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Life in the UK Test Chapter 3 questions · Part 3 — a global power and the Victorian age

Updated 26 August 2026

Every question in our 969-question bank that comes from this chapter of the official study material — all 111 of them, grouped by topic, each with the answer and an explanation. Read the chapter first in the free plain-English study guide, or practise in the official 24-question format with the 40 mixed practice tests. The real test has 24 questions in 45 minutes with a 75% pass mark. No sign-up.

A Global Power

1. In which year was the Bill of Rights passed, putting the new balance between Crown and Parliament into law?

  1. 1660
  2. 1689
  3. 1707
  4. 1714
Show answer

Answer: B — 1689

The Bill of Rights of 1689 set out what Parliament was entitled to do and where the monarch's power stopped.

2. Who was the first man to hold the title of Prime Minister?

  1. Sir Robert Walpole
  2. William Wilberforce
  3. The Duke of Wellington
  4. Adam Smith
Show answer

Answer: A — Sir Robert Walpole

Sir Robert Walpole led in Parliament for George I and held the office from 1721 to 1742.

3. Which of the following statements is correct?

  1. The Act of Union of 1707 joined England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain.
  2. The Act of Union of 1707 joined England and Ireland into the Kingdom of Great Britain.
Show answer

Answer: A — The Act of Union of 1707 joined England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain.

The 1707 Act, known to Scots as the Treaty of Union, made the two kingdoms one Kingdom of Great Britain.

4. Which TWO of the following did Scotland keep after the Act of Union of 1707?

  1. Its own legal system
  2. Its own parliament
  3. Its own education system
  4. Its own separate monarch
Show answer

Answer: A and C — Its own legal system; Its own education system

Scotland surrendered its independence but retained its legal system, its education system and the Presbyterian Church.

5. Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE? The Huguenots who came to Britain between 1680 and 1720 were Catholic refugees escaping religious persecution in France.

  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
Show answer

Answer: B — FALSE

FALSE — the Huguenots were PROTESTANTS fleeing religious persecution in France. Many were educated, skilled people who worked as scientists, in banking and in weaving.

6. At which battle in 1746 did George II's army destroy the force raised by Bonnie Prince Charlie?

  1. The Battle of Waterloo
  2. The Battle of Trafalgar
  3. The Battle of Culloden
  4. The Battle of Hastings
Show answer

Answer: C — The Battle of Culloden

Culloden ended the 1745 Jacobite rising and broke the power of the Highland clans.

7. Which song by Robert Burns is still sung in the UK and around the world at New Year?

  1. Flower of Scotland
  2. Auld Lang Syne
  3. Rule, Britannia!
  4. God Save the Queen
Show answer

Answer: B — Auld Lang Syne

Auld Lang Syne is Burns's most famous song, sung at Hogmanay and at New Year worldwide.

8. Which of the following statements is correct?

  1. France was the first country in the world to industrialise on a large scale.
  2. Britain was the first country in the world to industrialise on a large scale.
Show answer

Answer: B — Britain was the first country in the world to industrialise on a large scale.

Britain led the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries, mechanising farming and manufacturing before anyone else.

9. In which year did the Emancipation Act abolish slavery throughout the British Empire?

  1. 1776
  2. 1807
  3. 1815
  4. 1833
Show answer

Answer: D — 1833

Trading slaves on British ships became illegal in 1807, and the Emancipation Act of 1833 abolished slavery across the Empire.

10. How many American colonies declared their independence in 1776?

  1. 10
  2. 12
  3. 13
  4. 15
Show answer

Answer: C — 13

Thirteen American colonies declared their independence in 1776, insisting that people have the right to set up their own governments. The colonists went on to defeat the British army, and Britain recognised their independence in 1783.

11. Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE? Admiral Nelson defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
Show answer

Answer: B — FALSE

Waterloo was won by the Duke of Wellington; Nelson had been killed a decade earlier at the naval Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

12. On the Union Flag, whose cross is the diagonal red cross on a white ground?

  1. St George
  2. St Andrew
  3. St David
  4. St Patrick
Show answer

Answer: D — St Patrick

The diagonal red cross on a white ground is the cross of St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. St Andrew's cross for Scotland is also diagonal, but it is white on a blue ground, and St George's cross for England is an upright red cross on a white ground.

13. The Declaration of Rights, read at William and Mary's coronation, meant the monarch could no longer do which TWO things without Parliament's consent?

  1. Collect taxes
  2. Run the courts
  3. Command the navy
  4. Travel abroad
Show answer

Answer: A and B — Collect taxes; Run the courts

From that moment no monarch could collect taxes or run the courts without Parliament's consent; the Bill of Rights put the balance into law in 1689.

14. Which of the following statements is correct?

  1. After 1689, Parliament ruled that every future monarch had to be a Protestant.
  2. After 1689, the monarch alone decided who would inherit the crown.
Show answer

Answer: A — After 1689, Parliament ruled that every future monarch had to be a Protestant.

Parliament took charge of the throne itself: it decided who could wear the crown and required every future king or queen to be a Protestant.

15. After the Bill of Rights, how often did a fresh Parliament have to be elected?

  1. At least every three years
  2. At least every year
  3. At least every ten years
  4. Only when the monarch chose
Show answer

Answer: A — At least every three years

The limit was at least every three years, later stretched to seven years; today it is five.

16. Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE? After 1689 the money that paid for the army and the navy had to be approved by Parliament every year.

  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
Show answer

Answer: A — TRUE

Annual approval of army and navy funding was one of the ways Parliament secured its position against the Crown.

17. Which TWO rival groups dominated politics after the Glorious Revolution, marking the start of party politics in Britain?

  1. The Whigs
  2. The Tories
  3. The Roundheads
  4. The Jacobites
Show answer

Answer: A and B — The Whigs; The Tories

The Whigs and the Tories were the two rival groups; the modern Conservative Party is still often called the Tories.

18. From which year did a newspaper in Britain no longer need a government licence to print?

  1. 1695
  2. 1689
  3. 1707
  4. 1721
Show answer

Answer: A — 1695

From 1695 newspapers no longer needed a licence, and their numbers grew quickly — the beginning of a free press.

19. What is meant by 'a free press'?

  1. Newspapers and other publications that the government does not control
  2. Newspapers that are given away without charge
  3. Publications printed only by Parliament
  4. Papers that carry no advertising
Show answer

Answer: A — Newspapers and other publications that the government does not control

A free press means newspapers and other publications that are not controlled by the government.

20. What name is given to the system created by the laws passed after the Glorious Revolution?

  1. A constitutional monarchy
  2. An absolute monarchy
  3. A republic
  4. A federation
Show answer

Answer: A — A constitutional monarchy

Under a constitutional monarchy the king or queen still mattered enormously but could no longer force through a policy that Parliament refused.

21. Which of the following statements is correct?

  1. In the 18th century only men who owned property above a certain value could vote.
  2. In the 18th century all adult men and women could vote.
Show answer

Answer: A — In the 18th century only men who owned property above a certain value could vote.

The vote belonged only to men owning property above a certain value, and no women could vote at all — nowhere near democracy as we know it.

22. Which TWO terms described unrepresentative parliamentary seats in the 18th century?

  1. Pocket boroughs
  2. Rotten boroughs
  3. Free boroughs
  4. Crown boroughs
Show answer

Answer: A and B — Pocket boroughs; Rotten boroughs

'Pocket boroughs' were effectively the private property of one wealthy family; 'rotten boroughs' had almost no voters living in them.

23. In which year did Jewish families settle in London, forming the first Jewish community in Britain since the Middle Ages?

  1. 1656
  2. 1689
  3. 1707
  4. 1720
Show answer

Answer: A — 1656

Jewish families settled in London in 1656.

24. Which TWO kinds of work did many Huguenot arrivals find in Britain?

  1. Science and banking
  2. Weaving and other crafts
  3. Farming and mining
  4. Shipbuilding and railways
Show answer

Answer: A and B — Science and banking; Weaving and other crafts

Many Huguenots were educated, skilled people who worked as scientists, in banking, in weaving and in other crafts.

25. Who succeeded William and Mary?

  1. Queen Anne
  2. George I
  3. George II
  4. Charles II
Show answer

Answer: A — Queen Anne

Queen Anne succeeded them, and none of her children survived her — which left the succession in doubt.

26. What was the new kingdom created by the Act of Union of 1707 called?

  1. The Kingdom of Great Britain
  2. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
  3. The Commonwealth
  4. The Kingdom of England and Scotland
Show answer

Answer: A — The Kingdom of Great Britain

The Act of Union — the Treaty of Union to Scots — joined the two kingdoms into the Kingdom of Great Britain.

27. Why did Parliament choose George I as king in 1714?

  1. He was Queen Anne's closest Protestant relative
  2. He was Anne's eldest son
  3. He had won a war against France
  4. He was elected by the people
Show answer

Answer: A — He was Queen Anne's closest Protestant relative

Parliament — not bloodline alone — picked George I, a German prince who was Anne's closest Protestant relative.

28. Why did George I have to lean heavily on his ministers?

  1. He spoke little English
  2. He was still a child
  3. He lived permanently abroad
  4. He was ill throughout his reign
Show answer

Answer: A — He spoke little English

George I spoke little English, and the minister who led for him in Parliament came to be called the Prime Minister.

29. For how long did Sir Robert Walpole serve as Prime Minister?

  1. From 1721 to 1742
  2. From 1707 to 1714
  3. From 1745 to 1760
  4. From 1689 to 1702
Show answer

Answer: A — From 1721 to 1742

Sir Robert Walpole was the first man to hold the title, from 1721 to 1742.

30. Bonnie Prince Charlie, who landed in Scotland in 1745, was the grandson of which king?

  1. James II
  2. Charles II
  3. George I
  4. William III
Show answer

Answer: A — James II

Charles Edward Stuart was a grandson of James II; he raised an army from the Highland clans against George II.

31. Which TWO things happened to the Highland clans after Culloden?

  1. Chieftains who kept the king's favour became landlords
  2. Clansmen became tenants paying rent
  3. The clans were given seats in Parliament
  4. The clans were resettled in Ireland
Show answer

Answer: A and B — Chieftains who kept the king's favour became landlords; Clansmen became tenants paying rent

Culloden broke the clan system: chieftains turned into landlords and their clansmen into rent-paying tenants.

32. What were the small family farms swept away in the Highland Clearances called?

  1. Crofts
  2. Allotments
  3. Plantations
  4. Boroughs
Show answer

Answer: A — Crofts

Landlords cleared the crofts to make room for great flocks of sheep and herds of cattle.

33. When were evictions in the Highland Clearances at their worst?

  1. The early 19th century
  2. The late 17th century
  3. The mid-18th century
  4. The late 20th century
Show answer

Answer: A — The early 19th century

Evictions peaked in the early 19th century, and many Scots left the Highlands for North America.

34. What is the Scottish celebration of New Year called?

  1. Hogmanay
  2. Vaisakhi
  3. Eisteddfod
  4. Beltane
Show answer

Answer: A — Hogmanay

Auld Lang Syne is sung at New Year — Hogmanay, as the celebration is known in Scotland.

35. Which TWO Scottish thinkers are named among the great minds of the Enlightenment?

  1. Adam Smith
  2. David Hume
  3. Robert Burns
  4. Richard Arkwright
Show answer

Answer: A and B — Adam Smith; David Hume

Adam Smith laid the foundations of economics and David Hume changed how philosophers think about human nature; James Watt's steam work fed the Industrial Revolution.

36. Which Enlightenment principle does the UK still hold to today?

  1. That everyone has the right to their own political and religious beliefs, and the state should not dictate them
  2. That the monarch is appointed by God
  3. That only property owners should hold opinions
  4. That the Church should govern the state
Show answer

Answer: A — That everyone has the right to their own political and religious beliefs, and the state should not dictate them

The principle that the state has no business dictating political or religious belief has lasted.

37. Before the Industrial Revolution, what were 'cottage industries'?

  1. Goods such as cloth and lace produced at home
  2. Large steam-powered factories
  3. Coal mines run by families
  4. Canal-building companies
Show answer

Answer: A — Goods such as cloth and lace produced at home

Until the 18th century much of what Britain made — cloth, lace and other goods — was produced at home in cottage industries.

38. Which of the following statements is correct?

  1. Britain was the first country in the world to industrialise on a large scale.
  2. Britain industrialised only after France and Germany had done so.
Show answer

Answer: A — Britain was the first country in the world to industrialise on a large scale.

The Industrial Revolution was Britain's rapid industrialisation across the 18th and 19th centuries, and Britain led the world.

39. Which process made it possible to mass-produce steel?

  1. The Bessemer process
  2. The carding process
  3. The Watt process
  4. The Arkwright process
Show answer

Answer: A — The Bessemer process

The Bessemer process allowed steel to be mass-produced, and with cheap steel came great shipyards and the railways.

40. Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE? By the height of the Industrial Revolution, manufacturing had replaced farming as the main source of employment in Britain.

  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
Show answer

Answer: A — TRUE

People streamed out of the countryside into mining and manufacturing towns, and manufacturing overtook farming as the main employer.

41. What was Richard Arkwright's trade before he moved into textiles?

  1. A barber who dyed hair and made wigs
  2. A coal miner
  3. A canal builder
  4. A ship's carpenter
Show answer

Answer: A — A barber who dyed hair and made wigs

Arkwright started as a barber and wigmaker, and switched to textiles when wigs went out of fashion.

42. What is 'carding', the process Arkwright improved?

  1. Preparing fibres for spinning into yarn and fabric
  2. Weaving cloth on a loom
  3. Dyeing finished cloth
  4. Cutting cloth into garments
Show answer

Answer: A — Preparing fibres for spinning into yarn and fabric

Carding prepares fibres for spinning; Arkwright improved the carding machine and developed spinning mills.

43. What is Richard Arkwright chiefly remembered for?

  1. Running his factories efficiently and very profitably
  2. Inventing the steam engine
  3. Building the first canal
  4. Founding the Royal Society
Show answer

Answer: A — Running his factories efficiently and very profitably

He improved machinery and later used steam engines, but is really remembered for how efficiently and profitably he ran his factories.

44. Which TWO statements describe conditions in the new factories?

  1. No laws protected employees, and hours were long
  2. Children worked and were treated no differently from adults
  3. Employees were guaranteed a minimum wage
  4. Children were barred from factory work
Show answer

Answer: A and B — No laws protected employees, and hours were long; Children worked and were treated no differently from adults

Conditions were grim: no protective laws, long hours, dangerous work, and children treated no differently from adults and sometimes worse.

45. Which explorer charted the coast of Australia, where colonies were then planted?

  1. Captain James Cook
  2. Sir Francis Drake
  3. Admiral Nelson
  4. Sir Robert Walpole
Show answer

Answer: A — Captain James Cook

Captain James Cook charted the Australian coast during the age of Britain's overseas expansion.

46. The East India Company was created to do what, and ended up doing what?

  1. Created to trade, it ended up ruling large parts of India
  2. Created to govern India, it ended up trading only
  3. Created to fight France, it ended up settling Australia
  4. Created to end slavery, it ended up in banking
Show answer

Answer: A — Created to trade, it ended up ruling large parts of India

The East India Company was a business created to trade that ended up ruling large parts of India.

47. Which TWO goods flowed into Britain from North America and the West Indies?

  1. Sugar
  2. Tobacco
  3. Tea
  4. Spices
Show answer

Answer: A and B — Sugar; Tobacco

Sugar and tobacco came from North America and the West Indies; textiles, tea and spices came from India and the islands that are now Indonesia.

48. In which year did Sake Dean Mahomet open the Hindoostane Coffee House in London?

  1. 1810
  2. 1782
  3. 1786
  4. 1759
Show answer

Answer: A — 1810

It opened in George Street, London, in 1810 — the first curry house ever to open in Britain.

49. Besides the first curry house, what did Sake Dean Mahomet and his wife introduce to Britain?

  1. 'Shampooing' — the Indian art of head massage
  2. The game of polo
  3. Tea drinking
  4. Cotton weaving
Show answer

Answer: A — 'Shampooing' — the Indian art of head massage

Mahomet grew up in Bengal, served in the Bengal army, came to Britain in 1782, and he and his wife introduced 'shampooing'.

50. Which of the following statements is correct?

  1. Slavery was illegal inside Britain itself, but was a fully established British industry overseas.
  2. Slavery was legal inside Britain but banned in the colonies.
Show answer

Answer: A — Slavery was illegal inside Britain itself, but was a fully established British industry overseas.

By the 18th century the overseas slave trade was dominated by Britain and the American colonies, though slavery was illegal within Britain.

51. From which part of the world were enslaved people mainly seized?

  1. West Africa
  2. South America
  3. South-east Asia
  4. Eastern Europe
Show answer

Answer: A — West Africa

Enslaved people were seized mainly in West Africa and carried across the Atlantic on British ships in horrific conditions.

52. Which religious group founded the first organised anti-slavery groups in the late 1700s?

  1. The Quakers
  2. The Puritans
  3. The Huguenots
  4. The Presbyterians
Show answer

Answer: A — The Quakers

The Quakers founded the first formal anti-slavery groups and petitioned Parliament to outlaw the trade.

53. William Wilberforce, the leading campaigner against the slave trade, was what?

  1. An evangelical Christian and a member of Parliament
  2. A Quaker naval officer
  3. A West Indies plantation owner
  4. A Scottish philosopher
Show answer

Answer: A — An evangelical Christian and a member of Parliament

Wilberforce worked with fellow abolitionists and succeeded in turning public opinion against the trade.

54. What became illegal in 1807?

  1. Trading slaves aboard British ships or from British ports
  2. Owning slaves anywhere in the Empire
  3. Employing children in factories
  4. Importing sugar
Show answer

Answer: A — Trading slaves aboard British ships or from British ports

The 1807 ban covered the trade; the Emancipation Act of 1833 abolished slavery throughout the British Empire.

55. After 1833, roughly how many Indian and Chinese workers were brought in to replace the freed slaves?

  1. About 2 million
  2. About 200,000
  3. About 20 million
  4. About 20,000
Show answer

Answer: A — About 2 million

Around 2 million worked on Caribbean sugar plantations, in South African mines, on East African railways and in the army in Kenya.

56. What demand did the American colonists make when Britain tried to tax them?

  1. 'No taxation without representation'
  2. 'Liberty or death'
  3. 'Government of the people'
  4. 'One king, one law'
Show answer

Answer: A — 'No taxation without representation'

The colonists saw taxation as an attack on their freedom and demanded representation in the British Parliament.

57. In which year did Britain recognise the independence of the American colonies?

  1. 1783
  2. 1776
  3. 1789
  4. 1801
Show answer

Answer: A — 1783

Thirteen colonies declared independence in 1776, defeated the British army, and Britain recognised their independence in 1783.

58. In which year did revolution sweep France, leading to war with Britain?

  1. 1789
  2. 1805
  3. 1815
  4. 1776
Show answer

Answer: A — 1789

Revolution swept France in 1789 and the new French government was soon at war with Britain; Napoleon kept the war going.

59. At the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, the Royal Navy defeated the combined fleets of which two countries?

  1. France and Spain
  2. France and the Netherlands
  3. Spain and Portugal
  4. France and Russia
Show answer

Answer: A — France and Spain

Nelson beat the combined French and Spanish fleets at Trafalgar and was killed in his moment of victory.

60. Where can Admiral Nelson's flagship HMS Victory be visited?

  1. Portsmouth
  2. Plymouth
  3. Greenwich
  4. Liverpool
Show answer

Answer: A — Portsmouth

Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square is his monument, and HMS Victory can still be visited in Portsmouth.

61. By what nickname was the Duke of Wellington known?

  1. The Iron Duke
  2. The Bard
  3. The Lord Protector
  4. The Great Commoner
Show answer

Answer: A — The Iron Duke

Wellington, who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815, was nicknamed the Iron Duke and later became Prime Minister.

62. From 1801, what was the country formed by the Act of Union of 1800 called?

  1. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
  2. The Kingdom of Great Britain
  3. The Commonwealth of Nations
  4. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Show answer

Answer: A — The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

The Act of Union of 1800 joined Ireland with England, Scotland and Wales from 1801, and the Union Flag gained its present form.

63. Why does the Welsh dragon not appear on the Union Flag?

  1. Wales was already united with England when the first Union Flag was made in 1606
  2. Wales chose not to join the union
  3. The dragon was added and later removed
  4. Wales has no official flag
Show answer

Answer: A — Wales was already united with England when the first Union Flag was made in 1606

The first Union Flag was put together in 1606 from the flags of England and Scotland, and the Principality of Wales was already united with England.

The Victorian Age

64. In which year did Queen Victoria come to the throne?

  1. 1832
  2. 1837
  3. 1846
  4. 1851
Show answer

Answer: B — 1837

Victoria became queen at 18 in 1837 and reigned until 1901, almost 64 years.

65. Which TWO of the following groups came to live in Britain during the Victorian period?

  1. Russian and Polish Jews escaping persecution
  2. Huguenot refugees from France
  3. People from across the Empire, including India and Africa
  4. Boer settlers from South Africa
Show answer

Answer: A and C — Russian and Polish Jews escaping persecution; People from across the Empire, including India and Africa

Around 120,000 Russian and Polish Jews arrived between 1870 and 1914, and people from across the Empire came to Britain to live, work and study. The Huguenots arrived far earlier, between 1680 and 1720.

66. In which year were the Corn Laws, which had kept cheap grain out of the country, repealed?

  1. 1832
  2. 1846
  3. 1867
  4. 1882
Show answer

Answer: B — 1846

Repealing the Corn Laws in 1846 was the best-known step in the Victorian move towards free trade.

67. From which London station did Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Great Western Railway run?

  1. King's Cross Station
  2. Euston Station
  3. Paddington Station
  4. Waterloo Station
Show answer

Answer: C — Paddington Station

The Great Western Railway, the first major railway built in Britain, ran from Paddington to the south west, the West Midlands and Wales.

68. Which of the following statements is correct?

  1. Most of the objects shown at the Great Exhibition of 1851 were made in Britain.
  2. Most of the objects shown at the Great Exhibition of 1851 were made outside Britain.
Show answer

Answer: A — Most of the objects shown at the Great Exhibition of 1851 were made in Britain.

Countries from around the world displayed goods in the Crystal Palace, but most exhibits were British-made.

69. In the Crimean War of 1853 to 1856, Britain fought alongside Turkey and France against which country?

  1. Russia
  2. Austria
  3. Germany
  4. The Netherlands
Show answer

Answer: A — Russia

The Crimean War was fought against Russia and was the first war reported extensively through news stories and photographs.

70. Which of the following statements is correct?

  1. Florence Nightingale was born in Germany to English parents and trained as a nurse in Italy.
  2. Florence Nightingale was born in Italy to English parents and trained as a nurse in Germany.
Show answer

Answer: B — Florence Nightingale was born in Italy to English parents and trained as a nurse in Germany.

Nightingale was born in Italy to English parents and trained in Germany at 31, before going to Turkey in 1854.

71. What caused the famine that struck Ireland in the middle of the 19th century?

  1. The repeal of the Corn Laws
  2. The failure of the potato crop
  3. The Highland Clearances
  4. The cost of the Crimean War
Show answer

Answer: B — The failure of the potato crop

The potato made up a large share of many Irish meals, so its failure brought famine, death and mass emigration.

72. Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE? The Fenians campaigned for Home Rule, under which Ireland would remain in the UK but run its own parliament.

  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
Show answer

Answer: B — FALSE

The Fenians wanted complete independence from Britain; Home Rule was argued for by others, most famously Charles Stuart Parnell.

73. Which of the following statements is correct?

  1. The Reform Act of 1832 swept away the old pocket and rotten boroughs.
  2. The Reform Act of 1832 gave every adult man the vote regardless of property.
Show answer

Answer: A — The Reform Act of 1832 swept away the old pocket and rotten boroughs.

The 1832 Act widened the franchise and moved seats to the towns and cities, but the vote still depended on owning property.

74. In 1918, which women won the right to vote and to stand for Parliament?

  1. Women over 18
  2. Women over 21
  3. Women over 25
  4. Women over 30
Show answer

Answer: D — Women over 30

In 1918 women over 30 won the right to vote and to stand for Parliament, partly in recognition of what women had contributed to the war effort in the First World War; the same change extended the vote to all men over 21. Women had to wait until 1928 to vote at 21 on equal terms with men.

75. Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE? The Boers, whom Britain fought in South Africa from 1899 to 1902, were settlers descended from the Netherlands.

  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
Show answer

Answer: A — TRUE

The Boers were of Dutch descent and fought fiercely for over three years, winning growing public sympathy in Britain.

76. How old was Victoria when she became queen?

  1. 18
  2. 21
  3. 25
  4. 16
Show answer

Answer: A — 18

An 18-year-old became queen in 1837 and reigned until 1901 — almost 64 years.

77. For approximately how long did Queen Victoria reign?

  1. Almost 64 years
  2. About 40 years
  3. About 25 years
  4. Almost 70 years
Show answer

Answer: A — Almost 64 years

She reigned from 1837 to 1901, almost 64 years, and the era carries her name.

78. Roughly how many British citizens left the country between 1853 and 1913?

  1. As many as 13 million
  2. About 1 million
  3. About 120,000
  4. About 400 million
Show answer

Answer: A — As many as 13 million

Emigration was encouraged, and as many as 13 million British citizens left between 1853 and 1913.

79. Roughly how many Russian and Polish Jews came to Britain between 1870 and 1914 to escape persecution?

  1. Around 120,000
  2. Around 13 million
  3. Around 1.5 million
  4. Around 12,000
Show answer

Answer: A — Around 120,000

Around 120,000 came, many settling in London's East End and in Manchester and Leeds.

80. What did the law introduced in 1847 limit?

  1. The working day for women and children, to 10 hours
  2. The price of imported corn
  3. The number of factories in a town
  4. The hours a pub could open
Show answer

Answer: A — The working day for women and children, to 10 hours

In 1847 the law capped the working day for women and children at 10 hours, and better housing for workers began to go up.

81. Which TWO men pioneered the railway engine just before Victoria took the throne?

  1. George Stephenson
  2. Robert Stephenson
  3. Isambard Kingdom Brunel
  4. Richard Arkwright
Show answer

Answer: A and B — George Stephenson; Robert Stephenson

George Stephenson and his son Robert pioneered the railway engine; Brunel built the Great Western Railway and its bridges.

82. Which city was Isambard Kingdom Brunel from?

  1. Portsmouth
  2. Manchester
  3. Glasgow
  4. Bristol
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Answer: A — Portsmouth

Brunel, from Portsmouth in England, built tunnels, bridges, railway lines and ships.

83. Which of the following statements is correct?

  1. The Great Western Railway was the first major railway built in Britain.
  2. The Great Western Railway was the last major railway built in Britain.
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Answer: A — The Great Western Railway was the first major railway built in Britain.

It ran from Paddington Station in London to the south west of England, the West Midlands and Wales.

84. In the 19th century the UK produced more than half of the world's supply of which TWO of these?

  1. Iron
  2. Coal
  3. Sugar
  4. Tea
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Answer: A and B — Iron; Coal

British industry led the world, producing more than half of the world's iron, coal and cotton cloth.

85. Where was the Great Exhibition of 1851 held?

  1. The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park
  2. The Royal Albert Hall
  3. Paddington Station
  4. Tate Britain
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Answer: A — The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park

The Great Exhibition opened in Hyde Park inside the Crystal Palace, a vast building of iron and glass.

86. Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE? Most of the objects displayed at the Great Exhibition of 1851 were made in Britain.

  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
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Answer: A — TRUE

Countries from all over the world displayed their wares, but most of the exhibits were British-made.

87. What made the Crimean War the first of its kind?

  1. It was the first war reported extensively to the public through news stories and photographs
  2. It was the first war fought with steam ships
  3. It was the first war Britain lost
  4. It was the first war fought outside Europe
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Answer: A — It was the first war reported extensively to the public through news stories and photographs

The Crimean War of 1853–56 was the first reported extensively to the public in news stories and photographs.

88. Which of the following statements is correct?

  1. In the Crimean War more soldiers died of illnesses caught in hospital than of their battle wounds.
  2. In the Crimean War almost all deaths were caused by battle wounds.
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Answer: A — In the Crimean War more soldiers died of illnesses caught in hospital than of their battle wounds.

Conditions were dreadful, which is why Florence Nightingale's work in the military hospitals mattered so much.

89. Which medal, honouring acts of valour by soldiers, did Queen Victoria introduce during the Crimean War?

  1. The Victoria Cross
  2. The George Cross
  3. The Order of the Garter
  4. The Distinguished Service Order
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Answer: A — The Victoria Cross

Queen Victoria introduced the Victoria Cross during the Crimean War.

90. Where was Florence Nightingale born, and where did she train as a nurse?

  1. Born in Italy to English parents; trained in Germany
  2. Born in London; trained in Turkey
  3. Born in Germany; trained in Italy
  4. Born in Turkey; trained in London
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Answer: A — Born in Italy to English parents; trained in Germany

She was born in Italy to English parents and trained as a nurse in Germany at the age of 31.

91. In 1860 Florence Nightingale founded a training school for nurses at which hospital?

  1. St Thomas' Hospital in London
  2. Stoke Mandeville hospital
  3. Guy's Hospital
  4. The Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh
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Answer: A — St Thomas' Hospital in London

The Nightingale Training School at St Thomas' was the first school of its kind and still exists today.

92. Roughly what proportion of Ireland's people still lived off farming in the 19th century?

  1. Two-thirds
  2. One-third
  3. One-tenth
  4. Nine-tenths
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Answer: A — Two-thirds

Two-thirds lived off farming, often on very small plots, and for many the potato made up a large share of every meal.

93. Which TWO figures describe the effect of the Irish famine?

  1. A million people died of starvation and disease
  2. A million and a half people left the country
  3. Ten million people died
  4. The population doubled
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Answer: A and B — A million people died of starvation and disease; A million and a half people left the country

A million died and another million and a half emigrated, some to the United States and others to England.

94. By 1861, which of these cities held large Irish populations?

  1. Liverpool, London, Manchester and Glasgow
  2. Cardiff, Swansea and Newport
  3. Belfast, Derry and Armagh
  4. Norwich, Plymouth and Bristol
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Answer: A — Liverpool, London, Manchester and Glasgow

Irish emigration left large Irish populations in Liverpool, London, Manchester and Glasgow by 1861.

95. Which Irish Nationalist leader argued for 'Home Rule' rather than complete independence?

  1. Charles Stuart Parnell
  2. The Fenian leadership
  3. Emmeline Pankhurst
  4. Robert the Bruce
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Answer: A — Charles Stuart Parnell

The Fenians wanted complete independence; Parnell argued for Home Rule, under which Ireland would stay in the UK but run its own parliament.

96. Which TWO changes did the Reform Act of 1832 bring?

  1. The old pocket and rotten boroughs were swept away
  2. Seats in Parliament moved to the towns and cities
  3. Women were given the vote
  4. The property requirement for voting was abolished
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Answer: A and B — The old pocket and rotten boroughs were swept away; Seats in Parliament moved to the towns and cities

Far more people could vote and power shifted permanently from countryside to town — but the vote still depended on owning property.

97. What were the campaigners who carried petitions to Parliament demanding the vote for working people called?

  1. The Chartists
  2. The Chartered Boroughs
  3. The Fenians
  4. The Suffragettes
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Answer: A — The Chartists

The Chartists campaigned for the vote for working people and others without property.

98. Which TWO changes did the second Reform Act of 1867 bring?

  1. Many more urban seats
  2. A lower property bar for voting
  3. Votes for women
  4. Votes for all men
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Answer: A and B — Many more urban seats; A lower property bar for voting

Even after 1867 most men still could not vote, and no women could.

99. What is meant by 'universal suffrage'?

  1. The right of every adult, male or female, to vote
  2. The right of property owners to vote
  3. The right to stand for Parliament
  4. The right to a secret ballot
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Answer: A — The right of every adult, male or female, to vote

Universal suffrage — the right of every adult, male or female, to vote — followed in the next century.

100. Before 1870, what happened to everything a married woman earned or owned?

  1. It passed automatically to her husband
  2. It was held by the Crown
  3. It was shared equally with her husband
  4. It remained entirely her own
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Answer: A — It passed automatically to her husband

Acts of Parliament in 1870 and 1882 gave wives the right to keep their own earnings and property.

101. Where and in which year was Emmeline Pankhurst born?

  1. Manchester, in 1858
  2. London, in 1889
  3. Manchester, in 1903
  4. Liverpool, in 1820
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Answer: A — Manchester, in 1858

She was born in Manchester in 1858 and founded the Women's Franchise League in 1889.

102. In which year did Emmeline Pankhurst help found the Women's Social and Political Union?

  1. 1903
  2. 1889
  3. 1918
  4. 1928
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Answer: A — 1903

The WSPU, founded in 1903, was the first group whose members were called 'suffragettes'.

103. Which TWO tactics did the WSPU use?

  1. Chaining themselves to railings
  2. Going on hunger strike
  3. Standing candidates for Parliament
  4. Refusing to pay rent
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Answer: A and B — Chaining themselves to railings; Going on hunger strike

The WSPU turned to civil disobedience — chaining themselves to railings, smashing windows, arson — and many members, Pankhurst among them, went on hunger strike.

104. In 1918 the vote was extended to all men over what age?

  1. 21
  2. 30
  3. 25
  4. 18
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Answer: A — 21

In 1918 women over 30 won the right to vote and to stand for Parliament, and the vote was extended to all men over 21.

105. In which year did women get the vote at 21, on equal terms with men?

  1. 1928
  2. 1918
  3. 1832
  4. 1969
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Answer: A — 1928

Shortly before Emmeline Pankhurst died in 1928, women finally got the vote at 21 on equal terms with men.

106. Which TWO arguments were made against the British Empire by the late 19th century?

  1. That it was over-stretched
  2. That constant conflicts across it drained Britain's resources
  3. That it brought no trade
  4. That it was too small to defend
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Answer: A and B — That it was over-stretched; That constant conflicts across it drained Britain's resources

Supporters pointed to trade and commerce; critics said it was over-stretched and drained by conflicts on India's north-west frontier and in southern Africa.

107. For how long did the Boers fight Britain in the war of 1899 to 1902?

  1. Over three years
  2. Under one year
  3. Ten years
  4. Six months
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Answer: A — Over three years

The Boers, settlers descended from the Netherlands, fought fiercely for over three years; many died in battle and many more of disease.

108. By the second half of the 20th century, what had the Empire largely become?

  1. The Commonwealth, with its countries granted independence
  2. A federation governed from London
  3. A single republic
  4. A trading bloc with France
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Answer: A — The Commonwealth, with its countries granted independence

As territories developed they won more freedom and autonomy, and the Empire made a largely orderly transition into the Commonwealth.

109. Where was Rudyard Kipling born, and in which year?

  1. India, in 1865
  2. the UK, in 1907
  3. the USA, in 1865
  4. India, in 1936
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Answer: A — India, in 1865

Kipling was born in India in 1865 and went on to live in India, the UK and the USA.

110. In which year did Rudyard Kipling win the Nobel Prize in Literature?

  1. 1907
  2. 1865
  3. 1936
  4. 1918
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Answer: A — 1907

Kipling won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907.

111. Which TWO works were written by Rudyard Kipling?

  1. The Jungle Book
  2. Just So Stories
  3. The Canterbury Tales
  4. Treasure Island
Show answer

Answer: A and B — The Jungle Book; Just So Stories

His books include the Just So Stories and The Jungle Book, and his poem If has often been voted among the UK's favourite poems.

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