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?

Surely not Magellan? His mission was successful but he was killed en route and didn't make it all the way round. Some of his crew did.

I wonder, someone from. His crew then?

I think 1284 may actually be the Statute of Rhuddlan. But I only think WJEC teaches it in schools.

Circumnavigation has to be non stop. Now putting into ports. So much later ...

1. Napoleon
2. Some sort of battle.
3. No idea.
4. No idea.
5. No idea.
6. No idea.

(1) Who was the first person to circumnavigate the world without stopping?
Without stopping is major issue here. Is that even possible in a sailing boat/ship? Does it count as 'stopping' if the wind drops away and you're becalmed for a while? It certainly couldn't have been before reliable methods of preserving foods were available (canning, dehydrating, freezing). Even then wouldn't water be a challenge unless you could desalinate seawater en route? I think some American Air Force plane flew nonstop around the world in the 1950s....
(2) What date was the Battle of Boyne?
Hmm. Late 17th century? In the summer, given that it's 'Marching Season'.
(3) How many local authorities are there in London?
I think there are a dozen or so in Greater Manchester, so maybe triple that - about 36?
(4) Which composer composed music for George the I?
Handel
(5) What significant event took place in 1284?
Edward I was king of England, so was that when the conquest of Wales was completed?
(6) Who is the paralympian who won six gold medals over two Paralympic Games?
I know successful swimmers tend to win a lot of medals, so Ellie Simmonds?

Overall, there was only one question I was reasonably confident of. But did someone say these were multiple choice questions in the original test? If so, it all depends on how plausible the wrong answers were. I could have scored anything from 1-6 points!

I suspect Knox-Johnson may be the answer they were looking for. He was the first person to sail non-stop around the world (for a given definition of non-stop - I'm assuming there would have been times when he wasn't actually making progress, or even moved the wrong way!).

But it doesn't specify sailing, and the dictionary definition of 'circumnavigate' is 'the action or process of sailing or otherwise travelling all the way around something, especially the world'.

Having looked it up, a USAF B-50 Superfortress Lucky Lady II flew nonstop around the world in 1949, refuelled in the air en route four times. That was two decades before Knox-Johnson's 1969 voyage.

Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure Yuri Gagarin went round at least once in 1961, at slightly higher altitude!

I can do two, The music one and the 1284 one. I've always thought this test was completely bonkers. I'm British and have lived in the UK all my life. just checked and I got the 1284 one wrong.

I got two right but I’m not British.

I doubt that is what they mean.

(1) Who was the first person to circumnavigate the world without stopping?

Francis Drake?

(2) What date was the Battle of Boyne?

1690 (NI upbringing anyone?!?)

(3) How many local authorities are there in London?

32/33

(4) Which composer composed music for George the I?

Handel

(5) What significant event took place in 1284?

Birth of Edward II (or the story of Der Rattenfänger von Hameln but that says more about my odd German dissertation than a likelihood of appearing on a U.K. citizenship test!)

(6) Who is the paralympian who won six gold medals over two Paralympic Games?

Tanni Grey-Thompson? Complete guess!

If this is meant to make us go "OMG how ridiculous and unfair!"

I had to pass a test like this for citizenship for an EU country, except the test happened orally and there was a six-year wait between me applying and me getting to sit the test.

They have to find some way of assessing you.

Re read the question, it is in there, it explicitly says without stopping!

Why do they have to, and what is this test assessing for?

To test whether they want you to be a citizen of their country.
Have you learned the language?
Have you been bothered to learn for a test when they give you the stuff to learn in advance?

I think there was extra info added by the OP.

1. Handel! Only one I’m confident of…

Me also…… but now I wonder: did Handel have to pass a Life in the uk test… 🙀

(1) Pass
(2) i remember doing it at school, but no details. 1603 was Cork. 1916 was the uprising, so somewhere in-between!
(3) Pass
(4) George Friedrich Handel
(5) Magna Carta
(6) Pass

I did however get full marks when I became a Danish citizen - their test has much the same wtf effect on their viking natives.

Oh I just googled and my magna Carter answer was wrong.

33 London boroughs, I’m fairly confident only because my sons compete in sport for their borough. Even that I’m not 100%. Handel for the composer. Would’ve said Cabot for the sailor but realise it’s very likely wrong. Would guess 1689 for Boyne. Don’t know the others at all.

Zero, and I’d have said I was a) British and b) at least reasonably well educated.

I remember my dad’s wife studying for this about ten years ago, and I didn’t know the answer to the overwhelming majority. It’s daft really - surely the questions should be more practical and actually focussed on life in the uk?!

1. Cook?
2. 12/7/1661?
3. Camden Westminster City Kensington Hammersmith & Fulham Tower Hamlets Hackney Southwark Lambeth Wandsworth Richmond? Bromley? Wimbledon? Kingston? Harringey
4. Handel?
5. Magna Carta?
6. Ellie Simmons?

these are very odd questions!

1/6 🤦‍♀️ and that was the Olympian Tanni Grey Thompson. At least I think so.

I got one, because I used to be interested in Irish history.

I don't think it's reasonable to expect a British born person to have this kind of knowledge though. It seems to be a fairly random collection of facts about Britain intended to make people feel 'British '. The average British person would still know far more about Britain, just not necessarily the obscure details on this list.

My answer to the first one (which is probably totally incorrect is)…. My son told me at school they learned about a woman pretended to be a man, and ended up circumventing the world? Not sure why I have the name beginning with an E 🤣Not sure if that’s what he said but it’s a random snapshot from my brain.. either that or it was a dream 🤣