Lesson 2S.2.1

2S.2.1 Modern Britain, 1979–2007 Quiz: AQA History, Unit 29

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

In partnership with Revision Ninja

Lesson 2S.2.1, Modern Britain, 1979–2007: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA History (7042), Unit 29: 2S The Making of Modern Britain, 1951–2007, written with Revision Ninja.

Host it live on the board and students join with a game code on their own devices, or revise alone with Free Play. The answers are revealed in the game.

Host this setFree Play

The 20 questions

  1. Which economic approach, central to Thatcher's policies from 1979, emphasised controlling the money supply to reduce inflation?

    • Planned economy
    • Corporatism
    • Monetarism
    • Keynesianism

  2. Which 1980 Act allowed council tenants to buy their homes at a discount?

    • The Housing Act (Right to Buy)
    • The Housing Finance Act of 1972
    • The Rent Act of 1977
    • The New Towns Act of 1946

  3. Which 1982 conflict in the South Atlantic was fought by Britain against Argentina?

    • The Boer War
    • The Falklands War
    • The Suez Crisis
    • The Cod War

  4. Which 1984-1985 dispute was led by Arthur Scargill and centred on pit closures?

    • The miners' strike
    • The Wapping dispute of 1986
    • The General Strike
    • The Winter of Discontent

  5. Which tax introduced by Thatcher's government in 1989-1990 led to widespread protests and was later abandoned?

    • The poll tax
    • The stamp duty
    • The windfall tax
    • The council tax

  6. Which 1986 measure deregulated the London financial markets and is associated with the 'Big Bang'?

    • Nationalisation of the banks
    • The introduction of the minimum wage
    • The creation of the NHS trusts
    • Deregulation of the City of London

  7. Which event of 16 September 1992 forced Britain out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism?

    • Black Wednesday
    • The Miners' Strike
    • The Winter of Discontent
    • The Big Bang

  8. Which treaty of 1992 created the European Union and set out plans for a single currency?

    • The Lisbon Treaty
    • The Maastricht Treaty
    • The Treaty of Rome
    • The Single European Act

  9. Which Act of 1986 provided for a single market in the European Community and increased the powers of the European Parliament?

    • The Maastricht Treaty
    • The Single European Act
    • The Treaty of Rome
    • The Schengen Agreement

  10. Which Labour leader changed the party's image and led it to a landslide victory in 1997?

    • Tony Blair
    • Gordon Brown
    • John Smith
    • Neil Kinnock

  11. Which 1998 agreement brought about a power-sharing settlement in Northern Ireland?

    • The Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985
    • The Good Friday Agreement
    • The Downing Street Declaration of 1969
    • The Sunningdale Agreement

  12. Which 1997 decision gave Britain's central bank operational independence over interest rates?

    • The Bank of England was given independence to set interest rates
    • The Treasury set the exchange rate directly without advice
    • The interest rate was fixed by Parliament each year
    • The Bank of England was merged with the Treasury

  13. Which military action led by Britain and the USA in 2003 remained controversial and was part of the 'war on terror'?

    • The invasion of Iraq
    • The Kosovo bombing of 1999
    • The Suez intervention
    • The Gulf War of 1991

  14. Which statement best describes the Conservative divisions over Europe under Major?

    • The party agreed unanimously to abolish the EU in 1992
    • The party became a single-issue party focused only on Northern Ireland
    • The party chose not to discuss European policy at all
    • Disagreement over the Maastricht Treaty and monetary union split the party

  15. Which trade union dispute of 1986 involved newspaper workers at Wapping and showed the government's willingness to face down unions?

    • The Jarrow march
    • The Winter of Discontent
    • The Tolpuddle affair
    • The Wapping dispute

  16. Which Conservative leader replaced Thatcher in 1990 after a leadership challenge?

    • John Major
    • Kenneth Clarke
    • Michael Heseltine
    • Norman Tebbit

  17. Which factor best explains Labour's victory in 1997 after eighteen years in opposition?

    • The defeat of Thatcher in a general election in 1992
    • Blair's repositioning and Conservative divisions and sleaze
    • A large increase in trade union membership
    • The collapse of the Liberal Democrats after 1995

  18. Which Act of 1998 incorporated the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law?

    • The Equality Act
    • The Freedom of Information Act
    • The Human Rights Act
    • The Data Protection Act

  19. Which statement best explains Thatcher's electoral success in the 1980s?

    • The support of the Liberal Party, which formed a coalition in 1983
    • A landslide victory based on support from the trade unions
    • The adoption of proportional representation in 1983
    • Economic reform, the Falklands and a divided opposition

  20. Which statement best summarises Britain's transformation between 1979 and 2007?

    • The period saw no significant change in social attitudes or politics
    • Britain returned to full state control of the economy and abandoned all reform
    • Market-led reform, Europeanisation and devolution reshaped the economy, state and society
    • The welfare state was abolished in 1979 and never restored by 2007

All AQA History quizzes