General Knowledge Questions and Answers

100 general knowledge questions with answers: inventors, books, science, animals, sport, money and more.

100 questions · tap “Show answer” under each one · Answer key

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GK Quiz for Class 3Trivia & General Knowledge · Worldwide · 10 questions

Who made the first vaccine, against smallpox, in 1796?
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Edward Jenner
The word vaccine comes from vacca, Latin for 'cow', after the cowpox he used. Source
Who invented dynamite?
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Alfred Nobel
His fortune funds the Nobel Prizes. Source
Which unit of power is named after the engineer James Watt?
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Watt
A typical LED bulb uses about 10 watts. Source
Who is often called the father of the computer?
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Charles Babbage
He designed mechanical computers in the 1800s. Source
Who wrote what is often called the first computer program?
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Ada Lovelace
She wrote it for Babbage's Analytical Engine in 1843. Source
Who discovered X-rays in 1895?
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Wilhelm Röntgen
He won the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901. Source
Who founded Microsoft with Paul Allen?
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Bill Gates
They founded it in 1975. Source
Who argued in 1543 that Earth goes around the Sun?
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Nicolaus Copernicus
Before him, most people believed the Sun moved around Earth. Source
Who created the periodic table of elements?
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Dmitri Mendeleev
He left gaps for elements nobody had found yet. Source
Who described the structure of DNA with Francis Crick in 1953?
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James Watson
Rosalind Franklin's X-ray images were key to the discovery. Source
Who invented the Braille reading system?
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Louis Braille
He was 15 when he developed it. Source
Who gave his name to the dots-and-dashes telegraph code?
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Samuel Morse
SOS in Morse code is · · · — — — · · · Source

Who wrote the novel '1984'?
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George Orwell
Big Brother comes from this book. Source
Who is said to have written 'The Odyssey'?
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Homer
It tells of Odysseus's ten-year journey home. Source
Who wrote 'War and Peace'?
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Leo Tolstoy
It has more than 500 characters. Source
Who wrote 'One Hundred Years of Solitude'?
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Gabriel García Márquez
It is set in the fictional town of Macondo. Source
Who wrote 'Things Fall Apart'?
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Chinua Achebe
Published in 1958, it is one of the most read African novels. Source
Who wrote 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'?
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Mark Twain
Mark Twain was the pen name of Samuel Clemens. Source
Who wrote 'Oliver Twist'?
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Charles Dickens
It first came out in monthly parts. Source
Who wrote 'The Little Prince'?
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Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
The author was also a pilot. Source
Who wrote 'Around the World in Eighty Days'?
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Jules Verne
The hero, Phileas Fogg, travels for a bet. Source
Who wrote 'Frankenstein'?
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Mary Shelley
She started it at 18. Source
Which poet wrote 'Gitanjali' and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913?
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Rabindranath Tagore
He was the first non-European to win the literature prize. Source
Who wrote 'The Alchemist'?
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Paulo Coelho
It has been translated into more than 80 languages. Source
How many teeth does an adult usually have?
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32
Children have 20 baby teeth. Source

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Which is the longest bone in the human body?
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Femur
The femur is the thigh bone. Source
What is normal human body temperature, roughly?
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About 37 °C
That is about 98.6 °F. Source
What is the chemical symbol for iron?
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Fe
Fe comes from ferrum, Latin for iron. Source
What is the SI unit of force?
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Newton
One newton is roughly the weight of a small apple. Source
What kind of energy does a moving object have?
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Kinetic energy
The faster something moves, the more kinetic energy it has. Source
Which part of a plant does most of the photosynthesis?
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Leaves
Leaves are full of green chlorophyll. Source
Which blood type is the most common worldwide?
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O positive
AB negative is one of the rarest. Source
What does an anemometer measure?
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Wind speed
Many anemometers are spinning cups. Source
What is the green pigment in plants called?
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Chlorophyll
In autumn it breaks down, and yellows and reds show through. Source
Which element are diamonds made of?
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Carbon
Graphite in pencils is carbon too. Source
Which vitamin are citrus fruits famous for?
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Vitamin C
Sailors once got scurvy from a lack of it. Source
How many chambers does the human heart have?
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4
Two atria on top, two ventricles below. Source

What is the body's largest artery called?
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Aorta
It carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. Source
Which is the hottest layer of Earth?
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Inner core
The inner core may be about as hot as the surface of the Sun. Source
What are animals that eat only plants called?
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Herbivores
Cows and rabbits are herbivores. Source
Which animal is called 'the ship of the desert'?
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Camel
Camels can go days without drinking. Source
Which is the largest penguin?
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Emperor penguin
Emperors can be about 1.2 m tall. Source
Which is the largest species of cat?
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Tiger
Siberian tigers can weigh more than 250 kg. Source
Which insect makes the silk used for fabric?
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Silkworm
Silkworms are the caterpillars of a moth. Source
What are animals that are active at night called?
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Nocturnal
Owls and bats are nocturnal. Source
Which African animal has black and white stripes all over its body?
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Zebra
No two zebras have the same stripes. Source
Which is the tallest tree species?
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Coast redwood
The tallest known redwood is about 116 m tall. Source
What is a female deer called?
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Doe
A male deer is a buck or stag. Source
How many humps does a dromedary camel have?
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1
Bactrian camels have two. Source
Which sea creature has no brain, heart or bones?
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Jellyfish
Jellyfish are about 95 percent water. Source

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How many players does each team have on the court in volleyball?
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6
Beach volleyball is played two against two. Source
Which country is judo from?
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Japan
Kano Jigoro created judo in 1882. Source
How many minutes does a standard football (soccer) match last?
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90
Two halves of 45 minutes, plus stoppage time. Source
In which sport would you do a slam dunk?
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Basketball
A dunk is pushing the ball down through the hoop. Source
Which country has won the men's Cricket World Cup the most times?
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Australia
Australia has six titles. Source
What is a perfect score in ten-pin bowling?
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300
It takes twelve strikes in a row. Source
How many holes does a standard golf course have?
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18
St Andrews in Scotland set the 18-hole standard in 1764. Source
Which city hosted the 2024 Summer Olympics?
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Paris
Paris also hosted in 1900 and 1924. Source
What color is the center of an Olympic archery target?
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Gold (yellow)
The rings go white, black, blue, red and gold. Source
Which sport has tries and scrums?
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Rugby
A try is worth five points in rugby union. Source
What is the currency of the United Kingdom?
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Pound sterling
It's the oldest currency still in use. Source
What is the currency of India?
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Rupee
The rupiah is Indonesia's currency. Source

What is the currency of South Africa?
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Rand
It's named after the Witwatersrand, a gold-rich ridge. Source
What is the currency of Mexico?
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Peso
The $ sign was first used for pesos. Source
What is the currency of Switzerland?
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Swiss franc
Switzerland isn't in the European Union. Source
How many stars are on the flag of the United States?
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50
The 13 stripes stand for the original colonies. Source
In which Italian city is the famous leaning tower?
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Pisa
It began to lean while it was still being built. Source
In which country is Angkor Wat?
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Cambodia
It appears on Cambodia's flag. Source
Which city is home to the Christ the Redeemer statue?
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Rio de Janeiro
The statue stands on Corcovado mountain. Source
In which country is the ancient city of Petra?
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Jordan
Petra was carved into pink sandstone cliffs. Source
In which country is the Great Barrier Reef?
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Australia
It's the largest coral reef system in the world. Source
Which language is most widely spoken in the Canadian province of Quebec?
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French
Montreal is one of the largest French-speaking cities in the world. Source
How many seconds are in an hour?
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3,600
60 seconds × 60 minutes. Source
What is the line at 0° longitude called?
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Prime meridian
It runs through Greenwich in London. Source
Which US city is nicknamed 'the Windy City'?
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Chicago
It isn't the windiest US city by measurement. Source

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How many degrees are in a circle?
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360
The Babylonians may have chosen 360. Source
What is the square root of 81?
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9
9 × 9 = 81. Source
What is 15% of 200?
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30
10% is 20 and 5% is 10. Source
How many years are in a century?
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100
A thousand years is a millennium. Source
Which month has the longest name in English?
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September
September has nine letters. Source
What is a shape with five sides called?
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Pentagon
Penta means 'five' in Greek. Source
What is a baby cat called?
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Kitten
Kittens open their eyes about a week after birth. Source
What is the smallest prime number?
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2
It's also the only even prime. Source
What does CPU stand for?
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Central processing unit
The CPU runs a computer's instructions. Source
What does GPS stand for?
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Global Positioning System
GPS uses signals from about 30 satellites. Source
How is the number 2 written in binary?
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10
Binary uses only 0 and 1. Source
Which company makes the PlayStation?
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Sony
The first PlayStation came out in 1994. Source

Which app started in China under the name Douyin?
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TikTok
TikTok launched internationally in 2017. Source
Which is the largest of North America's Great Lakes?
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Lake Superior
It is the largest freshwater lake in the world by area. Source
Which metal has the chemical symbol Cu?
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Copper
Cu comes from cuprum, from the island of Cyprus. Source
In which country did people first drink tea?
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China
Legend credits the emperor Shennong, around 2700 BC. Source
What is a word made from the first letters of other words, like NASA?
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Acronym
Laser and radar started as acronyms too. Source
Which number is often thought unlucky in Western culture?
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13
Fear of the number 13 is called triskaidekaphobia. Source
How many players does a baseball team have on the field?
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9
A game usually has nine innings, too. Source
Which instrument do you use to look at very small things?
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Microscope
Early microscopes were made in the Netherlands around 1600. Source
What color do you get when you mix red and white paint?
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Pink
Adding white to a color makes a tint. Source
What is the highest number on a standard die?
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6
Opposite faces add up to 7. Source
Which fruit is said to 'keep the doctor away'?
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Apple
The saying dates back to 1860s Wales. Source
What is the name of the great bell in London's Elizabeth Tower?
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Big Ben
People often call the whole clock tower Big Ben. Source
What does a cartographer make?
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Maps
The word comes from the French carte, 'map'. Source

Answer key

Edward Jenner
Alfred Nobel
Watt
Charles Babbage
Ada Lovelace
Wilhelm Röntgen
Bill Gates
Nicolaus Copernicus
Dmitri Mendeleev
James Watson
Louis Braille
Samuel Morse
George Orwell
Homer
Leo Tolstoy
Gabriel García Márquez
Chinua Achebe
Mark Twain
Charles Dickens
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Jules Verne
Mary Shelley
Rabindranath Tagore
Paulo Coelho
32
Femur
About 37 °C
Fe
Newton
Kinetic energy
Leaves
O positive
Wind speed
Chlorophyll
Carbon
Vitamin C
4
Aorta
Inner core
Herbivores
Camel
Emperor penguin
Tiger
Silkworm
Nocturnal
Zebra
Coast redwood
Doe
1
Jellyfish
6
Japan
90
Basketball
Australia
300
18
Paris
Gold (yellow)
Rugby
Pound sterling
Rupee
Rand
Peso
Swiss franc
50
Pisa
Cambodia
Rio de Janeiro
Jordan
Australia
French
3,600
Prime meridian
Chicago
360
9
30
100
September
Pentagon
Kitten
2
Central processing unit
Global Positioning System
10
Sony
TikTok
Lake Superior
Copper
China
Acronym
13
9
Microscope
Pink
6
Apple
Big Ben
Maps