to ask you, if you are British born, to answer these six questions without Googling?

[IceLollyMolly]

Just a small experiment. Not a marketing gimmick, but I will explain shortly, once a few people have answered. Or not answered!
If you are British born, can you answer these five questions without Googling or using any other materials for the answers?
(1) Who was the first person to circumnavigate the world without stopping?
(2) What date was the Battle of Boyne?
(3) How many local authorities are there in London?
(4) Which composer composed music for George the I?
(5) What significant event took place in 1284?
(6) Who is the paralympian who won six gold medals over two Paralympic Games?

I just tried one of the sample papers and passed, phew. But it seemed to me that some of the "facts" it gave were somewhat iffy, e.g. that the interval between elections in the UK is 5 years - they should have asked what the maximum interval is. It also alleged that the Canterbury Tales is a series of poems rather than stories - I mean, most (but not all) of it is written in verse, but then so are a lot of Shakespeare plays, and they are still described as plays rather than poems.

I knew Handel and I don't have a music degree.

I think the first one is Sir Francis Drake.

Yes definitely, but too tough to type all that out.

To me it should be more around life in the UK/British values:

Queueing etiquette, feminism, LGBT rights, love marriages, not marrying your cousin, how to respect women, ingredients in a roast dinner, pancake day customs, our laws..

In fact, they are not random facts.

1284 is important, a change in the status of Wales, when it ceased to be a separate entity. The Battle of the Boyne settles James II and VI's hash for a generation (until 1715) and thus brings stability and ends the Civil War that started in the 1640s.
Cook's circumnavigation brought scientific information back to Britain - I think Joseph Banks was on the voyage.
Handel is German but his music is woven into the fabric of what it means to be British with Messiah and many other choral works. Choirs up and down the country still sing it today - it's very English despite him being German (and one reason Handel put forward for his emigration here - apart form suspecting there might be a niche going - was that in Britain no-one was subject to arbitrary arrest, not the case in some/many states on the mainland).
Does the test also include the murder of Evesham in 1263 (another of Edward I's outings) or the date of 'time immemoriable'? (1189, since you ask, accession of Richard I). Also, the Battle of Bosworth, 1485, was a major turning point in history, taking the wheels off the steady progress of tramelling a king and introducing a century of tyrrany by the Tudors (and the Reformation, though that - but not the CofE - would very likely have happened whoever was king).
True, if one is born here one need not know these things. And knowing them does not mean you are committed to being part of the party here.

I think the only test there should be is to be able to whistle the theme tune of the Archers.

So that I am not tempted to cheat I have come straight to here.

I think that the 1284 date, is probably the signing of the Magna Carta.

Apart from that, I am slightly embarrassed to admit that I don't know the other answers.

I am wondering if these questions come from the British citizen test, for foreigners who want to become British citizens? If they are from that, then I don't see how relevant or helpful most of the questions would be.

But thanks @IceLollyMolly It has been a nice little distraction, and I am interested to know how many native British Mumsnetters know most, or even all of the answers - I expect the answer to be higher than in the general population!

Absolutely none of them.

Ha ha the joke's on you @IceLollyMolly

Because

1. I answered ALL SIX.

2. I tell a lot of lies.

Yeah, sorry, poor attempt at humour there. I couldn't answer one. How embarrassing.

It's the only tune I can whistle.

😆 Or Corrie!

It’s really stupid. There’s plenty of important questions which should be asked instead.

• what is the age of consent
• what does consent mean
• is an Islamic marriage recognised as a legal marriage in the uk
• how should you use the toilet
• what should you flush down the toilet
• If you have a cold or mild illness what number should you call it where should you go
• if you have a medical emergency what number should you call or where should you go.
• what is the emergency police number
• what should you do in a fire
• what side of the road do we drive
• why is queuing important
• what are women and girls allowed to do (answer - everything men and boys can do)
• how do you dispose of batteries
• what are public rights of way

list is literally endless

Stubbornly continuing with something that isn't working as intended is foolish imo. If your courses can be passed by being spoon fed, then they aren't fit for purpose either.

@Anonbindrama excellent points, The 6 questions (in question) are dumb questions!

No offence @IceLollyMolly Not aimed at you!

1928

I took the Life in the UK test and it was literally nothing like this. 😂

It was incredibly easy with a small amount of preparation (assuming proficiency in English and good literacy).

Most of the questions seemed to be about ridiculous but useful things like how to get a Tv licence and what the DVLA is for. One of mine was about the cultural significance of April Fools Day in the UK. 🤷🏻‍♀️

That said, the steps needed to attain residency in the UK are incredibly difficult. The Life in the UK test is probably the easiest bit. I had to submit about 6 binders (each about a ream of paper in thickness) of documents. Literally had to send like a box to the Home Office. Never mind the cost of the whole process.

Yes! Every day stuff that you should have been able to pick up during your 5+ years living here! Stuff that shows you actually can integrate successfully.

I came to Britain 22 years ago and would have liked to know that even the first banger I bought needed insurance even though it had no book value. What flashing your headlights meant. Why petrol stations didn't have a garage workshop and why I had to fill the car with petrol myself. That if I wanted a panel beater or auto electrician I should go to a mechanic. Why someone I bumped into apologised to me. Why there is a single queue for more than one till.
What help are
Specific historical dates and events
Obscure facts about royalty or government
Very niche cultural traditions or inventions. Life in the UK should mean how to get by with how things are done on a day to day basis.

Perhaps a better approach would be to give people some facts about Britain and ask them to figure out why those facts matter. It might focus the minds of the people setting the questions too!

No, none.

Yes I agree, and character and law questions. Like how do we treat homosexuals in this country. What do you do if you see a woman being harassed by a man etc. What do you do if you see someone suspicious loitering in a neighbours garden.

And to add the character / moral screening questions should change very regularly and not be available before hand in mock.

I'd like to see that test rolled out to all men personally!

Which German composer wrote music for a German king

Very British 😆

I don't particularly rate this style of citizenship test. Being British is more than being able to answer a esoteric history questions when given multiple choice answers.