Can you Pass the UK citizenship test?

[ddt]

I think things like that should be taught in schools, but they aren't and thus the average British citizen has no idea about these things.

When was the Magna Carta signed and what was its significance?

The first or the second time? The turmoil between king and barons resulted in a French invasion?

When was the Bill of Rights passed by Parliament, and what is the name of the political turmoil preceding it?

After a Dutch invasion.

(sorry, couldn't resist after that thread on "10 most important battles in history" where the author asserted that Hastings was the only invasion from Roman times until now).

Who were the respective monarchs during the time in which each document was written?

John Lackland resp. William and Mary (they were both monarchs in their own right, another bit of special trivia in that episode).

The average citizen has no idea and prospective citizens probably don't even need to know. Much of the provisions in each document are now irrelevant as they have been superseded by later legislation.

The bare facts like dates maybe don't tell you much, but the episodes tell you much more about how Britain and its institutions came to be as it is now than a stupid question like the history and traditions one. They're actual examples of that.

I got 21/24; had no idea who Richard Arkwright is, got the magistrates wrong and clicked one wrong before I realised it. I wonder what a resident of Akrotiri or Dekeleia would answer at question 18.

I've played before US and German tests and passed them with flying colours. Personally, I prefer the format with concrete questions about the law, the state and the institutions and your rights and responsibilities as a citizen, and not wishy-washy questions about "culture" or "values". The Dutch citizenship test goes, AFAIK, even further in that direction. I tried the Dutch example test that was published and failed. Several times.

 

[Childlike Empress]

I'm somewhat depressed that the term "British values" can be used in a matter that suggests it is self-evident. I expect there is massive disagreement in what are "British values". I am pretty sure that I value some things that many other British people don't and that I place a lower value on other things that are popular in Britain. Pop Idol, for example.

But I assumed that what is meant here is common law and the constitution.

It's just a truism. You can replace "British" with every other term for a territory and it will be a true statement. Likely they were searching for the most uncontroversial question possible.

 

[LashL]

Heh. Although I scored 24/24, I didn't actually know all of the answers. I simply guessed on a few of the questions and had no idea whether those answers would turn out to be right or wrong. Probably 3 of them, so I'll call it a 21 plus lucky guesses.

 

[Metullus]

23. I had no idea who Richard Arkwright was. I could never be a Brit, I don't know where and when to use the supeurfluous 'U'...

 

[LashL]

I could never be a Brit, I don't know where and when to use the supeurfluous 'U'...

You misspelled 'appropriate'.


(You also misspelled 'superfluous', but that's neither here nor there).

 

[Metullus]

You misspelled 'appropriate'.


(You also misspelled 'superfluous', but that's neither here nor there).

I was not certain you foreigneurs would recougnize 'superfluous' if I spelleud it propeurly. Just trying to be heulpful.

And isn't it "approupriate"?

 

[fuelair]

22/24 Damn, I'm British!!!




Never suspected it!!!!

 

[Meadmaker]

23/24, from the USA. I missed the question about magistrates.

I did have to guess about Richard Arkwright. Never heard of him. The right answer just seemed slightly more probable on a test question.

 

[jbm]

Yay, I just passed with 19/24. But I do not like UK food. Well, fish and chips actually are not that bad, I guess.

 

[Damien Evans]

I got 21/24 but only because my finger stuttered on the mouse and I mis-hit the answer for St. David. It did surprise me that the questions were not about the government and governance. The US citizenship quizzes I've done are.

You'd love the Australian one. It asks you what Sir Donald Bradman's batting average was.

 

[LashL]

Well, fish and chips actually are not that bad, I guess.

Fish is that bad. Chips are okay, though, once every six months or so, perhaps.

 

[fuelair]

You'd love the Australian one. It asks you what Sir Donald Bradman's batting average was.

And I suspect that was not for baseball!!!

 

[Damien Evans]

And I suspect that was not for baseball!!!

No, Cricket. But he was probably a good Baseballer as well, a lot of our top Cricket players played Baseball in the Cricket offseason until Cricket started becoming more of a full time profession for the top players in the late 70's.

ETA: for the record, it's 99.94. In terms of how far above the average that is, it's been calculated that to equal that a baseball batter would need to average .392 over his whole career. The record is .366.

Athlete | Sport | Statistic | Standard deviations
Bradman | Cricket | Batting average | 4.4
Pelé | Association football | Goals per game | 3.7
Ty Cobb | Baseball | Batting average | 3.6
Jack Nicklaus | Golf | Major titles | 3.5
Michael Jordan | Basketball | Points per game | 3.4

 

[arthwollipot]

I'm just going to leave this here: this is not the UK citizenship test.

Neither is this, though it appears to be closer to an actual citizenship test. I got 14.5 out of 24.

 

[Spacetime Inhabitant]

I got an amazing 23 out of 24. I had to do an educated guess on the Richard Arkright question. I got the magistrate one wrong although I had a feeling about the correct answer from something I had heard about magistrates here (in Australia).

 

[Ladewig]

22/24

USAian

 

[Damien Evans]

Oh, and 21/24 for me.

 

[GlennB]

23/24. I'm a Brit who can tell you Bradman's (eta: Test match) batting average

 

[zooterkin]

I'm just going to leave this here: this is not the UK citizenship test.

Indeed; I did get 24/24 (though I wasn't convinced it was registering my second answer on those questions that required two).

Neither is this, though it appears to be closer to an actual citizenship test. I got 14.5 out of 24.

I got three wrong on that, when it showed my answers, but at the bottom of the page it said I scored 14 out of 24, so there's something wrong with the code that counts up the score.

 

[lionking]

23/24 because I didn't know magistrates were unpaid.

Exactly the same for me! Magistrates in Australia are very well paid and well qualified.