Life in the United Kingdom

28 July 2018

Reference

Official sites

Book test online: https://www.gov.uk/life-in-the-uk-test
UK Border Agency website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration

Text and questions

Read full text online: https://lituktest.com/study-guide/
Full text and 16 question papers on no nonsense site: https://www.ukcitizenshiptests.com
Comprehensive well rated site with 40 test papers (which seem to change): http://uktestpass.co.uk
1200 questions: http://www.test4citizenship.com/
300+ questions: https://www.lifeintheuk.org
Explanations with the answers: http://onlineuktest.co.uk/life-in-the-uk-test/
Site with questions divided into chapters: https://lifeintheuktestweb.co.uk
Site where you can revisit incorrectly answered questions (recommended in 2013 blog post below): https://www.testlifeinuk.com/app
48 tests (also recommended in 2013 blog post): https://www.theuktest.com/life-in-the-uk-test/1

Chapter 1: The values and principles of the UK

The values and principles of the UK

All people living in the UK should respect and support the values and principles of British society. Based on history and traditions. Protected by laws, customs, expectations. There is no place in British society for extremism or intolerance.

Fundamental principles:

Democracy
The rule of law
Individual liberty
Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs
Participation in community life

As part of the citizenship ceremony, new citizens pledge to uphold these values. The pledge is:

I will give my loyalty to the United Kingdom and respect its rights and freedoms. I will uphold its democratic values. I will observe its laws faithfully and fulfil my duties and obligations as a British citizen.

Responsibilities of UK residents:

Respect and obey the law
Respect the rights of others, including their right to their own opinions
Treat others with fairness
Look after yourself and your family
Look after the area in which you live and the environment

Freedoms shared by UK residents:

Freedom of belief and religion
Freedom of speech
Freedom from unfair discrimination
Right to a fair trial
Right to join in the election of a government

Becoming a permanent citizen

Must:
- speak and read English
- have a good understanding of life in the UK
Both can be demonstrated by passing a Life in the UK test. (Alternative, if English level is low, is to pass an ESOL course in English with Citizenship.)
Following this submit an application for permanent residence OR British citizenship. Forms and fees at: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk. May need to pass the test AND submit evidence of English ability - text is contradictory. https://www.gov.uk/settle-in-the-uk/y/you-have-a-work-visa/tier-2-general-visa
Fees: post - £2,389; apply in person (premium service) - £2,999
You’ll be told whether your application has been successful within 6 months

Taking the life in the UK test

24 questions based on ALL parts of the handbook
Usually taken in English, but by special arrangement can be taken in Welsh or Gaelic
Must be taken at a registered centre
Book online at: https://www.gov.uk/life-in-the-uk-test
Free practice tests both overall and per chapter: https://lifeintheuktestweb.co.uk/test-1-2/

Chapter 2: What is the UK?

Important to understand various different ways of referring to the UK and its countries as well as the Crown Dependencies.

UK = England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (the rest of Ireland is a seperate country)
Official name: “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”
Great Britain = England, Scotland and Wales
The British Isles, Britain, British = everyone in the UK
Crown Dependencies = closely linked to the UK, not part of it, have their own governments = Channel Islands and the Isle of Man
British overseas territories = linked to the UK, not part of it = e.g. St Helena, Falkland Islands
The UK is governed by the parliament sitting in Westminster
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also have parliaments or assemblies of their own, with devolved powers in defined areas

Chapter 3: A long and illustrious history

This chapter covers:

British history starting in the Stone Age
Starts with arriving populations which affected the languages and religions of Britain
Following this the development of the Monarchy, church and Parliament

Timelines

Early Britain

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/timeline/neolithic_timeline_noflash.shtml

Stone Age

https://www.dkfindout.com/uk/history/stone-age/

The Stone Age was a time in history when early humans used tools make from stones. Started about 3 million years ago until the introduction of metal tools a few thousand years ago.
For much of the Stone Age the UK was connected to the continent by a land bridge, people came and went following herds of deer and horses. They were known as hunter-gatherers. The UK eventually became seperated from the continent by the Channel about 10,000 years ago (approx 6,100 BC during the Mesolithic period - the Middle Stone Age) (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12244964)
The first farmers arrived in Britain approx 6000 years ago, probably from south east Europe, introducing a new way of life. As farming became established, communities began to settle down. They built houses, tombs and monuments including Stonehenge in Wiltshire.
Another important Stone Age site is Skara Brae on Orkney, off the north coast of Scotland. It is the best preserved prehistoric village in Northern Europe.

Bronze Age

https://www.dkfindout.com/uk/history/bronze-age/

The Bronze Age started about 4000 years ago around 2500 BC, as people learned to control hot furnaces using ever-higher temperatures
Earliest British metalwork was made of pure copper, bronze (alloy of 90% copper, 10% tin) or gold, used to make tools, ornaments and weapons
People lived in roundhouses and buried their dead in tombs called round barrows.

Iron Age

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/timeline/ironage_timeline_noflash.shtml
https://www.dkfindout.com/uk/history/iron-age/
Following the Bronze Age was the Iron Age as people learned to make tools and weapons of iron
People continued to live in roundhouses, grouped together into larger settlements, sometimes defending hill forts e.g. Maiden Castle in Dorset (https://www.dkfindout.com/uk/history/iron-age/hill-forts/)
Most people were farmers, craftsmen or warriors
Language spoken was part of the Celtic family with related languages still spoken today in parts of Wales, Scotland and Ireland
First coins, some inscribed with Iron Age kings

The Romans

55 BC. Julius Caesar leads a Roman invasion of Britain

The Anglo-Saxons

Anglo-Saxon kingdoms established Kingdoms mainly in England Sutton Hoo, Suffolk is burial place of one king - buried with treasure in ship covered by mound of each Parts of west Britain remain free of Anglo-Saxon rule

The Vikings

The Norman Conquest

The Middle Ages

From 1066 to about 1485 is known as the Middle Ages or Medieval Period - a time of constant war
In 1284 the English were eventually able to establish control of Wales. King Edward I of England introduced the Statute of Rhuddlan

The Tudors and the Stuarts

A global power

The 20th century

Britain since 1945

Chapter 4: A modern, thriving society###

The UK today

Religion

Customs and traditions

Sports

Arts and culture

Leisure

Places of interest

Chapter 5: The UK government, the law and your role###

The British constitution

The government

The UK and international institutions

Respecting the law

Fundamental principles

Your role in the community

Summary Notes

Key Material and Facts

Key Acts

Magna Carta (1215): reduced rights of the king and laid out basic rights of the people.
Act for the Government of Wales (under King Henry VII, 1500s): united England and Wales
Habeas Corpus Act (1679): forbid unlawful imprisonment
Bill of Rights (1689): confirmed the rights of Parliament and the limits of the king’s power
Act of Union (1707): united kingdoms of England and Scotland and created Kingdom of GB
Reform Act (1832): abolished pocket and rotten boroughs and gave more parliamentary seats to towns and cities. Increased number of (male) voters.
Emancipation Act (1833): abolished slavery throughout British Empire. William Wilberforce was leading abolitionist and Quakers set up first anti-slavery groups. More than 2 million migrants came from India and China to replace labour force.
Women’s suffrage – 1918 (vote at 30+ yrs) and 1928 (vote at 21 yrs, same as men)
1913: Home Rule proposed in Ireland. Idea was to have a self-governing Ireland with its own parliament that still remained part of the UK. WWI postponed any changes. Irish nationalists didn’t want to wait and the Easter Rising against the British in Dublin took place in 1916. Guerrilla war followed.
1921: Peace treaty signed splitting Ireland in two

Eras

Romans: ruled Britain from 43-410 AD (approximately 400 years). Hadrian’s wall built on orders of Roman Emperor Hadrian to keep out tribes (Picts) who lived in what is now Scotland.
Middle Ages (1066-1485): period of constant war, including Crusades and Hundred Years’ War.
Elizabethan period (1500s): known for growing patriotism, expanded trade and rich poetry and drama.
The Enlightenment (1700s): development of new ideas about politics, philosophy and science. Adam Smith (economics) and David Hume (philosopher) influential Scottish thinkers.
Industrial Revolution (from mid-1700s to 1800s). Britain produced over half of the world’s supplies of cotton cloth, coal and iron. Machinery and stream power developed.
Victorian Age (1837-1901): Queen Victoria reigned; Britain increased power and influence abroad. Became largest empire in world history. Middle classes grew significantly and reformers improved conditions for the poor.

Modern Era

1900s: jet engine and radar invented. TV & World Wide Web (Tim Berners-Lee) invented. Hovercraft invented (Sir Christopher Cockrell) and penicillin discovered (Sir Alexander Flemming). ATM invented. Cloned sheep Dolly. Developed Concorde (supersonic jet) with the French. Co-discovered insulin and co-invented the MRI. Structure of DNA molecule discovered. Radio telescope at Jodrell Bank was for many years the world’s largest. Harrier jump jet (takes off vertically). IVF therapy.
State retirement pension and free school meals introduced before WWI
1929: Great Depression. Aviation and automobile industries developed. High unemployment, especially in “heavy” industries (e.g. shipbuilding).
1942: Beveridge Report (William Beveridge) set out ideas which led to foundation of modern welfare state.
1944: Education Act (R A Butler). Free secondary education and clear distinction between primary and secondary education.
1945-1950: NHS and social security system established.
1947: 9 colonies gained independence, including India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka
1950s: Post-war labour shortages led to recruitment of workers from India, Pakistan, West Indies and Bangladesh.
1960s: Increased wealth and liberalisation of social laws (e.g. abortion and divorce).
1973: UK joined the EEC
1998: Good Friday Agreement led to establishment of Northern Irish parliament
1999: Scottish parliament & Welsh assembly established

Battles and Wars

*1066: William of Normandy conquered England at Battle of Hastings (Bayeux Tapestry)
*1314: Battle of Bannockburn. Scottish King Robert the Bruce defeated the English.
*1455: War of the Roses. Civil war between House of Lancaster (red rose) and House of York (white rose) to determine who should be king of England. Ended at Battle of Bosworth Field (1485). Henry Tudor of House of Lancaster became King Henry VII and married Elizabeth of York, uniting the two families as the House of Tudor (red rose with a white rose inside).
*Last of the Welsh rebellions had been defeated by mid-15th century.
*1588: Spanish Armada was defeated under Elizabeth I
*1640: Beginning of English Civil War. Parliament (supporters: Roundheads) vs the King (Cavaliers). Charles I introduced Prayer Book; Parliament, made of Puritans, didn’t back him. King’s army defeated at Battles of Marston Moor and Naseby. King Charles I executed.
*1776: American colonies declare independence over taxation.
*1805: Battle of Trafalgar. Lord Horatio Nelson (of Nelson’s Column) defeated French (Napoleon) + Spanish fleet.
*1815: Battle of Waterloo. Lord Wellington defeated Napoleon.
*1889-1902: Boer War in South Africa.
*1916: Battle of the Somme WW1. British forces suffered 60,000 causalities on the first day.
*1918: WWI ended at 11.00 on 11/11.
*1939: German invasion of Poland led UK and France to declare war on Germany
*1940 (WWII): Evacuation of Dunkirk. Rescue of 300,000 men by volunteers and small boats.
*1940 (WWII): Battle of Britain. German/British aerial battle.
*1982: Argentina invaded Falkland Islands

Key Events

1348: Black Death. Killed over 1/3 of Britain. Fewer people meant less need for cereal crops as well as labour shortages, then increased wages. Movement into cities and towns. Gentry (landowners of large plots) and middle class developed.
1400: English became preferred language of courts and official documents.
1660: The Restoration (of the monarchy). Charles (King of Scotland) invited to come back as King Charles II after Oliver Cromwell’s death.
1665: Great Plague
Glorious Revolution (1688): English Protestants asked Mary’s husband William of Orange (of the Netherlands) to proclaim himself king, as didn’t want a Catholic king. He faced no resistance.
During Queen Elizabeth I’s reign, English settlers began to move to North American colonies.

People

Sir Robert Walpole: first PM (1721-1742) as King George I (a German) relied heavily on ministers because of his poor English
Oliver Cromwell: titled Lord Protector (circa 1640s-1650s) and led Britain whilst it was without a monarch
King Alfred the Great united the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and defeated the Vikings.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel: engineer (bridges, trains, tunnels, ships)
Dylan Thomas: Welsh poet (“Under Milk Wood” & “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night”)
Robert Burns: Scottish poet (“The Bard”), Auld Lang Syne
Richard Arkwright: Efficient and profitable factory owner during Industrial Revolution
Sake Dean Mahomet: set up first curry house in Britain and introduced shampooing
Florence Nightingale: founder of modern nursing
Emmeline Pankhurst: Suffrage leader
Rudyard Kipling: Indian-born author and poet. Work reflected idea that British empire was a force for good.
George and Robert Stevenson: famous pioneers of railway engines
St Columba & St Augustine: led missionaries from Rome.
Sir Francis Drake: Elizabethan sailor who helped defeat Spanish Armada and who later sailed around the world.
Hugunots: French Protestants feeling prosecution settled in England pre-1720
Henry VIII: famous for marrying 6 times and breaking away from Church of Rome so he could get a divorce. Wales was united with England under his rule. Wives (in order): (1) Catherine of Aragon (2) Anne Boleyn (3) Jane Seymour (4) Anne of Cleves (5) Catherine Howard (6) Catherine Parr
Margaret Thatcher was first female PM and the longest serving PM of the 20th century.
Alexander Fleming: Scottish doctor who discovered penicillin (1928)
Clement Attlee: Churchill’s Deputy PM. Became PM in 1945. Nationalised major industries and created NHS.
Mary Peters: Olympic athlete who promoted sport and tourism in Northern Ireland.
Roald Dahl: Welsh author (“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” & “George’s Marvellous Medicine”).
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: Scottish author (“Sherlock Holmes”)

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