Exploration, poetry and drama: Life in the UK test revision
What the Life in the UK test can ask about this topic, explained in plain English.
We have 4 checked facts on this topic.
Here are the 4 that come up most.
The facts to know
In Elizabeth I's reign, where did English explorers try to expand trade?
The Spanish colonies in the Americas.
Elizabeth's England was feeling pleased with itself. The handbook calls it a time of growing patriotism, a new pride in being English. That confidence went to sea: explorers hunted for new trade routes and pushed into the Spanish colonies in the Americas, which did nothing to improve relations with Spain before the Armada.
Why it matters: 'Patriotism' is the handbook's key word for the Elizabethan mood, and 'Spanish colonies' is the tested destination.
Official handbook: Chapter 3, section 3.6, page 35
Who was Sir Francis Drake?
A commander who helped defeat the Spanish Armada.
Drake is the sailor of the Elizabethan age. He was one of the commanders when the Armada was beaten in 1588, and the handbook credits him as one of the founders of England's naval tradition. His ship, the Golden Hind, made him famous for a different reason: it sailed right around the world.
Why it matters: Drake is the named individual most often asked about in connection with the Armada.
Memory hook: Drake: the duck that beat the Armada and fathered the navy.
Official handbook: Chapter 3, section 3.6, page 35
What was the Golden Hind famous for?
Sailing right around the world.
The Golden Hind was Drake's ship, and it earned its place in history by being one of the first vessels to sail right around the world. The handbook gives you the technical word for that, 'circumnavigate'. A ship name, a captain and a feat: three things the test can pair up in any combination.
Why it matters: Questions ask whose ship the Golden Hind was, as well as what it did.
Memory hook: A golden deer (hind) that ran all the way round the globe with Drake at the helm.
Official handbook: Chapter 3, section 3.6, page 35
During whose reign did English settlers first begin to colonise the eastern coast of America?
Elizabeth I.
The first English settlements on America's eastern coast date from Elizabeth's reign. The real surge came in the following century, and the handbook gives a reason: many settlers were people who disagreed with the religious views of the next two kings, James I and Charles I, and chose to leave. Religion, again, drives the story.
Why it matters: Two testable pieces: it began under Elizabeth I, and it grew in the next century for religious reasons.
Memory hook: Elizabeth's era: England's first footprints on America's east coast.
Official handbook: Chapter 3, section 3.6, page 35
Try 1 practice question
Question 1
Which of these statements is correct?
The Elizabethan period was a time of growing patriotism, and English explorers sought new trade routes and tried to expand trade into the Spanish colonies in the Americas.
The Elizabethan period was a time of growing patriotism, and English explorers sought new trade routes and tried to expand trade into The Portuguese trading posts in Africa.
Show the answer
Answer: The Elizabethan period was a time of growing patriotism, and English explorers sought new trade routes and tried to expand trade into the Spanish colonies in the Americas.
Elizabeth's England was feeling pleased with itself. The handbook calls it a time of growing patriotism, a new pride in being English. That confidence went to sea: explorers hunted for new trade routes and pushed into the Spanish colonies in the Americas, which did nothing to improve relations with Spain before the Armada.
Official handbook: Chapter 3, section 3.6, page 35
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