Life in the UK test: Values and principles practice questions

Match each principle to a concrete limit: the rule of law binds the government, liberty stops at the law, and tolerance rules out a compulsory faith. Reject any option that gives the police or ministers an unlimited power.

Question 1

Which principle means that ministers and the police, as well as everyone else, must obey the law?

  1. The rule of law
  2. Rule by whichever party is largest, with no court able to check it
  3. The divine right of kings
  4. Government by the armed forces in peacetime

Answer: The rule of law

The rule of law means that everyone, including ministers and the police, must act within the law. A party that cannot be checked, the divine right of kings, and rule by the armed forces all reject that limit.

Question 2

How do citizens in the UK have a say in who forms the government?

  1. By inheriting a seat in the Cabinet
  2. By being appointed to govern by a judge
  3. By voting in free elections
  4. Only if they already sit in the House of Lords

Answer: By voting in free elections

In the UK's democracy, citizens take part by voting and by standing for election. Cabinet seats are not inherited, judges do not appoint the government, and membership of the Lords is not a condition of voting.

Question 3

What does tolerance of different faiths and beliefs ask of people?

  1. Everyone must attend the Church of England each week
  2. People may follow different religions, or none, and should respect one another
  3. A council may ban a religion it dislikes
  4. Only one language may be spoken in any public place

Answer: People may follow different religions, or none, and should respect one another

Tolerance of different faiths and beliefs means people are free to worship or not to worship. Compulsory attendance, a ban on a religion, or a ban on other languages would contradict that freedom.