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?).
Explore more
The answers to the sample questions are: D; A and D; D, D, C, C and C. If you got all of them right, you are almost certainly a British citizen who was not born in Britain.
Sir Keir Starmer’s elevator pitch for investment
In an interview with The Economist, the prime minister sets out his stall
Alex Salmond went from the fringes to the mainstream and back again
The one-time figurehead of Scottish nationalism died on October 12th 2024
The British government fudges its employment-rights bill
Change is coming, eventually
Britain’s obsession with baked beans
Health trends and gourmet beans are driving demand for other varieties
Can software help ease Britain’s housing crisis?
Some tech utopians think so