I’m sorry, I haven’t a clue

Someone I know is studying for a British citizenship test. Interested as to the level, format, and subject matter of the test, I attempted two practice tests last night from the study guide that was sitting on this person’s coffee table. On the first test, I got 19 questions correct out of 24, which is a pass; but on the second I got only 16 correct, which is a fail. To pass, one must get 18 questions correct.

Among the questions I got wrong*:

According to the 2001 Census, what percentage of the UK population reported that they had a religion?

My answer: 65%
Correct answer: 75%

How many Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) are there?

My answer: 105
Correct answer: 129

During the 1950s, Britain set up bus driver recruitment centres in which location?

My answer: I’m sorry, I haven’t a clue
Correct answer: West Indies

What does Boxing Day celebrate?

My answer: having an extra day off work and/or shopping in sales (ok, that wasn’t really one of the multiple choice options)
Correct answer: Appreciation of work by servants and trades people.

What is the role of the Council of Ministers?

My answer: what is the Council of Ministers?
Correct answer: Propose new laws and decisions regarding the EU

As it happens, I am a British citizen because my father was born in the UK. So I didn’t have to pass the test to acquire citizenship. When my family moved to the UK from the US (where I was born), I was able to get a British passport, so I have dual nationality.

Having been to school and university in the UK and lived in the UK for years, I would say that I am “integrated into British society” or whatever Brownite/Blairite term is. I would say that I manage perfectly well to go about my daily life, do my job, contribute to society, etc, unhindered by culture shock (although I will never understand the Scottish fascination with deep-fried Mars bars, but I didn’t see that on the citizenship test).

Seriously though, I would say that I am reasonably informed about the way things work in the UK. I read newspapers, I vote in elections, and so on. I happen not to have a detailed understanding of the way European law works because I just don’t care enough to find out, except in cases of specific issues or peices of legislation that interest me. I don’t care what percentage of the population have a religion. I don’t care how many MSPs there are (and yes, I have voted in Scottish elections recently). I fail to see how knowing these things would add to my ability to contribute to society.

But more pressingly, if I am entitled to British citizenship without knowing these things (and without needing to know these things to function in society), but candidates for naturalisation are required to have more knowledge of British history, politics, and society than most non-naturalised British citizens. Yes, I do suspect that most non-naturalised British citizens would not receive perfect scores on the test, which they should do if the knowledge on it were really essential to functioning in British society. And that is discriminatory, plain and simple.

–IP

* All questions and correct answers are quote from Henry Dillon and Alastair Smith (Eds) British Citizenship Test Study Guide: The essential study guide for the Life in the UK test (Second Edition). Red Squirrel Publishing, London. 2006. pp 106-15, 191.