A foreigner preparing taking the government’s the Life in the UK citizenship test has been left baffled over a question on the exam.
The government mandates this test, which costs £50 per attempt, must be taken by those applying for British citizenship or settlement in the UK. The test consists of 24 questions based on the Life in the UK handbook, and applicants must score at least 75% (18 out of 24) to pass.
The individual took to Reddit to vent their frustration, labelling one question in particular as “impossible”. On seeing the poser for themselves, it sparked a wave of Brits admitting they too would struggle with the poser.
The question that stumped the Reddit user stated: “Which of these is a fundamental principle of British life? A – Actively supporting your local football team; B – Participation in community life; C – Ignoring your neighbours; D – Eating fish on a Friday.”
Many people humorously suggested that ignoring neighbours should be the correct answer. One person joked: “C – which coincidentally is the start of the word most used to describe them when you do eventually meet them.”
Another quipped: “Anyone who gets marked incorrect for ticking C is more equipped to deal with life in the UK than the person who wrote the bloody question.” A third added: “Pretending to be on a phone call sat in your car on your drive to avoid any unnecessary neighbourly chit chat, this is the British way.”
The debate over what truly makes someone British has sparked fierce discussion, with some pointing to active community involvement as the defining factor. “It’s clearly B. Which is total rubbish,” one individual asserted firmly.
Doubts about personal identity arose for another, who quipped: “Jesus, I’ve been British all my life but now I think I’m not.” A third added: “I did this test. The correct answer is B, even though C is the reality.”
And even among those who recognised the official line, confusion remained: “For those defending the answer, I’d love to know how they actively participate in community life,” one person said. “I go to work, see friends and family, and engage in a couple of hobbies. I’m not a hermit, but I don’t feel that I’m actively engaging in the community.”
This sentiment was echoed, with another adding: “I very actively participate in community life, and I would say this makes me a weirdo/unusual nutter and most people like to go home and watch telly of an evening, not sit as a volunteer member of a committee from 6:30-10pm listening to people wang on about whatever their current pet peeve is.”
Life in the UK test statistics reveal a 70% pass rate among test-takers in it’s most recently published results.
