Questions test about London and multiple choice exercise by English Culture and Carl William Brown, with some useful links and videos about London metropolis.
1) When and why did the Romans found London?
London was founded as a communication center by the Romans shortly after they invaded Britain in 43 AD. The name of London probably come from the Celtic “Llyn Din” that means “Hill by the pool”, which the Romans turned into Londinium, as it was called then, was a little village on the Thames, on the route to the provincial capital in eastern England.
2) When do you think of London what are the main places or things that come to your mind?
I think of the Big Ben, the Houses of parliament, Boadicea and Her Daughters facing Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster across the road, 10 Downing Street, the Tower Bridge, the Great Fire, Barbican Arts Center, parks, Nelson’s statue in Trafalgar square, the wax museum, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, Buckingham palace, the double deckers, the black cabs, the London eye or the big wheel, and last but not the least, rain.
3) Have you got an idea about the population of London, its foreign visitors per year and the number of shops, restaurants, museums, theatres and football teams?
14,753,000 visitors per year in 981,000 Italians (Data 2008). Population: 7,465,100 (11,229,200 in the metropolitan area). 12 metro lines with 275 stations of which 63 in the center. 300 prestigious museums and art galleries. 83 markets. Over 6,000 restaurants. Over 40,000 shops. Hundreds of theatres (more than 160), clubs (60), pubs and cinemas. 13 professional football teams, more than any other city in the world.
4) What are the most important and interesting museums that you can visit in London?
Natural History Museum. The handsome Alfred Waterhouse building houses a collection that contains some 70 million plant, animal, fossil, rock and mineral specimens.
Science Museum. The Science Museum features seven floors of educational and entertaining exhibits, including the Apollo 10 command module and a flight simulator.
National Gallery. Founded in 1824 to display a collection of just 36 paintings, today the National Gallery is home to more than 2,000 works. There are masterpieces from virtually every European school of art.
National Maritime Museum. On this Greenwich Park site you’ll find the National Maritime Museum, the Queen’s House and the Royal Observatory, founded in 1675 by Charles II. The museum’s Maritime London gallery is a permanent exhibition exploring the importance of London’s maritime heritage and its impact on world trade. Exhibits include wreckage from a Zeppelin shot down over the Thames estuary in 1916 and the original model for Nelson’s Column.
Design Museum. Opened in 1989 (following its original incarnation as the Boilerhouse established in the V&A by Terence Conran), the Design Museum by Tower Bridge encompasses modern and contemporary industrial and fashion design, graphics, architecture and multimedia.
See the Crown Jewels in the 900-year-old Tower of London and the famous Beefeaters, too. Buckingham Palace is the official residence of the Queen. You can’t visit the 600 rooms, but you can see the Changing of the Guard. The Houses of Parliament opposite Parliament Square are the home of the British Government.
Madame Tussaud’s exhibits wax models instead, models of famous historical characters, film and sports starts, Royalty statesmen. A more conventional museum is the British Museum, which shows the works of man from prehistoric times to the present day. There are permanent displays of antiquities from Egypt, Western Asia, Greece and Rome. It also includes one of the most famous libraries in the world.
Tate Modem, opened in May 2000, is Britain’s new National museum of modern art. It is located on the south bank of the River Thames at Bankside, near Blackfriars Bridge, opposite St Paul’s Cathedral and next to the Globe Theatre. Housed in the former Bankside Power Station. Tate Modern displays a collection of international modern art from 1900 to the present day, including major works by Bacon, Dalì, Picasso, Matisse, Rothko and Warhol as well as recent works by artists such as Steve McQueen, Rebecca Horn and Gillian Wearing. It holds special exhibitions and events throughout the year.
London Transport Museum
Imperial War Museum
5) What are the most famous shopping centers in London?
London is the capital of shopping! Harrods is a world famous department store with 330 different departments. Don’t forget Oxford Street for shopping. It’s over two kilometres long and has 300 shops. Or visit Camden Market for its cool fashion and second-hand clothes. Portobello is a large building in Shaftesbury Avenue (Piccadilly Circus) for entertainment, leisure and shopping. Built on the site of the original Trocadero restaurant (1896), it was open throughout World War II, it closed in 1965 and was redeveloped the 1980s. Since 2005 it is under new ownership and is expected to undergo a comprehensive regeneration.
Hamleys is one of the world’s largest toy shops. Its flagship store is in Regent Street, London. Hamleys is one of London’s more popular destinations with a reported 5 to 6 million visitors per year, so you’ll have a lot of company on any visit to the store.
6) What do you know about the London Eye?
The London Eye is 135 meters high, it is the world’s largest ferris wheel. From the London Eye, in the heart of London, you can see a lot and have a terrific view! A trip on the wheel takes thirty minutes. On a clear day, you can see up to 40 kilometres. The ticket for adults costs from £20.
7) Do you know what are the main parks in London?
London has 9 Royal Parks (ancient hunting), they are: Green Park, St James’s Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Regent’s Park, Greenwich Park, Bushy Park, Richmond Park and Brompton Cemetery.
8) Who built the London Bridge?
The first ‘London Bridge’ was built by the Romans, and probably built of timber.
9) How much does it costs to ride a double decker bus?
It depends on how far you want to travel. An average journey costs about £2 (one pound). Children travel free on London buses.
10) Have you got an idea of what is called the “Square Mile”?
The City of London, know simply as ‘the City’ which is the business and financial heart of the United Kingdom. It is also known as the Square Mile (2.59 sq km/1 sq mi). It was the original Roman settlement (ancient Londinium), making it the oldest part of London and already 1,000 years old when the Tower of London was built.
MULTIPLE CHOICES ABOUT LONDON
1) What is London most famous department store?
Picadilly Harrods (x) The Barbican Centre
2) What street has a long tradition as the home of printing?
Sloane Street Oxford Street Fleet Street (x)
3) What are the famous guards of The Tower of London called?
Beefeaters (x) The Guards Knights
4) What commemorates Napoleon’s defeat at sea in 1805?
Oliver’s Column Duke of York’s Column Nelson’s Column (x)
5) What line runs through Greenwich?
Nine Elms Lane The Prime Meridian (x) Long Lane
6) Where’s the home of the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer?
Downing Street 10 and 11 (x) Regent Street 10 and 11 Browning Street 10 and 11
7) What made Carnaby Street famous?
food flowers fashion (x)
8) What did Madame Tussaud start in 1835?
a famous bakery famous waxworks (x) a famous needle-point
9) Who wrote famous books in 48 Doughty Street?
R. L. Stine Charles Dickens (x) Agatha Christie
10) St. Paul’s Cathedral is the …
biggest second biggest (x) third biggest (dome in the world.)
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