To be a UK citizen, you need to pass a 45-minute test

Believe it or not, to be eligible for British citizenship, you need to secure at least 75 percent marks in a 45-minute-long test consisting of 24 questions.

London, Aug.10 : Believe it or not, to be eligible for British citizenship, you need to secure at least 75 percent marks in a 45-minute-long test consisting of 24 questions.

The Home Office citizenship test was introduced two years ago, and has become more complicated with the passage of time. Now, it is less Anglo-centric with the addition of a section on Scotland.

Most of those applying for citizenship have expressed amazement over the kind of questions asked, and some said they failed to come up with the correct answers. Others said they had to purchase relevant guidebooks to get by.

Some of the questions asked, according to The Scotsman, were as follows:

) How many people live in the countries of the UK?

b) How many people in the UK belong to an ethnic minority and which are the country's largest minority groups?

c) Where are Geordie, Cockney and Scouse dialects spoken?

d) How many people say they have a religion?

e) What is the Church of England and who is its head? What is the main Christian group in cotland?

f) Do people tend to live in towns and cities or in the country?

g) What and when are the patron saints' days of the four countries of the UK?

h) Which areas of policy remain under the control of the UK government?

i) What is proportional representation and where is it used?

j) How is the process of buying a house different in Scotland?

k) What are the values of the UK banknotes? b) Where can people get or change foreign currency?

l) At what age do children go to secondary school? How does this differ in Scotland?

m) How long can overseas driving licences be used for in the UK?

n) What is the purpose of a pay slip?

The test costs 34 pounds to take and can be retaken as many times as required, although the fee has to be paid every time.

In 2005, 161,000 applications for British citizenship were granted. Of those, 39 per cent were from Asia and 29 per cent from Africa.

ANI