What this chapter covers: Early Britain, The Romans, The Anglo-Saxons, The Vikings, The Norman Conquest, The Middle Ages, The Wars of the Roses, The Tudors, The Stuarts and the civil war, The Glorious Revolution and union, The 18th century, The slave trade and its abolition, Britain in Europe and the world, The Victorian age, Votes for women, The First World War and Ireland, The Second World War, Inventions and discoveries, Post-war Britain.
12 free practice questions
Click an answer: you see at once whether it is right, with the explanation.
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Question 1Who was Boudicca?
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Answer: B — Queen of the Iceni, who led an uprising against the Romans.
Boudicca was queen of the Iceni people of eastern England and led a major uprising against the occupying Romans around AD 60 or 61.
Checked against: Handbook ch. 3 'A long and illustrious history' (The Romans) (source)
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Question 2Where in Suffolk was a great Anglo-Saxon ship burial discovered in 1939?
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Answer: C — Sutton Hoo.
The ship burial at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, excavated in 1939, contained treasures including an ornate iron helmet. It may be the grave of Raedwald, king of the East Angles.
Checked against: Handbook ch. 3 'A long and illustrious history' (The Anglo-Saxons) (source)
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Question 3Which king accepted Magna Carta at Runnymede in 1215?
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Answer: B — King John.
King John accepted the barons' terms in Magna Carta on 19 June 1215 at Runnymede on the River Thames. It limited royal power.
Checked against: Handbook ch. 3 'A long and illustrious history' (The Middle Ages) (source)
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Question 4At which battle in 1314 did Robert the Bruce defeat the English army?
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Answer: B — Bannockburn.
Robert the Bruce defeated a much larger English army under Edward II at Bannockburn in June 1314, confirming an independent Scottish monarchy.
Checked against: Handbook ch. 3 'A long and illustrious history' (The Middle Ages) (source)
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Question 5Who was the first wife of Henry VIII?
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Answer: D — Catherine of Aragon.
Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon in 1509. The Pope's refusal to end this marriage led to England's break with Rome.
Checked against: Handbook ch. 3 'A long and illustrious history' (The Tudors) (source)
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Question 6In which year was the Spanish Armada defeated?
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Answer: A — 1588.
The Spanish Armada was defeated in 1588, during the reign of Elizabeth I.
Checked against: Handbook ch. 3 'A long and illustrious history' (The Tudors) (source)
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Question 7Who became king of England in 1603, after the death of Elizabeth I?
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Answer: B — James VI of Scotland, who became James I of England.
When Elizabeth I died in 1603, James VI of Scotland became James I of England and Ireland, the first Stuart king of England.
Checked against: Handbook ch. 3 'A long and illustrious history' (The Stuarts and the civil war) (source)
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Question 8Who is often viewed as the first British Prime Minister?
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Answer: A — Sir Robert Walpole.
Sir Robert Walpole, First Lord of the Treasury for over twenty years (1721 to 1742), is often viewed as the first Prime Minister.
Checked against: Handbook ch. 3 'A long and illustrious history' (The 18th century) (source)
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Question 9Which admiral was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805?
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Answer: D — Admiral Nelson.
Nelson led the British fleet to victory over the French and Spanish at Trafalgar on 21 October 1805 but was killed by a French sniper.
Checked against: Handbook ch. 3 'A long and illustrious history' (Britain in Europe and the world) (source)
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Question 10Which movement did Emmeline Pankhurst lead?
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Answer: D — The campaign for women to have the vote.
Emmeline Pankhurst led the movement to win the vote for women; in 1903 she helped found the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU).
Checked against: Handbook ch. 3 'A long and illustrious history' (Votes for women) (source)
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Question 11Who discovered penicillin in 1928?
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Answer: B — Alexander Fleming.
The Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928. Howard Florey and Ernst Chain developed it into a medicine.
Checked against: Handbook ch. 3 'A long and illustrious history' (Inventions and discoveries) (source)
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Question 12In which year was the National Health Service (NHS) set up?
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Answer: A — 1948.
On 5 July 1948 the government took over responsibility for medical services, with free diagnosis and treatment for all.
Checked against: Handbook ch. 3 'A long and illustrious history' (Post-war Britain) (source)
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The Life in the UK Test is run by the Home Office. passmock is an independent practice service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration, PSI or TSO, the publisher of the official handbook. Original practice questions, not questions from the real test.