UK Citizenship Practice Test 7

The two-House system. The business of Parliament takes place in two Houses: the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

The Beveridge Report of 1942, called Social Insurance and Allied Services, set out ideas on how to fight the five evils of Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor and Idleness.

The Speaker is neutral and does not represent a political party, even though he or she is an MP, represents a constituency and deals with constituents’ problems like any other MP. The Speaker is chosen by other MPs in a secret ballot.

County Courts deal with a wide range of civil disputes. These include people trying to get back money that is owed to them, cases involving personal injury, family matters, breaches of contract, and divorce. In Scotland, most of these matters are dealt with in the Sheriff Court.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, serious offences are tried in front of a judge and a jury in a Crown Court. In Scotland, serious cases are heard in a Sheriff Court with either a sheriff or a sheriff with a jury. The most serious cases in Scotland, such as murder, are heard at a High Court with a judge and jury. 

Proceedings in Parliament are broadcast on television and published in official reports called Hansard. 

Radar was developed by Scotsman Sir Robert Watson-Watt (1892–1973), who proposed that enemy aircraft could be detected by radio waves.

A Turing machine is a theoretical mathematical device invented by Alan Turing (1912–54), a British mathematician, in the 1930s.

The structure of the DNA molecule was discovered in 1953 through work at British universities in London and Cambridge.

There were people in both parts of Ireland who disagreed with the split between the North and the South. The conflict between those wishing for full Irish independence and those wishing to remain loyal to the British government is often referred to as ‘the Troubles’.

A specific area where the voters who live in that place (its constituents) can elect an MP to represent them in Parliament.

William Wilberforce played an important role in ending slavery, which was eventually abolished in the British Empire in 1833. The Quakers set up the first anti-slavery groups in the late 1700s.

Dylan Thomas (1914–53) was a Welsh poet and writer. His most well-known works include the radio play Under Milk Wood, first performed after his death in 1954. There are several memorials to him in his birthplace, Swansea, including a statue and the Dylan Thomas Centre.

Adult citizens of the UK, and citizens of the Commonwealth and the Irish Republic who are resident in the UK, can vote in all public elections. Adult citizens of other EU states who are resident in the UK can vote in all elections except General Elections.

Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as cutting or female circumcision, is illegal in the UK. Practising FGM or taking a girl or woman abroad for FGM is a criminal offence.

More serious civil cases – for example, when a large amount of compensation is being claimed – are dealt with in the High Court in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, they are dealt with in the Court of Session in Edinburgh.

The business of Parliament takes place in two Houses: the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Their work is similar: making laws (legislation), checking the work of the government (scrutiny), and debating current issues.

The Queen is the ceremonial head of the Commonwealth, which currently has 54 member states. The Commonwealth has no power over its members, although it can suspend membership. The Commonwealth is based on the core values of democracy, good government and the rule of law.

The Germans waged an air campaign against Britain, but the British resisted with their fighter planes and eventually won the crucial aerial battle against the Germans, called ‘the Battle of Britain. Despite this crucial victory, the German air force was able to continue bombing London and other British cities at night-time. This was called the Blitz. 

The House of Commons is regarded as the more important of the two chambers in Parliament because its members are democratically elected. The Prime Minister and almost all the members of the cabinet are members of the House of Commons (MPs). The House of Commons has powers to overrule the House of Lords, but these are not used often.

The United Kingdom joined the European Communities on 1 January 1973, along with Denmark and the Republic of Ireland. The EC would later become the European Union.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, most minor criminal cases are dealt with in a Magistrates’ Court.

In Scotland, minor criminal offences go to a Justice of the Peace Court.

Magistrates and Justices of the Peace (JPs) are members of the local community.

Hitler wanted to invade Britain, but before sending in troops, Germany needed to control the air. The Germans waged an air campaign against Britain, but the British resisted with their fighter planes and eventually won the crucial aerial battle against the Germans, called ‘the Battle of Britain’, in the summer of 1940. 

In 1945 the British people elected a Labour government. The new Prime Minister was Clement Attlee.

As France fell, the British decided to evacuate British and French soldiers from France in a huge naval operation. Many civilian volunteers in small pleasure and fishing boats from Britain helped the Navy to rescue more than 300,000 men from the beaches around Dunkirk. Although many lives and a lot of equipment were lost, the evacuation was a success and meant that Britain was better able to continue the fight against the Germans. The evacuation gave rise to the phrase ‘the Dunkirk spirit’.

William Beveridge (later Lord Beveridge) was a British economist and social reformer. He is best known for the 1942 report Social Insurance and Allied Services (known as the Beveridge Report). It recommended that the government should find ways of fighting the five ‘Giant Evils’ of Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor and Idleness and provided the basis of the modern welfare state.