Chapter 1 of 32 · Updated for 2026

Ancient & Medieval Britain: practice questions

Ten Life in the UK test questions on Ancient & Medieval Britain, each checked against the official handbook and set in the four formats the real test uses. Pick your answer, then tap Show the answer to see why.

1. One answer

   1. In which year did Julius Caesar lead an unsuccessful Roman invasion of Britain?

   • A55 BC
   • BAD 43
   • CAD 122
   • DAD 410
   Show the answer

   A: 55 BC

   Julius Caesar's invasion of 55 BC failed, and Britain stayed outside the Roman Empire for nearly 100 years until the Emperor Claudius invaded in AD 43.

2. One answer

   2. The first people to live in Britain were hunter-gatherers. In which period did they live?

   • AThe Bronze Age
   • BThe Stone Age
   • CThe Iron Age
   • DThe Roman period
   Show the answer

   B: The Stone Age

   The first people in Britain were Stone Age hunter-gatherers. For much of the Stone Age, Britain was joined to the continent by a land bridge.

3. True or false

   3. Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE?

   For much of the Stone Age, Britain was joined to the continent by a land bridge.

   • ATrue
   • BFalse
   Show the answer

   A: True

   A land bridge linked Britain to the continent for much of the Stone Age, so people could come and go following the animals they hunted.

4. One answer

   4. Who led the rebels of the Peasants' Revolt when they marched on London?

   • AJack Cade
   • BRobert Kett
   • COwain Glyndwr
   • DWat Tyler
   Show the answer

   D: Wat Tyler

   Wat Tyler led the rebels into London and was killed during a meeting with Richard II at Smithfield; the preacher John Ball also inspired the revolt.

5. Choose TWO answers

   5. Which TWO statements about Bronze Age people in Britain are correct?

   • AThey made objects in bronze and gold
   • BThey lived in roundhouses
   • CThey built large stone castles
   • DThey minted the first British coins
   Show the answer

   A: They made objects in bronze and gold
   B: They lived in roundhouses

   Bronze Age people lived in roundhouses and were skilled metalworkers in bronze and gold. The first coins came later, in the Iron Age, and castles much later still.

6. One answer

   6. What is the Bayeux Tapestry?

   • AAn embroidery commemorating the Battle of Hastings
   • BA wall hanging showing the coronation of Henry VII
   • CA record of Viking raids on Britain
   • DA medieval map of England
   Show the answer

   A: An embroidery commemorating the Battle of Hastings

   The Battle of Hastings in 1066 is commemorated in a great embroidery called the Bayeux Tapestry, which can still be seen in France.

7. Which statement is correct

   7. Which of these statements is correct?

   • ABritain was cut off from the continent by the Channel after the first farmers arrived.
   • BBritain was cut off from the continent by the Channel before the first farmers arrived.
   Show the answer

   B: Britain was cut off from the continent by the Channel before the first farmers arrived.

   Britain became separated about 10,000 years ago, long before the first farmers arrived about 6,000 years ago.

8. One answer

   8. Which is the correct order of these periods in Britain, from earliest to latest?

   • ABronze Age, Stone Age, Iron Age, Roman Britain
   • BStone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman Britain
   • CStone Age, Iron Age, Bronze Age, Roman Britain
   • DIron Age, Bronze Age, Stone Age, Roman Britain
   Show the answer

   B: Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman Britain

   The handbook runs in this order: the Stone Age (hunter-gatherers, then the first farmers about 6,000 years ago), the Bronze Age (from around 4,000 years ago), then the Iron Age (hill forts and the first coins), and then the Romans, who invaded in AD 43. A simple way to remember it: stone is the oldest tool, then bronze, then iron.

9. True or false

   9. Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE?

   Some Viking settlers in Britain converted to Christianity.

   • ATrue
   • BFalse
   Show the answer

   A: True

   Many Vikings stayed, mixed with local communities and some became Christians.

10. One answer

    10. Which of these English words is based on an Anglo-Saxon word?

    • ABeauty
    • BPark
    • CDemand
    • DSummer
    Show the answer

    D: Summer

    'Summer', 'apple', 'cow' and 'ask' come from Anglo-Saxon. 'Beauty', 'park' and 'demand' come from Norman French.

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