1.

What can you say about geographical location of:

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles – a
large group of islands lying off the north-western coast of Europe. It is separated from the
continent by the English Channel and The Strait of Dover in the south and the North Sea in
the east. The total area of the United Kingdom is approximately 250,000 square kilometres.
Historically the territory of United Kingdom is divided into four parts – England, Scotland,
Wales and Northern Ireland. England is the largest country of the United Kingdom. Scotland
is second largest country of UK. Then it is Wales and Northern Ireland. England consists of
mostly lowland terrain. Scotland on the other hand is mostly highland region. Wales and
Northern Ireland is mountainous.

2. Explain the differences among: British Isles/British Islands/United Kingdom/Great

Britain/England/Scotland/Wales/Ireland(island)/Ireland(state)/Northern Ireland

British isles: geographical term; a group of islands off the northwest coast of Europe consisting of Great
Britain(island), the whole Ireland(as an island), the Orkney and Shetland Islands, the Isle of Man, the Inner and
Outer Hebrides, the Isle of Wight, the Scilly Islands, Lundy Island, the Channel Islands and many other smaller
islands;

British islands: political term; consists of the United Kingdom + Channel Islands and Isle of Man, Jersey,
Gurnsey; the Republic of Ireland is not included;

The United Kingdom: of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; union between Wales + Scotland + England +
Northern Ireland; without Channel Islands and the Isle of Man;

Great Britain: geographical term; the island consisting of England, Scotland and Wales; without Channel Islands
and Isle of Man;

Ireland: as an island consists of Northern Ireland which is a part of the United Kingdom and the Republic of
Ireland which is independent;
Wales: a country which is a part of the United Kingdom; occupies the eastern part of the island; Cardiff

Scotland: a country that is a part of the UK; occupies the northern part of the island; Edinburgh
3. What is Union Jack , how was it created and what are its ingredients?

Union Jack is also known as the Union Flag; the national flag of the United Kingdom;
Firstly the flag represented the personal union between England and Scotland (after James I
succeeded to the throne)
in 1606 consisted of two elements: English (St. George’s Cross: red cross, white background) +
Scottish (St. Andrew’s Cross: white diagonal cross on blue background)
Wales was represented by the flag of England, as it had been an integral part of England, it was
not separate;

Then, when in 1801 the United Kingdom of Great Britain an Ireland was created (by adding
Ireland to the Kingdom of Great Britain) the Irish flag was added to the flag (red diagonal cross on
white background / st. patrick’s cross) since then, there has been a flag for the UK consisting of 3
crosses; (even though there was only Northern Ireland left in the kingdom)
so st Andrew’s cross is counterchanged with st Patrick’s cross and then there is St George’s cross
all over them;

4. What do the flags of the US, Australia and New Zealand look like? What do the elements of
the flags symbolise?

USA – consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating
with white, with a blue rectangle in the upper left quarter, bearing fifty small, white, five-
pointed stars arranged in nine offsets horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows of
five stars. The 50 stars on the flag represents the 50 states of the USA and the 13 stripes
represent 13 British colonies that declared independence from the Kingdom of Britain
and became the first states in union.
Australia- defaced Blue Ensign, a blue field with the Union Jack in the upper left quarter,
and a large white seven-pointed star known as the Commonwealth Star in the lower left
quarter. Right part of the flag contains a representation of the Southern Cross
constellation, made up with five white stars – one small five-pointed star and four, larger,
seven-pointed stars.
New Zealand – defaced Blue Ensign with the Union Flag in the upper left quarter, and
four red stars with with borders to the right. The stars represent the constellation of Crux,
The Southern Cross.

5. List the main characteristics of the educational system in UK

- each country in the UK is separately responsible for education
- levels of education: 3-4yrs nursery/ 4-11yrs primary/ 11-18yrs secondary/ 18+ tertiary
- compulsory educational age: 5 – 16 (but from september 2013 5-17 and from 2015 it will be
5-18)
- growing popularity of homeschooling
- school subjects consist of core subjects (such as English, Maths, Science); foundation subjects
(such as Art&Design, Citizenship, Foreign Languages, Information Technology etc); added
subject (Sex Eduation, Career Education, Religious Education);
- popularity of boarding schools (schools where pupils live and learn) four boys-only and
boarding-only senior schools in the UK: Radley College, Winchester College, Harrow School,
Eton College;
- higher education consists of: undergraduate studies (Bachelor’s Degree) 3yrs; postgraduate
studies (Master’s Degree) 1-2yrs; postgraduate studies (Doctorate) 3yrs;
- titles: Bachelor of Arts BA/ Bachelor of Science BSs/ Master of Arts MA/ Master of Science
MSc/ Philosophy Doctor PhD
- univeristies are not free; standard max. fee in years 2011-12 was about 3,500 pounds;
between 2012-13 it was about 6,000pounds – for the students from UK; outside-students:
5,000 – 20,000 pounds;
however there are various systems of loans and social help;
- problems: low requirements towards students; low level of qualifications, skills and
knowledge, graduate unemployment;

6. List the main characteristics of the educational system of the US

Education in the United States is provided by both public and private schools. Public
education is universally available with control and funding coming from the state, local
and federal government. Education is compulsory over an age range starting between
five and eight and ending somewhere between ages sixteen and eighteen, depending on
the state. In most school education is divided into three levels: elementary school, middle
or junior high school, and high school. Children are usually divided by age into grades,
from kindergarten and first grade, up to twelfth grade as the final year of high school.
There are also a large number and wide variety of public and private institutions of higher
education throughout the country. Post-secondary education, divided into college, as the
first tertiary degree, and graduate school that awards advanced academic degrees
(master’s and doctoral degrees).
National educational budget is approximately over $1,1 trillion. Over 81,5 million people
attend to schools in USA.

7. What was the Manifest Destiny, when was it introduced and why it is significant?
- the Manifest Destiny was introduced in 1845; it was a widely popular belief that American
settlers not only could but also were destined to expand the US into the whole continent; the
term was coined by John L. O’Sullivan in his article; such belief was sth that explained the
expansion and the colonization of the west it was used by Jacksonian Democrats in the 1840s
in the case of the Oregon Territory, Texas and Mexico;
8. What was the Indian Removal Act? Who and when introduced it? Why is it significant?
- Indain Removal Act was signed by president Andrew Jackson in 1830; it was an act that
authorised the government to move Indians from their homelands whithin states to lands
west of the Mississippi; Indians were about to choose if they want to become the US citizens
or leave their homelands; some Indians left but some did not want to respect the act and
were forced to do so – about 20% Indians died from diseases, starvation and exposure; it was
a tragedy as they had to leave their crops, homes, and places with spiritual value; they moved
to ‘Indian Territory’ which is now known as Oklahoma; about 70 000 Indians were removed
from their homes within states;
9. List the main myths and truths concerning the cowboys?
First myth concerning cowboys was about how glamorous their lives were. It was very
difficult to work 18-hours a day and the long trail rides were sometimes boring. Next
myth is about that a cowboy would ride his favorite horse all day. It is not true because
cowboys would ride a string of horses depending on what task they had to do. Cowboy’s
age is another myth – they were usually young men, not older, experienced wranglers.
The idea of cowboys fighting Native Americans is also not true. Cowboys rarely if ever
fought them. On the other hand stories about cowboy’s physical frames are true. They
were rather small or medium, large men were too heavy to ride mustangs. It is also a
truth that many cowboys were Mexican or African-American. During the Cowboy-Era,
one sixth of the cowboys were Mexican, and many others where African-American or
Native American

10. Define who are the Blacks in the US?

- also called African Americans/ Black Americans/ Afro-Americans etc
- citizens and/or residents of the USA with –at least – partial ancestry from any of the native
populations of Sub-Saharan Africa;
- the Africans appeared in the US because they were sold by Africans to European slave
traders; most of them were from central and western Africa;
- they were used mainly in coffee, tobacco, cocoa, cotton and sugar plantations; rice fields;
construction industry; and as servants;
- their situation was improving with time but they suffered from bullying and harassment;
- now, although we live in a civilised world, Afro-americans are stil economically, politically and
educationally disadvantaged;
- 58% of the Blacks live in cities; in Detroit, New Orleans, Baltimore and Atlanta, more than
50% of population is Afro-american;
- their average income is lower than white people’s one;
11. Where were the slaves mostly “imported from”? How were they transported, who
provided them?
- imported mainly from: West Central, South East, Windward Coast, Senegambia, Gold Coast;
- top slave-trading nations were Portuguese, British, French, Spanish, Dutch, Americans (who
kidnapped and transported across the Atlantic between 12 and 20 mln ppl);
12. Define the differences between ethnic minority and racial minority

race – a group of ppl of common ancestry, distinguished from others by physical characteristics
such as hair type, colour of eyes and skin etc.;

ethnic – relating to, or characteristic of a human group having racial, religious, linguistic and
certain other traits in common;

13. Who are Hispanic/Latinos? Why are they significant to history and culture of the US?
Hispanic/Latino American are people with origins in the Hispanic countries of Latin
America or Spain, and all people in the US who self-identify as Hispanic/Latino. They are
second largest ethnic group in United States. Over 50 million Hispanic/Latino Americans
equals around 16% of US population. Their main religion is usually Catholicism. They live
mostly in California, Texas and Florida. Hispanic/Latino Americans owns over 16 million
 businesses in US. Some of them are – Roberto Goizueta (Coca-Cola’s boss), Arte Moreno
(Los Angeles Angels owner), Nina Tassler (CBS Entertainment). There are also over 5000
Hispanic Office holders in US politics.The word “Hispanic” has been introduced in 1970s
(Nixon administration), before 1970s people with Hispanic origins were called officially
“Spanish Americans”.

14. What is a political system?

- the set of formal legal institutions that make a ‘government’ or a ‘state’
- actual as well as prescribed forms of political behaviour, the legal organization of the state,
but also the reality of how the state functions
- a set of ‘processes of interaction’ or as a subsystem of the social system interacting with
other non-political subsystems; e.g. the economic system
- there are 3 contemporary branches of power: LEGISLATIVE(parliament legalizing laws,
authority of the other branches); EXECUTIVE(the branch responsible for implementing the
legislation into practice); JUDICARY(independent courts checking if there is laws are
respected)
15. Characterise the idea of checks and balances
- the idea of checks and balances guarantees that no part of government becomes too
powerful; that is because: the executive branch appoints judges to the Courts > the Courts
may declare some acts by the executive branch unconstitutional; the legislative branch
approves the judges appointed by the executive branch; Courts can declare some laws
unconstitutional; the legislative branch may pass some laws but the executive branch may
veto laws (president)

16. List the main characteristics between the political systems of UK and US

US VS UK

the UK: a constitutonal monarchy > the US: a republic

the UK: no written compact constitution > the US: constitution of the United States
the UK: government not split onti branches > the US: the House of Commons reogns Supreme; the majority common
party is the governing party

the UK:

- no primaries in elections, compaigns are 3-4 weekds

- no set dates for general elections, a government can last up to 5 years ( the election may be called at any time

- the PM decides on the date of the general elction, by tradition 9 not by the law0 always on thursdays

- the british PM must be 21 and a British citizen ( citizens of certain Common wealth countries are eligible)

- no term limits for PMs or any Members of Parliament ( sir Robert Walpole was in the office for 21 years 1721
1742)

- The PM is rensposible for everything happening

- Every Week's 'question time in the house of commons'

- The leader of the second largest party, in the commons-official 'leader of the opposition apart from member o
parliament's salary, he receives a salary from the government for opposing it

- the uk parliament: 'house of lords'(life peerage)

- and 'house of commons'(elected)

- 3 main parties-labour party (left) conservatie Party (right) and liberal democrats (libertarions, centre)

- blue inderifios Democratic Party states( the more left-wing)

- liberal means centrist

- the issue of taxtions : more emotive in the US politics than in the British ( historical tradition)

- British political speeches focus on practicAl issues, figures to highlight problems and more comparisons

- the British has not any born excellent speakers like in the US ( Lincoln, Reagan, Clinton, Obama)

- the US elections : commercial shows for millions of dollars, TV and other media but in the UK that is restricted

- the electoral turnout in the UK is 60% in the US -50%

- The US transition period (president elect-> president) in 60 days in the UK it's 60minutes

- every UK's member of Cabinet must be a member of a Parliament

- the political head of each, Government Department is 'Secretary of State', thus, almost every member of th
Cabinet in a 'Secretarty of State'

THE US

- election: 2 years

- president must be 35 and american born

- the president of the US: world's highest paid head of government The UK's PM is 4th between chancellor o
germany and the pm of new zealand)
- congress: 'house of senate' and 'house of representation'9both elected)

- 2 main parties: Republicans and Democrats ( elephant and donkey)

- many states have local elections for officials, judges of various levels and heads of the police

- blue signifies democratic party states ( the more left-wing)

- liberal means left-wing

- the common reference to the God

- Americal political speeches appeal to broad values

- any member of the US cabinet must not be a member of the US Congress

- in the US all senior appointments subject to confirmation hearings and votes in the Senate

- in the US the Secretary of the State is the senior member of the Cabinet

- in the US the term of a President, Senator of Congressman in 4 years, 6 years, and 2 years respectively and th
dates of the elections are fixed

- THE US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS - race for party nominations, presidential campaigns and debates, gener
elections in states/ caucuses, decision which candidate takes which state, recalculation of the elctoral votes
the taken state, final decision on the choice of the President

17. List the differences between corsairs and pirates

Corsairs were given license by the authorities to attack enemy’s ships (they attack only
enemy’s ships, no French ships) while pirates were those who attacked any ships of any
country including those of French. Pirates operate without commission. They were
criminals. Pirates tend to ride ships, which is frowned upon the boating society. Pirates
illegally attack ships for hostages, money and valuable items.
18. List features of the mercantilist policy
- high tariffs, especially on manufactured goods;
- building a network of overseas colonies;
- forbidding colonies to trade with other nations;
- monopolizing markets with staple ports;
- banning the export of gold and silver, even for payments;
- forbidding trade to be carried in foreign ships;
- limiting wages;
- maximizing the use of domestic resources;
- export subsidies;
- promoting manufacturing with research or direct subsidies;
- restricting domestic consumption;
19. What was Boer War? Why is it significant?

two wars fought during 1880-1881 and 1899-1902 by the British Empire against two independent
Boer republics; first war was between the South Africa Republic and the British to stop the
invasion; the first war was lost by the British but the second one ended with conversion of those
republics into colonies of the British Empire;
 The Biritsh isolated Boer ppl in concentration camps; thousands of ppl died of starvation, disease
and exposure; when the news about that came to Britain, people become less interested in wars
and the attitude of Britain towards colonisation changed to the one focused on looking for allies;
also it turned out that about 50% of men in the army were unable to fight due to their physical
condition, it was the first time that government was forced to notice how unhealthy the British
population was and this led to liberal reforms in the future;

20. Why was the Purchase of Louisiana significant in the US history?

- Napoleon sold Louisiana to the US and with that ended the period of French Colonialism in
the area of today’s US;
- The Louisiana Purchase was a bargain and doubled the size of the US;
- the purchase brought a wealth of natural resources such as coal, oil, silver and gold;
- the US got the navigation ‘rights’ on the Mississippi river and Missouri Rivers;
- the US got the port of New Orleans;
- when ppl started to settle in Louisiana, there was a pressure on Spain to leave the western
territory, as people started to go even further than Louisiana e.g. to Texas;
21. What was the Monroe Doctrine?
The Monroe Doctrine (actually written by John Quincy Adams), declared in December of
1823, was a superlative U.S. foreign policy statement. It was precipitated by various
independence movements in South America and the U.S. government’s desire to
discourage European nations from colonizing the Americas, and a growing American
nationalism. The doctrine claimed that the Americas are not to be considered for future
colonization by any European powers. The Doctrine was issued in 1823 at a time when
nearly all Latin American colonies of Spain and Portugal had achieved or were at the
point of gaining independence from the Portuguese and Spanish Empires. The United
States, working in agreement with Britain, wanted to guarantee that no European power
would move in.
22. What was the splendid isolation and why it is significant in the history of Britain?

Splendid Isolation is a popular conception of the foreign policy present in Britain during the late 19th
century, the term was coined by a Canadian politician to praise Britain's minimal involvement in
European affairs.

It is significant because:

- the English expansion was undisturbed;

- it brought safety from outside invaders;

- there was hegemony on Isles – everyone respected the rules;

- people felt safe and secured;

- peaceful, undisturbed social and economic development;

- self-confidence;

- feeling of being supreme;

- focus on national affairs instead of worldwide shit : )))))

23. List the three main features of:

English – deep historic root, inferiority and superior complex in one, frustration over politics and
economy

Scottish – clearly identifiable culturally, strongly patriotic, proud of the past – frustrated with the
present

Welsh – proud of being Welsh, speaking a distinct language, generally bilingual

Australians –say what they mean, seen as people who believe in principle of giving people a “fair
go” and standing up for their friends, egalitarian with deep suspicion of authority

Canadians – EH = pronounced AY, co-operation with others, strong patriotism

Irish – national and international identity, proud of Celtic past, full of complexes

Americans – LOUD, competitive, proud of being American

24. What is American Dream?

The term “American dream” is used in many ways, but it essentially is an idea that
suggests that anyone in the US can succeed through hard work and has the potential to
lead a happy, successful life. Many people have expanded upon or refined the definition
to include things such as freedom, fulfillment and meaningful relationships. Someone
who manages to achieve his or her version of the American dream is often said to be
“living the dream.” This concept has been subject to criticism, because some people
believe that the structure of society in the US prevents such an idealistic goal for
everyone. Critics often point to examples of inequality rooted in class, race, religion and
ethnicity that suggest that the American dream is not attainable for everyone.

25. What document is the primary fundament of the American Dream? Why?

‘ Declaration of Independence’, 1776;

because it said that:
- all men are created equal;
- they have certain rights: life, liberty, pursuit of happiness;
- whenever ant form of government becomes destructive, ir is the right of the people to alter or
abolish it;
- we hold the rest of mankind, the enemies in war, in peace friends;
so those are basics to the idea of the American Dream and that’s why ;_;

26. Why was the early period of rock’n’roll music so important for the Blacks?
- because rock and roll has it roots in the music played by black ppl, so finally their thing was
respected not ignored;
27. Define the difference between rock and pop music
- Pop music focuses on vocals and beat while rock focuses mainly on instruments like bass and guitar.
- Pop music’s basic elements have not evolved much like rock which has evolved into sub genres
(Atlernative Rock, Hard Rock, Classic Rock, Soft Rock, Indie Rock etc)
- Rock identifies with a particular subculture while pop tends to cut across audiences.
- Rock music is made often by a group each playing a particular instrument whereas pop can be by a
single artist or a group of singers.
- No one puts too much attention to instrumental part of a pop song – the beat does not change too
much within the song. The instrumental part in rock songs is the most important one, there are parts
when instruments play without a singer.
- Rock is more about expressing emotions whilst pop is made to dance to it.
- Pop is extremely commercial and it derived from rock and roll.

MAPUNDY

Kanada jak ma 10 stanów to jest obecna mapa.

Australia jak ma 6 obszarów to jest obecna.

anglia jak ma 9 to jest obecna

usa jak ma miliard to tezxd
 the original 13 british colonies 18th century
that the usa was made from

early human migrations (spreading homo sapiens)

prehistoric times
end of the 18th century, ppl migrated from the USA to the French speaking Canada,
in the beginning of the 19th century it was called the Province of Canada
 union and confederacy in the Civil War 19th century

Great Britain in the seond half of the 5th century; Britons

 great basin etc = native american groups;

kingdom of england 10 -16 wiek

kingdom of england 16-18 wiek

ze szkocja: kingdom of great britain 18 wiek

z irlandia cala: united kingdom of gb and ireland 19 – poczatek 20
z northern 20 - teraz