The official handbook mentions many famous people, and the test often asks what someone did or invented. Here are some of the people you’re most likely to be asked about, followed by free practice questions.
Scientists and inventors
Person
Known for
Isaac Newton
Showed how gravity applied to the whole universe; found that white light is made of the colours of the rainbow
Alexander Fleming
Discovered penicillin in 1928
John Logie Baird
Developed television in the 1920s
Sir Robert Watson-Watt
Developed radar; the first successful test was in 1935
Sir Tim Berners-Lee
Invented the World Wide Web
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Engineer of the Great Western Railway; designed the Clifton Suspension Bridge
Writers, artists and composers
Person
Known for
William Shakespeare
Playwright and actor, born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564
Jane Austen
Novels such as Pride and Prejudice
Charles Dickens
Novels such as Oliver Twist and Great Expectations
Robert Burns
Scottish poet
William Wordsworth
Poet inspired by nature, famous for his poem about daffodils
Sir Christopher Wren
Designed the new St Paul’s Cathedral after the Great Fire
Sir Edward Elgar
Pomp and Circumstance Marches
John Constable
Landscape painter of Dedham Vale
Leaders and campaigners
Person
Known for
Winston Churchill
Prime Minister from May 1940, leading Britain through the Second World War
Florence Nightingale
Nursing in the Crimean War; set up the Nightingale Training School in 1860
Emmeline Pankhurst
Led the suffragettes, who campaigned for women’s right to vote
Margaret Thatcher
The UK’s first woman Prime Minister, from 1979 to 1990
Free practice questions
Who discovered penicillin?
Answer: AAlexander Fleming, born in Scotland, discovered penicillin in 1928.
What did Sir Tim Berners-Lee invent?
Answer: CSir Tim Berners-Lee, a British scientist, invented the World Wide Web.
Who designed the new St Paul's Cathedral after the Great Fire of London?
Answer: DMany churches were rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1666, and Sir Christopher Wren designed the new St Paul's Cathedral.
Who led the suffragettes in their campaign for women's right to vote?
Answer: BEmmeline Pankhurst set up the Women's Franchise League and later led the suffragettes.
Which engineer built the Great Western Railway?
Answer: ABrunel built tunnels, bridges, railway lines and ships, including the Great Western Railway and the Clifton Suspension Bridge design.
Who became the UK's first woman Prime Minister in 1979?
Answer: CMargaret Thatcher became the UK's first woman Prime Minister in 1979 and served until 1990.
Pass the Life in the UK Test on your first try
All 338 questions on British values, the countries of the UK, history, modern society, and government and the law
An explanation for every answer, with the handbook chapter it comes from
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