Based on the official 3rd edition handbook • 24 questions covering the entire book
"I will give my loyalty to the United Kingdom and respect its rights and freedoms. I will uphold its democratic values. I will observe its laws faithfully and fulfil my duties and obligations as a British citizen."
| Invention | Inventor | Detail |
|---|
| Television | John Logie Baird (Scottish) | 1932: first broadcast London–Glasgow |
| Radar | Sir Robert Watson-Watt (Scottish) | 1935: first successful test |
| Radio telescope | Sir Bernard Lovell | Jodrell Bank, Cheshire |
| Turing machine | Alan Turing | Theory behind modern computers |
| Insulin (co-discovery) | John Macleod (Scottish) | Used to treat diabetes |
| DNA structure (1953) | Francis Crick (Nobel Prize) | London & Cambridge universities |
| Jet engine | Sir Frank Whittle | RAF engineer, 1930s |
| Hovercraft | Sir Christopher Cockerell | 1950s |
| ATM / cashpoint | James Goodfellow | First used Barclays, Enfield, 1967 |
| IVF | Sir Robert Edwards & Patrick Steptoe | First test-tube baby, Oldham, Lancashire, 1978 |
| Cloning (Dolly the sheep) | Sir Ian Wilmut & Keith Campbell | 1996 |
| MRI scanner | Sir Peter Mansfield | Non-invasive imaging |
| World Wide Web | Sir Tim Berners-Lee | First transfer: 25 Dec 1990 |
| Name | Achievement |
|---|
| Sir Roger Bannister | First sub-4-minute mile (1954) |
| Sir Jackie Stewart | 3x Formula 1 world champion (Scottish) |
| Bobby Moore | Captain, England World Cup 1966 |
| Sir Ian Botham | England cricket captain; batting & bowling records |
| Torvill & Dean | Ice dancing gold, 1984 Olympics; 4 consecutive world titles |
| Sir Steve Redgrave | Rowing gold in 5 consecutive Olympics |
| Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson | 16 Paralympic medals (11 gold); London Marathon 6 times |
| Dame Kelly Holmes | 2 running golds, 2004 Olympics |
| Dame Ellen MacArthur | Fastest solo sail around world (2004) |
| Sir Chris Hoy | 6 Olympic golds (cycling); 11 world titles (Scottish) |
| David Weir | 6 Paralympic golds; London Marathon 6 times |
| Sir Bradley Wiggins | First Briton to win Tour de France (2012); 8 Olympic medals |
| Sir Mo Farah | Born Somalia; gold 5,000m/10,000m in 2012 & 2016 Olympics |
| Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill | Heptathlon gold, 2012 Olympics |
| Sir Andy Murray | US Open 2012; Wimbledon 2013 & 2016 (Scottish); first British man to win Grand Slam singles since 1936 |
| Ellie Simmonds | Paralympic swimming gold 2008, 2012, 2016; youngest in 2008 team |
| Sport | Key Facts |
|---|
| Cricket | Originated England; The Ashes (England vs Australia) |
| Football | Most popular UK sport; England World Cup 1966; English Premier League |
| Rugby | Two types: union & league; Six Nations (Eng, Ire, Sco, Wal, Fra, Ita) |
| Horse racing | Royal Ascot; Grand National (Aintree); Scottish Grand National (Ayr) |
| Golf | 15th century Scotland; St Andrews = home of golf; The Open |
| Tennis | First club 1872 Leamington Spa; Wimbledon = oldest tournament, only Grand Slam on grass |
| Sailing | Sir Francis Chichester: first solo around world (1966/67); Sir Robin Knox-Johnston: first non-stop; Cowes (Isle of Wight) |
| Motor sport | Started UK 1902; recent F1 winners: Damon Hill, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button |
| Composer / Artist | Key Works / Facts |
|---|
| Henry Purcell (1659–95) | Organist at Westminster Abbey; developed British style |
| Handel (1685–1759) | German-born, British citizen 1727; Water Music, Music for the Royal Fireworks, Messiah |
| Gustav Holst (1874–1934) | The Planets; I Vow to Thee My Country |
| Sir Edward Elgar (1857–1934) | Pomp and Circumstance Marches; Land of Hope and Glory (Last Night of the Proms) |
| Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958) | Influenced by English folk music |
| Sir William Walton (1902–83) | Façade; Belshazzar's Feast; coronation marches |
| Benjamin Britten (1913–76) | Peter Grimes, Billy Budd, Young Person's Guide to Orchestra; Aldeburgh festival |
| Artist | Known For |
|---|
| Thomas Gainsborough (1727–88) | Portraits in country settings |
| David Allan (1744–96) | Scottish portrait painter |
| Joseph Turner (1775–1851) | Landscape painter; raised profile of landscape painting |
| John Constable (1776–1837) | Landscapes of Dedham Vale (Suffolk–Essex) |
| Pre-Raphaelites | Holman Hunt, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Sir John Millais |
| Sir John Lavery (1856–1941) | Northern Irish portrait painter |
| Henry Moore (1898–1986) | Large bronze abstract sculptures |
| Lucian Freud (1922–2011) | German-born; portraits |
| David Hockney (1937–) | Pop art movement (1960s) |
| Author | Key Works |
|---|
| Jane Austen (1775–1817) | Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility |
| Charles Dickens (1812–70) | Oliver Twist, Great Expectations; characters: Scrooge, Mr Micawber |
| Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–94) | Treasure Island, Kidnapped, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde |
| Thomas Hardy (1840–1928) | Far from the Madding Crowd, Jude the Obscure |
| Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) | Sherlock Holmes (Scottish doctor and writer) |
| Evelyn Waugh (1903–66) | Brideshead Revisited |
| Sir Kingsley Amis (1922–95) | Lucky Jim |
| Graham Greene (1904–91) | Brighton Rock, Our Man in Havana |
| J K Rowling (1965–) | Harry Potter series |
| Landmark | Key Facts |
|---|
| Big Ben | Great bell at Houses of Parliament; clock tower = Elizabeth Tower (renamed 2012, Diamond Jubilee) |
| Eden Project | Cornwall; giant greenhouses (biomes); environmental charity |
| Edinburgh Castle | Scotland; early Middle Ages; Historic Scotland |
| Giant's Causeway | NE coast Northern Ireland; volcanic lava columns; ~50 million years old |
| Loch Lomond | 720 sq miles; largest freshwater in mainland Britain |
| London Eye | South bank Thames; 443 ft (135 m); built for millennium |
| Snowdonia | North Wales; 838 sq miles; Snowdon = highest mountain in Wales |
| Tower of London | Built by William the Conqueror 1066; Yeoman Warders (Beefeaters); Crown Jewels |
| Lake District | England's largest national park (885 sq miles); Windermere; Wastwater = Britain's favourite view |