Chapter 27 of 32 · Updated for 2026

How the UK Is Governed: practice questions

Ten Life in the UK test questions on How the UK Is Governed, 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. How many houses does Parliament have?

   • A1
   • B2
   • C3
   • D4
   Show the answer

   B: 2

   Parliament has two houses: Commons and Lords.

2. One answer

   2. What is the main role of the Privy Council?

   • ATo formally advise the monarch, for example by approving Orders in Council
   • BTo elect the Speaker of the House of Commons at the start of each Parliament
   • CTo manage the Civil Service and its government departments day to day
   • DTo hear serious criminal trials in the Crown Court alongside a jury
   Show the answer

   A: To formally advise the monarch, for example by approving Orders in Council

   The Privy Council is a body of advisers to the monarch. It approves Orders in Council, a type of law made under the royal prerogative or under powers given by Acts of Parliament.

3. True or false

   3. Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE?

   Everyone sitting the Life in the UK test at the same session answers the same 24 questions.

   • ATrue
   • BFalse
   Show the answer

   B: False

   False. The test has 24 questions, but they are different for each person taking the test at that session.

4. One answer

   4. After a General Election, whom does the monarch invite to become Prime Minister?

   • AThe leader of the party with the most MPs, or the leader of a coalition
   • BThe MP who won the most votes in their own constituency at the election
   • CThe Speaker of the House of Commons, who then chooses the cabinet
   • DThe longest-serving member of the cabinet from the previous government
   Show the answer

   A: The leader of the party with the most MPs, or the leader of a coalition

   The monarch invites the leader of the largest party, or of a coalition between parties, to form a government.

5. Choose TWO answers

   5. Which TWO bodies did Tony Blair's government introduce?

   • AAn English Parliament
   • BA Scottish Parliament
   • CA European Parliament
   • DA Welsh Assembly
   Show the answer

   B: A Scottish Parliament
   D: A Welsh Assembly

   The Blair government introduced devolution, creating a Scottish Parliament and a Welsh Assembly.

6. One answer

   6. Where does the Northern Ireland Assembly meet?

   • AHolyrood in Edinburgh
   • BThe Senedd in Cardiff Bay
   • CBelfast City Hall
   • DStormont in Belfast
   Show the answer

   D: Stormont in Belfast

   Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLAs) meet at Stormont in Belfast.

7. Which statement is correct

   7. Which of these statements is correct?

   • AThe beginning of party politics came with the Whigs and the Tories.
   • BThe beginning of party politics came with the Roundheads and the Cavaliers.
   Show the answer

   A: The beginning of party politics came with the Whigs and the Tories.

   The Whigs and Tories were the two main groups in Parliament after 1688. Roundheads and Cavaliers were Civil War sides.

8. One answer

   8. Which party usually forms the government after a General Election?

   • AThe party with the most peers
   • BThe party with a majority of MPs
   • CThe party that has governed longest
   • DThe party chosen by the monarch alone
   Show the answer

   B: The party with a majority of MPs

   All elected MPs make up the House of Commons, and the party with a majority of MPs forms the government.

9. True or false

   9. Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE?

   The Speaker is chosen by other MPs in an open vote by a show of hands.

   • ATrue
   • BFalse
   Show the answer

   B: False

   False. The Speaker is chosen by other MPs in a secret ballot.

10. One answer

    10. Since which year have some powers been devolved from the central government to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland?

    • A1979
    • B1997
    • C1987
    • D2007
    Show the answer

    B: 1997

    Devolution began in 1997, giving people in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland more say over matters that directly affect them.

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