Life in the UK test: The monarch, Commons and Lords practice questions

The monarch is head of state and the Prime Minister is head of government. The Commons is elected, one MP to a constituency, by first past the post. The Lords is not elected; most of its members are appointed life peers.

Question 1

In the British constitution, what is the Prime Minister?

  1. Head of state
  2. Head of the government
  3. The chair of debates in the House of Commons
  4. The president of the Supreme Court

Answer: Head of the government

The Prime Minister is the head of government and leads the Cabinet. The monarch is the head of state. The Speaker chairs the Commons, and the president of the Supreme Court is the senior judge, not a minister.

Question 2

After both Houses have passed a bill, what further step makes it an Act of Parliament?

  1. The personal signature of every member of the House of Lords
  2. A referendum in each of the four parts of the UK
  3. A verdict from a jury of twelve
  4. Royal Assent

Answer: Royal Assent

A bill becomes an Act when both Houses have passed it and the monarch has given Royal Assent, which is now a formality. It does not need every peer's signature, a referendum, or a jury.

Question 3

Most members of the House of Lords are there because of what?

  1. They have been appointed as life peers
  2. They won a constituency at the last general election
  3. They are the heir to the throne
  4. They were picked at random from the electoral register

Answer: They have been appointed as life peers

Most members of the Lords are life peers, appointed rather than elected. A smaller number are hereditary peers or Church of England bishops. Constituency elections fill the Commons, not the Lords, and the heir to the throne is one person, not the membership of the House.