A test given to people seeking to become UK citizens is like a "bad pub quiz" filled with irrelevant facts, a scathing report has found.
The study by Durham University warns the Life in the UK test is littered with errors and out-of-date information.
Professor Thom Brooks said he was baffled by some of the questions would-be citizens are asked, and branded it "not fit for purpose".
He wrote that people are required to memorise facts such as the height of the London Eye, the age of Big Ben and the dates Boris Johnson and Theresa May became PM.
The report found a handbook accompanying the test is full of "mundane" facts, stating: "It is unclear why the height of the London Eye is deemed more essential and less mundane for citizenship than knowing how to report a crime."
It continued: "It appears to be the only such test in the world that does not even ask, nor require, new applicants to know who is the head of state, how many MPs sit in Parliament nor which court sits atop the judiciary.
"Instead, the test requires memorizing facts like that the founder of the UK’s first curry restaurant – open for only a few years – had once eloped in Ireland with his Irish bride."
Prof Brooks said that the handbook is filled with facts about Sake Dean Mahomet, an Indian-born restaurant owner who opened the first curry business in 1810.
Among the trivia would-be citizens are expected to memorise, the report said, is the name of his wife - Jane Daly - and the name of the restaurant he opened - the Hindoostane Coffee House.
Prof Brooks wrote: "There are more facts to be learned about Mahomet than any other figure in Britishhistory among the current test handbook’s 180 pages."
He stated: "There are many other examples of trivial information included in the test handbook. These include the approximate age of Big Ben (“over 150 years”) and height of the London Eye in feet (443) and metres(135)."
The report found the test is littered with errors - including listing Margaret Thatcher as being alive a decade after her death.
Last year the Government said that one person had sat the test 118 times - at an astonishing cost of £5,900 in fees.
The report states: "The Life in the United Kingdom test is an essential part of British immigration and nationality law and policy.
"No major party proposes curtailing or ending its use for future naturalisation applications.
"It is a serious concern that the test remains unfit for purpose “like a bad pub quiz” with problems old and new with its design,implementation and monitoring."
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The Life in the UK test is important for anyone applying to settle permanently in the UK to ensure they have an understanding of the democratic principles underlying British society and aspects of our culture and traditions.
“We are planning to set out the process for reviewing the Life in the UK handbook later this year.”
