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General British Politics Trivia Quiz

A quiz on some of the basics of British politics.

A multiple-choice quiz by slickrik000. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
slickrik000

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
177,588

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
968

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. How many MPs did the House of Commons have as at April 2004? Hint

640

650

659

645

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Question 2 of 10

2. Who became the Chancellor of the Exchequer after the 1997 general election? Hint

Jack Straw

Gordon Brown

John Prescott

John Reid

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Question 3 of 10

3. Who became leader of the official opposition in 2003? Hint

Michael Howard

William Hague

Iain Duncan Smith

Michael Portillo

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Question 4 of 10

4. When did the three main 2004 party leaders first enter the House of Commons? (They all first entered in the same year).

Answer: (Year only - four digits)

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Question 5 of 10

5. The UK has an uncodified constitution.

True

False

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Question 6 of 10

6. What is the official post of the person that normally lives at 11 Downing Steet? Hint

Deputy Prime Minister

Prime Minister

Chancellor of the Exchequer

Foreign Secretary

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Question 7 of 10

7. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all have devolved parliaments?

True

False

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Question 8 of 10

8. Up to April 2004 how much is an ordinary Member of Parliament (a "backbencher", without any government post) paid per year? Hint

�61,084

�47,950

�56,358

�50,569

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Question 9 of 10

9. Who is often thought of as having brought about the fall of Margaret Thatcher, the Iron Lady? Hint

Michael Heseltine

Michael Portillo

John Major

Kenneth Clarke

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Question 10 of 10

10. Except in exceptional circumstances, such as war, what is the maximum period that may pass between two General Elections in the United Kingdom? Hint

7 years

6 years

5 years

4 years

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. How many MPs did the House of Commons have as at April 2004?

Answer: 659

Labour held about 408 seats, Conservatives 163 and the Lib Dems about 54, the other seats were held by nationalist parties such as the SNP, Plaid Cymru and Sinn Fein. (The total number of seats can change when the boundaries of the parliamentary constituencies are changed, something that happens every 10-12 years).

2. Who became the Chancellor of the Exchequer after the 1997 general election?

Answer: Gordon Brown

Gordon Brown remained Chancellor from 1997 and was still in the same post in 2004 - an unusually long stint in a job in British politics, Jack Straw was the Foreign Secretary, John Prescott the Deputy Prime Minister and John Reid the Health Secretary. (Correct up to April 2004)

3. Who became leader of the official opposition in 2003?

Answer: Michael Howard

Since the Labour victory in 1997 the official oppostion has been the Conservative Party. Iain Duncan Smith was leader from 2001-2003 and William Hague 1997-2001. Michael Portillo was always seen as a future leader but that is unlikely to happen now as he has announced that he will not seek re-election to the Commons.

4. When did the three main 2004 party leaders first enter the House of Commons? (They all first entered in the same year).

Answer: 1983

Tony Blair was elected to the constituency of Sedgefield, Michael Howard to Folkstone and Hythe and Charles Kennedy to Ross, Skye and Inverness West.

5. The UK has an uncodified constitution.

Answer: True

An uncodified constitution is one that is not formally written in one document.

6. What is the official post of the person that normally lives at 11 Downing Steet?

Answer: Chancellor of the Exchequer

The Chancellor of the Exchequer's official residence is at 11, Downing Street, next door to that of the Prime Minister's at number 10.

7. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all have devolved parliaments?

Answer: False

Scotland has a devolved parliament but Wales and Northen Ireland have devolved assemblies.

8. Up to April 2004 how much is an ordinary Member of Parliament (a "backbencher", without any government post) paid per year?

Answer: �56,358

The Prime Minister gets around �175,000 and a cabinet minister �127,000. Of course, senior members of the government get various free "perks", too.

9. Who is often thought of as having brought about the fall of Margaret Thatcher, the Iron Lady?

Answer: Michael Heseltine

Michael Heseltine challenged Margaret Thatcher to the Conservative party leadership in 1990, which eventually led to her fall and to John Major becoming Prime Minister.

10. Except in exceptional circumstances, such as war, what is the maximum period that may pass between two General Elections in the United Kingdom?

Answer: 5 years

Until 2011, the UK did not have fixed-term elections, and elections could be called by the Prime Minister whenever he or she wanted. Often this was done after only four years, as in the periods 1979-1983, 1983-1987 and 1997-2001. Under the 2011 Fixed-Term Parliaments Act, the five-year period is now set in stone, except in exceptional circumstances.

There is no limit to how long an individual may remain in office as Prime Minister, provided he/she has a working majority in Parliament.

Source: Author slickrik000

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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