1. How many constituent the UK? – Four: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
2. What is the currency in the UK? – The Pound.
3. What is the name of the official London residence of Queen Elizabeth II? – Buckingham Palace.
4. What is the name of the river that flows through London? – The Thames.
5. What is the name of the British national Anthem? – God save the Queen.
6. When did William Shakespeare live? – In the 16th and 17th centuries (1564-1616).
7. Which Monarch had the longest reign in British history? – Queen Victoria: 64 years (1837-1901)
8. What is the British Flag commonly known as? – The Union Jack.
9. Parliament is the legislature and the supreme authority.
10. The executive consists of: the Government; government departments and agencies; local authorites; public corporations; independent regulatory bodies; and certain other organizations subject to ministerial control.
11. The judiciary determines common law and interprets legislation.
12. The Queen is the head of the executive and plays an integral part in the legislature.
13. UK Parliament has been maintained two-party system of government: Conservative Party and Labor party.
14. Three parts of parliament: the elected House of Commons, the appointed House of Lords and the Sovereign.
15. The main functions of Parliament are: to pass law; to provide (by voting for taxation) the means of carrying on the work of government; to scrutinize government policy and administration, including proposals for expenditure; and to debate the major issues of the day.
16. Benches to the right of the Speaker: Government and its supporters.
17. Benches to the left of the Speaker: Opposition and member of other parties.
18. Crossbenches to the Speaker: peers do not wish to be associated with a political party.
19. What do the Oppositions do? – To contribute to the formulation of policy and legislation by constructive criticism; oppose government proposals; tables amendments to Government Bills; put forward its own policies in order to improve its chance of winning the next General Election.
20. Chief Whips duties include: keeping member informed of forthcoming parliamentary business, maintaining the party’s voting strength; passing on to the party leadership the opinions of backbench member.
21. A “three-line whip”: when an item is underlined three times, indicates that attendance is required and pairing is not normally allowed.
22. The House of Commons consists of 659 elected MPs, of whom 529 represent constituencies in England, 40 in Wales, 72 in Scotland and 18 in Northern Ireland.
23. A by-election takes place when a MP dies, resigns or is made a member of the House of Lords.
24. The chief officer of the House of Commons is The Speaker.
25. The House of Commons Commission is a statutory body chaired by the Speaker, is responsible for the administration of the House.
26. The responsibilities of the Clerk of the house is: conduct of the business of the House and its Committees.
27. Who is responsible for security of the House of Commons? – The Serjeant.
28. The House of Lords consists of: - hereditary peers; - life peers; - archbishops of Canterbury and York; - the bishops of London, Durham and Winchester, and the 21 next most senior bishops of the Church of England.
29. Members of the House of Lords do not receive a salary for their parliamentary work.
30. The Speaker of the House of Lords is: Lord Chancellor.
31. The responsibilities of The Clerk of the Parliaments as Clerk of the House of Lords are: record of proceedings of the House of Lords and for the text of Acts of the UK Parliament.
32. The Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, known as “Black Rod” is responsible for the Security, accommodation and services in the House of Lords’ part of the Palace of Westminster.
33. The Queen is Head of State of 15 other realms and Head of the Commonwealth.
34. The power of the Queen: Open new parliamentary sessions; Summon, prorogue and dissolve Parliament for a general election; Give Royal assent [ə'sent] tán thành to legislation ['ledʒislətiv] lập pháp; Appoint and dismiss important officer holders (the Prime Minister and other Government Ministera, The First Minister of Scotland, judges, officers in the Armed force, governors); Declare Wars and make Peace; Recognise ['rekəgnaizd] foreign state and conclude [kən'klu:d] ký kết hiệp định treaties; Preside [pri'zaid] chủ tọa, chỉ huy over meetings of the Privy Council; Appoint bishops and archbishops of the Church of England; Confer [kən'fə:] Peerages ['piəridʒ] ban tước cho giới quý tộc.
35. The Prime Minister is the head of the UK Government and is ultimately responsible for the policy and decisions of Government.
As head of the UK Government the Prime Minister also oversees the operation of the civil service and Government agencies, appoints members of the Cabinet, and is the principal Government figure in the House of Commons.
36. Which British King abdicated in order to marry an American divorce’e? – The King Edward VIII (1936)
37. Who is the only woman to have served as British Prime Minister? – Margaret Thatcher (1979-1990)
38. Who introduced the custom of drinking tea in England? – In the 17th century (She was married to the English King Charles II – Caterina de Braganca)
39. How long have Portugal and England had a Treaty of Alliance (Hiệp ước Liên minh)? – Since 1373. The Treaty of Windsor.
40. How many times did King Henry VIII get married? – Six. Two of them were beheaded)
41. What will you get if you ask for a “pint” in a pub? – A glass of beer.
42. What is the name given to the association of over 50 independent countries, almost all of which are former colonies of the UK? – The Commonwealth: 53 members.
43. Which sport originated in England and is currently popular mainly in the present and former members of the Commonwealth? – Cricket.
44. What is the main theatre district in London commonly known as? – The West End.
45. What are the name of the two largest political parties in the UK? – The Conservative and The Labour Parties.
46. Where are the Crown Jewels kept? – In the Tower of London.
47. Where were the “Beatles” from? – Liverpool.
48. When is Mother Day? – The Sunday three weeks before Easter.
49. How often does the cabinet normally meet? – Weekly.
50. What percentage of Christians in the UK are Roman Catholic? – 10%
Fri May 28, 2010 2:48 pm