Chapter 20 of 32 · Updated for 2026

International Memberships: practice questions

Ten Life in the UK test questions on International Memberships, 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 the UK join the European Economic Community (EEC)?

   • A1957
   • B1961
   • C1992
   • D1973
   Show the answer

   D: 1973

   Six countries formed the EEC in 1957. The UK did not wish to join at first but became a member in 1973. (The UK left the EU in 2020, after the handbook was written.)

2. One answer

   2. Who is the head of the Commonwealth?

   • AUN Secretary General
   • BBritish monarch
   • CPrime Minister
   • DElected leader
   Show the answer

   B: British monarch

   The British monarch is the head of the Commonwealth.

3. True or false

   3. Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE?

   By the second half of the 20th century there was, for the most part, an orderly transition from Empire to Commonwealth.

   • ATrue
   • BFalse
   Show the answer

   A: True

   As parts of the Empire gained more freedom, most moved in an orderly way to independence and membership of the Commonwealth.

4. One answer

   4. Which of these people cannot stand for public office?

   • AA secondary school teacher
   • BA member of the armed forces
   • CA self-employed shopkeeper
   • DA retired hospital nurse
   Show the answer

   B: A member of the armed forces

   Most UK, Irish and Commonwealth citizens aged 18 or over can stand, but members of the armed forces, civil servants and people found guilty of certain crimes cannot.

5. Choose TWO answers

   5. Which TWO of these are core values on which the Commonwealth is based?

   • AFree trade
   • BGood government
   • CThe rule of law
   • DA shared currency
   Show the answer

   B: Good government
   C: The rule of law

   The Commonwealth's core values are democracy, good government and the rule of law.

6. One answer

   6. According to the handbook, what did the British Empire mostly change into by the second half of the 20th century?

   • AThe European Union
   • BThe Commonwealth
   • CThe United Nations
   • DNATO
   Show the answer

   B: The Commonwealth

   There was a mostly orderly transition from Empire to Commonwealth, with countries being granted independence.

7. Which statement is correct

   7. Which of these statements is correct?

   • AAfter the Second World War the UK gave up its atomic bomb and left NATO.
   • BAfter the Second World War the UK developed its own atomic bomb and joined NATO.
   Show the answer

   B: After the Second World War the UK developed its own atomic bomb and joined NATO.

   The UK developed its own atomic bomb and joined NATO, set up to resist the perceived threat from the Soviet Union.

8. One answer

   8. Which of these countries is a member of the Commonwealth?

   • ASri Lanka
   • BThailand
   • CNepal
   • DEgypt
   Show the answer

   A: Sri Lanka

   Sri Lanka is on the handbook's list of Commonwealth members. Thailand, Nepal and Egypt have never been members.

9. True or false

   9. Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE?

   According to the handbook, EU law is legally binding in the UK and in all other EU member states.

   • ATrue
   • BFalse
   Show the answer

   A: True

   True, according to the handbook. Since the UK left the EU in 2020, EU law no longer applies in the UK in the same way.

10. One answer

    10. According to the handbook, what are European laws called?

    • AActs, bills or statutes of the Union
    • BOrders, decrees or royal edicts
    • CConventions, charters or protocols
    • DDirectives, regulations or framework decisions
    Show the answer

    D: Directives, regulations or framework decisions

    European laws are called directives, regulations or framework decisions. Conventions and charters are drawn up by the Council of Europe, which cannot make laws.

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