A Britishly British Quiz

Answer: Elizabeth Tower

Initially completed in 1858, the tower which houses the Big Ben bell is a familiar sight on the London skyline. The tower was previously called Clock Tower, and prior to that, St Stephens Tower. The House of Commons Commission official changed the name to Elizabeth Tower on 25th June 2012 to celebrate the jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. Source: www.parliament.uk

Answer: On a ship

Either term can be used but Union Jack is the most recognised name for the national flag of the United Kingdom. However, the Union Jack is more associated with being flown from the jack staff on the bow of a ship. The Union Flag is more associated when it is flown on land. Featuring the crosses of St Andrew, St Patrick and St George, the design can also be seen on the top left hand corner of many other flags including New Zealand, Australia and Hawaii. This quarter flag design is called a canton.

Answer: Phantom town on Google Maps

Some companies who use cartography have been known to use "trap streets" to stop other people from copying their maps although place names have also been known to be input in error. Argleton in Lancashire once appeared on Google Maps, but on searching for the town, it showed as an empty field. Some people say that it was simply an error on the part of Google, while others believe it could have been created purposely to protect their copyright. The phantom town was removed from Google Maps in 2001.

Answer: March 25

The Calendar Act of 1752 saw Britain change from the old Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. The Julian calendar had four "quarter days" each year; Midsummers Day (24 June), Michaelmas Day (29 September), Christmas Day (25 December) and Lady Day (25 March). The first day of the year was always on Lady Day. New Year's Day in 1752 was on March 25th under the Julian calendar. The Gregorian calendar was introduced in September of that same year and this bought in 1st January as the new New Year's Day.

Answer: Young maid

A tweeny, or betweenmaid, was the name of a young maid who would assist the housemaid and the cook in a large household. She would have been running around all day working between upstairs and downstairs wherever required. In modern days, a tween, tweeny or tweenager is a young person between the ages of 10 to 12; too old to be called a child and too young to be called a teenager.

Answer: Queen Elizabeth II

Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume created the chicken recipe for visiting guests at the crowning of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. It is a dish served to accompany salad or used as a filling for sandwiches. Britain's love of spicy food stems back hundreds of years but it was during the British reign of India in the 19th century that saw the introduction of curry powder. Indian curry houses appeared globally during the 1960s and 1970s but more so in British towns and cities.

Answer: 1966 World Cup Final

The World Cup Final between England and Germany was televised by BBC on 20th July 1966. The game was held at Wembley Stadium in front of a 98,000 strong crowd, with a further 32.3 million UK people watching it on television. The English team beat Germany 4-2 after extra time was played. The funeral of Princess Diana attracted a UK audience of 32.1 million, the royal wedding of Charles & Diana attracted 28.4 million UK people and the EastEnders Christmas Special when Den served divorce papers on Angie attracted 30.15 million UK people.

Answer: Towy

The River Severn stretches approximately 354 kilometres (220 miles) from its source in mid Wales before sweeping down into a curve through western parts of England and re-entering Wales to reach the Severn estuary. The River Towy (Afon Tywi) is entirely in Wales. It starts in the Cambrian Mountains in mid Wales before meandering south west for 103 kilometres (64 miles) until spilling into Carmarthen Bay.

Answer: Sebastian Faulks

Sebastian Faulks is a British author, broadcaster and journalist. After living in France for a year in the 1970s, he returned home to England and started writing a trilogy of novels set in the Gallic country during the early twentieth century. "The Girl at the Lion D'or" (1989), "Birdsong" (1993) and "Charlotte Grey" (1998) all had a young female protagonist and featured their lives and relationships during either the first or second world wars.

Answer: Belisha beacon

Zebra crossings have black and white striped road markings to signify the point where pedestrians can cross. Next to the roadside is a tall pole, also painted in black and white stripes. Drivers travelling from a distance were not able to see the crossing until too late and so an amber globe was introduced and placed on top of the pole which would flash on and off intermittently. The Belisha beacon was named after Leslie Hore-Belisha, the British Minister of Transport who introduced the beacon in 1934.