Ready for CAE p 140

QUIZ ON BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES

BRITAIN

1. Britain is:

a. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

b. England, Wales and Scotland.

c. England and Scotland.

d. England only.

2. About __________ people live in London.

a. 3 million.

b. 7.7 million.

c. 6.3 million.

d. 10 million.

3. What is England’s largest second city?

a. Birmingham b. Manchester c. Liverpool d. Newcastle

4. What is the name of the stone wall that was once built to keep the Picts in today’s
Scotland and out of the Roman Empire?

a. Hadrian’s Wall b. The Wailing Wall c. The Great Wall d. The Wall

5. What is the name of the capital city of Wales?

a. Stratford-upon-Avon b. Cardiff c. Canterbury d. Birmingham

6. What is the name of the forest where Robin Hood used to live?

7. What is the highest mountain in the UK?

a. Ben Nevis b. Mont St Michel c. St Michael’s Mount d. K2

8. Which river flows through Newcastle-upon-Tyne?

9. What is the name of what is called “Canal de la Mancha” in Spanish??

10. Only one of the following cities is situated at the seaside. Which one?
a. Leeds b. Manchester c. Sheffield d. Brighton

11. What is the name of the current British Prime Minister?

12. What is the name of the famous clock tower situated next to the Houses of
Parliament?

13. Jacket potatoes are…

a. boiled b. baked c. deep-fried

14.A beefeater is…

a. The nickname for a police officer.

b. the opposite of vegetarian.

c. A guard at the Tower.

15. The White Cliffs of Dover are made of which rock?

a. granite b. chalk c. marble d. slate

16. When did the Romans first invade Britain?

a. 5500 B.C. b. 55 B.C. c. 550 A.D. d. 1550 A.D.

17. Who was the Roman Emperor who first led his armies to Britain?

a. Napoleon b. Julius Caesar

c. Hannibal d. Buzz Lightyear

18. The last time that Britain was successfully invaded by another country was in 1066.
The invaders were …

a. the Normans b. the Saxons c. the Danes d. the Romans

19. One of Henry VIII’s daughters became Queen for 45 years (from 1533 to 1603).

a. Diana b. Mary Tudor c. Elizabeth d. Victoria

20. When Shakespeare died in 1616, who was reigning in England?

a. Elizabeth I b. James I c. Charles I d. Charles II

21. Who was the last king of England to have his head cut off?

a. Henry VIII b. Charles I c. Edward VII d. James II

22. What is the name of the fortress where two of Henry VIII’s wives were beheaded?

23. What city do authors Philip Pullman, JRR Tolkien, Lewis Carroll and CS Lewis all
have strong links with?

a. Oxford b. Cambridge c. London d. Liverpool

24. What does Wales have more of per square mile than any other country in Western
Europe?

a. sheep b. mines c. castles d. cows

25. What is the British flag called?

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

26. Who was the first president of the United States? Who is the only American
President to have been re-elected four times?

27. When was the American Declaration of Independence signed?

28. What American woman writer woke up from a dream featuring seemingly real
characters that she could not get out of her head and then set about writing the
bestsellers Twilight, Eclipse, Dawn Breaks?

29. What film was the first feature-length motion picture with talking sequences?

30. What African-American singer, who started his career in 1964, is widely credited
with having transformed the music video from a promotional tool into an art form? One
of his albums, from 1982, remains the best-selling album of all times.

31. What is the name of a famous national park in California best known for its
waterfalls, but where you can also find, within its nearly 1,200 square miles, deep
valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, and a vast wilderness area?

32. What American actress, born Norma Jean Mortenson, married baseball superstar Joe
di Maggio and playwright Arthur Miller?

33. What American president was assassinated in a theatre in 1865 by John Wilkes
Booth? His statue can be seen in a building in Washington D.C, together with
inscriptions of two of his well-known speeches. The memorial has been the site of many
famous speeches, including Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

34. In what American state can you see the Grand Canyon?

35. What American artist became known as the central figure of Pop Art? One of his
most famous works of art was a can of Campbell soup.

36. Why did the United States of America enter WWII? When did that happen? Who
was the American president at the time?
37. What do you call the period of time when the manufacture, transportation, import,
export, and sale of alcoholic beverages was restricted or illegal?

38. What river flows through New York City?

39. On what day was President John F. Kennedy assassinated in Dallas, Texas?

40. What states do the following abbreviations stand for?

• TX
• AL
• NV
• CA
• OR
• MA
• GA

41. What northern American city is most widely recognized as the WINDY CITY?

42. What is the capital of…

• Georgia?
• Texas?
• California?

43. In which American state was Barack Obama born?

44. What newspaper did Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the journalists who
investigated the Watergate scandal, work for?

45. Can you name…

• Three American writers?

• Three American presidents other than the ones cited in the questions above?
• Three American rivers?
• Three American actors or actresses famous in the fifties?
• Three American film directors alive?
• Three famous American buildings?
• Three American inventors

KEY

QUIZ ON BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES

1. Britain is:

a. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

b. England, Wales and Scotland.

c. England and Scotland.

d. England only.

2. About __________ people live in London.

a. 3 million.

b. 7.7 million.

c. 6.3 million.

d. 10 million.

3. What is England’s largest second city?

a. Birmingham b. Manchester c. Liverpool d. Newcastle

4. What is the name of the stone wall that was once built to keep the Picts in today’s
Scotland and out of the Roman Empire?

a. Hadrian’s Wall b. The Wailing Wall c. The Great Wall d. The Wall

5. What is the name of the capital city of Wales?

a. Stratford-upon-Avon b. Cardiff c. Canterbury d. Birmingham

6. What is the name of the forest where Robin Hood used to live? Sherwood Forest.

7. What is the highest mountain in the UK?

a. Ben Nevis b. Mont St Michel c. St Michael’s Mount d. K2

8. Which river flows through Newcastle-upon-Tyne? The River Tyne.

9. What is the name of what is called in Spanish “Canal de la Mancha”? The English
Channel.

10. Only one of the following cities is situated at the seaside. Which one?

a. Leeds b. Manchester c. Sheffield d. Brighton

11. What is the name of the current British Prime Minister? David Cameron.

12. What is the name of the famous clock tower situated next to the Houses of
Parliament? Big Ben.

13. Jacket potatoes are…

a. boiled b. baked c. deep-fried

14.A beefeater is…

a. The nickname for a police officer.

b. the opposite of vegetarian.

c. A guard at the Tower.

15. The White Cliffs of Dover are made of which rock?

a. granite b. chalk c. marble d. slate

16. When did the Romans first invade Britain?

a. 5500 B.C. b. 55 B.C. c. 550 A.D. d. 1550 A.D.

17. Who was the Roman Emperor who first led his armies to Britain?

a. Napoleon b. Julius Caesar

c. Hannibal d. Buzz Lightyear

18. The last time that Britain was successfully invaded by another country was in 1066.
The invaders were …

a. the Normans b. the Saxons c. the Danes d. the Romans

19. One of Henry VIII’s daughters became Queen for 45 years (from 1533 to 1603).

a. Diana b. Mary Tudor c. Elizabeth d. Victoria

20. When Shakespeare died in 1616, who was reigning in England?

a. Elizabeth I b. James I c. Charles I d. Charles II

21. Who was the last king of England to have his head cut off?

a. Henry VIII b. Charles I c. Edward VII d. James II

22. What is the name of the fortress where two of Henry VIII’s wives were beheaded?
The Tower of London.

23. What city do authors Philip Pullman, JRR Tolkien, Lewis Carroll and CS Lewis all
have strong links with?

a. Oxford b. Cambridge c. London d. Liverpool

24. What does Wales have more of per square mile than any other country in Western
Europe?
a. sheep b. mines c. castles d. cows

25. What is the British flag called? The Union Jack.

26. Who was the first president of the United States? Who is the only American
President to have been re-elected four times? George Washington. Franklin Delano
Roosevelt.

27. When was the American Declaration of Independence signed? July 4, 1776.

28. What American woman writer woke up from a dream featuring seemingly real
characters that she could not get out of her head and then set about writing the
bestsellers Twilight, Eclipse, Dawn Breaks? Stephenie Meyer.

29. What film was the first feature-length motion picture with talking sequences?

30. What African-American singer, who started his career in 1964, is widely credited
with having transformed the music video from a promotional tool into an art form? One
of his albums, from 1982, remains the best-selling album of all times. Michael Jackson.

31. What is the name of a famous national park in California best known for its
waterfalls, but where you can also find, within its nearly 1,200 square miles, deep
valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, and a vast wilderness area? Yosemite.

32. What American actress, born Norma Jean Mortenson, married baseball superstar Joe
di Maggio and playwright Arthur Miller? Marilyn Monroe.

33. What American president was assassinated in a theatre in 1865 by John Wilkes
Booth? His statue can be seen in a building in Washington D.C, together with
inscriptions of two of his well-known speeches. The memorial has been the site of many
famous speeches, includingMartin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Abraham
Lincoln.

34. In what American state can you see the Grand Canyon? Arizona.

35. What American artist became known as the central figure of Pop Art? One of his
most famous works of art was a can of Campbell soup. Andy Warhol.

36. Why did the United States of America enter WWII? When did that happen? Who
was the American president at the time? Because of the Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor. December, 7, 1941. F. D. Roosevelt.

37. What do you call the period of time when the manufacture, transportation, import,
export, and sale of alcoholic beverages was restricted or illegal? The Prohibition.

38. What river flows through New York City? The Hudson River.

39. On what day was President John F. Kennedy assassinated in Dallas, Texas?
November 22, 1963.
40. What states do the following abbreviations stand for?

• TX: Texas.
• AL: Alabama.
• NV: Nevada.
• CA: California.
• OR: Oregon.
• MA: Massachusetts.
• GA: Georgia.

41. What northern American city is most widely recognized as the WINDY CITY?
Chicago.

42. What is the capital of…

• Georgia? Atlanta.
• Texas? Austin.
• California? Sacramento.

43. In which American state was Barack Obama born? Hawaii.

44. What newspaper did Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the journalists who
investigated the Watergate scandal, work for? The Washington Post.

45. Can you name…

• Three American writers? Hemingway, Dan Brown, Stephen King, etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_literature

• Three American presidents other than the ones cited in the questions above?
Clinton, Bush, Reagan, etc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Presidents_of_the_United_States

• Three American rivers? Missouri, Mississippi, Yukon, St. Lawrence, etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rivers_of_the_United_States

• Three American actors or actresses famous in the fifties? Humphrey Bogart,

Ava Gardner, Tyrone Power, etc. http://www.movieactors.com/50s.htm
• Three American film directors alive? Coppola, Spielberg, Woody Allen, etc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:American_film_directors

• Three famous American buildings? The Empire State Building, the Pentagon,
the White House, the Sears Tower, the Chrysler Building, etc.
http://www.conservapedia.com/Famous_American_Buildings

• Three American inventors: Alexander Graham Bell, Ralph Waldo Edison,

Benjamin Franklin, etc. http://www.american-inventor.com/