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The withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union is popularly called:
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Answer: Option C — Brexit
Detailed Solution
"Brexit" (a blend of "Britain" and "exit") refers to the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union.
Background:
- The UK joined the European Economic Community (EEC) on 1 January 1973, along with Ireland and Denmark.
- In 1975, a referendum confirmed the UK's membership of the EEC.
- Over the years, many British people and politicians felt that EU membership limited the UK's sovereignty, especially over immigration, laws and trade.
The Brexit process:
Prime Minister David Cameron held a referendum on 23 June 2016.
About 52 per cent voted to leave and 48 per cent to remain. England and Wales voted to leave, while Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain.
Cameron resigned, and Theresa May became Prime Minister.
In March 2017, the UK invoked Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union, which sets out how a member country can leave the EU.
Theresa May's withdrawal agreement was rejected several times by Parliament, and she resigned in 2019.
Boris Johnson became Prime Minister, won a large majority in the December 2019 election with the slogan "Get Brexit Done", and Parliament approved a revised withdrawal agreement.
The UK formally left the EU on 31 January 2020 at 11 p.m. (UK time).
A transition period followed until 31 December 2020.
The "EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement" came into force from 1 January 2021.
The "Northern Ireland Protocol" and later the "Windsor Framework" (2023) dealt with trade arrangements for Northern Ireland, to avoid a hard border with Ireland.
Effects:
- The UK became the first country to leave the EU, reducing EU membership from 28 to 27.
- The UK now makes its own trade deals; the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement was signed in July 2025.
Related terms:
- "Grexit": the possible exit of Greece from the eurozone, discussed during its debt crisis (2010s).
- "Frexit" and others: similar terms for other countries.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Grexit refers to Greece's possible exit from the eurozone.
- ✗"Ukexit" is not a standard term.
- ✗"Eurexit" is not a standard term.
Quick tip
Remember: Brexit = UK's exit from the EU (referendum 23 June 2016, 52-48; Article 50 invoked 2017; left 31 January 2020; trade deal from 1 January 2021); Grexit = Greece; EU now has 27 members.
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World GK: Countries, Capitals & Currencies — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of World GK: Countries, Capitals & Currencies, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers world GK: countries with their capitals, currencies and parliaments, national symbols, famous landmarks, the longest, largest and highest features of the world, and international boundary lines such as the Radcliffe, McMahon and Durand Lines. The most common questions match a country with its capital or currency, or a parliament with its name (such as the Knesset of Israel or the Diet of Japan). Revise countries continent by continent, giving extra attention to India's neighbours. Questions on boundary lines usually ask which two countries a line separates. Practise the world GK questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.