Citizenship test: the answers in full

The Home Office has published details of a new “Life in the UK” test for adults applying for British citizenship. It will comprise a multiple choice quiz designed to test their knowledge of British culture, laws and institutions. The FT is happy to publish the answers to the first test. Answers to last week’s citizenship quiz:

1) The Queen. Although many people think Cherie Blair is Britain’s first lady, she has no royal lineage, no defined constitutional role and will not open your new building for less than £50,000.

2) i) a) Sir Cliff Richard; b) Geoffrey Robinson; c) Prince Girolamo Strozzi; d) Silvio Berlusconi. ii) There are no restrictions on whom the prime minister of the day can sponge a free holiday from.

3) False. Although the Church of England is every bit as left wing and ineffectual, it has no formal links with the Liberal Democrats.

4) There is no constitutional requirement for there to be a Tesco on every high street.

5) False: the theme to The Great Escape is not the national anthem.

6) There are no rules on the amount of time that must elapse before a disgraced minister can return to the cabinet but, for close friends of the prime minister, it should not be more than a few months.

7) True. CBI directors-general who do not annoy the government can generally expect a knighthood and a senior public sector appointment.

8) David Cameron. All the others have had a real job.

9) 999; unless you are being attacked by a celebrity, in which case phone Max Clifford.

10) i) a) Arthur Scargill; b) Bob Crow; c) John Edmonds; d) Tony Woodley. ii) Trade union membership has halved since 1979.

Banx
© Financial Times

11) No. Owner of The Sun is not technically a cabinet post.

12) Ruth Kelly. All the others were at one-time education secretary.

14) False. Big Brother is not a recognised deity.

15) i) a) Taking photographs of the M25; b) peaceful protests outside an arms fair; c) heckling Jack Straw at a Labour conference. ii) The Terrorism Act exists to safeguard our fundamental freedoms and way of life.

16) True. Although Gordon Brown has made more mistakes than Hugh Grant, he has never apologised for any of them.

17) Yes. Although there have been 133 Office of Fair Trading inquiries into supermarkets, none came up with the right answer.

18) No. Bob Geldof is much admired but is not one of the patron saints.

19) i) a) Andrew Gilligan; b) Strictly Come Dancing; c) Matt Frei. ii) The BBC is committed to high quality programming and the most rigorous journalistic standards.

20) i) The chancellor’s fiscal rules permit him to borrow only to invest over the economic cycle. ii) The period of the economic cycle is determined by the chancellor. iii) The chancellor remains firmly on course to meet his golden rule.

Dangerous territory

Army chiefs are worried at the adverse impact the Iraq conflict is having on recruitment and retention in the Territorial Army.

TA member Jones: I’m afraid I must resign from the platoon, captain.

Captain: I’m sorry to hear that, Jones. May I ask why?

Jones: Oh you know, the usual things, pressure of work, family commitments, the sudden realisation that I might get hurt.

Captain: What was that last one?

Jones: Well, someone in the mess told me last weekend that we might all get sent out to Afghanistan or even Iraq.

Captain: Yes.

Jones: Well, I hear its jolly dangerous out there. People shoot at you. Some chaps have been, you know, killed.

Captain: Well, yes, that can happen.

Jones: I didn’t sign up for that.

Captain: Oh. What did you sign up for then, soldier?

Jones: Oh I don’t know – carrying a gun, driving a tank on Salisbury Plain, boasting about it when I’m down the pub and letting everyone think I’m a bit hard. I saw it more as a few weekends away with some mates, some beers and a load of assault rifles. It made a change from DIY. If I’d known about the dangers involved in the TA, I’d have joined the Sealed Knot.

Captain: What about the work you were doing defending you country?

Jones: Oh I’m absolutely committed to defending this country. That’s why I went on all those high-risk patrols in East Anglia.

Captain: What was high-risk about them?

Jones: Well there was a high risk of catching a cold.

Captain: We’ve paid and trained you to serve your country.

Jones: I think I prefer serving it as a human resources manager.

robert.shrimsley@ft.com

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2024. All rights reserved.
Reuse this content (opens in new window) CommentsJump to comments section

Follow the topics in this article

Comments

Comments have not been enabled for this article.