A Practical Life in the UK Test

You need to pass the Life in the UK test to become a citizen of the United Kingdom. Seems logical – except that most of the knowledge on the test is irrelevant to daily life.

After living in London for the past 3 1/2 years, I’d like to offer a more practical assessment for whether or not you’re integrating into society:

• What is an appropriate response to the question “you alright?”
  1. “Yes, I am.”
  2. “Yeah, and you?”
  3. “You alright?”
  4. Don’t say anything, just start talking

• On a phone call, how many times should you say “bye” before hanging up?
  1. None
  2. Once
  3. Twice
  4. As many as you can while you find the end call button

• What kinds of food are these?
  1. Wispa
  2. Yorkie
  3. Flake
  4. Curly Wurly

• When socialising at a pub, the proper way to eat a bag of crisps is to
  1. Pinch sides and open the top, reach in and grab the food
  2. Pour out the contents onto a napkin or tabletop
  3. Rip the bag open down the middle, let everyone have at it
  4. This is a trick question, you don’t eat anything in a pub

• “Sorry” said to someone in public means
  1. I apologise 
  2. Excuse me
  3. Get out of my way
  4. Hello

• Annual leave is
  1. A vacation you take at the same time every year
  2. A vacation taken at any time of the year
  3. The summer period when European factories shut down
  4. Winter migration of birds out of the UK

• Half term is a period of time representing
  1. The break at the middle of a football match
  2. Spring break during spring semester
  3. Any break during any school term
  4. The summer vacation period between school semesters

• It is legal to get married
  1. At home
  2. At sea
  3. In the woods
  4. In a church

• When walking on a sidewalk in London, you should
  1. Walk on the right, it’s a sidewalk
  2. Walk on the left, like the traffic
  3. It doesn’t matter, none of the other people are British anyway
  4. There are no sidewalks, there are only pavements

• What is the most appropriate condiment for french fries?
  1. Ketchup
  2. Mayonaise
  3. Brown sauce
  4. What is brown sauce

You can read more about the actual test and try some sample questions here.