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?

It’s a way of sucking more money out of the person applying for their citizenship. My brother-in-law came to the UK aged 5, when he finally applied for his British citizenship aged 27 they asked him to spend an extra £150 on an English language test even though he has a university degree from a Scottish university 🤯

Do you put the cream or jam on first

How to deal with hard water when making tea

how the majority live, so manners, please and thank yous, putting your rubbish in bins, driving carefully (lol) being considerate to neighbours

What utopian version of Britain do you live in? 😄

A 'how the majority live quiz':

• It's 2am and you've grabbed a Macca Ds on the way home from the night club. When you've chowed it down, what do you do with the packaging?

A. Find a litter bin to dispose of it B. Take it home and put it in your recycling C. First drop the fries box where you stand, taking care to scatter a few leftover fries on the pavement. Then, as you walk, find a convenient mains junction box to stand your coke cup on. Finally, toss the paper from your Big Mac into the gutter, where it has the best chance of wafting up and sticking to someone's windscreen.

Answer - C. Bonus point if you also stick the sticker from your Vape juice on the nearby and obvious bin that you didn't use.

But people have time to revise before the test?

Had a very interesting chat with one of the children on my street about the Anglo Saxons as it is one of the topics she is doing at school, I knew hardly anything about them and I am British born!

I could name something that happened in 1284, but possibly not whatever they're thinking of. Other than that - Handel is my only solid answer.

The only one I made a correct guess at, was no. 4. Others, I didn’t even bother guessing.

It’s a ludicrous test.

One much more reasonable question I can think of, is, What happened in 1066?

I only knew Handel.
I'm a naturalized citizen in another country and I had to do a test like this. Local friends also couldn't answer all of the questions especially the ones with dates in them.
You get a booklet and all you have to do is learn the material and then sit the test.
It's not much to ask that people who want to become a citizen spend a bit of time learning about the country.

I know the Battle of the Boyne because it was two years prior to the Massacre of Glencoe, and Glencoe was 1692.

1284 was the death of Prince Alexander, son of King Alexander III. This left Alexander without a male heir, blah, blah, Maid of Norway, blah blah, Wars of Succession, blah, blah, Robert the Bruce and Balliol, blah, blah, Wars of Independence, blah, blah, Bannockburn.

British born don't know don't care

Yes, of course. But it's still fucking pointless information. You could give them a test of dog breeds if you just want people to "show commitment" 🥴

Why not have it all be useful information, that will actually help immigrants.

I might make the point that it shows a commitment to following fucking stupid rules, even to your own detriment that is sometimes necessary for living here. Like when you send your child to school in a blazer in the summer, "because the rules"

This absolutely

Who the fuck came up with these questions? They need to be fired from a cannon.

Am quite intelligent and British but cannot give any of the answers!!

It’s not the same at all. Of course someone who is naturalised British is British, but I don’t know anyone naturalised British who doesn’t also acknowledge their country of origin.

The “yes, but where are you REALLY from question” I thought was mainly directed at British-born people who are not white. I think challenging anyone about where they say they come from is extremely rude, but I’m not seeing how it is racist to state that someone was born in X country.

No! They are silly questions

Did you miss my last sentence?

And actually this is what we should aim for, its bad enough people already here dont do these things, people moving here should be expected to have some standards too

Born and bred Englishwoman here and I would not do very well - without googling I would guess:

1. Magellan?
2. No clue, although always pops up in my iPhone calendar
3. no idea - 14?
4. no idea - Haydn?
5. magma carta signing? Although I feel maybe that was earlier
6. Ellie something the swimmer?

Not silly questions - children should probably learn some of this at school. But silly questions for the life in the uk test.

My da took great pride in the amount of study he did to wave goodbye to the British and become an Australian. I doubt he remembers much now (this was a couple of decades ago) and I don’t know if their test is still as intensive as it was, but I can tell
you he certainly thought it was a worthwhile process. It should mean something, surely? To take on the citizenship of another country.

The questions should be about contemporary life and law in the UK.

Jam.

We did the test because he had to. Not because we thought the test was worthwhile in and of itself. Of course I am very proud that he put in so much effort and passed first time. I still think it is outdated bollocks.

Not a single one. Am guessing (6) might be Tanni Grey Thompson? Possibly Handel for (4)? Taking a punt at (5), going to go for Thomas Becket’s assassination.

Border control are coming round now to escort you out of the country!!!