Top 50 GK Quiz Questions and Answers

What is the chemical symbol for gold?

💡 Au — from the Latin word "aurum." Gold is one of the few elements known since antiquity and has the atomic number 79.

How many bones are in the adult human body?

💡 206 bones. Babies are born with around 270, but many fuse together as they grow.

What planet is known as the Red Planet?

💡 Mars — its reddish appearance comes from iron oxide (rust) covering much of its surface.

What is the largest organ of the human body?

💡 The skin. In adults, it covers approximately 1.5 to 2 square metres and weighs about 3.6 kilograms.

What gas do plants absorb from the atmosphere during photosynthesis?

💡 Carbon dioxide (CO₂). Plants convert CO₂ and water into glucose and oxygen using sunlight.

What is the speed of light in a vacuum?

💡 Approximately 299,792 kilometres per second (about 186,000 miles per second).

What is the hardest natural substance on Earth?

💡 Diamond — it scores 10 on the Mohs hardness scale, the highest possible rating.

Which blood type is known as the universal donor?

💡 O negative (O−). It can be given to patients of any blood type in emergencies.

How many chromosomes do humans have?

💡 46 chromosomes (23 pairs). This was confirmed in 1956 — before that, scientists believed the number was 48.

What is the most abundant gas in Earth's atmosphere?

💡 Nitrogen, making up about 78% of the atmosphere. Oxygen accounts for roughly 21%.

What is the largest country in the world by area?

💡 Russia — spanning over 17.1 million square kilometres across Europe and Asia.

Which river is the longest in the world?

💡 The Nile at approximately 6,650 km, though some studies argue the Amazon may be longer.

What is the smallest country in the world?

💡 Vatican City — covering just 0.44 square kilometres, located entirely within Rome, Italy.

Which desert is the largest hot desert on Earth?

💡 The Sahara Desert in Africa, covering about 9.2 million square kilometres.

What is the capital of Australia?

💡 Canberra — not Sydney. Canberra was purpose-built as a compromise between the rival cities of Sydney and Melbourne.

Which ocean is the largest?

💡 The Pacific Ocean, covering more than 165 million square kilometres — larger than all the land area on Earth combined.

What is the highest mountain in the world?

💡 Mount Everest at 8,849 metres above sea level, located on the border of Nepal and Tibet (China).

Which country has the most natural lakes?

💡 Canada — with over 879,800 lakes, more than all other countries combined.

What is the driest continent on Earth?

💡 Antarctica. Despite being covered in ice, it receives very little precipitation, making it technically a desert.

Through how many countries does the equator pass?

💡 13 countries, including Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Kenya, Indonesia, and others.

In which year did World War II end?

💡 1945. Germany surrendered in May and Japan surrendered in September after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Who was the first person to walk on the Moon?

💡 Neil Armstrong, on July 20, 1969, during the Apollo 11 mission. His famous words: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

Which ancient civilisation built the pyramids at Giza?

💡 The Ancient Egyptians, approximately 4,500 years ago during the reign of Pharaohs Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure.

What was the name of the ship that sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg?

💡 The RMS Titanic. Over 1,500 people died, making it one of the deadliest maritime disasters in history.

Who invented the printing press?

💡 Johannes Gutenberg, around 1440 in Germany. His movable-type press revolutionised the spread of knowledge across Europe.

What year did the Berlin Wall fall?

💡 1989. The Wall had divided East and West Berlin since 1961 during the Cold War.

Which empire was the largest in history by land area?

💡 The British Empire at its peak in 1920, covering about 35.5 million square kilometres — roughly 24% of Earth's land.

Who painted the Mona Lisa?

💡 Leonardo da Vinci, between approximately 1503 and 1519. It hangs in the Louvre Museum in Paris.

In which country did the Industrial Revolution begin?

💡 Great Britain (England), in the late 18th century, beginning around the 1760s with innovations in textile manufacturing.

What ancient trade route connected China to the Mediterranean?

💡 The Silk Road — a network of trade routes spanning over 6,400 km, active from around the 2nd century BCE.

Which country has won the most FIFA World Cup titles?

💡 Brazil with 5 titles (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002). They are the only team to have played in every World Cup.

How many players are on a standard basketball team on the court?

💡 5 players per team on the court at any time, making 10 players total during play.

In which sport is the term "love" used to mean zero?

💡 Tennis. The origin is debated — one theory is it comes from the French "l'oeuf" (egg, shaped like a zero).

Which country hosted the first modern Olympic Games?

💡 Greece, in Athens in 1896. The ancient Olympics were also held in Greece, at Olympia, starting in 776 BCE.

Who holds the record for the most goals in international football?

💡 Cristiano Ronaldo, with over 130 goals for Portugal — a record he continues to extend.

What is the national sport of Japan?

💡 Sumo wrestling — it has been practiced in Japan for centuries and is deeply tied to Shinto traditions.

How long is a standard marathon race?

💡 42.195 kilometres (26 miles and 385 yards). The distance was standardised at the 1908 London Olympics.

Which cricketing nation has won the most ICC Cricket World Cup titles?

💡 Australia with 6 titles (1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015, 2023) — the most dominant team in Cricket World Cup history.

In which city were the 2020 Summer Olympics actually held?

💡 Tokyo, Japan — they were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but kept the "Tokyo 2020" branding.

What is the most-watched sporting event in the world?

💡 The FIFA World Cup Final. The 2022 final between Argentina and France was watched by an estimated 1.5 billion viewers.

Who is known as the father of the World Wide Web?

💡 Sir Tim Berners-Lee. He proposed the concept in 1989 and built the first website in 1991 at CERN in Switzerland.

What does "AI" stand for in technology?

💡 Artificial Intelligence — the simulation of human intelligence processes by computer systems.

In what year was the first iPhone released?

💡 2007. Steve Jobs unveiled it at Macworld on January 9, 2007, and it went on sale on June 29 that year.

What programming language is most used for building websites?

💡 JavaScript — it runs on virtually every web browser and is essential for interactive websites. HTML and CSS handle structure and styling.

What does "HTTP" stand for?

💡 HyperText Transfer Protocol — the foundation of data communication on the World Wide Web.

Which company developed the Android operating system?

💡 Android Inc., which was acquired by Google in 2005. The first commercial Android phone launched in 2008.

What is the most-used search engine in the world?

💡 Google, with over 90% global market share. It processes approximately 8.5 billion searches per day.

Who co-founded Microsoft alongside Bill Gates?

💡 Paul Allen, in 1975. They started the company to develop software for the Altair 8800 microcomputer.

What does "URL" stand for?

💡 Uniform Resource Locator — it is the address used to access resources on the internet.

What was the first programmable computer?

💡 The Z3, built by Konrad Zuse in Germany in 1941. It is widely considered the world's first working programmable, fully automatic digital computer.