These British trivia questions come in four rounds: names, nations and the map, Romans to the Hanoverians, reform to devolution, and words, books, music and the table.
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UK history trivia questions and answers in two rounds
Romans to the Hanoverians runs from the conquest of AD 43 to Robert Walpole and the Pax Britannica. Reform to devolution takes in the Great Reform Act, the General Strike of 1926 and the Senedd.
British trivia quiz questions for a class or a quiz night
Each question takes one tap; the right choice is labeled, with a reason and a source link beneath. The card deals sets of ten, and a Scored round of 20 is marked when it is over.
Questions and answers
Are these trivia questions on Great Britain or on the whole United Kingdom?
The whole United Kingdom. One question turns on the difference: the term Great Britain always leaves out Northern Ireland, and the present name of the country dates from 1927.
Are there trivia questions about England here?
Yes: Scafell Pike and the Lake District, the Isle of Wight, the M25 around London, and the accent called Received Pronunciation. Scotland and Ireland have packs of their own.
Are these British trivia questions and answers checked?
Yes. Each answer was read on October 3, 2026 in the Wikipedia article United Kingdom, linked under the question. Bands, broadcasters, sports teams and party politics are left out.
Who was the first British prime minister?
Robert Walpole is considered the first in all but name. Cabinet government developed under him from 1721 to 1742.
About how much of the area of the United Kingdom does England account for?Answer: 53 percent. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
At the nearest point, how close does the coast of the United Kingdom come to the coast of France?Answer: 22 miles (35 kilometers). Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
From which direction does the prevailing wind blow over the United Kingdom?Answer: The southwest. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
The Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey are not strictly part of the United Kingdom. What are they called?Answer: Crown Dependencies. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
The M25 motorway forms a ring around which city?Answer: London. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Off the south coast lies the largest island of England. Which island is it?Answer: The Isle of Wight. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Over 150 islands dot which lough of Northern Ireland?Answer: Lough Erne. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Scafell Pike rises to 978 meters, higher than anywhere else in England. In which upland area does it stand?Answer: The Lake District. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Several islands lie off the mainland of Wales. Which is the largest?Answer: Anglesey. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Slieve Donard, the highest peak in Northern Ireland, is in which mountains?Answer: The Mourne Mountains. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
What was the official name of the kingdom formed in 1707, until 1800?Answer: Great Britain. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Which imaginary line roughly divides the lowlands of the United Kingdom from the uplands?Answer: The Tees–Exe line. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Which part of the United Kingdom does the term "Great Britain" always leave out?Answer: Northern Ireland. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Romans to the Hanoverians 12
The Glorious Revolution of 1688 was followed in England by which act of 1689?Answer: The Bill of Rights. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
In which century did most of the region settled by the Anglo-Saxons become unified as the Kingdom of England?Answer: The 10th century. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
The island of Great Britain has been lived in without a break since the ice last retreated. About how long ago was that?Answer: 11,500 years. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
The Jacobite uprisings sought to remove which royal house from the throne?Answer: The House of Hanover. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
The Romans ruled southern Britain for 400 years. When did their conquest start?Answer: AD 43. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
What name is given to the century of British dominance at sea from 1815 to 1914?Answer: The Pax Britannica. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
What was the Hen Ogledd?Answer: A Brittonic area of northern England and southern Scotland. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
What was the short-lived republic set up in the mid-17th century, after the monarchy was overthrown, called?Answer: The Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Which body, founded in 1660, greatly encouraged science?Answer: The Royal Society. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Which settlers began to arrive in Britain around 450, after the Romans had left?Answer: The Anglo-Saxons. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Which system did the Normans bring with them to England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland?Answer: Feudalism on the northern French model. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Who is considered the first prime minister in all but name, from 1721 to 1742?Answer: Robert Walpole. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Reform to devolution 12
By which name is the devolved legislature of Wales known?Answer: The Senedd. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
By which two-word phrase is the British policy of staying out of European alliances in the late 19th century known?Answer: Splendid isolation. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
In 1969 the United Kingdom became the first democratic nation to do what?Answer: Lower its voting age to 18. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
In which year did the country take its present name, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?Answer: 1927. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
In which year did the strikes of the mid-1920s culminate in the General Strike?Answer: 1926. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Of which trade body was the United Kingdom one of seven founding members in 1960?Answer: The European Free Trade Association. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
What name was given to the contest between Britain and the Russian Empire in Central Asia?Answer: The Great Game. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Which act of 1832 began the gradual widening of the right to vote?Answer: The Great Reform Act. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Which act of 1928 gave women the same voting rights as men in national elections?Answer: The Equal Franchise Act. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Which era of British history ran from 1901 to 1910?Answer: The Edwardian era. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Which statesman championed the Reform Act of 1884, which gave the vote to a majority of men for the first time?Answer: William Gladstone. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
With which empire was Britain allied in the Crimean War of 1853 to 1856?Answer: The Ottoman Empire. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Words, books, music and the table 13
Britannia is one personification of Great Britain. Which stout gentleman is another?Answer: John Bull. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
British Empiricism states that knowledge is valid only when it is verified by what?Answer: Experience. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
The custom of afternoon tea dates back to about which year?Answer: 1840. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Handel composed an anthem that became the traditional music for the anointing of every later monarch. For whose coronation did he write it?Answer: George II. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill are linked with which ethical theory?Answer: Utilitarianism. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Which 20th-century English crime writer is the best-selling novelist in history?Answer: Agatha Christie. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Which accent is traditionally associated with educated speakers in southern England?Answer: Received Pronunciation. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Which batter pudding is served with a traditional Sunday roast?Answer: Yorkshire pudding. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Which Celtic language died out as a first language in the late 18th century and is now being revived?Answer: Cornish. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Which dog is commonly shown with the Union Flag as a symbol of Britain?Answer: The bulldog. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Which instrument does Welsh folk music pair with vocal harmonies?Answer: The harp. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
William Morris was a pioneer of which movement?Answer: The Arts and Crafts movement. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
Y Gododdin, the oldest known poem of Britain, holds the earliest known reference to which legendary king?Answer: King Arthur. Source: Wikipedia: United Kingdom
How this list was compiled
Written for this site; nothing was copied from another list. Every answer was read on October 3, 2026 in the English Wikipedia article United Kingdom (text under CC BY-SA 4.0), which is linked beside each question; the questions, wrong choices and explanations are in our own words. Left out on purpose: population figures and ranks, current office-holders and living people, sports teams, bands and song titles, companies, broadcasters and brands, drink, party politics, the conflict in Northern Ireland, and the facts other packs on this site already ask (1066, Magna Carta, the Channel Tunnel, the Union Flag, Shakespeare). Scotland and Ireland have packs of their own, so their mountains, battles and poets are not asked here. Levels are our estimate. Licence: own work