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Life in the UK Practice Test 5 (2026) — free, with answers

24 original practice questions in the official Life in the UK Test formats — multiple choice, select TWO, TRUE or FALSE and “which statement is correct”. The real test has 24 questions in 45 minutes with a 75% pass mark (18 of 24). Every answer below includes an explanation. Written from the official study material; no log-in, completely free.

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1. The languages spoken by the Jutes, the Angles and the Saxons form the basis of which language?

  1. Modern-day English
  2. Modern Welsh
  3. Latin
  4. The Celtic languages
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Answer: A — Modern-day English

Modern English grew out of the languages the Anglo-Saxon invaders brought with them.

2. The Vikings came from Denmark, Norway and which other country?

  1. Sweden
  2. Iceland
  3. Germany
  4. The Netherlands
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Answer: A — Sweden

The Vikings came from three Scandinavian countries: Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

3. Which of the following statements is correct?

  1. The Vikings first visited Britain in AD 489.
  2. The Vikings first visited Britain in AD 789.
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Answer: B — The Vikings first visited Britain in AD 789.

The first Viking raids on Britain came in AD 789.

4. Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE? The Vikings first came to Britain in order to trade peacefully with coastal towns.

  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
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Answer: B — FALSE

Their first visits were raids to seize goods and slaves, not peaceful trade.

5. Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE? The Vikings began to stay and form their own communities in the east of England and Scotland.

  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
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Answer: A — TRUE

After the early raids the Vikings settled and built communities in eastern England and in Scotland.

6. The area of eastern and northern England where many Viking invaders settled became known as what?

  1. The Danelaw
  2. The Pale
  3. Wessex
  4. The Marches
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Answer: A — The Danelaw

Viking settlement in eastern and northern England gave the region the name the Danelaw.

7. Which TWO of the following place names come from the Viking languages?

  1. Grimsby
  2. Scunthorpe
  3. Canterbury
  4. Vindolanda
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Answer: A and B — Grimsby; Scunthorpe

Grimsby and Scunthorpe are among the many Danelaw place names of Viking origin.

8. Which of the following statements is correct?

  1. The Viking settlers mixed with local communities and some converted to Christianity.
  2. The Viking settlers kept apart from local communities and none of them became Christians.
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Answer: A — The Viking settlers mixed with local communities and some converted to Christianity.

Viking settlers blended into local society and a number of them became Christians.

9. Who was the first of the Danish kings to rule in England?

  1. Cnut, also called Canute
  2. Alfred the Great
  3. Kenneth MacAlpin
  4. Edward the Confessor
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Answer: A — Cnut, also called Canute

Anglo-Saxon rule was broken by a short period of Danish kings, the first being Cnut, also called Canute.

10. In the north, the threat of Viking attack encouraged the people to unite under which king?

  1. Kenneth MacAlpin
  2. Alfred the Great
  3. Cnut
  4. Macbeth
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Answer: A — Kenneth MacAlpin

Viking pressure led the people of the north to unite under Kenneth MacAlpin, and the term Scotland came into use.

11. In which year did William, Duke of Normandy, defeat Harold at the Battle of Hastings?

  1. 1066
  2. 1014
  3. 1215
  4. 1485
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Answer: A — 1066

The Norman invasion and the Battle of Hastings took place in 1066.

12. William, who invaded England in 1066, was Duke of which territory in what is now northern France?

  1. Normandy
  2. Brittany
  3. Burgundy
  4. Aquitaine
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Answer: A — Normandy

William was Duke of Normandy, a territory in what is now northern France.

13. William, Duke of Normandy, defeated Harold at the Battle of Hastings and became king of England. By what name is he known?

  1. William the Conqueror
  2. William of Orange
  3. William the Lionheart
  4. William Rufus
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Answer: A — William the Conqueror

Having won at Hastings in 1066 and taken the English throne, William became known as William the Conqueror.

14. About how long is the linen cloth of the Bayeux Tapestry?

  1. Nearly 70 metres (230 feet)
  2. Nearly 20 metres (65 feet)
  3. Nearly 150 metres (490 feet)
  4. Nearly 300 metres (985 feet)
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Answer: A — Nearly 70 metres (230 feet)

The embroidered linen cloth runs to nearly 70 metres, or 230 feet.

15. What happened in Wales after the Normans first conquered it?

  1. The Welsh gradually won territory back
  2. The Welsh were expelled to Ireland
  3. Wales was granted independence by treaty
  4. The Normans withdrew without a fight
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Answer: A — The Welsh gradually won territory back

Norman control of Wales was not permanent, as the Welsh steadily recovered territory.

16. What information did the survey known as the Domesday Book record?

  1. The towns and villages, the people who lived there, who owned the land and what animals they owned
  2. Only the names of the noble families who fought at Hastings
  3. The taxes paid by the Church in every diocese
  4. The names of every soldier in the Norman army
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Answer: A — The towns and villages, the people who lived there, who owned the land and what animals they owned

The Domesday Book listed settlements, the people living there, the landowners and their animals across England.

17. Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE? The Norman Conquest was the last successful foreign invasion of England.

  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
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Answer: A — TRUE

No foreign invasion of England has succeeded since the Normans arrived in 1066.

18. Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE? Harold, the Saxon king of England, survived the Battle of Hastings.

  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
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Answer: B — FALSE

Harold died at Hastings, which left the throne open to William.

19. Which of the following statements is correct?

  1. Norman French was the language of the new ruling class after 1066.
  2. Norman French was spoken only by English peasants after 1066.
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Answer: A — Norman French was the language of the new ruling class after 1066.

Norman French was the tongue of the incoming ruling class and shaped the English language that followed.

20. Which of the following statements is correct?

  1. The Normans took some land on the border with Scotland but did not invade Scotland.
  2. The Normans invaded Scotland and conquered it soon after 1066.
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Answer: A — The Normans took some land on the border with Scotland but did not invade Scotland.

Fighting on the border gained the Normans some land, but they never invaded Scotland itself.

21. Which TWO of the following are true of the Bayeux Tapestry?

  1. It is embroidered with coloured wool
  2. It can still be seen in France today
  3. It was painted on wooden panels
  4. It is kept in the Tower of London
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Answer: A and B — It is embroidered with coloured wool; It can still be seen in France today

The Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidery in coloured wool and remains on display in France.

22. Which law, introduced by King Edward I in 1284, annexed Wales to the Crown of England?

  1. The Statute of Rhuddlan
  2. The Magna Carta
  3. The Habeas Corpus Act
  4. The Act of Supremacy
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Answer: A — The Statute of Rhuddlan

The Statute of Rhuddlan of 1284 formally annexed Wales to the English Crown.

23. Who led the Scottish army that defeated the English at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314?

  1. Robert the Bruce
  2. William Wallace
  3. John Barbour
  4. Edward I
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Answer: A — Robert the Bruce

Robert the Bruce led the Scots to victory at Bannockburn, and Scotland remained unconquered.

24. By 1200 the English ruled an area of Ireland around Dublin. What was it known as?

  1. The Pale
  2. Ulster
  3. The Marches
  4. The Commonwealth
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Answer: A — The Pale

The English-ruled district around Dublin was called the Pale.

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