Am I going to be more “brit” than the British?

I’m trying to get my British passport sorted out but before I can apply for one I need to take a test – to see if I qualify in my “Britishness” before I can claim to be a British citizen.

I’ve been reading through the handbook “Life in the United Kingdom: A Journey to Citizenship” which is the official test book and study guide – written by the Home Office Life in the UK Advisory Group, the people who set the citizenship test. I need to know facts like how many Chinese are living in the UK, how many children go on to pursue further education, where Santa Claus (oops Father Christmas) comes from, in fact I’m surprised I don’t have to memorise the recipe for fish’n'chips!!

I just wonder how much of what I need to know is relevant to my becoming a “Brit” – is this stuff that all Brits know?? Will it help me better converse with another fellow citizen if I know these facts? Evidently not, as we saw on “Are you smarter than a 10 year old” last night, where a young British woman was not even aware of how many countries make up Great Britain or that Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland. Is this test perhaps going to make me more “Brit” than the British? In which case it really will not help me blend in any more – in fact I will stand out like a sore thumb. You know what Sky One should do? Make a show called “Are you smarter than a foreigner” – only British citizens can take part and all the questions will be selected from the “Life in the United Kingdom: A Journey to Citizenship” handbook. Now that would be an interesting show…