Could you pass the British citizenship test?
If you’re a native-born Briton, almost certainly not
The Battle of Hastings is not a bother. Almost all Britons would know, as the British citizenship test demands they should, both when it was fought (1066) and who won (William the Conqueror). Many might also manage Agincourt (1415, Henry V); a few could probably even get Bosworth Field (1485, Henry VII). But then the test, and the battles, get harder (Battle of the Boyne, anyone?). Other topics are even more of a struggle. How many Britons could confidently plot Bradford on a map? Or know what an “Ulster fry” is (a food? a crime?). Or be able to say who Kenneth MacAlpin was (a building magnate?).
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This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Testing times”
The answers to the sample questions are: C; A and D; D, C, D, C and C. If you got all of them right, you are almost certainly a British citizen who was not born in Britain.
Britain October 19th 2024
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From the October 19th 2024 edition
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