The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland a competition for secondary school students
1. The hills called The Backbone of England are:
a/ The Pennines b/ The Grampians c/ The Mournes
2. The country which does not belong to the United Kingdom is:
a/ Wales b/ Northern Ireland c/ The Irish Republic
3. The Union Jack is the name of:
a/ a football club b/ the UK flag c/ a miners' trade union
4. The English language is of:
a/ Celtic origin b/ Norman origin c/ German origin
5. Ulster is a nickname of:
a/ Northern Ireland b/ a northern part of England c/ one of the British Isles
6. A red dragon is the symbol of:
a/ Scotland b/ England c/ Wales
7. A daffodil is the symbol of:
a/Wales b/ Northern Ireland c/ The Irish Republic
8. The king whom the pope called Defender of the Faith was:
a/ James I b/ Charles II c/ Henry VIII
9. Pilgrim Fathers were:
a/ pilgrims spreading the Anglican religion beyond Britain in the 16th century
b/ a group of Puritans who decided to leave England and find freedom in America as a result of persecution from James I
c/ a 19th c. religious group demanding greater power for The Church of England
10. Rastafarians come from:
a/ India b/ West Indies c/ Indonesia
11. Pancake races are:
a/ a team game popular among secondary school students
b/ races held in some towns on Tuesday before Ash Wednesday
c/ a cooking competition organized by a well-known London restaurant
12. A traditional spring dance is called:
a/ May-winter-go-away b/ Maydance c/ Maypole
13. A man who in 1605 wanted to blow up the Houses of Parliament when the king was going to open Parliament was:
a/ John Knox b/ Guy Fawkes c/ Sir Walter Raleigh
14. Boxing Day is:
a/ the second day of the Scottish Olympics
b/ a day of sporting events at British universities
c/ the day following Christmas Day
15. The tube is the name of:
a/ the tunnel under The English Channel
b/ the London underground
c/ a high-speed telecommunication connection between Britain and France
16. 1666 was the year:
a/ of Black Death - the plague
b/ of the Great Fire of London
c/ when the Church of England was established
17. London financial centre is called:
a/ West End b/ East end c/ The City
18. Pancake Races are:
a/ a secondary school team game
b/ races held in some towns on Tuesday before Ash Wednesday
c/ a cooking competition held by a famous restaurant network in London
19. When in Britain, you will hear "Trick or treat" on:
a/ 31 October b/ 5 November c/ 24 December
20. Cockney is:
a/ a traditional name of a person born in East End
b/ a monument in Trafalgar Square
c/ a famous department store in London
21. The British Prime Minister lives at
a/ 10 Downing Street b/ 11 Whitehall c/ 12 The Mall
22. The day when the dead in both world wars are commemorated in special church services
and civic ceremonies is called:
a/ Remembrance Day b/ All Saints' Day c/ St. Andrew's Day
23. If people want to express their views in public, they go to:
a/ Hyde Park b/ Regent's Park c/ St. James's Park
24. London's most exclusive department store is called:
a/ C&A b/ Marks & Spencer c/ Harrods
25. The region referred to as the Garden of England is:
a/ Kent b/ Essex c/ Norfolk
26. Thomas Becket was:
a/ an Irish playwright
b/ an archbishop of Canterbury murdered in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170
c/ a Labour leader who struggled to introduce social reforms in the 19th century
27. The Swan of Avon is:
a/ a rare species of bird living on the banks of the Avon
b/ William Shakespeare's nickname
c/ an exquisite kind of beer produced from hop grown along the banks of the Avon
28. The London theatre which staged most of Shakespeare's plays at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries was called:
a/ Covent Garden b/ The Royal Albert Hall c/ The Globe
29.. Three 19th century sisters who lived in Yorkshire and wrote romantic novels were:
a/ The Plaths b/ the Eliots c/ the Brontes
30. King Edward VIII
a/ built the Tower of London
b/ had six wives
c/ abdicated in 1936 as he wanted to marry an American divorcee, Mrs Wallis Simpson
31. An organization established in Britain in 1961 to fight for freedom of prisoners of conscience is called:
a/ Greenpeace b/ Amnesty International c/ Transparency International
32. A traditional song sung on New Year's Eve at midnight is called:
a/ "Mistletoe and Wine" b/ "Auld Lang Syne" c/ "Winter Wonderland"
33. The Chunnel is:
a/ a Scottish musical instrument
b/ a headland consisting of several thousand pillars of rock, known as the tourist attraction of Northern Ireland
c/ the tunnel under the English Channel
34. If someone wants to stand with one foot on the eastern hemisphere and with the other one on the western hemisphere, he has to go to:
a/ Windsor b/ Stonehenge c/ Greenwich
35. The title of the British national anthem is:
a/ "God Save the Queen" b/ "We Shall Overcome" c/ "It's a Long Way to Tipperary"
36. The largest British airport, situated to the west of London, is called:
a/ Gatwick b/ Orly c/ Heathrow
37. Andrew Lloyd Webber is:
a/ one of the most popular contemporary composers of musicals
b/ the author of the lyrics for Elton John's songs
c/ queen Elizabeth's second son
38. Cornwall is a popular place for:
a/ scientists b/ artists and writers c/ politicians
39. Cheddar takes its name from:
a/ a river b/ a cave c/ a small town
40. Stonehenge has stood on Salisbury Plain for about:
a/ 4,000 000 years b/ 4,000 years c/ 400 years
41. Who were the Druids?
a/ a group of artists b/ a Celtic religious group c/ Scottish medicine-men
42. How many offshore islands can be classified as part of England's natural geography?
a/ between 120 and 130 b/ between 130 and 140 c/ between 140 and 150
43. The Mary Rose was built on the order of:
a/ James II b/ Henry VIII c/ James I
44. What is the capital of Scotland?
a/ Glasgow b/ Edinburgh c/ Perth
45.What did James Watt invent?
a/ the telephone b/ the motor car c/ the steam engine
46.What does "Mac" mean?
a/ son of b/ daugter of c/ one of
47. What is said to be the "eighth wonder of the world"?
a/ Stonehenge b/ The Giant's Causeway c/ King's College Chapel
48. What is the most westernly point of Great Britain?
a/ Plymouth b/ St. Michael's Mount c/ Land's End
49. The longest place-name (Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch) in the United Kingdom is in:
a/ Wales b/ England c/ Scotland
50. The three biggest towns of Wales are:
a/ Swansea, Cardiff and Plymouth b/ Swansea, Newport and Bristol c/ Swansea, Cardiff and Newport
51.The Monument, a stone column in London, commemorates:
a/ The Great Fire b/ The Plague c/ The World War II
52. Who is Ireland's patron saint?
a/ St. David b/ St. Andrew c/ St. Patric
53. The term tabloid means:
a/ a kind of medicine b/ a newspaper with small-size pages c/ a newspaper with big-size pages
54. The queen who had the longest reign in British history was:
a/ Qeen Victoria b/ Qeen Elizabeth I c/ Qeen Anne
55. The Radcliffe Camera stands for:
a/ a photo camera b/ a building in London c/ the main reading room at Oxford University
56. Red Arrow is the name of:
a/ a football team b/ a single-deck bus c/ a jumbo jet
57. Robin Hood is a semi-legendary outlaw hero of:
a/ English and Welsh ballads b/ English and Scottish ballads c/ English and Irish ballads
58. Almost all the English sovereigns have been crowned since the 11th century in:
a/ Westminster Abbey b/ Westminster Cathedral c/ St. Paul's Cathedral
59. Princess Diana had the title of:
a/ Princess of Scotland b/ Princess of England c/ Princess of Wales
60. Nativity plays are performed by young children usually before:
a/ Christmas b/ Easter c/ Thanksgiving Day
61. The "Titanic" was buiilt and sent out on her fatal maiden voyage from:
a/ Swansea b/ Newport c/ Belfast
62. The expression "to play the game" means:
a/ to play, for example, football b/ to be fair c/ to compete with someone
63. "Off-licence" means:
a/ a shop which can sell alcoholic drinks
b/ a shop which cannot sell alcoholic drinks
c/ a pub or a bar
64. The Order of the Garter was founded in 1348 by:
a/ King George V
b/ King Edward III
c/ King Henry VIII
65. Oxbridge is:
a/ a charitable organisation
b/ the name of a political party
c/ a colloquial term for the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge
66. Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey is the name of:
a/ an area where famous poets and writers are burried
b/ a place where you can recite poetry
c/ a place where you can meet famous poets
67. Sir Christopher Wren was:
a/ a distinguished member of the House of Lords
b/ a 19th century writer
c/ a 17th century architect who designed St.Paul's Cathedral
68. Soho is:
a/ a district of entertainment in London
b/ the name of London Opera House
c/ the title of a musical
69. Cambridge University:
a/ was founded as a co-educational school
b/ has always accepted only male students
c/ opened the first college for women in 1871
70. An organization of people with a high IQ is called:
a/ MENSA
b/ MI5
c/ MIND
THE UNITED KINGDOM COMPETITION - THE KEY
1. A |
38. B |
2. C |
39. C |
3. B |
40. B |
4. C |
41. B |
5. A |
42. A |
6. C |
43. B |
7. A |
44. B |
8. C |
45. C |
9. B |
46. A |
10. B |
47. B |
11. B |
48. C |
12. C |
49. A |
13. B |
50. C |
14. C |
51. A |
15. B |
52. C |
16. B |
53. B |
17. C |
54. A |
18. B |
55. C |
19. A |
56. B |
20. A |
57. B |
21. A |
58. A |
22. A |
59. C |
23. A |
60. A |
24. C |
61. C |
25. A |
62. B |
26. B |
63. A |
27. B |
64. B |
28. C |
65. B |
29. C |
66. A |
30. C |
67. C |
31. B |
68. A |
32. B |
69. C |
33. C |
70. A |
34. C |
|
35. A |
|
36. C |
|
37. A |
|