1st Chapter

Question 1

How does the number of British national teams vary in selected sports?

Answer 1

North Ireland has only a football team.

In cricket, Wales players are combined with England players.

Question 2

What are the geographical names (individual and collective, estabilished and alternative) of the islands lying off the north-west coast of Europe, and what is the problem with them?

Answer 2

Channel Islands, Guernsey and Jersey, they belong to the British Isles but geographically they belong to Europe.

Question 3

What are the Crown Dependencies and what is their status with respect to the UK? Who governs them on
behalf of the Monarch, and who appoints these officials?

Answer 3

Crown dependencies are islands (Channel Islands, The Isle of Man) that are ruled by a Lieutenant Governor appointed by the British government.

Question 4

Which two states cover the area of the British Isles? Give their full (official) and other (shortened or
informal) names and the contexts in which they are used.

Answer 4

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
The Republic of Ireland, in Irish language „Eire“, informally Ireland or the Republic.
At Eurovision as United Kingdom, in everyday speech – UK.

Question 5

What is the origin of the adjective ‘great’ in the name ‘Great Britain’?

Answer 5

The adjective „great“ was first used to distinguish Great Britain from a smaller area in France called „Brittany.“

Question 6

In which year was the political unification of the UK completed, and when did most of Ireland become a
separate state?

Answer 6

Unification in 1800 .

In 1922 most of Ireland became a separate state.

Question 7

How do the English differ from the Welsh, Irish and highland Scots racially and linguistically, and what
aspects of British life still reflect these differences today?

Answer 7

Ireland, Wales and Highland Scotland culture was Celtic – they spoke Celtic languages.
England and Lowland Scotland were Germanic – they spoke Germanic dialects.
They had different systems and were independent of each other.

Question 8

What are the alternative (historical or poetic) names of the four nations of the UK?

Answer 8

Albion is a poetic name
Britannia – Romans used this name
Caledonia, Cambria, Hibernia were Roman names for Scotland, Wales and Ireland respectively.
Erin and The Emerald Isle are poetic names of Ireland.

Question 9

What are the personifications of Britishness and Englishness called, how are they depicted and where are
they used?

Answer 9

John Bull

• a fictional character who personifies Englishness and English virtues (similiar to Uncle Sam)
• in nineteenth century cartoons
• today he is very often depicted as a mascot at football or rugby matches
• he looks like a typical eighteenth century country gentleman – idylic rural past

Question 10

What are the typical signs (surnames and names) of national identity associated with the individual nations
of the UK?

Answer 10

Scottish - MacCarthy, MacDonald
Name - Ian

Irish - O’Brien, O’Connor
Name - Sean

Welsh - Evans, Jones

England - Smith
Name - John

Question 11

What are the typical signs (clothes and musical instruments) of national identity associated with the
individual nations of the UK?

Answer 11

Typical clothes are the kilt – a symbol of Scottishness (not worn casually)

Harp – emblem of Wales and Ireland
Bagpipes – Scottish, a smaller type in Irish music

Question 12

What are the typical signs (national characteristics) of national identity associated with the individual
nations of the UK?

Answer 12

Characteristics:
Irish – great talkers
Scots – careful with money
Welsh – singing ability

Question 13

What are the flags of the four nations of the UK?

Answer 13

Flags:
England – St. George’s Cross
Wales – Dragon of Cadwallader
Scotland – St. Andrew’s Cross and Lion Rampant
Ireland – The Ulster banner and Republic of Ireland

Question 14

What are the national plants of the four nations of the UK?

Answer 14

England – rose
Wales – leek/daffodil
Scotland – thistle
Ireland - shamrock

Question 15

What are the national colours of the four nations of the UK?

Answer 15

England - white
Wales - red
Scotland - blue
Ireland - green

Question 16

What are the patron saints of the four nations of the UK?

Answer 16

England – St. George
Wales – St. David
Scotland – St. Andrew
Ireland – St. Patrick

Question 17

How can the common use of England/English to mean Britain/British be explained?

Answer 17

The common use of England/English to mean Britain/British is because England was able to assert her economic and military power over the other nations

Question 18

Where can the dominance of England (at the expense of the other three nations) be detected today?

Answer 18

• supply of money in Britain is controlled by Bank of England
• Scotland and Ireland never had an „Elizabeth I“
• „Anglo-American relations“ mean relationship between Britain and the USA (not whole England)
• things in Wales, Scotland or Ireland are presented as something „other“

Question 19

What are the divisions and crossovers of national loyalties among many people in Britain (in terms of their
national self-identification and support for teams in sporting contests)?

Answer 19

Many Scottish, Welsh or Irish people do not want to be called „English“.
They support the country of their parents or grandparents rather than England in sports.
Carribean people will support West Indies when they play, but in a sport that is not represented by them, they gladly support England.

Question 20

What are the populations of the four nations and the whole of the UK? (you can give approximate, round
numbers)

Answer 20

England 50,8
Scotland - 5,1
Northern Ireland - 1,7
Wales - 3,0

Question 21

What are the largest recognizable/identifiable ethnic groupings in the UK other than ‘white British’? What
is interesting about the number of people who came to Britain from eastern Europe?

Answer 21

„White other“ was the largest category after „white british“ – these people were from a variety of places and resided in Britain temporarily

800 000 people - The largest single wave of immigration to Britain in more than 300 years (especially from Poland)
It is not clear if they will set up home in Britain.

Question 22

What is the Union flag called and what symbols is it composed of?

Answer 22

„Union Jack“, the national flag of the UK, combination of the cross of St. George, the cross of St. Andrew and the cross of St. Patrick.