1) What is meant by the British Isles?
a) Group of islands in the English Channel
b) Group of islands north of France comprising Great Britain, Ireland and a number of smaller isalnds. (x)
c) All the isles under British rule all over the world.
2) What is Great Britain?
a) Largest of the British Isles (x)
b) Other name of England
c) Other name of the United Kingdom
3) What is the capital of Scotland?
a) Glasgow
b) Belfast
c) Edinburgh (x)
4) What is Cardiff?
a) Capital town of Ireland
b) Capital town of Wales (x)
c) Officer of the Crown
5) What is the longest river in Britain?
a) The Thames
b) The Severn (x)
c) The Humber
6) What are Loch Lomond and Loch Ness?
a) Two lakes in Scotland. (x)
b) Names of legendary Scottish monsters.
c) Names of Scottish princes of the Loch Dinasty.
7) Which of the British mountain chains is called “the backbone of the country?”
a) The Cambrians.
b) The Grampians.
c) The Pennines. (x)
8) What is Ben Nevis?
a) Famous clock in London.
b) Highest peak in Britain. (x)
c) Famous English poet.
9) Is the highest mountain in Britain
a) more than 1,000 metres high (x)
b) more than 2,000 metres high
c) more than 3,000 metres high
10) What factor is mainly responsible for the mildness of the British climate?
a) Latitude.
b) Influence of the Gulf Stream. (x)
c) Hot winds from France.
11) What is Britain’s chief mineral wealth?
a) Coal. (x)
b) Silver.
c) Petroleum.
12) What are the main agricultural areas in Britain?
a) Scotland and Wales.
b) Kent, Sussex and the East Mid-lands. (x)
c) Yorkshire and Northumberland.
13) What is the official religion of England?
a) Catholicism.
b) Protestantism.
c) Anglicanism. (x)
14) What is the official religion of Scotland?
a) Presbyterianism. (x)
b) Anglicanism.
c) Catholicism.
1) What countries make up the island of Great Britain?
England is only one of the three countries which make up the island of Great Britain, the other two being Scotland and Wales.
2) What do you mean by the United Kingdom?
The union of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or Ulster, constitutes the United Kingdom. In general, however, the similarities between the English, the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish are nowadays more numerous than the differences. All of them have contributed to the development of a distinctively British way of life.
3) Which part of Ireland is independent?
The south-western part of Ireland is the Irish Free State, or Eire, which became an independent republic in 1922.
4) What does the population of the United Kingdom consist of?
Since the United Kingdom is made up of four different countries, its population consists of a variety of different peoples reflecting in their individual characters the physical and historical differences that exist between England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
5) When was Wales joined to England?
Wales was joined to England in the 13th century.
6) When did Scotland become a part of the English Kingdom?
Scotland became part of the English Kingdom only in 1707.
7) What can you say about the Scots?
The Scotsman today is very proud of his country’s past and does not like anybody to call him an Englishman. His national costume is the kilt, a pleated skirt whose colors and pattern vary according to the clan to which he belongs.
8) What is a clan?
A clan is a group of families having the same name and ancestor.
9) What religion do the Irish practice?
The Irish, as well as the Welsh and the Scots, are proud of their Celtic origin, and they are strongly rooted to their Catholic tradition.
10) What is their national language?
Gaelic, their national language, is considered a symbol of their spiritual independence from England.
11) What are the main features of the Irish character?
Their love for music and nature, as well as the melancholy of their character, is reflected in Irish folklore.
12) What is the most popular sport in Scotland?
Football is the most popular sport in Scotland and top-level football is played in the Scottish Premier League. This league, which is completely separate from the English Premiere League, includes the two rival teams in Glasgow, Celtic F.C. and Rangers F.C.
13) What do you know about the geography of Scotland?
Scotland is known and famous for its mountains, including Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK; its lakes, known as “lochs”, including the famous Loch Ness; and its valleys, known as “glens”. Several famous movies were set and filmed in Scotland, for example, Braveheart and Local Hero.
14) What do you know of Welsh culture?
The Welsh language is very different from English. Wales has strong traditions of music and poetry. There are a lot of singers in this country and an international festival of singing, poetry and music takes place every year in Wales and it is called Eisteddfod. Wales is an ideal destination for active holidays because it has mountains, hills, valleys and beaches. It has also three national parks: Snowdonia, the Brecon Beacons and the Pembrokeshire coast.
15) What do you know about Ireland?
Ireland is made up of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Northern Irealnd is part of the UK while the Republic of Ireland is a separate state. This nation is sometimes called the “Emerald Isle” because the countryside is so green and beautiful. In the 1800s most Irish people emigrated to the USA to escape famine owing to a drop in the potato crop. There are strong traditions of music, poetry and story-telling in Ireland. Gaelic football and hurling are considered Ireland national sports. The first one is a bit like rugby because there are fifteen players in a team and you can kick, carry and throw the ball, while the second one is similar to hockey but the ball usually travels through the air, not along the ground.
16) Sherlock Holmes is certainly one of the most famous characters of the English literature, what do you remember about him?
Sherlock Holmes fictional character was created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and first appeared in 1887. He is one of the most famous detective in fiction. Conan Doyle was a doctor so he applied his power of observation to his character who used it to make deductions and hel the police to solve difficult crime cases. He is a Boemian character, and he seems quite disorganized and eccentric. His address in the stories is 221B Baker Street, London, and now this house is a museum. According to the Guiness book of records Sherlock Holmes is the most portrayed movie character with over 70 actors playing the part in over 200 films.
