Chapter 4 Test 2

The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is awarded annually for the best fiction novel written by an author from the Commonwealth, Ireland or Zimbabwe. It has been awarded since 1968. Past winners include Ian McEwan, Hilary Mantel and Julian Barnes.

Henry Purcell (1659-95) was the organist at Westminster Abbey. He wrote church music, operas and other pieces, and developed a British style distinct from that elsewhere in Europe.

The Giant’s Causeway is located on the north-east coast of Northern Ireland.

During Halloween people carve lanterns out of pumpkins and put a candle inside of them.

Royal Ascot , a five-day race meeting in Berkshire attended by members of the Royal Family.

In Scotland, some Scotland-specific programmes are shown and there is also a channel with programmes in the Gaelic language.

The biggest and most well-known Fringe Festival is the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

More recently, important composers include Gustav Holst (1874-1934), whose work includes The Planets, a suite of pieces themed around the planets and the solar system.

The population of the UK in 1998 was 57 million people.

There are many large venues that host music events throughout the year, such as: Wembley Stadium; The O2 in Greenwich, south-east London.

The Killing Fields (1984) was directed by Roland Joffé.

Inveraray Castle and Crathes Castle are located in Scotland.

The Grand National horse racing event is celebrated in Aintree near Liverpool.

Sir Charles (Charlie) Chaplin became famous in silent movies for his tramp character and was one of many British actors to make a career in Hollywood.

Post-war immigration means that nearly 10% of the population has a parent or grandparent born outside the UK.

The Laurence Olivier Awards recognise achievements in the area of theatre.

There is a National Lottery for which draws are made every week.

There are five ski centres in Scotland, as well as Europe’s longest dry ski slope near Edinburgh.

The population of the UK in 1600 was just over 4 million people.

In Scotland, the 31st of December is called Hogmanay.

Vaisakhi (also spelled Baisakhi) is a Sikh festival which celebrates the founding of the Sikh community known as the Khalsa. It is celebrated on 14 April each year with parades, dancing and singing.