A Modern, Thriving Society: practice questions

1. What is the Proms?

• A music festival in Scotland
• A famous theatre in London
• An eight-week summer season of orchestral classical musicCorrect
• An award ceremony for musicians

Why: The Proms is an eight-week summer season of orchestral classical music that takes place in various venues, including the Royal Albert Hall in London.

2. Who composed the Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks?

• Edward Elgar
• Gustav Holst
• Henry Purcell
• George Frederick HandelCorrect

Why: George Frederick Handel wrote the Water Music for King George I and Music for the Royal Fireworks for George II.

3. Who wrote The Planets suite?

• Benjamin Britten
• George Frederick Handel
• Gustav HolstCorrect
• Sir Edward Elgar

Why: Gustav Holst's work includes The Planets, a suite of pieces themed around the planets of the solar system.

4. Which play has been running in London's West End since 1952?

• Cats by Andrew Lloyd Webber
• The Phantom of the Opera
• The Mousetrap by Agatha ChristieCorrect
• Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Why: The Mousetrap, a murder-mystery play by Dame Agatha Christie, has been running in the West End since 1952.

5. What is the Edinburgh Festival Fringe known for?

• Theatre and comedy performancesCorrect
• Film screenings
• Sports events
• Classical music concerts

Why: The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is a showcase of mainly theatre and comedy performances. It often shows experimental work.

6. Who is the Turner Prize named after?

• Sir Laurence Olivier, an actor
• Joseph Turner, a landscape painterCorrect
• Damien Hirst, a contemporary artist
• Henry Purcell, a composer

Why: The Turner Prize was established in 1984 and was named after Joseph Turner, who raised the profile of landscape painting.

7. Who was Isambard Kingdom Brunel?

• The inventor of the steam engine
• An engineer who built tunnels, bridges, railway lines and shipsCorrect
• A playwright
• A famous Victorian painter

Why: Isambard Kingdom Brunel was an engineer who built tunnels, bridges, railway lines and ships, including the Great Western Railway.

8. Who designed the Cenotaph in Whitehall?

• Sir Edwin LutyensCorrect
• Sir Christopher Wren
• Robert Adam
• Inigo Jones

Why: After the First World War, Sir Edwin Lutyens was responsible for many war memorials, including the Cenotaph in Whitehall.

9. Who wrote Pride and Prejudice?

• Thomas Hardy
• Charles Dickens
• Jane AustenCorrect
• Charlotte Bronte

Why: Jane Austen was an English novelist whose books include Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility.

10. Who created the character Sherlock Holmes?

• Ian Fleming
• Agatha Christie
• Sir Arthur Conan DoyleCorrect
• Charles Dickens

Why: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a Scottish doctor and writer. He was best known for his stories about Sherlock Holmes.