Society & Culture questions
Use these examples to check whether the topic has stuck. Review why each answer is right or wrong, then start the drill when you are ready to answer without hints.
Hugh Hudson
Hugh Hudson directed Chariots of Fire (1981).
Kevin MacDonald
Kevin MacDonald directed Touching the Void (2003).
Nicolas Roeg
Nicolas Roeg directed Don't Look Now (1973).
Mike Newell
Mike Newell directed Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994).
Correct answer
Explanation
Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) was directed by Mike Newell.
Touching the Void
Touching the Void (2003) was directed by Kevin MacDonald, not Hitchcock.
The Third Man
The Third Man (1949) was directed by Carol Reed, not Alfred Hitchcock.
The 39 Steps
The 39 Steps (1935) is Alfred Hitchcock's classic British spy thriller.
Correct answer
Don’t Look Now
Explanation
The 39 Steps (1935) was directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Richard Burton
Richard Burton was a celebrated Welsh stage and film actor, not known for silent film comedy.
Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin's tramp character made him one of the most famous stars of the silent film era.
Correct answer
David Niven
David Niven was a suave British actor known for sound films, not silent movie comedy.
Sir Rex Harrison
Rex Harrison was a distinguished British stage and film actor, best known for My Fair Lady.
Explanation
Charlie Chaplin became famous in silent movies for his tramp character.
Dame Judi Dench
Dame Judi Dench won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for Shakespeare in Love (1998).
Emily Watson
Emily Watson has not won an Oscar; recent British winners include Firth, Hopkins, Dench, Winslet and Swinton.
Correct answer
Kate Winslet
Kate Winslet won the Oscar for Best Actress for The Reader (2009).
Tilda Swinton
Tilda Swinton won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for Michael Clayton (2008).
Explanation
Recent British actors to have won Oscars include Colin Firth, Sir Antony Hopkins, Dame Judi Dench, Kate Winslet and Tilda Swinton. Emily Watson has not won an oscar.
Passport to Pimlico
A British comedy film from 1950, made after the war, not a wartime morale booster
In Which We Serve
A 1942 British war film that played an important part in boosting morale during the Second World War
Correct answer
Carry on
The Carry On comedy film series became popular in the 1950s and 1960s, after the war
The Ladykillers
A classic British comedy from 1955, released after the Second World War
Explanation
During the Second World War, British movies (for example, In Which We Serve) played an important part in boosting morale.
Hugh Hudson
Hugh Hudson directed Chariots of Fire (1981), not Brief Encounter.
David Lean
David Lean directed Brief Encounter (1945) and also Lawrence of Arabia (1962).
Correct answer
Carol Reed
Carol Reed directed The Third Man (1949), not Brief Encounter.
Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock directed The 39 Steps (1935), not Brief Encounter.
Explanation
Brief Encounter (1945) was directed by David Lean.
Emily Watson
Emily Watson is a BAFTA-nominated British actress but has not won an Oscar.
Correct answer
Kate Winslet
Kate Winslet won the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Reader (2008).
Dame Judi Dench
Dame Judi Dench won Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars for Shakespeare in Love (1998).
Tilda Swinton
Tilda Swinton won Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars for Michael Clayton (2007).
Explanation
British actors to have won Oscars include Colin Firth, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Dame Judi Dench, Kate Winslet and Tilda Swinton. Emily Watson has not won an Oscar.
Horror movies
Chaplin made comedies, not horror films.
Silent movies
Charlie Chaplin became world-famous for his Tramp character in silent comedies made in Hollywood.
Correct answer
Murder-mystery movies
Murder-mystery films are associated with Agatha Christie, not Charlie Chaplin.
Special effects movies
British studios are known for special effects, but Chaplin was a silent comedy pioneer.
Explanation
Sir Charles (Charlie) Chaplin became famous in silent movies for his tramp character and was one of many British actors to make a career in Hollywood.
Spider-man
Spider-Man is a US Marvel production, not a UK franchise.
The Lord of the Rings
Lord of the Rings was filmed in New Zealand and is a US-financed production.
Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones is a US production by Lucasfilm and Paramount.
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is one of the two highest-grossing film franchises produced in the UK.
Correct answer
Explanation
Some of the most commercially successful films of all time, including the two highest-grossing film franchises (Harry Potter and James Bond), have been produced in the UK.
Hugh Hudson
Hugh Hudson directed Chariots of Fire (1981), the British Olympic drama.
Correct answer
Nicolas Roeg
Nicolas Roeg directed Don't Look Now (1973), not Chariots of Fire.
Kevin MacDonald
Kevin MacDonald directed Touching the Void (2003), not Chariots of Fire.
Mike Newell
Mike Newell directed Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), not Chariots of Fire.
Explanation
Chariots of Fire (1981) was directed by Hugh Hudson.
1940s
In the 1940s studios produced wartime morale films; the flourishing era was the 1930s.
1950s
The 1950s and 1960s were known for comedies; the studios' main flourishing was in the 1930s.
1930s
British film studios flourished in the 1930s under directors such as Korda and Hitchcock.
Correct answer
1920s
Films were first shown publicly in the UK in 1896; studios flourished later in the 1930s.
Explanation
British film studios flourished in the 1930s.
Thrillers
Thrillers are a popular genre but are not the specific area of British film strength noted.
Animation movies
Britain is particularly strong in animation; Nick Park has won four Oscars for animated films.
Correct answer
Action movies
Action films are produced globally; the specifically British strengths are special effects and animation.
Special effects movies
Britain continues to be particularly strong in special effects, a long-established area of expertise.
Correct answer
Explanation
Britain continues to be particularly strong in special effects and animation movies.
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