UK Citizenship test: immigrants must learn historical and cultural facts

[Markhor]

Some of these questions are ludicrous

Is this seriously what they are asking people ? Learning the national anthem (which I think is complete dirge) is understandable, but learning about Gainsborough, Nightingale, the King James Bible ?

Come on ! How is that going to be relevant to an immigrant coming into the UK ?

Ask sensible questions on things like taxation, National Insurance, the NHS, driving licences - practical things not this 'cultural' garbage.

A great number of the native British population would struggle to answer some of the questions.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...al-Anthem.html

Immigrants wanting to live in the UK will have to learn the first verse of the National Anthem as part of new citizenship tests. They will also be tested on their knowledge of key historical facts and characters, including the Beatles, William Shakespeare and Florence Nightingale. Theresa May, the Home Secretary, plans to rewrite Labour’s Life in the UK handbook to replace sections on how to claim benefits and the merits of the Human Rights Act with questions about British inventions and discoveries, including television, radar, DNA and the internet, as well as cultural landmarks such as the publication of the King James Bible. The new guide is expected to describe Britain as a “fantastic place to live; a modern thriving society with a long and illustrious history.” It will also include questions on topics such as Winston Churchill, the Magna Carta and the English Civil War, as well as sections on the artists Gainsborough, Turner and Constable as well as writers such as Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. Poetry and historical battles, including Trafalgar, will also be mentioned. For the first time, immigrants will be told: "historically, the UK is a Christian country". The current 45-minute Citizenship Test was introduced by Labour in 2005 to ensure migrants who wanted to become Britons had sufficient knowledge of the country they were settling in. It includes questions about customs and practicalities in Britain, the legal system and the role of the monarch, parliament and the government. But it faced criticism from the outset because despite candidates being asked to read a chapter on the country’s history they were told they would not be tested on it. Instead they were quizzed on topics such as the make-up of the European Union, how to claim benefits and even how to buy a round in a pub. Last year, however, in a speech on immigration, David Cameron pledged to improve the test. A Home Office spokesman said: “Putting our culture and history at the heart of the citizenship test will help ensure those permanently settling can understand British life, allowing them to properly integrate into our society.”

[James]

I've done a few of these tests and I always fail them miserably

[Green Leopard]

What about Katie Price, Hello Magazine, Sir Alex Ferguson, Kevin Pietersen, and what about Cricket???

[Robert]

Originally Posted by Markhor Some of these questions are ludicrous Is this seriously what they are asking people ? Learning the national anthem (which I think is complete dirge) is understandable, but learning about Gainsborough, Nightingale, the King James Bible ? Come on ! How is that going to be relevant to an immigrant coming into the UK ?

The KJB is a huge chunk of the source code of British culture. Much law is derived from it.

Otherwise.... no chance I could pass the Citizenship test!

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Just reading that makes me feel like an immigrant. Even though I was born and brought up here.

[Down2Earth]

80% of the british population would fail this test

[chacha kashmiri]

Intrestingly enough like most recent travesties, this was coined by labour.

It seems an attention grabbing headline, to alienate some in society with notions of a culture which existed many years ago and some say muslims are still living in the 7th century....

[James]

I see it as another bigoted and overall pretty feeble attempt to define Britishness.

Britain is a pretty fair and decent island or two on which to live and/or to be born, where different beliefs, ideologies, cultures and religions are permitted, and the state leaves you alone if you pay your taxes and obey the law. Britishness, then, is about feeling like you can live comfortably under these conditions, which the vast majority can. That's all. (So British National Party members don't qualify!)

Britishness doesn't need books, surveys or indeed competency tests dedicated to it. It is about how one respects tolerant British customs, and conducts themselves in society also.

[LethalSami]

same here in the USA........

the citizenship test is idiotic.....

majority of Rednecks i know will fail it for sure

[sada90]

i had to teach my parents for couple of years for them to memorize those questions,
do u think they remember now
off-course not

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Originally Posted by James I see it as another bigoted and overall pretty feeble attempt to define Britishness. Britain is a pretty fair and decent island or two on which to live and/or to be born, where different beliefs, ideologies, cultures and religions are permitted, and the state leaves you alone if you pay your taxes and obey the law. Britishness, then, is about feeling like you can live comfortably under these conditions, which the vast majority can. That's all. (So British National Party members don't qualify!) Britishness doesn't need books, surveys or indeed competency tests dedicated to it. It is about how one respects tolerant British customs, and conducts themselves in society also.

The frustrating thing for people like me and I suspect quite a few others, is that I feel British, think British and for the most parts hold the same values as the majority of Brits. But this type of harking back to the golden age of Britain fails to acknowledge any positive aspects of multicultural society as it is today so it's hard to feel part of it.

[James]

What golden age of Britain?

Bloody Tories.

Had a very heated debate with two of my clearly racist relatives last night, who want to send 'em back and who were talking in medieval terms of difference. and was told that I only see positives to multiculturalism because I am 'very young and idealistic'. An experience where what I feel is the tolerant and correct view was beaten down and censured simply because it was two versus one. I'm still slightly depressed this morning.

[Justcrazy]

Foolish.

[pakistanalltheway]

Tried the mock one online and I failed miserably .

[pakistanalltheway]

MORE than a THIRD of Brits don’t know the first line of the national anthem, a Sun survey reveals.

The opening line of God Save the Queen — which often stumps England soccer stars — was one of ten teasers we put to 1,000 people in a British culture quiz.

They are the sort of questions believed to form part of the Government’s new UK Citizenship Test.

But just TEN PER CENT got all ten correct. More than 50 per cent got half right — but five per cent correctly answered two or fewer.

Londoners got the most correct, with almost a third nailing all ten — while in Manchester no one scored higher than seven. More than half of those polled got the number of Henry VIII’s wives wrong.

And 36 per cent could not name all four Beatles.

An incredible 82 per cent did not know who wrote patriotic song Land of Hope and Glory. Newcastle student Megan Hitchings, 18, admitted: “I don’t think I’ve heard of it.” And a quarter could not name the year of the Battle of Hastings.

The one question 95 per cent of people could answer correctly was “Who stole from the rich to give to the poor?” Even then, one person thought it was Jesus.

A third did not know who invented the telephone, but just 13 per cent got the identity of the Lady with the Lamp wrong. The birthplace of William Shakespeare stumped 45 per cent, while a quarter thought Roald Dahl wrote Oliver Twist.

The new Citizenship Test will be introduced this autumn to replace the current one which focuses on benefits and rights.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...the-Queen.html