What is the UK?

What this chapter covers

• The countries that make up the UK

Practice questions — chapter 2

20 of our 26 questions for this chapter. Every answer includes the handbook section it comes from.

1. 1. Which four countries make up the United Kingdom?

   1. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
   2. England, Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man
   3. England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland
   4. England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands
   Show answer

   Answer: A. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

   The UK is a union of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are closely linked to the UK but are not part of it, and the rest of Ireland is a separate, independent country.

   Handbook section 2.2

2. 2. Which of these statements is correct?

   1. The country's official name mentions Northern Ireland as well as Great Britain
   2. The country's official name is simply 'Great Britain'
   Show answer

   Answer: A. The country's official name mentions Northern Ireland as well as Great Britain

   The official name is 'the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'. 'Great Britain' on its own is not the name of the state, because it leaves out Northern Ireland.

   Handbook section 2.2

3. 3. St Helena and the Falkland Islands are examples of what?

   1. British overseas territories
   2. Crown dependencies
   3. Countries of the UK
   4. Devolved regions of Great Britain
   Show answer

   Answer: A. British overseas territories

   St Helena and the Falkland Islands are British overseas territories, found in other parts of the world. Like the Crown dependencies, they are linked to the UK but are not part of it.

   Handbook section 2.2

4. 4. Northern Ireland is one of the countries covered by the term 'Great Britain'.

   1. True
   2. False
   Show answer

   Answer: B. False

   False. 'Great Britain' means England, Scotland and Wales only. Northern Ireland is in the UK but outside Great Britain, which is why it appears separately in the country's official name.

   Handbook section 2.2

5. 5. The United Kingdom consists of England, Scotland, Wales and the whole of Ireland.

   1. True
   2. False
   Show answer

   Answer: B. False

   This is false. Only Northern Ireland is part of the UK; the rest of Ireland is an independent country outside the Union.

   Handbook section 2.2

6. 6. Which country is part of the UK but is not part of Great Britain?

   1. Northern Ireland
   2. Wales
   3. Scotland
   4. England
   Show answer

   Answer: A. Northern Ireland

   Great Britain covers only England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland is the one country of the UK that falls outside the term 'Great Britain'.

   Handbook section 2.2

7. 7. Where does the parliament that governs the UK sit?

   1. Westminster
   2. Edinburgh
   3. Cardiff
   4. Belfast
   Show answer

   Answer: A. Westminster

   The UK as a whole is governed by the parliament sitting at Westminster. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland additionally have parliaments or assemblies of their own, but these hold only devolved powers in defined areas.

   Handbook section 2.2

8. 8. Which of these is given as an example of a British overseas territory?

   1. St Helena
   2. The Isle of Man
   3. The Channel Islands
   4. Northern Ireland
   Show answer

   Answer: A. St Helena

   St Helena, like the Falkland Islands, is a British overseas territory in another part of the world. The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are Crown dependencies, and Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the UK.

   Handbook section 2.2

9. 9. Which of these statements is correct?

   1. Apart from Northern Ireland, Ireland is an independent country
   2. The whole island of Ireland forms part of the United Kingdom
   Show answer

   Answer: A. Apart from Northern Ireland, Ireland is an independent country

   Only Northern Ireland belongs to the UK. The rest of Ireland is an independent country, which is why the UK's official name mentions Northern Ireland specifically.

   Handbook section 2.2

10. 10. The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are known by which term?

    1. Crown dependencies
    2. British overseas territories
    3. Devolved nations
    4. Home countries
    Show answer

    Answer: A. Crown dependencies

    The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are called Crown dependencies. They are closely linked to the UK and have their own governments, but they are not part of the UK itself.

    Handbook section 2.2

11. 11. Which of these statements is correct?

    1. The UK is a union of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
    2. The UK is a union of three countries: England, Scotland and Wales
    Show answer

    Answer: A. The UK is a union of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

    Four countries make up the UK. The three-country grouping of England, Scotland and Wales is what the term 'Great Britain' describes, which is a narrower thing than the UK.

    Handbook section 2.2

12. 12. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have a parliament or assembly of their own with devolved powers in defined areas.

    1. True
    2. False
    Show answer

    Answer: A. True

    True. Alongside the UK parliament at Westminster, those three countries have their own parliaments or assemblies, whose powers are devolved and limited to particular areas.

    Handbook section 2.2

13. 13. Complete the official name of the country: 'The United Kingdom of Great Britain and ...'

    1. Northern Ireland
    2. Ireland
    3. the Isle of Man
    4. the Channel Islands
    Show answer

    Answer: A. Northern Ireland

    The official name ends with 'and Northern Ireland'. The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are Crown dependencies and are not part of the UK at all, so they never appear in its name.

    Handbook section 2.2

14. 14. How are the Crown dependencies governed?

    1. They have their own governments and are not part of the UK
    2. They are governed by the parliament in Westminster as part of the UK
    3. They share a single assembly based in Northern Ireland
    4. They are governed as part of Great Britain
    Show answer

    Answer: A. They have their own governments and are not part of the UK

    Although they are closely linked to the UK, the Crown dependencies are not part of it and run their own governments. This is what separates them from the four countries of the UK.

    Handbook section 2.2

15. 15. The official name of the country is 'the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland'.

    1. True
    2. False
    Show answer

    Answer: B. False

    False. The official name is 'the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'. Only Northern Ireland, not the whole of Ireland, belongs to the Union.

    Handbook section 2.2

16. 16. Select two places that are part of the United Kingdom.

    Select two answers

    1. Scotland
    2. The Isle of Man
    3. Northern Ireland
    4. The Republic of Ireland
    Show answer

    Answer: A. Scotland and C. Northern Ireland

    Scotland and Northern Ireland are two of the four countries of the UK, along with England and Wales. The Isle of Man is a Crown dependency rather than part of the UK, and the rest of Ireland is an independent country.

    Handbook section 2.2

17. 17. Which countries does the term 'Great Britain' refer to?

    1. England, Scotland and Wales
    2. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
    3. England, Wales and Northern Ireland
    4. England and Scotland only
    Show answer

    Answer: A. England, Scotland and Wales

    'Great Britain' means England, Scotland and Wales only. Northern Ireland is part of the UK but is not part of Great Britain, which is why it is named separately in the country's official title.

    Handbook section 2.2

18. 18. British overseas territories such as the Falkland Islands form part of the United Kingdom.

    1. True
    2. False
    Show answer

    Answer: B. False

    This is false. The British overseas territories are linked to the UK, but they are not part of it, just as the Crown dependencies are not.

    Handbook section 2.2

19. 19. Which of these statements is correct?

    1. The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are Crown dependencies: closely linked to the UK, but with their own governments and not part of it
    2. The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are counties of England and send members to the Westminster parliament
    Show answer

    Answer: A. The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are Crown dependencies: closely linked to the UK, but with their own governments and not part of it

    The two Crown dependencies are linked to the UK but sit outside it and run their own governments. That is what distinguishes them from the four countries that actually make up the UK.

    Handbook section 2.2

20. 20. What is the status of the part of Ireland that lies outside Northern Ireland?

    1. It is an independent country
    2. It is a Crown dependency of the UK
    3. It is a British overseas territory
    4. It is governed directly from Westminster
    Show answer

    Answer: A. It is an independent country

    Northern Ireland is the only part of Ireland inside the UK. The remainder of the island is an independent country in its own right, quite separate from the Crown dependencies and the overseas territories.

    Handbook section 2.2