Reference
Glossary
Plain-English definitions of the terms that come up in the handbook and the test.
A
- Abolitionists
- People who campaigned to end slavery, such as the Quakers and William Wilberforce. Read more
- Affirmation
- A solemn, non-religious promise of allegiance made at a citizenship ceremony instead of an oath. Read more
- Allotment
- A piece of land that people rent, separate from their home, to grow fruit and vegetables. Read more
B
- Bank holiday
- A public holiday with no religious meaning, when banks and many businesses close — in early May, late May or early June, and August. Read more
- British overseas territory
- A territory linked to the UK but not part of it, such as the Falkland Islands or St Helena. Read more
- By-election
- An election held in a single constituency when its MP dies or resigns between General Elections. Read more
C
- Cabinet
- The committee of about 20 senior ministers, chosen by the Prime Minister, that meets weekly to decide government policy. Read more
- Canvassing
- Party members asking people for their votes, for example by knocking on doors or handing out leaflets. Read more
- Cavaliers and Roundheads
- The two sides in the English Civil War: Cavaliers supported King Charles I, Roundheads supported Parliament. Read more
- Cenotaph
- The war memorial in Whitehall, London, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, where wreaths are laid on Remembrance Day. Read more
- Chartists
- 19th-century campaigners who petitioned Parliament for the vote for working people and others without property. Read more
- Civil law
- The part of the law that settles disputes between people or organisations, for example over housing, faulty goods, employment or debt. Read more
- Civil service
- The politically neutral officials, chosen on merit, who help the government make and carry out policy and deliver public services. Read more
- Clans
- Prominent families who owned land in the north of Scotland and in Ireland; Highland clans later backed the Jacobites. Read more
- Commonwealth
- A voluntary association of countries, most of them once part of the British Empire, that work together on democracy and development. Read more
- Constituency
- One of the areas the UK is divided into for elections. The voters in each constituency elect one MP. Read more
- Constitution
- The set of principles by which a country is governed, including its institutions, the checks on their power, and its laws and conventions. Read more
- Constitutional monarchy
- A system in which the king or queen is head of state but does not rule; the government is chosen by the people in elections. Read more
- Criminal law
- The part of the law that deals with crimes, which are investigated by the police and punished by the courts. Read more
- Crown dependency
- An island linked to the UK with its own government, such as the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands. Not part of the UK. Read more
- Crusades
- Medieval wars in which European Christians fought for control of the Holy Land. Read more
D
- Danelaw
- The area in the east and north of England where many Viking settlers lived under their own customs. Read more
- Devolution
- Passing some powers from the UK Parliament to parliaments or assemblies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Read more
- Divine Right of Kings
- The belief that a king is appointed directly by God and does not need Parliament's approval to act. Read more
E
- Eisteddfod
- A Welsh cultural festival of music, dance, art and poetry, largely in Welsh. The National Eisteddfod of Wales is held every year. Read more
- Electoral register
- The official list of people entitled to vote. You must be on it to vote, and jurors are chosen at random from it. Read more
- Enlightenment
- An 18th-century movement of new ideas in politics, philosophy and science, including the right to one's own beliefs. Read more
- Established Church
- A Church officially linked to the state. In England this is the Church of England; Wales and Northern Ireland have none. Read more
F
- Feudalism
- The Norman system of land ownership: the king gave land to lords in return for military help, and peasants worked the lords' land. Read more
- First past the post
- The voting system for MPs: the candidate with the most votes in a constituency wins, even without a majority of all votes. Read more
G
- Gaelic
- A Celtic language, separate from English, spoken in parts of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Irish Gaelic is spoken by some people in Northern Ireland. Read more
- Gentry
- A class of large landowners that emerged after the Black Death, ranking below the nobility. Read more
- Grand Slam (tennis)
- One of the four most important tennis tournaments. Wimbledon is the only one played on grass. Read more
- Great Britain
- England, Scotland and Wales. It does not include Northern Ireland. Read more
H
- Hansard
- The official published record of everything said in Parliament. Read more
- Heptathlon
- An athletics competition made up of seven track and field events. Jessica Ennis won it at the 2012 Olympics. Read more
- Highland Clearances
- The eviction of people from small Scottish farms (crofts) to make room for sheep and cattle, common in the early 19th century. Read more
- Hill fort
- A defended settlement on a hilltop, built in the Iron Age. Maiden Castle in Dorset is a well-known example. Read more
- Hogmanay
- The Scottish name for New Year's Eve, 31 December. For some Scots it is a bigger celebration than Christmas. Read more
- Home Rule
- The idea that Ireland should stay in the UK but have its own parliament. Read more
- Hunter-gatherers
- People who live by hunting animals and collecting wild food rather than farming — Britain's first inhabitants in the Stone Age. Read more
I
J
K
- Khalsa
- The Sikh community, whose founding is celebrated at the festival of Vaisakhi on 14 April. Read more
L
- Lent
- The 40 days before Easter, when Christians reflect and traditionally fasted. It begins on Ash Wednesday. Read more
- Life peer
- A member of the House of Lords whose title lasts only for their own lifetime and cannot be passed on. Introduced in 1958. Read more
- Local authority
- An elected council that runs local services for a town, city or rural area, funded by central government and local taxes. Read more
M
- Magistrate
- A trained member of the local community, usually unpaid, who decides minor criminal cases in a Magistrates' Court. Called a Justice of the Peace (JP) in Scotland. Read more
- Moderator
- The person who chairs the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. They serve for one year only. Read more
- MOT test
- The yearly roadworthiness test that vehicles over three years old must pass. Read more
N
- National park
- An area of protected countryside that everyone can visit and where people also live and work. There are 15 in England, Wales and Scotland. Read more
- Nationalisation
- Taking industries into public (government) ownership, as the post-war Labour government did with the railways and coal mines. Read more
P
- Pantomime
- A light-hearted Christmas play for families, based on a fairy story, with music, comedy and characters such as the Dame (a woman played by a man). Read more
- Patron saint
- A nation's own saint: St George (England), St Andrew (Scotland), St David (Wales) and St Patrick (Northern Ireland). Read more
- Pay As You Earn (PAYE)
- The system in which employers deduct income tax from employees' pay and send it to HM Revenue & Customs. Read more
- PCSO
- Police community support officer: a uniformed member of police staff who patrols, works with the public and supports police officers. Read more
- Plantations (Ireland)
- Settlements of English and Scottish Protestants in Ulster and elsewhere in Ireland, on land taken from Catholic landholders. Read more
- Pocket and rotten boroughs
- Unfair old constituencies: pocket boroughs were controlled by one wealthy family; rotten boroughs had hardly any voters. Abolished in 1832. Read more
- Pound sterling
- The UK's currency, written £. One pound is divided into 100 pence. Read more
- Pre-Raphaelites
- A group of 19th-century artists, including Holman Hunt, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Sir John Millais, who painted detailed, brightly coloured pictures on religious or literary themes. Read more
- Presbyterian
- A type of Protestant Church governed by ministers and elders rather than bishops. The Church of Scotland is Presbyterian. Read more
- Pressure group
- An organisation that tries to influence government policy, such as a business group or a campaign group. Also called a lobby group. Read more
- Privatisation
- Selling state-owned industries to private owners, a major policy of Margaret Thatcher's government. Read more
- Proportional representation
- A voting system in which each party gets seats in proportion to its share of the total vote. Used for the devolved parliaments and assemblies. Read more
- Puritans
- Protestants who wanted strict, simple religious teaching and worship; many sat in Parliament before the Civil War. Read more
R
- Reformation
- The 16th-century European movement against the Pope's authority that created Protestant churches. Read more
- Restoration
- The return of the monarchy in 1660, when Charles II came back from exile to be king. Read more
- Rule of law
- The principle that everyone, including the government, is subject to the same laws. Read more
S
- Serf
- A medieval peasant who farmed a small plot of a lord's land, had to work for the lord and was not free to move away. Read more
- Shadow cabinet
- Senior opposition MPs, appointed by the leader of the opposition, who challenge government ministers and propose alternative policies. Read more
- Small claims procedure
- An informal court process for settling minor money disputes without needing a lawyer. Read more
- Sonnet
- A poem that must be 14 lines long. Shakespeare wrote many sonnets. Read more
- Speaker
- The politically neutral MP who chairs debates and keeps order in the House of Commons, chosen by MPs in a secret ballot. Read more
- Suffragettes
- Women who campaigned, often through civil disobedience, for women's right to vote; first used for members of the WSPU. Read more
T
- The Ashes
- The most famous cricket competition: a series of Test matches between England and Australia. Read more
- The Blitz
- The German air force's night-time bombing of London and other British cities during the Second World War. Read more
- The Proms
- An eight-week summer season of orchestral classical music, organised by the BBC since 1927, ending with the Last Night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. Read more
- TV licence
- A licence every home needs to watch TV on any device. The money pays for the BBC; watching without one can lead to a fine of up to £1,000. Read more
W
- Welfare state
- A system in which the government provides health care, benefits and other support for everyone 'from the cradle to the grave', set up after 1945. Read more
Y
- Yeoman Warders
- The guards of the Tower of London, also known as Beefeaters, who give tours to visitors. Read more