CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

Mr. Know-it-all

Form 9

10 points

1. How many countries does the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consist of?

a) 3
b) 2
c) 4
d) 5

2. Which flower is the national emblem of Wales?

a) a rose
b) a daffodil
c) a clover
d) a lily

3. What is the capital of Scotland?

a) Glasgow
b) New Castle
c) Edinburgh
d) Cardiff

4. What is Ben Nevis?

a) a lake
b) a mountain
c) a river
d) a city

20 points

5. In what British city can you see a monument to Walter Scott?

a) London
b) Manchester
c) Edinburgh
d) Leeds

6. In what part of the UK is New Year’s Day a big holiday?

a) Wales
b) Northern Ireland
c) England
d) Scotland

7. What monument is located in Trafalgar Square?

a) Elizabeth II
b) William the Conquerer
c) Admiral Nelson
d) Benjamin Britten

8. Scotland is known to the world because of its traditional costume? What is it?

a) a kilt
b) a wig
c) a pipe
d) a straw hat

30 points

9. In Scotland people like listening to the pipes. What do people in Wales like to listen to?

a) a violin
b) a harp
c) a piano
d) a trombone

10. The contests of the National Eisteddfod in Wales organized by

a) the Druids
b) athletes
c) ascetics
d) singers

11. Which of these women is called the grandmother of English detective stories?

a) Chareotte Bronte
b) Anna Sewell
c) Iris Merdock
d) Agatha Cristie

40 points

12. Which of these men was the author of the first English explanatory dictionary?

a) Samuel Johnson
b) Charles Dickens
c) Cliff Richard
d) Geoffrey Chaucer

13. Whose name is connected with the name of Robin Hood?

a) Earl Hanthington
b) Baron Newston
c) Robert Bruce
d) William Wallace

14. One of these famous writers signed her first works with the pen-name Mary Wistmakot. Who was it?

a) Emily Bronte
b) Agatha Cristie
c) Charlotte Bronte
d) Beatrix Potter

50 points

15. Which country in the UK was called Ulster not long ago?

a) Scotland
b) England
c) Northern Ireland
d) Wales

16. Who is the author of the book, whose main characters are Trulala and Tralala?

a) Oscar Wilde
b) Luice Caral
c) Charles Dickens
d) Donald Bisset

17. Do you know this English proverb? Give its Russian equivalent, please.

“To make a mountain out of a molehill.”

KEYS: 1. c; 2. b; 3. c; 4. b; 5. c; 6. d; 7. c; 8. a; 9. b; 10. a; 11. c; 12. a; 13. a; 14. b; 15. c; 16. b; 17. Делать из мухи слона.

Form 10

10 points

1. How many states are there in the United States today?

a) 49
b) 50
c) 52
d) 51

2. What is the national game of Canada?

a) boxing
b) base-ball
c) hockey
d) tennis

3. Which of these men is called the King of Rock-n-Roll?

a) Michael Jackson
b) Elvis Presley
c) Tom Jones
d) John Lennon

4. Why do we add the word “city” when speaking about New York City?

a) to point out that it’s a very big city
b) to make it sound more American
c) to distinguish it from the state
d) to emphasise its history

20 points

5. What do the stripes on the American flag mean?

a) the number of heroes in the war against England
b) the number of the original states which declared themselves free from England
c) the number of the first five cities after that war
d) the number of the most famous battles

6. What country presented the USA with the statue of Liberty?

a) Spain
b) England
c) Russia
d) France

7. When do people in the USA celebrate Independence Day?

a) May
b) June
c) July
d) August

8. In which English-speaking country was basketball invented?

a) the USA
b) Canada
c) Australia
d) New Zealand

30 points

9. Which state in the USA is the largest?

a) Texas
b) Colorado
c) Tennessee
d) Alaska

10. Which city in Canada is called the home of the French nation?

a) Toronto
b) Hamilton
c) Quebec
d) Montreal

11. Who is supposed to be the designer of the American flag?

a) James Madison
b) Betsy Ross
c) Harriet Beecher Stowe
d) Marquis de Lafayette

40 points

12. What is the biggest city in the USA today?

a) New York
b) Los Angeles
c) Chicago
d) Baltimore

13. What was the name of the English colonists who came to Northern America in 1620?

a) Pilgrim Fathers
b) Protestant Brothers
c) Sons and Daughters of Old English
d) Loyal Friends

14. What was William Sidney Porter’s pen name?

a) Mark Twain
b) Eugene O’Neill
c) Jack London
d) O’Henry

50 points

15. Which English-speaking country is translated from Indian as “little huts”?

a) the USA
b) Canada
c) New Zealand
d) Australia

16. New York City lies on islands. The biggest of them – Manhattan – was bought from Indians by which group?

a) the Spaniards
b) the Dutch
c) the English
d) the Portuguese

17. Do you know this English proverb? Give its Russian equivalent, please.

“To beat the air.”

KEYS: 1. b; 2. c; 3. b; 4. c; 5. b; 6. d; 7. c; 8. a; 9. d; 10. c; 11. b; 12. b; 13. a; 14. d; 15. b; 16. b; 17. Носить воду решетом или воду в ступе толочь.

Form 11

10 points

1. What English-speaking country is referred to as “down under”.

a) Canada
b) the USA
c) Australia
d) England

2. Which of these men was the first to see New Zealand?

a) Christopher Columbus
b) Mickluhho-Maklai
c) Captain Cook
d) Captain Tasman

3. Which of these people are native New Zealanders?

a) the Maoris
b) the Eskimos
c) the Indians
d) the English

4. How many senators are there in the USA Congress?

a) 50
b) 100
c) 70
d) 150

20 points

5. At what age can young people drink alcoholic drinks in the USA?

a) 16
b) 18
c) 20
d) 21

6. Who discovered Canada more than 1,000 years ago?

a) the Russians
b) the Vikings
c) the French
d) the English

7. What famous actress played the lead in the film “Gone with the Wind”?

a) Lisa Minelli
b) Vivien Leigh
c) Whoopi Goldberg
d) Julia Roberts

8. Which of these American cities is the capital of the national auto industry?

a) Chicago
b) New York City
c) Boston
d) Detroit

30 points

9. Where is Hollywood situated?

a) Alabama
b) Iowa
c) California
d) New Jersey

10. What was the first name of New York City?

a) New Castle
b) New Moscow
c) New Rome
d) New Amsterdam

11. What does the name “Mississippi” mean?

a) big river
b) green water
c) dangerous place
d) blessed river

40 points

12. Which of these US states name means snow-capped?

a) Vermont
b) Montana
c) Nevada
d) Maine

13. Alaska was bought by the USA from Russia. What country did California first belong to?

a) Brazil
b) Venezuela
c) Spain
d) Mexico

14. The name of what state is translated as “friends” from Indian?

a) Florida
b) Texas
c) Michigan
d) Indiana

50 points

15. Who was the second president of the USA?

a) Abraham Lincoln
b) James Madison
c) John Adams
d) Thomas Jefferson

16. When was the Constitution of the United States drafted?

a) 1787
b) 1790
c) 1805
d) 1810

17. Do you know this English proverb? Give its Russian equivalent, please.

“To let the grass grow under one’s feet.”

KEYS: 1. c; 2. d; 3. a; 4. b; 5. d; 6. b; 7. b; 8. d; 9. c; 10. d; 11. a; 12. c; 13. d; 14. b; 15. c; 16. a; 17. Сидеть сложа руки. Ждать у моря погоды.