England Practical work 2

Questionnaire

Practical work 2

1- Which is the geographical location of the UK?

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe.

Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another state the Republic of Ireland.

The United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean in the west and north, The North Sea in the east, The English Channel in the south and the Irish Sea in the west.

2-Explain the terms: “Britain Isles” “Great Britain” and “The United Kingdom”.

• The British Isles is the name for the group of islands that includes Great Britain, Ireland and lots of smaller islands such as The Orkney and Shetland Islands, The Isle of Man, The Isle of Wight, The Scilly Islands, Lundy Islands.

• Great Britain is made up by England, Scotland and Wales.

• The United Kingdom is the political name for Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

3-Which are the countries that form the UK? Name the capital of each of them.

The countries that form The United Kingdom are England, Scotland and Wales.

Country Capital

England London

Scotland Edinburgh

Wales Cardiff

4-What is the Union Jack? How is it formed?

The Union Jack is the national flag of The United Kingdom and is made up of three crosses; every cross represents the patron saints of England, Scotland and Ireland.

The crosses were made into one flag to represent the past union of the three countries.

5-Name the different peoples who invaded Britain in order of sequence, from the year 54BC up to 1066.

From the year 54BC up to 1066 Britain was invaded for:

• Romans 45 ad up to 407.

• Vikings and Anglo-Saxons 410 up to 1063.

• Normans 1066 up to 1152.

6-What effect did these invasions have on The English Language?

The effects these invasions had been that left a great influence on the English language for example.

Words derived from the Latin:

Tall (high), long (longa).

Antique (antiqua), picture (pictura).

Derived from escandinavias languages:

Lug (lugga), cog (kug).

Hug (hugga) wicker (viker).

Rig (rigga), Nudge (nugga).

Derived from the Celtic words:

Bin (Binne), bit (bannoc).

Dun (dunne), badger (brooch).

Rock (torr), lake (luh).

7-What is the system of government in the UK?

Great Britain is a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional Monarch the Queen of England has many titular roles and is officially the head of state, although in practice, she has little political power or influence. The true influence and power in the system of government in The UK comes from the prime minister and the Parliament.

The Parliament is where politicians meet to decide laws and make decisions for the United Kingdom. One of the jobs Parliament is to check that the Government is running the country properly.

The parliament is made up of three parts:

1-The Queen: The Queen is the official Head of State. Britain has a constitutional monarchy where the Queen only rules symbolically; in reality, power belongs to Parliament. So, although the Queen 'opens' Parliament each year and laws are passed in her name, the Queen herself plays no part in determining decisions made in Parliament.

The Queen has the final say on whether a bill becomes law.

2-The House of Lords:

The House of Lords is made up of people who have inherited family titles and those who have been appointed by the queen. There are 675 members of the Lords.

The main job of the House of Lords is to 'double check' new laws to make sure they are fair and will work.

3-The House of Commons:

It has 659 members who have been elected by the citizens to represent an area of the country in Parliament. The members are called MPs (Members of Parliament). Each MP represents one of 659 constituencies (areas) in the UK and is a member of a political party, such as the Labour or the Conservative party.

The Commons is the most important place for discussing policies and making laws.

8-What is The Magna Carta and why is it important?

The Magna Carta Libertatum is an English legal document which is considered as a bill, accepted by The King John of England (successor of Richard 1) in 1215.

This paper generated a substantial impact on the English community of the time; it stated that the king was not above the law. The power of the monarch was not going to be absolute but would be limited by a council, a senate or a parliament that would take charge on the law.

The king was not going to be able to act on a whim due to the king and his advisers would be subject to the law.

9-Who is the actual head of the government?

The actual head of the government is The Prime Minister.

10-What is the role of the monarch?

Elizabeth II does not "rule" but she does "reign".

•She is the Head

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