Q.1
Which vegetable is usually cooked to be eaten with the family turkey at Christmas, even though large numbers of people say they hate eating them?
  • Red cabbage
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Leeks
  • Swede
Q.2
If you receive a party invitation (on paper, or on-screen) and it is marked ' P B A B ', what does this most likely mean?
  • Please bring a bottle.
  • Party begins at bedtime.
  • Posh biscuits and beer.
  • Philip's bringing a barrel.
Q.3
'Prom' in the USA and elsewhere usually means an elaborate party where young people leaving school hold a lavish, adult-style celebration to mark that important event in their lives. But to British and other people, 'the Last Night of the Proms' represents a party of a rather different kind. What is the official event at the heart of this party?
  • The day when school-leavers' public exam results are issued, in August.
  • The final of the FA (= Football Association) Cup competition.
  • The final concert in the world's biggest music festival, based in and around the Royal Albert Hall in London.
  • The official end of the tourist season at Britain's seaside resorts, i.e. the Bank Holiday Monday at the end of August.
Q.4
You are being invited to a summer evening party (maybe in a garden, if you're lucky and the weather holds!), and someone says, almost casually, 'I expect we'll be having some Pimms'. Who or what is/are these?
  • Pimms are paid entertainers / 'animateurs/-trices' such as fortune-tellers, instant sketch portrait painters etc. who add a touch of style to the event.
  • Pimms is a proprietary brand of alcoholic drink, usually mixed into a 'fruit cup' with floating ice, fruit and mint sprigs.
  • Pimms are various forms of aerial entertainment including balloons, Chinese-style lanterns and fireworks.
  • Pimms are party-games such as charades, so you should come prepared to join in.
Q.5
Probably the biggest annual gathering of people along the banks of the River Thames in London is when the spectators gather to watch the 'Boat Race', usually on a Saturday or Sunday in the early spring (around the same time as Easter). The two competing crews represent which major British institutions?
  • The Police and the Army.
  • The Houses of Lords and Commons in Parliament.
  • The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
  • The Church and the City.
Q.6
Bank Holidays in Britain, except for 'specials' such as Christmas, almost always occur on a ... ...
  • Monday.
  • Tuesday.
  • Thursday.
  • Friday.
Q.7
Almost every November since 1927, the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) has organised a rally of classic old cars along the main road between London and which coastal town?
  • Bournemouth
  • Cromer
  • Dover
  • Brighton
Q.8
Some British friends enthusiastically invite you to 'a ceilidh (pronounced as though spelt 'kaley') at the village hall next weekend'. From the context it's fairly obviously a community party of some kind; but what ought you to be especially aware of?
  • Everyone is expected to know the steps of a range of Celtic dances, such as Riverdance, Scots 'reels and Strathspeys' etc.
  • All visitors from outside the community are expected to propose a 'toast' and drink alcohol (either, or both, of which might place you in an uncomfortable position).
  • People are expected to 'bring a party-piece' (poem, song, conjuring trick etc.) to contribute to the entertainment.
  • The party will go on all night.
Q.9
Many parties have a 'theme' to them, particular to the occasion or just for its own sake (to make them more interesting, and give people who already know one another something new to talk about when they meet). If you are being invited to such a party, and may need time to find special clothes or 'properties' (characteristic objects, such as a witch's broomstick), the invitation should make this clear. What is the standard general phrase to tell you so?
  • Costume Party
  • Fancy Dress
  • Come as a Character (from ... [film / book / TV series, etc.])
  • Masqued Ball
Q.10
The song that is sung by everyone (who's awake!) to mark the turn of the New Year is called :
  • 'Happy Birthday'
  • 'Auld Lang Syne'
  • 'Clementine'
  • 'Joy to the World'
0 h : 0 m : 1 s