Part of an ongoing drive to better integrate ethnic communities into mainstream life, the "Life in the U.K." exam is now required of anyone seeking British naturalization.
The test, which consists of 24 multiple choice questions, covers areas such as the role of the Queen and different regional accents. People taking it pay a $60 fee although anyone who fails to get 18 or more questions right can retry it as many times as they wish.
National media reports noted that the exam will not test one's ability to wear a bowler hat, willingness to talk for hours about the weather, or knowledge of cricket trivia.
Immigration minister Tony McNulty has also defended a decision not to include any questions on British history.
"It is about looking forward," McNulty told the reporters, "rather than an assessment of [applicants'] ability to understand history."
The Immigration Advisory Service, an organization representing new immigrants, said it cautiously welcomed the test.
"Immigrants who seek naturalization may end up having more knowledge about life in the U.K. through these tests and their associated teaching than many who are born British citizens," the body's head, Keith Best, said in a speech.
But he said he did worry about the government's plan to prescribe the test for people who have been granted asylum in the country, many of whom may speak English poorly.
Members of the Scottish National Party spoke out strongly against the new test.
The party, which holds six of the 646 seats in the House of Commons and advocates independence for Scotland, said the exam was superficial and useless.
Lawmaker Stewart Hosie said that it was up to individuals to choose their identity and not for the government to impose it through the use of "daft tests."
"For those who believe themselves to be Scottish, Welsh, Northern Irish or indeed English this may be seen as very insulting," he said.
Britain comprises England, Scotland and Wales, and together with the province of Northern Ireland constitutes the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, the Commission for Racial Equality, a government-funded organization, has released the results of an in-depth survey of British identity.
Overwhelming, those surveyed were found to identify a lot more strongly with their region of origin than with their country.
Most of the respondents said "Britishness" had no genuine meaning for them and that they mainly regarded themselves as English, Scottish or Welsh.
"People from across the board related more to notions of Welsh or Scottish or English than being British," said Caroline Fanaroko, a researcher for the commission. "Britishness is seen as a passport, but that's pretty much it."
Throughout the survey, she said that many participants - particularly those from outside England - automatically equated "Britishness" with "Englishness."
Interestingly, she said that members of ethnic minorities in England saw themselves as "British" yet not "English," a term they associated exclusively with white people.
In recent years, commentators have attributed the decline of British national identity to a number of factors, among them the problems facing the Anglican Church and scandals involving the royal family.
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