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Life in the UK Practice Test 6 (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. Roughly what proportion of the population of England died in the Black Death of 1348?

  1. One third
  2. One tenth
  3. One half
  4. Two thirds
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Answer: A — One third

A third of England's people died, making the Black Death one of the worst disasters ever to strike Britain.

2. Which king was forced by his noblemen in 1215 to agree to the Magna Carta?

  1. King John
  2. King Edward I
  3. King Henry V
  4. King Richard III
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Answer: A — King John

King John's noblemen compelled him to accept the Magna Carta, establishing that even the king was subject to the law.

3. Who wrote The Canterbury Tales, a series of poems about people travelling to Canterbury on a pilgrimage?

  1. Geoffrey Chaucer
  2. William Caxton
  3. John Barbour
  4. Samuel Pepys
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Answer: A — Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales in English in the years leading up to 1400.

4. Which battle in 1485 brought the Wars of the Roses to an end?

  1. The Battle of Bosworth Field
  2. The Battle of Agincourt
  3. The Battle of Bannockburn
  4. The Battle of Hastings
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Answer: A — The Battle of Bosworth Field

Richard III was killed at Bosworth Field in 1485 and Henry Tudor became King Henry VII.

5. Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE? In Scotland the legal system developed differently from England, and laws were 'codified', that is, written down.

  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
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Answer: A — TRUE

Scots law was codified in writing, while English judges built up common law by precedence and tradition.

6. Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE? Geoffrey Chaucer was the first person in England to print books using a printing press.

  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
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Answer: B — FALSE

FALSE — it was WILLIAM CAXTON who introduced printing to England. Chaucer WROTE The Canterbury Tales; Caxton PRINTED it, and it was among the first books he printed.

7. Which of the following statements is correct?

  1. The Hundred Years' War between England and France actually lasted 116 years.
  2. The Hundred Years' War between England and France lasted exactly 100 years.
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Answer: A — The Hundred Years' War between England and France actually lasted 116 years.

Despite its name, the Hundred Years' War ran for 116 years.

8. Which of the following statements is correct?

  1. The symbol of the House of York was a white rose.
  2. The symbol of the House of York was a red rose.
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Answer: A — The symbol of the House of York was a white rose.

York's emblem was the white rose and Lancaster's the red, which is how the Wars of the Roses got their name.

9. Which TWO of the following sat in the House of Lords in the Middle Ages?

  1. Bishops
  2. Great landowners
  3. Knights
  4. Wealthy people from towns and cities
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Answer: A and B — Bishops; Great landowners

The Lords was made up of the nobility, great landowners and bishops, while knights and wealthy townspeople were elected to the Commons.

10. Which title did Henry VIII take once English authority had been established over the whole of Ireland?

  1. King of Ireland
  2. Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
  3. Prince of Ireland
  4. Protector of Ireland
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Answer: A — King of Ireland

Henry VIII assumed the title 'King of Ireland' as English control spread beyond the Pale.

11. What were the settlements of English and Scottish Protestants on land taken from Catholic landholders in Ulster called?

  1. Plantations
  2. Pales
  3. Estates
  4. Clans
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Answer: A — Plantations

These Protestant settlements in Ulster were known as plantations and had serious long-term consequences.

12. James I and his son Charles I both believed in which idea?

  1. The Divine Right of Kings
  2. The sovereignty of Parliament
  3. The rule of common law
  4. The Great Charter
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Answer: A — The Divine Right of Kings

The Divine Right of Kings held that the monarch was appointed directly by God and need not seek Parliament's approval.

13. In which year did civil war between the king and Parliament begin?

  1. 1642
  2. 1640
  3. 1646
  4. 1649
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Answer: A — 1642

War broke out in 1642 after Charles I failed to arrest five parliamentary leaders in the Commons.

14. What title was Oliver Cromwell given as leader of the new republic?

  1. Lord Protector
  2. Lord Lieutenant
  3. King of England
  4. Chief Justice
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Answer: A — Lord Protector

Cromwell ruled as Lord Protector from his recognition as leader until his death in 1658.

15. In May 1660, Parliament invited Charles II to return from exile in which country?

  1. The Netherlands
  2. France
  3. Spain
  4. Scotland
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Answer: A — The Netherlands

Charles II came back from the Netherlands in May 1660 to be crowned king of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

16. What did Isaac Newton discover about white light?

  1. It is made up of the colours of the rainbow
  2. It is a single pure colour that cannot be divided
  3. It is made up of red and blue light only
  4. It is produced only by burning
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Answer: A — It is made up of the colours of the rainbow

Newton discovered that white light is made up of the colours of the rainbow. His other great achievement was showing, in the Principia Mathematica, how gravity applied to the whole universe.

17. Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE? The supporters of James II became known as Jacobites.

  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
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Answer: A — TRUE

Those who went on believing James was the rightful king, especially in Scotland, were called Jacobites.

18. Which of the following statements is correct?

  1. Those who supported the king in the Civil War were known as the Cavaliers.
  2. Those who supported the king in the Civil War were known as the Roundheads.
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Answer: A — Those who supported the king in the Civil War were known as the Cavaliers.

The king's supporters were the Cavaliers, while Parliament's were the Roundheads.

19. Which of the following statements is correct?

  1. The new St Paul's Cathedral was designed by the architect Sir Christopher Wren.
  2. The new St Paul's Cathedral was designed by the diarist Samuel Pepys.
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Answer: A — The new St Paul's Cathedral was designed by the architect Sir Christopher Wren.

Sir Christopher Wren designed the new St Paul's after the great fire, while Pepys recorded the events in his diary.

20. Which of the following statements is correct?

  1. William defeated James II at the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland in 1690.
  2. James II defeated William at the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland in 1690.
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Answer: A — William defeated James II at the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland in 1690.

William's victory at the Boyne in 1690 ended James II's attempt to regain the throne through Ireland.

21. Which TWO of the following happened in London during the reign of Charles II?

  1. A major outbreak of plague in 1665
  2. A great fire that destroyed much of the city
  3. The Battle of the Boyne
  4. The massacre of the MacDonalds of Glencoe
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Answer: A and B — A major outbreak of plague in 1665; A great fire that destroyed much of the city

Plague struck London in 1665 and a great fire destroyed much of the city the following year.

22. Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE? Sir Isaac Newton was a famous musician from the 18th century.

  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
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Answer: B — FALSE

Newton was one of the great scientists of the age — remembered for gravity and for showing that white light is made of the colours of the rainbow. He lived from 1643 to 1727, so the century is not the error in the statement; 'musician' is.

23. 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
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Answer: B — 1689

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

24. 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.

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