on 07-Jan-2015 (Wed)

Isambard Kingdom Brunel was a famous Victorian engineer who built railway lines, bridges, tunnels and ships.

The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) can provide contact details of solicitors and the areas of law they specialise in.

In Scotland a jury has 15 members.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland a jury has 12 members.

UK-born and naturalised adult citizens, and citizens of the Commonwealth and the Irish Republic who are resident in the UK, can vote in all UK elections.

The Prime Minister has the power to nominate peers for their own lifetime. These are called life peers. They are appointed by the monarch.

The Labour government that was elected in 1945 established the National Health Service (NHS) and a social security system for all.

Being a school governor or school board member is a voluntary, unpaid activity.

The 1921 treaty led to Ireland being divided into two parts, Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State.

A number of social changes were introduced before the First World War, including the state retirement pension and free school meals.

Cricket matches can last up to five days.

Queen Elizabeth II has reigned since her father’s death in 1952, and in 2012 she celebrated her Diamond Jubilee (60 years as queen).

In 1998 the Good Friday Agreement led to the establishment of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

The daffodil is the national flower of Wales, and is worn on St David’s Day.

An Ulster fry is a traditional food of Northern Ireland. It is a fried meal with bacon, eggs, sausage, black pudding, white pudding, tomatoes, mushrooms, soda bread and potato bread

In the 19th century the UK produced more than half of the world’s supplies of iron, coal and cotton cloth.

Members of the armed forces cannot stand for public office.

David Hockney was an important contributor to the ‘pop art’ movement of the 1960s.

Henry Moore is famous for his abstract sculptures

Anyone who is on the electoral register and is aged 18 to 70 can be asked to do jury service.

The Chartists campaigned for reform of the voting system.

In the 1830s and 1840s, a group called the Chartists campaigned for reform. They wanted six changes:

1. for every man to have the vote
2. elections every year
3. for all regions to be equal in the electoral system
4. secret ballots
5. for any man to be able to stand as an MP
6. for MPs to be paid.

The Bill of Rights of 1689 limited the powers of the king and increased the powers of Parliament.

The term Great Britain dates from the union in 1707 of England and Scotland.

King Alfred the Great united the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and defeated the Vikings.

MPs hold regular ‘surgeries’, where constituents can go in person to talk about issues that are of concern to them.

In the 19th century, the medieval ‘gothic’ style became popular again. The Houses of Parliament and St Pancras Station were built at this time.

Welsh cakes are a traditional Welsh snack made from flour, dried fruits and spices.

Bobby Moore was the captain of the England football team.

The official Church of state for the whole of the UK is the Church of England.

In Scotland, the national Church is the Church of Scotland, which is a Presbyterian Church.

The chairperson of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the Moderator, who is appointed for one year only and often speaks on behalf of that Church.