Basic General Knowledge Questions and Answers

1. The chemical name of Vitamin B is
a) thiamine
b) ascorbic acid
c) riboflavin
d) nicotinamide

Answer: a

2. The first Indian actress to have been nominated to the Rajya Sabha was
a) Nargis Dutt
b) Hema Malini
c) Jaya Prada
d) None of the above

Answer: a

3.The first NAM (Non-Aligned Movement) conference was held at
a) Belgrade (Yugoslavia)
b) Caire (Egypt)
c) Lusaka (Zambia)
d) Algeria (Algeria)

Answer: a

4. The first recipient of Bharat Ratna award in 1954 was
a) S. Radhakrishnan
b) C. Rajagopalachari
c) C.V. Raman
d) Jawaharlal Nehru

Answer: b

5. The credit of developing the polio vaccine goes to
a) Jones Salk
b) Alb E. Sabin
c) J.L. Baird
d) J. Perkins

Answer: a

6. The important industries of Rajasthan are
a) textiles and woollen
b) sugar and cement
c) glass and zinc smelters
d) All of the above

Answer: d

7.The headquarter of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation is at
a) Kolkata
b) Darjeeling
c) Mumbai
d) New Delhi

Answer: d

8. The member states of Benelux Economic Union are
a) Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg
b) Indonesia, Kuwait, Libya
c) Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Iraq
d) Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad, Tobago

Answer: a

9. The largest city of India is
a) New Delhi
b) Mumbai
c) Kolkata
d) Chennai

Answer: b

10. The literacy rate of Andaman & Nicobar Islands is
a) 86.63 per cent
b) 80.76 per cent
c) 79.23 per cent
d) 78.11 per cent

Answer: a

11. The Heads of Government of the countries which are members of the Commonwealth meet
a) once a year
b) biannually
c) as and when necessary
d) at intervals of three years

Answer: b

12. The headquarter of the International court of Justice (UNO) are located at
a) New York, USA
b) Bangkok
c) Addis Ababa
d) Hague (Netherlands)

Answer: d

13. The headquarter of all the following international organization are based at Vienna, excepted
a) United Nations Industrial Development Organization
b) Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
c) United Nations Development Programme
d) International Atomic Energy Agency

Answer: c

14. The headquarter of European Court of Justice (ECJ) are situated at
a) Paris
b) Luxembourg
c) Strasbourg (France)
d) San Jose, Costa Rica

Answer: b

15. The host of first Olympics in 1896 was
a) Athens, Greece
b) Paris, France
c) Los Angeles, USA
d) London, Great Britain

Answer: a

16. The award instituted to honor outstanding agricultural scientists is
a) Bhatnagar Award
b) Borlaug Award
c) Dadabhai Naoroji Award
d) Arjuna Award

Answer: b

17.The battle tanks designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization in collaboration with Heavy Vehicles Factory and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited are
a) Arjun
b) Vijayanta
c) T-55 and T-72
d) All of the above

Answer: a

18. The chief administrative office of the UNO, which co-ordinates and supervises the activities of the UNO, is
a) the International court of justice
b) the General Assembly
c) the secretariat
d) the Trusteeship council

Answer: c

19. The first women to climb Mt. Everest was
a) Karoline Mikkelson
b) Junko Taibei
c) Valentina Tereshkova
d) None of the above

Answer: b

20. The five intertwined rings or circles on the Olympic Flag made of white silk are
a) from right to left blue, yellow, black, green and red respectively
b) from left to right blue, yellow, black, green and red respectively
c) from right to left blue, black, green, red and yellow respectively
d) from left to right yellow, red, green, black and blue respectively

Answer: b

21. The main reserves of phosphorus in the biosphere is in the
a) hydrosphere
b) troposphere
c) lithosphere
d) atmosphere

Answer: c

22. The Loktak lake facing environmental problems is situated in
a) Orissa
b) assam
c) Kerala
d) manipur

Answer: d

23. The market condition when goods and services are not freely available and thus the prices are relatively high is called
a) rights issue
b) sinking fund
c) seller's market
d) recession

Answer: c

24. The headquarter of 'Assam Rifles' at
a) kohima
b) Shillong
c) Aizawl
d) dispur

Answer: b

25. The language spoken in Sikkim are
a) Nepali, Hindi, Lepcha, Bhutani
b) Bengali, Tripuri
c) Marathi
d) manipuri

Answer: a

26. The first lady Prime Minister of a country was
a) Srimavo Bhadaranaike (Sri Lanka)
b) Maria Estate Pew (Argentina)
c) Junko Taibei (Japan)
d) None of the above

Answer: a

27.The common pesticides which are in use consist of
a) PCBs
b) organochlorines
c) olefins
d) heterocyclic compounds

Answer: c

28. The dance in Himachal Pradesh, performed indoor, solo or duet, especially when life comes to a standstill during cold winter is
a) Rouf
b) Munzra
c) Giddha parhaun
d) Luddi dance

Answer: b

29. The battle tanks that have been modernized to keep pace with the latest technology development is
a) arjun
b) T-55 and T-72
c) Vijayanta
d) All of the above

Answer: c

30. The first Asian Games were held in 1951 at
a) New Delhi, India
b) Manila, Philippines
c) Tokyo, Japan
d) Jakarata, Indonesia

Answer: a

31. The main purpose of ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) is
a) to provide collective defence and economic cooperation
b) to maintain higher standards of living among member nations
c) to accelerate economic progress and maintain economic stability
d) None of the above

Answer: c

32. The main object of which of the following UN agency is to help the underdeveloped countries in the task of raising their living standards?
a) IMF
b) UNICEF
c) UNDP
d) IDA

Answer: d

33. The headquarter of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries are at
a) Algiers
b) Lagos
c) Kuwait
d) Vienna

Answer: d

34. The language spoken in Lakshadweep island is
a) Malayalam
b) Marathi
c) Tamil
d) Kannada

Answer: a

35. The life history of human malaria parasite in Anopheles was first described by
a) Partrick Manson
b) Laveran
c) Ronald Ross
d) Richard Pfeiffer

Answer: c

36. The company that has acquired interest in different industries by taking over or merging with other companies, is called
a) collateral
b) coalition
c) conglomerate
d) None of the above

Answer: c

37.The first Indian and Asian to receive the Nobel Prize in Physics was
a) C.V. Raman
b) Mother Teresa
c) Rabindranath Tagore
d) S. Chandrasekhar

Answer: a

38. The first Dada Saheb Phalke Award, given in 1969, was received by
a) Devika Rani
b) Kanan Devi
c) Pankaj Mullick
d) Sohrab Modi

Answer: a

39. The command from a superior officer or a judge to a subordinate right given to a person to act in the name of another, is
a) Mandamus
b) modvat
c) Manifesto
d) mandate

Answer: d

40. The Awards conferred by the Hollywood Foreign press Association which is given annually for creditable efforts in film direction, are
a) Oscar Award
b) Golden Bear Award
c) Owen Global Prize
d) Golden Globe Award

Answer: d

41. The headquarter of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are situated at
a) Paris
b) Geneva
c) Rome
d) Vienna

Answer: d

42. The main crop of Meghalaya is
a) rice
b) barley
c) wheat
d) sugarcane

Answer: a

43. The major minerals found in Uttar Pradesh are
a) copper and graphite
b) limestone and dolomite
c) rock phosphate and dolomite
d) None of the above

Answer: b

44. The member of SEATO (South-East Asia Treaty Organisation) are
a) Australia, France, New Zealand
b) Philippines, Thailand
c) UK and USA
d) All of the above

Answer: d

45. The highest national award in India given for exceptional work for advancement of art, literature and science
a) Bharat Ratna
b) Padmabhusan Awards
c) Padmashree Awards
d) None of the above

Answer: a

46. The first Olympics in the city of Olympia in Greece took place in
a) 1100 BC
b) 860 BC
c) 776 BC
d) 793 BC

Answer: c

47.The clear sky looks blue because
a) reflection of light
b) refraction of light
c) diffraction of light
d) dispersion of light

Answer: d

48. The common terms used in shooting are
a) hunting, show-jump, dressage
b) bed, ballsege, marksmanship, plug
c) bou, bucket, low, feather, paddle, regatta
d) None of the above

Answer: b

49. The buoyancy depends on
a) the mass of the body
b) the shape of the body
c) the mass of the liquid displaced
d) the depth to which the body is immersed

Answer: c

50. The first chairman of the Africa fund committee was
a) Late Rajiv Gandhi
b) Late Indira Gandhi
c) Late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
d) None of the above

Answer: a

51. Until December 1991 ____ were integral parts of the USSR & not independent countries, but had separate UN memberships.
a) Belarus and Ukraine
b) Czech Republic and Slovakia
c) Tonga and Nauru
d) None of the above

Answer: a

52. Weight of an object put in a satellite orbiting in space around the earth is
a) the same as on the earth
b) slightly more than that on the earth
c) less than that on the earth
d) reduced to zero

Answer: d

53. To which country did the first Secretary-General of the UN belong?
a) Austria
b) Sweden
c) Burma
d) Norway

Answer: d

54. War of the Roses was
a) civil war in England
b) religious-cum-political war between the Lutherans Catholics in Germany
c) war between Syrian and Roman forces
d) None of the above

Answer: a

55. The three abundant elements in the earth's crust are aluminium, oxygen and silicon. The correct order of their abundance is
a) oxygen, aluminium, silicon
b) aluminium, silicon, oxygen
c) oxygen, silicon, aluminium
d) silicon, oxygen, aluminium

Answer: c

56. The 'pulse' of the aquatic environment can be ascertained by measuring
a) nitrogen
b) oxygen
c) alkalinity
d) conductivity

Answer: b

57.The range of R.B.C to W.B.C in the human body is
a) 15 : 500
b) 10 : 500
c) 5 : 500
d) 1 : 500

Answer: d

58. The official language of the Government of India is
a) English
b) Malayalam
c) Hindi
d) Marathi

Answer: c

59. The number of chromosomes in human body is
a) 42
b) 44
c) 46
d) 48

Answer: c

60. The purest form of water can be obtained from
a) a deep tubewell
b) a running stream
c) a hot water spring
d) a heavy shower of rain

Answer: d

61. The velocity of light was first measured by
a) Einstein
b) Network
c) Romer
d) Galileo

Answer: c

62. The trophies and cups awarded for cricket are
a) McDowell's Challenge cup and World cup
b) Federation cup
c) Moin-ud-Dowla cup and B. C. Gupta cup
d) None of the above

Answer: a

63. The third highest nation award given for distinguished service in any field is
a) Padma Vibhushan
b) Padma bhushan
c) Padma shri
d) Bharat Ratna

Answer: c

64. The term used in billiards are
a) blocking, held ball, holding, jump ball, pivot
b) target, field, flight, ballsege
c) auxiliary point system, rabbit punch, break, cut
d) blank line, break, bolting, cannon, cue, hazard, in-oft

Answer: d

65. Vir Chakra (a medal) is made up of
a) bronze
b) gold gilt
c) standard silver
d) None of the above

Answer: c

66. The Rh factor refers to
a) a protein substance found in the blood of some people
b) a hormone carried by the blood
c) the ratio of red corpuscles to white corpuscles in the blood
d) a process that speeds up the clothing of blood

Answer: a

67.The Reliance Cup is associated with
a) sea plane race (England)
b) world badminton (women)
c) badminton
d) cricket

Answer: d

68. The National Emblem was adopted by Government of India on
a) January 26, 1950
b) August 15, 1947
c) August 2, 1950
d) July 12, 1947

Answer: a

69. The scientist who first discovered that the earth revolves round the sun was
a) Newton
b) Dalton
c) Copernicus
d) Einstein

Answer: c

70. The number of sovereign countries who are members of the United Nations, is
a) 180
b) 182
c) 183
d) 193

Answer: d

71.Thomas Cup is associated with
a) badminton
b) billiards
c) lawn tennis
d) table tennis

Answer: a

72. Theory of Idealism was expounded by George Hegal, Bishop George and Berkeley According to this
a) mathli is an illusion and that the only reality that which exists mentally
b) good was pleasure and that evil was pain
c) base of knowledge is sense-experience, that is, observations governed by scientific principles
d) all knowledge is derived from sensory experience, by observing and experimenting

Answer: a

73. Vitamin B12 is most useful for combating
a) anemia
b) goitre
c) night blindness
d) rickets

Answer: a

74. To prevent loss of weight plants reduce transpiration by
a) shedding of leaves
b) reducing the size of leaves
c) developing hair around stomata
d) All of the above

Answer: d

75. The term which denotes that each side has made equal point at game point, in Tennis, is referred to as
a) baseline
b) deuce
c) fault
d) grand slam

Answer: b

76. The theory of utilitarianism was expounded by
a) Jeremy Bentham (1748-1836)
b) James Mill(1773-1839)
c) Henry Sidgwick (1838-1900)
d) All of the above

Answer: d

77.The velocity of sound in air (under normal condition) is
a) 30 m/sec
b) 320 m/sec
c) 332 m/sec
d) 3,320 m/sec

Answer: c

78.The term used to describe a sudden fall of a government, brought about by illegal force is called
a) credit squeeze
b) loup de' etat
c) deficit financing
d) deflation

Answer: b

79. The term steeplechase is associated with which of the following sports?
a) Boxing
b) chess
c) Rowing
d) Horse Racing

Answer: d

80. The total number of Judges of the International Court of Justice is
a) 10
b) 12
c) 15
d) 18

Answer: c

81.The significance of peace is denoted by which of the following symbol?
a) Olive branch
b) green light
c) Lotus
d) Red flag

Answer: a

82. The objective of India's space programme was
a) mass communication and education via satellite
b) survey and management of natural resources
c) development of indigenous satellites and satellite launch vehicles
d) All of above

Answer: d

83. The number of permanent members of the UN Security Council is
a) 3
b) 4
c) 5
d) 6

Answer: c

84. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, awards the Nobel Prize in
a) physics
b) economics
c) chemistry
d) both (a) and (c)

Answer: d

85. The prize winning title of Arundhati Roy for Booker's Prize in 1997 was
a) Amsterdam
b) The God of Small Things
c) Disgrace
d) Last Orders

Answer: b

86. The telescope is used for viewing
a) distant objects
b) near objects
c) small objects
d) living cells

Answer: a

87.The transport fleet of Air Force consists of
a) IL-765
b) Boeing-731
c) AN-352
d) All of the above

Answer: d

88. The term butterfly is associated with
a) kabbadi
b) swimming
c) boxing
d) wrestling

Answer: b

89. Venturi tube is used for
a) measuring intensity of earthquakes
b) measuring specific gravity
c) measuring density
d) measuring flow of a fluid

Answer: d

90. Uttar Pradesh is surrounded by ___ in north
a) Nepal
b) Uttarakhand
c) Haryana and Delhi
d) Rajasthan

Answer: b

91. The national flag was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on
a) August 15, 1947
b) July 22, 1947
c) January 26, 1950
d) January 2, 1950

Answer: b

92. The regional economic commissions of the Economic and Social Council (UNO) are
a) ECE (Economic Commission of Europe) and ESCAP (Economic and Social Commission for Asia)
b) ECLA (Economic Commission for Latin America) and ECA (Economic Commission for Africa)
c) ECWA (Economic Commission for Western Asia) and ECLA
d) All of the above

Answer: d

93. The playground of baseball is known as
a) Court
b) Diamond
c) Ring
d) Pitch

Answer: b

94. The state having maximum cities is
a) Uttar Pradesh
b) West Bengal
c) Madhya Pradesh
d) Kerala

Answer: a

95. The National Convention framed the new Republican constitution of France in 1795, according to which
a) the executive authority of the state was vested in a committee of five directors, called the Directo
b) a bicameral legislature was established
c) both (a) and (b)
d) None of the above

Answer: c

96. The sacred place for Buddhists is
a) Lumbini (Nepal) where Buddha was born
b) Bodh Gaya (Bihar) where Buddha received enlightenment
c) Kusinagara (UP) where Buddha attained Nirvana
d) All of the above

Answer: d

97.The national museum is located at
a) Mumbai
b) Lucknow
c) New Delhi
d) Pune

Answer: c

98. The only Indian woman who become President of the World Health Organisation so far is/was
a) Smt. Kamala Devi Chattopadhyaya
b) Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur
c) Smt. Vijayalakshmi Pandit
d) Dr. Sushila Nayar

Answer: b

99. The News Agency "Associated Press" is of
a) Indonesia
b) America
c) Bangladesh
d) China

Answer: b

100. The Olympic Flame was lit for the first time at the Amsterdam stadium in
a) 1981
b) 1928
c) 1938
d) 1948

Answer: b