TEST 12

In Wales the elected members are known as AMs or Assembly Members.

The cabinet is a committee which usually meets weekly and makes important decisions about government policy.

There is one Welsh-language channel in Wales.

Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the House of Parliament in London.

The UK is part of the United Nations (UN), an international organization with more than 190 countries as members.

Large-scale emigration from Scotland to America began in the 1700s, accelerating after the Jacobite rising of 1745, the resulting breakup of the clan structures, and the Highland Clearances. Displaced Scots went in search of a better life and settled in the thirteen colonies, initially around South Carolina and Virginia, and then further in successive generations.

For most people, the right amount of income tax is automatically taken from their income from employment by their employer and paid directly to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), the government department that collects taxes. This system is called “Pay As You Earn” (PAYE).

During the First World War millions of people were killed or wounded, with more than 2 million British casualties.

When Catherine was too old to give him another child, Henry VIII decided to divorce her, hoping that another wife would give him a son to be his heir.

London has 33 local authorities, with the Greater London Authority and the Mayor of London coordinating policies across the capital.

British combat troops left Iraq in 2009.

The UK is governed by the parliament sitting in Westminster.

It is illegal and a criminal offence to sell tobacco products (for example, cigarettes, cigars, roll-up tobacco) to anyone under the age of 18.

The Normans used a system of land ownership known as feudalism.

‘All the world’s a stage’ are lines from William Shakespeare’s play As You Like It.

In Elizabeth I’s time, English settlers first began to colonise the eastern coast of America.

In Wales the elected members, known as AMs, meet in the Welsh Assembly in the Senedd in Cardiff Bay.

In the 19th century, the medieval ’gothic’ style became popular again. As cities expanded, many great public buildings were built in this style. The Houses of Parliament and St Pancras Station were built at this time, as were the town halls in cities such as Manchester and Sheffield.

There are famous gardens to visit throughout the UK, including Kew Gardens, Sissinghurst and Hidcote in England, Crathes Castle and Inveraray Castle in Scotland, Bodnant Garden in Wales, and Mount Stewart in Northern Ireland.

In 1455, a civil war was begun to decide who should be king of England. It was fought between the supporters of two families: the House of Lancaster and the House of York.

Admiral Nelson was in charge of the British fleet at Trafalgar and was killed in the battle.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, serious offences are tried in front of a judge and a jury in a Crown Court. In Scotland, serious cases are heard in a Sheriff Court with either a sheriff or a sheriff with a jury.

The Speaker is neutral and does not represent a political party, even though he or she is an MP, represents a constituency and deals with the constituents’ problems like any other MP.

The Scottish Parliament was formed in 1999.