I. Fill in the blanks with the correct words.

1. The king of England ___with Rome at the beginning of the 16^th century and declared himself head of the Anglican Church.

2. Ulster was the centre of national ___in the 17th century and was severely punished by the British.

3. The Irish Catholics were ______their lands which were occupied by Protestant settlers.

4. The Irish Catholics never ______their struggle for independence and their rights.

5. For years there has been a conflict between the Catholic and Protestant ___in Northern Ireland.

6. Most of the people of Northern Ireland understand that the problems dividing the two ___in Northern Ireland must______ by peaceful means.

7. Today very few people in Ulster can speak the ___ language.

8. Until 1962___citizens could enter Britain quite freely.

9. The non-white immigrants in Britain ___little shops.

II. Complete the sentences with the best answer (a, b or c).

1. The province of Northern Ireland consists of

a) six counties, and is part of the United Kingdom.

b) several counties which are part of the Republic of Ireland (Eire).

c) small districts and states which form an independent country.

2. The problem of Northern Ireland is closely connected

a) with the geographical position of this province.

b) with religion, because the Irish people can be divided into two religious groups: Catholics and Protestants, c) with the fact that agriculture is the main branch of the economy.

3. As a result of the "Plantation of Ulster¹¹

a) industry began to develop rapidly in Ireland.

b) many Catholics received important posts and privileges.

c) the Catholics were driven from their lands and the population in Ulster became Protestant in majority.

4. One of the greatest tragedies of Ireland in the 19th century was the Great Hunger of 1845-49

a) when due to the poor grain harvest many people died.

b) when many peasants changed their activities from land tillage to sheep production.

c) when because of the bad potato harvest one million people died and more than one million emigrated to the United States of America.

5. The Irish Free State and Northern Ireland were formed

a) at the end of the 19th century in the course of the struggle of the Irish people for their independence.

b) in 1921 when the partition of Ireland took place.

c) as a result of compromise between the southern and northern parts of Ireland.

6. In 1969 conflict started between the Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland

a) because the Catholics did not have equal rights with the Protestants.

b) when the Catholics started a campaign to unite with the Irish Republic.

c) because the two communities could not agree on the land question.

7. The Gaelic language in Northern Ireland

a) is spoken widely by the population both in towns and in the countryside.

b) is still spoken in some families, especially in the west.

c) is not much different from the English language.

III. Are the statements true or false? Correct the false statements.

1. India was England's first colony.

2. When Henry VIII quarrelled with Rome over religion Ireland became a Protestant country.

3. The Protestant settlers from Scotland and England were known as "planters".

4. The Irish Free State declared itself a republic in 1921.

5. The IRA wanted to achieve a united Ireland by peaceful means.

6. Irish culture has had no influence on the development of British culture.

7. In the late 1930s most immigrants came to Britain from the West Indies.

8. The non-white people in Britain live mainly in the countryside.

9. Most Italians came to Britain during the Second World War.

10. After Britain joined the Common Market few people from Europe came to the country to live and work.