Well that's a stupid fucking question for a citizenship test.
this post was submitted on 11 Mar 2026
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I think that's what they're trying to highlight by asking him it
They don't want new citizens.
Oh yeah the only qualification for being a Britt is memorizing arbitrary information. That makes sense.
Can confirm: I am British and know more than my fair share of trivia
My friend was revising for his UK citizenship test back in 2012. I had a couple of goes on a mock test and I failed it both times. The questions were absurd and I'd bet most people wouldn't know about and were of no relevance to British culture.
Oh I know they're all about who won what battle in 1791. I had one question that asked when Scotland and England became one nation, I mean I know roughly when it was (I know which century it occurred in) but I couldn't give you the exact date.
I'd rank that information as more significant trivia than the height of the fucking London Eye.
It was 1707 wasn't it?
It's just that I don't think that knowing a bunch of historical facts that most people never retain, if they're taught them at all, is really what's necessary for someone to integrate into British culture.
Think of any nation and you can immediately name national traits, Peru has a very different cultural backdrop than Germany for example. Knowledge of that is what the citizenship test should be checking for. Not whether or not I can remember a bunch of dates from the attached guide otherwise it's much more about sending the accompanying book as it is about actually helping people integrate
Yeah. I kind of get it though, and some historical facts do have a material impact on your understanding of that cultural backdrop, while also being much easier to test for. (And I think it is reasonable to have some kind of check on integration, even if imperfect, for naturalisation)
In this example, if you know that the Acts of Union were 1542 for Wales, 1707 (huzzah) for Scotland and 1800 for Ireland, that tells you something about the relative strengths of the bonds between the different countries in the union. It gives you historical context for why Scottish Independence is a stronger movement than Welsh Independence, and helps you navigate interactions with people from the different countries.
So a test that asks questions of that character can be objective, concise, and still encourages prospective citizens to learn things which are useful from the point of view of integration. In these topics people often bring up queuing culture (but I've never invited someone to go in front of me at a checkout that I remember), tea culture (but loads of people don't drink tea, disagree on milk/tea order, etc), sports (I don't follow any) that all have significant problems.
My partner, dad's partner, and so many colleagues at my job, wasted so many weeks cramming for this stupid, irrelevant test. If you add up all the people who have to take this, how many person hours have we wasted as a society, all to be forgotten anyway, because it's useless information.
We really need to get rid of this test, or at a minimum strip it down and make it about how to vote and access public services. But even then, if someone wants to learn that, they will of their own accord and in their own time anyway.
I've passed the test in 2021. To be fair, there are some interesting and relevant topics, such as anything concerning the government structure: elections, judiciary system, Parliament, ... Other questions such as the number of volunteers in the National Trust or the London Eye height are completely pointless.
"What's the height of the London eye" is a citizenship question on the level of "what have I got in my pocket"
Is this thing on?
- Mike Tapp
Here's one that helps people revise, lets see how we do
https://lifeintheuktestweb.co.uk/british-citizenship-test-practice-questions-12/
I got 71% and I'm nativo
20/24 (83%), native Briton.
Some of those questions are stupid though, on terms of day to day knowledge on Britain.
If it was actually going to be useful, it would include things about:
- Letting someone go in front of you in the shop queue if they've only got a few things and you've got a basket full.
- Which football teams are "scum" according to supporters of other football teams
- Which one of PJ & Duncan is PJ and which one is Duncan? (Also known as Ant and Dec)
- How to apologise for things, even even they're not your fault
- Why Piers Morgan is a twat
- What things you can have a "cheeky" one of i.e. pints, Greggses, sausage rolls, Nandoses, and girls (if you're MP Lembit Opik).
How long do you wait before beeping the horn if you're behind a car at the traffic lights and they turn green is another potential one
I beeped a guy when on holiday in USA once, after a truck didn't set off for a few seconds. The guy stuck a middle finger out of his window and floored it with a great wheel spin.
Not sure if I broke the rule by beeping too early, or the American rule is that you always flip off the guy behind you.
You did the New York Second
I'm English It was like 3 seconds!
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83%. I've never set foot in the country in my life.
Also, the height of the that wheel is irrelevant, since it hasn't been the tallest in the world in decades! 
23 of 24, my knowledge of NI politics sadly lacking
my knowledge of NI politics sadly lacking
Nao nao nao! March march march!
Something like that probably. 😉
I got 46%, and I'm a native Finn
I got 21 of 24. The NI Assembly question threw me for an absolute loop.
12 of 24 as an American
I got 21 and I'm from Denmark. Most of them were not too hard. Some, like British History were a bit harder, but not impossible. The amount of NI parliament members though, that one was a complete shot in the dark.
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Yeah I got 71% too, which is a fail so I guess I am no longer British. Born and raised here btw! What a stupid, racist test, plenty of the questions aren't even objectively factual but subjective or flatout lies spread by the government too.
edit: did a second test and still failed with 67%
21/24, not a Brit but a good student of world history
83% as a Canadian. Such a weird mix of questions. Maybe 4-5 that actually dealt with civics and governance.
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I've spent a total of two weeks in the UK (not counting layovers) and I got 88%
I don't say this to brag, just to illustrate that the test MIGHT not be quite fit for purpose 😄
I'm still going to have to take over your citizenship, though, them's the rules 🤷🏻
I'll handover my citizenship if you can pass British Isles test:
- Brown condiment that goes on toast
- Popular Irish Beverage
- Welsh actor that lives in the US
- Scottish comedian with thoughts about the Queen's Vagina
- Ambiguously Gay Duo
- Mixes well with milk but only in the UK
spoiler
- Marmite!
- This has to be Guiness
- I had to look Rhys up but I don't know his work. I went with Michael Sheen, who I do adore. Dang it.
- This has to be Frankie Boyle.
- …Michael Sheen and David Tennant? Please be what you were going for, I'm straight, but I love those two together!
- Tea! .... Ribena? (I know it's not Ribena). I think Nestle makes a banana powder for milk? We have chocolate and strawberry in the US
I probably failed. :( but it was fun. I'm a huge panelshow fan, so anything I got might be blamed on that :)
Forgive me if my reply is annoying, as a USian, I like hanging out in spaces like this, but I try to be respectful. But I had to reply to this one :)
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I got 100% and I don't even live there
Why do you know the height of the London Eye. Are you a Russian agent?
It's about eye-level.
Anyway the test is multiple choice, so maybe if you know it's about 100m that's good enough?
The test is ridiculous, it asked a load of history that I wouldn't expect normal people to know, Brits or otherwise.
A true Brit would estimate the height in double decker buses, of course. They missed a trick there.
I failed four. Doubt even people living Northern ireland know how many members their parliament has.
Most of the time it's zero.
92%. Canadian.
I had a friend go through this a while back, I swear the arbitrary information they were being asked to remember lol I got 83% in the one posted here, Wouldn't know about NI ministers and one questions I didn't realise needed two answers....Yes I wasn't giving it my 100% attention lol
Probably silly to have claimed to be able to pass the test if he didn't practice for it, but otherwise really so what? Citizenship tests are more about proving someone wants to put real effort in rather than some trivial facts you could memorise in 30 seconds.
Migration Minister, sounds like he works for the RSPB. Call a spade a spade, Immigration Minister?
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