Poll: UK Citizenship Quiz

[The Artificially Prolonged]

Failed 13/24. From the UK here. I fail to see how an immigrant knowing what quango is going help them live in the uk. Hell I didn't what they where until two years ago. I though the citizen test here was some basic history and culture questions, my GCSE English Lit exam was easier than this

 

[DaWrecka]

I got 10 answers out of 24. Apparently, I "have insufficient knowledge of the English language or of life in the UK to remain." Considering I've been living here my whole bloody life, that's pretty sad... or it would be sad were this test not full of bullshit and fail.

"Why were recruitment centres set up in the West Indies in the 1950s?" Who the fuck cares, and what possible relevance does it have to the present day? "In which year did married women get the right to divorce their husband?" I don't know this one either, but it was at minimum two bloody centuries ago. Again, what the fuck does it have to do with the present day?

I could go on, but I can feel a rage-headache coming on already, so I'm gonna stop.

 

[Double A]

I'm a UK citizen and I failed, though these questions seem largely arbitrary, I feel sorry for anyone having to wade through this bullshit to get citizenship.

Did you consider that might be the point of the bullshit questions?

OT: I got 8/24. I like how you guys' censuses are completely useless to basically everyone for 100 years. Something should probably be done about that.

 

[SilentSh0tz]

You have failed the practice citizenship test.

Questions answered correctly: 8 out of 24 (33%)

Time taken: 05 minutes 44 seconds

Not even mad

 

[Sylvine]

This is a ridiculous test; there are some elements there that are necessary; knowledge about hospitals and schools, for example, but some of the questions are just ridiculous.

Are they, really? Hell, I have no idea how many schooldays we have over here, and I'm barely out of school. To be frank, I don't even know when the courses at my university start. Next week, I think, but I'm not sure on the details.

Seriously, though, I do believe the answer to every one of these questions should be:
"Locate source of internet -> Google it". THAT is going with the times =P

I feel reminded of a test I took at my university (I study translation sciences). We had to translate a text full of geographic names, and of course You are not allowed to bring any electronic devices to help, so if one happens to be, well, not exactly the wealthiest student around - like me - and can't afford a 100 Euro dictionary, since it's roughly what I spend on food for 2 months... sooo out of luck. Yeah, points knocked off for not knowing how to spell Azerbaijan. Fuck me, I don't even know how to spell it in my native language, and it's not like I can't find out within 20 seconds, tops, if they just let me use anything with a connection to the 'net, like, dunno, a PC or a laptop, which I am most likely to do my work at in the future anyways! [/rage]

Ahem. Relevance? Quite likely, with those tests, the actual content is not important. It's just sieving. Separating the people who understand both the necessity to learn for the test as well as the questions and materials themselves, and those who are willing to put the effort in, from those who won't, or can't. It's not fair, it's not humane, but that's how it appears to be. We have a pretty similar procedure in Germany, by the way - one of the reasons I still haven't applied for citizenship, despite having lived here for more than 14 years. I've got neither time nor energy to learn crap like that.

~Sylv

 

[itsausernamewhatofit]

I'm not from the UK and failed with a 9/24. I was guessing for pretty much the entire test. Its pretty brutal.

 

[Insideout Ink Demon]

the test is only one aspect of what is need to Naturalise.
I realise most people, even British citizens would have to revise, but there is revison literature available.
Citizenship can't just be handed out with 10 vouchers from cornflakes, and what ever method is used, it'd be impossible to please everyone.
Gaining citizenship is easier than some countries where birth n marrage are the only ways, and at least those gaining Brit Cit would be able to retain their original Citizenship too.

Nothings perfect, and the British Nationality act does get revised, it just takes a long time for the process to work its way through Parliment

 

[Andaxay]

10/24, and I'm from the UK. Guess they really don't teach you much political bullcrap in schools. Good luck to anyone trying to gain citizenship. Pretty sure there's a handbook out there with all the answers in, though.

 

[aprildog18]

How might you stop young people playing tricks on you at Halloween?

What kind of question is that?

 

[KapnKerfuffle]

No Dr. Who or Monty Python questions at all. I won't pass it.

 

[artanis_neravar]

Can you pass it? [http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/blog/quiz/2011/oct/11/uk-citizenship-test-quiz]

In case you didn't know, to gain citizenship in the UK you have to take a short test about British culture and history, the above link is adapted from a practice version. Do you think that it's too harsh? What would you change about it, if anything? Did you get the trick-or-treat question right?

Also post your scores. I failed with 15/24, even though I'm a citizen by birth

EDIT: Only 7% of the escapist has managed to pass, that's 18 out of 291 so far.

11/24 Don't know why you would need to know how many children under 19 there are in the UK, The percentage of people in the UK in 2001 who said they were Muslims, or that Information in the census is kept secret for 100 years. I did manage to guess How many parliamentary constituencies are there? by knowing the trick they use for questions like these, and Who is the monarch not allowed to marry? by guessing

 

[Shock and Awe]

Wow, the people around here are typically pretty bright and most of the UK citizens here failed, god forbid they let this go. I got 10 out of 24 but I'm American.

 

[Get_A_Grip_]

Failed, and I'm from Ireland. Wow that test was really hard and the fact that it required 75% to pass it was just insane.

 

[TheVioletBandit]

It's funny how most of you Brits couldn't pass a citizen test for your own country, but then are so quick to stick your nose up, and tell us about how little Americans know about their own history.

Maybe you should make your own thread and see if Americans can actually do better than us Brits...you've sort of missed the point.

The message I was trying to send wasn't that Americans would do any better, quiet the opposite actually. My point was that we are more the same as a people than most want to admit.

 

[Lizardon]

7/24

Well I can't move to the UK any time soon, guess I'll have to stay in Australia. I can pass our test at least.

 

[TheVioletBandit]

It's funny how most of you Brits couldn't pass a citizen test for your own country, but then are so quick to stick your nose up, and tell us about how little Americans know about their own history.

Have you looked at the link in the OP?

Anyway- Americans know shit about their own history. I remember when one of my teachers gave the entire class the actual 100 question citizenship test for the US. We all flunked that shit so hard it physically pained our teacher.

I guess the point of what I was trying to say was unclear. I was trying to point out that we are more the same than most would like to admit for some reason, and instead of stereotyping each other or clinging disparately to some false sense of superiority which I have seen a lot of Brits on this site do, we should see ourselves as one people. In the end were really not that different.

 

[gillebro]

There's got to be something wrong with it if UK citizens are taking this test and getting scores you'd get if you answered every question randomly.

Here's a couple of proper questions:

1) What's wrong?
a) The weather.
b) The queues.
c) The government.
d) All of the above.

2) What's the best way to describe 100 cm?
a) A meter
b) A metre
c) 3.28083989501 feet
d) About a yard.

Bonus mark if you missed either the A or the T out of 'bou'.

3) Chicken Tikka Masala is England's favourite dish. Where does it come from?
a) India.
b) England.
c) Scotland.

Bonus marks for the name of any supermarket other than Waitrose.

4) Name a quality newspaper.
(Trick question: Any answer is wrong.)

5) What are the ingredients of a bacon sandwich?

Proper bacon, two doorsteps, brown sauce Ketchup is acceptable IF it's Heinz. Lose half a mark for lettuce.

6) Seriously, what's wrong?
a) The weather
b) That guy on the news, did you see it? Oooh what a scandal.
c) What the doctor doesn't think I have, but I know I do.
d) All of the above.

7) When should you say sorry?
a) When something is your fault.
b) When something isn't your fault.
c) When something might be your fault.
d) At every possible instance.

8) Look, are you sure nothing's wrong?
a) It's OK, I'll cope.
b) It's fine, I'll cope.
c) Well... - Lose 5 marks.
d) No, nothing is wrong.

9) Sex?
a) Male
b) Female
c) Hurr hurr you said sex - Lose 5 marks
d) I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean.

10)
Two World Wars and One World Cup?
a) Doo dah, doo dah.
b) I don't understand the question.
c) I find that offensive. - Lose 5 marks.
d) Do you really think we should still be harping on about that? - Deportation.

11) Congratulations, you have passed the test.
a) Sorry.
b) Sorry.

Absolute love, for this.

I failed with 11/24, and I'll be needing to take this test at some stage. I might have to study.

 

[putowtin]

18 out of 24, british, proud and... what the hell were some of those questions!?

 

[BristolBerserker]

I'm a British citizen and i only got 16/24. Strangely it was the questions that had completely no relevance to actually being British or living in the UK that i got wrong.

 

[GodofCider]

4. Name a quality news paper, anywhere in the world.

The Addison Independent

Local Vermont newspaper. Still had one of the best lines ever; made headline news too:

Horse falls in love.

(yes it was in fact about a horse that had fallen into what appeared to be deep affection)

-Native Vermonter