UK Citizenship Practice Test 2026 - Free Citizenship Practice Questions and Study Guide

The members of the House of Lords, referred to as peers, are not selected by the people in the same way that members of the House of Commons are elected. Instead, the majority of peers are appointed, and this process is not open to direct public voting.

The House of Lords consists of life peers, bishops, and hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed based on their achievements and experience, often on the recommendation of the Prime Minister or the House of Lords Appointments Commission. This appointment process means that peers are selected based on merit or political considerations rather than a public electoral process.

Some hereditary peers have the right to sit in the House of Lords, but following reforms that took place in the late 20th century, only a small number of hereditary peers retain this right, and they are elected by their fellow hereditary peers to represent them.

Overall, the lack of direct selection by the electorate distinguishes the House of Lords from the House of Commons, reinforcing why the correct answer is that peers are not chosen by the people.