By 1951, what percentage of people were outside the NHS?

• A. 1%
• B. 1.5%
• C. 2%
• D. 3%

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is how widely the NHS had extended its coverage by the early 1950s. The NHS was designed to provide universal care free at the point of use and funded through taxation, and by 1951 it had absorbed the vast majority of health services for the population. The fact that only about one and a half percent of people were outside the NHS shows just how close to universal coverage the service had become within a few years of its 1948 start.

That small outside group could include people who still used some private services or were not fully registered, but the overall picture is one of broad, almost universal access under the NHS. The other percentage options would imply a much larger portion of the population remained outside, which would contradict the rapid establishment of near-total coverage.