Study guide for Citizenship Exam released today

And WHAT London tube station is named after the place from which the Mayflower departed? 

eh?  EH?

Actually I'm gonna guess Surrey Quays cause it's near that Mayflower pub (which is well worth a visit).

I'm going to guess West India Quay.  Because I like the sound of htat.   

I am sorry if this question has come up before, but while we are on this subject....Garry, do you know when this test will actually start? I have applied for my dual citizenship the end of October last year and have yet to get it....have had contact and stuff with them, but no final word....Do any of you think I will have to take this test? I am AWFUL at testing and am really nervous about it. I think it is great to learn this stuff, but testing has always been a white knuckle kinda thing for me and would almost not do it because of that..I get all confused and sweat and have panic attacks....argh! What do you all think? Besides the fact I am a bit weird 

Deptford?

Fifty pee?

Yee haw!  Give that lady a cue-pie doll!

Yes, breaking with tradition, Britania appears in a Greek warrior's helmet on the 50p coin.

While most might think Britania was invented in the 19th century by the Bank of England, it's staggering to learn that Britania first appeared in 44 AD in a sculpture in Turkey (Christ peeps, in Turkey!)  The ruins are still in existence, and there's photos on the web.  Britania has an interesting history, just like Uncle Sam or Miss Liberty...

And note to all:  of course these are silly questions.  If you really want to try a mock citizenship test, the BBC has a good one...

Thank you!  Thank you! 


Buuuuut, not all fifty pees have Britannia.  Newer ones have more modern designs on them. 

It's the sequence of colors and shapes on the British currency to help the visually impaired. That's a good trivia one.

I thought the size of the bills would help the visually impaired  They aren't all the same size are they?  Besides, if you are colour blind and have problems with small print, those symbols won't mean a hill of beans.

Missmaggie,

You're in the clear. If you've already filed the papers, you won't have to take the exam. You'll only have the take the exam if they start it before you file the application.

Yes, breaking with tradition, Britania appears in a Greek warrior's helmet on the 50p coin.

While most might think Britania was invented in the 19th century by the Bank of England, it's staggering to learn that Britania first appeared in 44 AD in a sculpture in Turkey (Christ peeps, in Turkey!)

But Britannia is so clearly based on Athena - ie. the helmet

Missmaggie,

You're in the clear. If you've already filed the papers, you won't have to take the exam. You'll only have the take the exam if they start it before you file the application.

THANK YOU!! You are my hero and totally made my night! Great BIG huge hugs being sent your way! Woo Hoo....doing the "I don't have to take a test happy dance!" 

Americans tend to vote for party by custom, but not procedurally to invest the party. It's the latter that happens here. 

I know that. That's why I said in my post:

Even though technically they [Americans] are voting for an individual

Procedurally, the voting process is different. But if an American is thinking on party lines, the effect is the same.

Americans, often don't vote for a party: hence Schwarzenegger in California, or Bloomsberg in NYC: Republicans in heavily Democratic regions.

You are correct. Some Americans don't vote for a party, some do.  Voting by party seems to be more common among older voters--who tend to vote more than other portions of the population.  It is also more common in local elections, which in my opinion are more important in some ways than nationwide or even statewide elections. But that's a whole other discussion.
The trend does seem to be going away from voting  by party.

Nevertheless, it doesn't matter whether you are thinking about voting for Arnold or about voting for Labour.  You should be knowledgeable of the law and the political process.

Also, even though I think that there should be exam, I don't necessarily agree that every question is appropriate.  I am pretty sure that is time goes by, the test will go through numerous revisions. That's the way these things usually happen.

I would be interested to see if there is any change in the number of people approved for citizenship each year after the tests are put into place.

I also would not be surprised if an industry develops around helping people to pass the test.  (Or maybe that's too much of an American entepreneurial kind of idea?)

I have just read this whole thread and i cant believe what i am seeing.
I am a UK born citizen. I got my exam in history. We didnt even study anything before 1895 and not one module covered any British history. As far as politics is concerned, a lot of high schools dont even offer that as an option.
Having seen the example questions i can tell you for nothing that the majority of people here wouldnt know the answers, which just goes to show the state of the education system here.
You would have thought that the powers that be would be interested in educating British people before worrying about what  immigrants know.  Personally i think the whole thing is a joke and dont even get me started on "making people  pay"

Stay safe

Jules

Statements can be held to be true through omission. I sincerely doubt that only a small percentage of Americans has any idea that the Mayflower was not the first ship. Look at this page from PBS.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/historyofus/web03/segment1.html

The context of the statement is a discussion of religious freedom in America.  The Pilgrims were the first group to come to the colonies in order to find freedom from religious persecution. The groups that came before did so for financial reasons.  Therefore, it would not have been appropriate to discuss them in a story about religious freedom, as their religion had nothing to do with their journey.

I honestly don't know what to do about people who misinterpret this to mean that the Mayflower was the first ship? Maybe they should read more?

Actually the Pilgrims didn't come to America because of religious persecution. They'd already settled in the Netherlands, where they were left alone. So much so that their children started assimilating into Dutch culture, which bothered them so they wanted to go to a place where there wouldn't be any other Protestants. It was their own intolerance that motivated the journey. Also, only a small percentage of the Mayflower were Pilgrims; the majority were the usual dregs and scum just trying to stay one step ahead of the law. The Mayflower event also wouldn't have happened if the journey hadn't been financed by venture capitalists who wanted a return profit on their investment. The famous Mayflower compact took place, not because the Pilgrims had this great vision, but because they were pissing in their pants. They'd been given permission to land in Virginia and New England was already contracted to other groups. When the puritans realized that they'd landed in the wrong place, where they didn't have the Crown authority to back them up (since they were there illegally), and when the crew and non-puritans started to get rebellious, the puritans clumped together to make an erstaz government to keep the rabble, who were the majority of the ship, in line.

Capitalism, coercion, religious hatred: now that's a tale every president can admire.

Actually the Pilgrims didn't come to America because of religious persecution. They'd already settled in the Netherlands, where they were left alone. So much so that their children started assimilating into Dutch culture, which bothered them so they wanted to go to a place where there wouldn't be any other Protestants. It was their own intolerance that motivated the journey. Also, only a small percentage of the Mayflower were Pilgrims; the majority were the usual dregs and scum just trying to stay one step ahead of the law. The Mayflower event also wouldn't have happened if the journey hadn't been financed by venture capitalists who wanted a return profit on their investment. The famous Mayflower compact took place, not because the Pilgrims had this great vision, but because they were pissing in their pants. They'd been given permission to land in Virginia and New England was already contracted to other groups. When the puritans realized that they'd landed in the wrong place, where they didn't have the Crown authority to back them up (since they were there illegally), and when the crew and non-puritans started to get rebellious, the puritans clumped together to make an erstaz government to keep the rabble, who were the majority of the ship, in line.

You are correct on all this. I meant the original reason for the Pilgrims leaving the UK was religious persecution. (The Netherlands has always been known for religious tolerance.)  It's an admittedly simplified vesion.

At least there is a little bit of a religion  story in there somewhere. You really can't say anything about religion with Roanoke or Jamestown.

As for the tube question: I don't know anything about the London tube, but didn't the Pilgrims depart from Plymouth in Cornwall, hence the name of the rock in Massachusetts Is there a Plymouth station?