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Exam conditions · Test 18 of 24

Life in the UK practice test 18: Fewer Mistakes

Paper 18 closes the exam-conditions block. At this stage the goal is no longer a higher score but a smaller number of avoidable mistakes: misread questions, rushed guesses, changed answers.

How to sit this one. After you submit, sort your wrong answers into two piles — facts you did not know, and mistakes you did not need to make.

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 18, 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 did the first people in Britain get their food?

    • They ran large farms
    • They hunted animals and gathered wild plants — correct answer
    • They bought it in markets
    • They imported it from Europe

    The first people in Britain were hunter-gatherers. They hunted animals and collected wild plants, and they moved around to follow the food. Handbook section 3.1.

  2. 2. What does a Police and Crime Commissioner do?

    • Sets local policing priorities and holds the Chief Constable to account — correct answer
    • Decides guilt in criminal trials
    • Commands officers on the street day to day
    • Writes the criminal law

    Police and Crime Commissioners are elected by the public in England and Wales. They set priorities for their force and hold the Chief Constable to account for results. Handbook section 5.14.

  3. 3. In which town was William Shakespeare born during the Tudor period?

    • Stratford-upon-Avon — correct answer
    • Canterbury
    • York
    • Oxford

    William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564. He wrote plays and poems that are still performed today. Handbook section 3.8.

  4. 4. Why might someone make an affirmation instead of swearing an oath at their ceremony?

    • Because they prefer not to swear by God — correct answer
    • Because they cannot attend in person
    • Because they are under the age of 18
    • Because they hold another nationality

    People who would rather not swear by God make an affirmation of loyalty instead. Both forms of words have exactly the same effect. Handbook section 1.4.

  5. 5. Which of these is one of the main political parties in the UK?

    • The Labour Party — correct answer
    • The National Trust
    • The Confederation of British Industry
    • Liberty

    The main UK-wide parties are the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats. The other organisations listed are a charity and campaigning bodies, not parties. Handbook section 5.7.

  6. 6. Select the TWO things a police officer must never do.

    • Misuse their authority — correct answer
    • Make a false statement — correct answer
    • Give evidence in court
    • Arrest someone they reasonably suspect of a crime

    Officers must not abuse their position, make false statements, be rude or abusive, or discriminate on racial grounds. Giving evidence and making lawful arrests are part of the job. Handbook section 5.14.

  7. 7. Which principle protects a person's right to hold their own religious beliefs?

    • Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs — correct answer
    • Freedom of movement
    • The right to a state pension
    • The right to free healthcare

    Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs is a fundamental principle. People in the UK are free to follow a religion, or to follow none. Handbook section 1.1.

  8. 8. Why did Henry VIII break away from the Church of Rome?

    • He wanted to join the Church of Scotland
    • The Pope demanded higher taxes
    • He wished to become a monk
    • The Pope refused to end his marriage to Catherine of Aragon — correct answer

    Henry VIII wanted his marriage to Catherine of Aragon annulled so he could remarry. When the Pope refused, he broke with Rome. Handbook section 3.9.

  9. 9. Which two of these are well-known British films?

    • Lawrence of Arabia — correct answer
    • Four Weddings and a Funeral — correct answer
    • Gone with the Wind
    • Casablanca

    Lawrence of Arabia and Four Weddings and a Funeral are among the best-known British films, along with Chariots of Fire and Brief Encounter. Handbook section 4.11.

  10. 10. William Blake is remembered as which kind of artist?

    • A poet — correct answer
    • A film director
    • A footballer
    • An architect

    William Blake is remembered as one of Britain's great poets, and he illustrated much of his own writing. Handbook section 4.17.

  11. 11. In which town was William Shakespeare born?

    • Stratford-upon-Avon — correct answer
    • Canterbury
    • Edinburgh
    • Oxford

    William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, where his plays are still performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Handbook section 4.7.

  12. 12. An MP represents which people in their constituency?

    • Everyone who lives there, whether or not they voted for the MP — correct answer
    • Only the people who voted for them
    • Only members of the MP's own party
    • Only people who own property there

    An MP represents every constituent. You can ask your MP for help even if you voted for someone else, or could not vote at all. Handbook section 5.4.

  13. 13. Select the TWO values that the Civil Service Code requires of civil servants.

    • Integrity — correct answer
    • Impartiality — correct answer
    • Loyalty to one political party
    • Personal profit

    The Civil Service Code sets out four core values: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality. Party loyalty and private gain are the opposite of what is expected. Handbook section 5.11.

  14. 14. How did the Industrial Revolution change where people lived?

    • Towns emptied and villages grew
    • Many moved from the countryside into growing towns and cities — correct answer
    • Most people moved back to the land
    • People spread evenly across the country

    Work moved into factories, so people moved from the countryside into towns and cities. Britain's cities grew very quickly. Handbook section 3.13.

  15. 15. Which poet is remembered above all for writing about the First World War?

    • Wilfred Owen — correct answer
    • William Wordsworth
    • Robert Burns
    • Alfred Lord Tennyson

    Wilfred Owen wrote about the horror of the trenches during the First World War, in which he was killed. Handbook section 4.17.

  16. 16. Which two of these were invented in Britain?

    • The jet engine — correct answer
    • The hovercraft — correct answer
    • The printing press
    • The motor car

    The jet engine and the hovercraft were both British inventions, along with radar and the World Wide Web. Handbook section 4.16.

  17. 17. What does it mean to say that the UK has an ageing population?

    • More people are living into old age than before — correct answer
    • Fewer babies are born in the UK than anywhere else
    • Older people are leaving the UK to live abroad
    • People must retire at a fixed age

    An ageing population means more people are living into old age, which increases the cost of pensions and of care for older people. Handbook section 4.1.

  18. 18. What is the status of the Republic of Ireland?

    • It is an independent country and is not part of the UK — correct answer
    • It is a country of the UK
    • It is a Crown dependency of the UK
    • It is a British overseas territory

    The Republic of Ireland is an independent country with its own government. Only Northern Ireland, in the north-east of the island of Ireland, is part of the UK. Handbook section 2.1.

  19. 19. What form of government began to take shape after the Glorious Revolution?

    • A constitutional monarchy, in which the monarch rules within limits set by Parliament — correct answer
    • An absolute monarchy
    • A republic with no monarch
    • Direct rule by the Church

    After 1689 Britain became a constitutional monarchy. The monarch stayed as head of state but could only govern within limits set by Parliament. Handbook section 3.11.

  20. 20. In which year did India and Pakistan become independent?

    • 1957
    • 1945
    • 1947 — correct answer
    • 1950

    India and Pakistan became independent in 1947. It was the beginning of the end of the British Empire. Handbook section 3.19.

  21. 21. How do charities in the UK typically raise money?

    • Through donations, shops and fundraising events — correct answer
    • Through a share of income tax set aside by law
    • Through fines collected by the courts
    • Through council tax

    Charities raise money from public donations, charity shops, sponsored events and national appeals rather than from taxation. Handbook section 5.19.

  22. 22. For whom did Sir Norman Hartnell design clothes?

    • The royal family — correct answer
    • Football clubs
    • The armed forces
    • Pop groups

    Sir Norman Hartnell designed clothes for the royal family, including the Queen's wedding dress and coronation gown. Handbook section 4.9.

  23. 23. How many Members of the Scottish Parliament are there?

    • 129 — correct answer
    • 60
    • 650
    • 90

    There are 129 MSPs, elected by a form of proportional representation so that seats broadly reflect the votes cast. Handbook section 5.9.

  24. 24. Which composer wrote the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, one of which is sung as 'Land of Hope and Glory'?

    • Sir Edward Elgar — correct answer
    • Gustav Holst
    • Henry Purcell
    • Benjamin Britten

    Sir Edward Elgar wrote the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, and the first of them is sung as 'Land of Hope and Glory' at the Last Night of the Proms. Handbook section 4.6.

What paper 18 asks about

These 24 questions come from 5 chapters of the official handbook. By the difficulty the questions were written at, that is 9 easy, 12 medium and 3 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.