UK Citizenship Practice Test 2

The Norman Conquest was the last successful foreign invasion of England and led to many changes in government and social structures in England.

Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state of the UK. She is also the monarch or head of state for many countries in the Commonwealth. The UK has a constitutional monarchy. 

The system of government in the UK is a parliamentary democracy. The UK is divided into parliamentary constituencies. Voters in each constituency elect their member of Parliament (MP) in a General Election.

In the years leading up to 1400, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a series of poems in English about a group of people going to Canterbury on a pilgrimage.

Members of the House of Lords, known as peers, are not elected by the people and do not represent a constituency.

The Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in England united under King Alfred the Great, who defeated the Vikings. 

 One of the most famous battles of the Hundred Years War was the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, where King Henry V’s vastly outnumbered English army defeated the French. The English left France in the 1450s. 

In 1066, an invasion led by William, the Duke of Normandy (in what is now northern France), defeated Harold, the Saxon king of England, at the Battle of Hastings. Harold was killed in the battle. William became king of England and is known as William the Conqueror. 

William Caxton was an English merchant, diplomat, and writer. He is thought to be the first person to introduce a printing press into England, in 1476, and as a printer was the first English retailer of printed books.

The Scottish Parliament was formed in 1999. It sits in Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland.

The Welsh government and National Assembly for Wales are based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The National Assembly has 60 Assembly members (AMs) and elections are held every four years using a form of proportional representation.

The Domesday Book was commissioned in December 1085 by William the Conqueror, who invaded England in 1066. 

William sent people all over England to draw up lists of all the towns and villages. The people who lived there, who owned the land and what animals they owned were also listed. This was called the Domesday Book.

In 1348, a disease, probably a form of plague, came to Britain. This was known as the Black Death. One third of the population of England died and a similar proportion in Scotland and Wales. This was one of the worst disasters ever to strike Britain. 

The second-largest party in the House of Commons is called the opposition. The leader of the opposition usually becomes Prime Minister if his or her party wins the next General Election.

MPs are elected at a General Election, which is held at least every five years.

The Welsh government and National Assembly for Wales are based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales.

The official home of the Prime Minister is 10 Downing Street, in central London, near the Houses of Parliament. 

In 1455, a civil war was begun to decide who should be king of England. It was fought between the supporters of two families: the House of Lancaster and the House of York. This war was called the Wars of the Roses, because the symbol of Lancaster was a red rose and the symbol of York was a white rose.

The Prime Minister (PM) is the leader of the political party in power. The official home of the Prime Minister is 10 Downing Street, in central London, near the Houses of Parliament.

Debates in the House of Commons are chaired by the Speaker. This person is the chief officer of the House of Commons.

In 1348, a disease, probably a form of plague, came to Britain. This was known as the Black Death. One third of the population of England died and a similar proportion in Scotland and Wales. This was one of the worst disasters ever to strike Britain.

Towns, cities and rural areas in the UK are governed by democratically elected councils, often called ‘local authorities’.

The Vikings came from Denmark and Norway. They first visited Britain in AD 789 to raid coastal towns and take away goods and slaves. Then, they began to stay and form their own communities in the east of England and Scotland. 

The period after the Norman Conquest up until about 1485 is called the Middle Ages (or the medieval period). It was a time of almost constant war.