NaukaBezGranic
EUROPEJSKI PROGRAM EDUKACYJNY
Dossier: BRITAIN TODAY
Britain Today Quiz
How many answers to these questions can you find out?
1.a.On what day does ‘Boxing Day’ fall? b.How did the name ‘Boxing Day’ come about?
2.What in Britain is ‘The Bullring’?
3.a.What title does the British Interior Minister hold? b.Who is the current holder of that
post?
4.Why was Dolly the Sheep famous?
5.What is the longest running play in the world?
6.If/when Prince Charles becomes king, what will his name be? (e.g. Paul I)
7.Who/what were ‘Morecambe and Wise’?
8.What special claim to fame does Scotsman Chris Hoy have?
9.What is ‘First Footing’?
10.Who are the four patrons saints of the ‘home countries’?
11.When did Britain introduce decimal currency?
12.When will Imperial measurements (foot, mile, ounce, pound) disappear?
13.If you get a prescription from the doctor, how much do you pay per item (unless you
are under 16, over 65, pregnant or chronically ill)?
14.How many football teams play in the English Premier League?
15.What temperature is 16 degrees Celsius in Fahrenheit?
16.What are we talking about if we mention ‘Cantab’?
17.What are ‘bangers and mash’?
18.What do some Britons believe will happen if you walk under a ladder?
19.a. What is ‘Cockney rhyming slang’? b.How did ‘Cockney rhyming slang’ come about?
20.What was ‘Dad’s Army’?
21.What is ‘Camra’?
22.The Olympic Games will be held in Britain in 2012. When were they held in London?
23.What is the difference between a ‘train station’ and a ‘railway station’?
24.What is ‘Big Ben’?
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Designed by David Sibbald © NaukaBezGranic.pl
NaukaBezGranic
Dossier: BRITAIN TODAY
EUROPEJSKI PROGRAM EDUKACYJNY
Britain Today Quiz TEACHERS’ ANSWER KEY
ANSWERS for teachers only!
1a.26th December (Not a public holiday in Scotland, where they have 2nd January as
an extra holiday.) b.In previous centuries, after big festive celebrations on Christmas Day, the rich
people would give boxes of left-over food to their workers, the postman, milkman etc. It became
known as ‘Boxing Day’.
2.Large shopping area in the centre of Birmingham (Britain’s second city). It covers an area equal to 26
football pitches.
3a.Home Secretary b.Jacqui Smith
4.The first mammal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell, using the process of nuclear transfer.
5.‘The Mousetrap’ by Agatha Christie, running for 56 years and over 23,000 performances. It is the
longest running show of any kind, not just a play.
6.King George VII (the name ‘King Charles’ has a bad history in Britain) N.B. King George VI’s real
name was ‘Albert’.
7.Britain’s leading television comedy duo (now deceased)
8.a) Won 3 Gold Medals in one Olympic Games b) BBC tv Sports Television Personality of the Year
9.Especially in Scotland, the first person to step into the house to welcome the New Year. Some say
you can’t leave your home until a first foot has visited your home.
10.England – St George; Scotland – St Andrew; Wales – St David; Ireland – St Patrick
11.(February 15th) 1971
12.Never. The EU recently announced they would remove this demand.
13. £7.10 per item
14.20
15.61F (0C = 32F, 100C = 212F, take Celsius, multiply by 9, divide by 5)
16.Cantab. is the Latin reference to University of Cambridge. (Oxon. = Oxford)
17.Sausages and mashed potatoes
18.It will bring you bad luck. (‘Are you superstitious?’)
19a.In London especially words which rhyme with what is meant e.g. the apples and pears = stairs;
whistle and flute = suit; dog and bone = ‘phone. b.So criminals in 19th Century could talk to each
other without police understanding
20.Old men during World War II who were too old for the armed forces. They helped defend Britain
but were badly equipped. (Later it became a tv comedy show.)
21.Campaign for Real Ale (for those who think modern beer tastes badly)
22.1908 and 1948. (The 2012 Games will be held in many different cities in Britain.)
23.Train station is American English. Railway station is British English.
24.Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock in the clock tower of the Palace of
Westminster, not the tower itself.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Designed by David Sibbald © NaukaBezGranic.pl