Academy Film Awards, hosted by BAFTA, are the British equivalent of the Oscars.
79. Which comedy double act performed in music halls before becoming television stars?
Answer: Morecambe and Wise
Some music hall performers of the 1940s and 1950s, such as Morecambe and Wise, became television stars.
80. What discount on a TV licence can blind people get?
Answer: 50%
Some people over 75 can apply for a free TV licence, and blind people can get a 50% discount.
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