General Knowledge Trivia

Cards · 52

What is the capital of Australia? A) Sydney B) Melbourne C) Canberra D) Brisbane

C) Canberra. Sydney and Melbourne competed, so Canberra was selected as a compromise in 1908.

What is the chemical symbol for gold? A) Ag B) Au C) Fe D) Pb

B) Au. It comes from 'aurum', the Latin word for gold.

Which planet is known as the Red Planet? A) Venus B) Jupiter C) Mars D) Mercury

C) Mars. Its reddish color comes from iron oxide (rust) on its surface.

Who painted the Mona Lisa? A) Michelangelo B) Leonardo da Vinci C) Raphael D) Donatello

B) Leonardo da Vinci. He painted the Renaissance masterpiece in the early 16th century.

What is the hardest natural substance on Earth? A) Diamond B) Titanium C) Quartz D) Corundum

A) Diamond. It ranks at 10 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness.

Which ocean is the largest by surface area? A) Atlantic B) Indian C) Arctic D) Pacific

D) Pacific. It covers more area than all of Earth's land masses combined.

What is the smallest prime number? A) 0 B) 1 C) 2 D) 3

C) 2. It is also the only even prime number.

In which year did the Titanic sink? A) 1905 B) 1912 C) 1918 D) 1923

B) 1912. The ship struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage in April 1912.

Which element has atomic number 1? A) Helium B) Oxygen C) Hydrogen D) Nitrogen

C) Hydrogen. It is the lightest and most abundant element in the universe.

Who wrote 'Romeo and Juliet'? A) Charles Dickens B) William Shakespeare C) Jane Austen D) Mark Twain

B) William Shakespeare. The tragic play was written early in Shakespeare's career.

What is the longest river in the world? A) Amazon B) Nile C) Yangtze D) Mississippi

B) Nile. Traditional geographical consensus names the Nile as the longest river.

How many bones are in the adult human body? A) 186 B) 206 C) 226 D) 256

B) 206. Infants are born with around 270 bones, which fuse over time.

Which country gifted the Statue of Liberty to the USA? A) UK B) France C) Germany D) Spain

B) France. It was a gift commemorating the alliance during the American Revolution.

What is the currency of Japan? A) Won B) Yuan C) Yen D) Baht

C) Yen. It is the official currency of Japan and symbolized by ¥.

What is the main gas found in Earth's atmosphere? A) Oxygen B) Nitrogen C) Carbon Dioxide D) Argon

B) Nitrogen. It makes up roughly 78 percent of Earth's atmosphere.

Which organ pumps blood throughout the human body? A) Liver B) Brain C) Lungs D) Heart

D) Heart. The muscular organ circulates blood through the vascular system.

What is the hottest planet in our solar system? A) Mercury B) Venus C) Mars D) Jupiter

B) Venus. Its dense greenhouse atmosphere traps extreme amounts of heat.

Who developed the theory of general relativity? A) Isaac Newton B) Albert Einstein C) Galileo D) Bohr

B) Albert Einstein. He published the theory in 1915.

Which is the largest desert in the world? A) Sahara B) Gobi C) Antarctic D) Arabian

C) Antarctic. By definition, a desert is based on low precipitation, making Antarctica the largest.

What is the capital of Canada? A) Toronto B) Montreal C) Ottawa D) Vancouver

C) Ottawa. Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as Canada's capital in 1857.

What instrument measures atmospheric pressure? A) Thermometer B) Barometer C) Hygrometer D) Anemometer

B) Barometer. It was invented by Evangelista Torricelli in 1643.

Which mammal is capable of true flight? A) Flying squirrel B) Sugar glider C) Bat D) Colugo

C) Bat. Other 'flying' mammals can only glide.

What color do you get by mixing blue and yellow? A) Purple B) Orange C) Green D) Brown

C) Green. Blue and yellow are primary colors in pigment that produce green.

In which city were the first modern Olympic Games held? A) Paris B) London C) Athens D) Rome

C) Athens. The modern Games were revived there in 1896.

What is the speed of light in a vacuum? A) ~300,000 km/s B) ~150,000 km/s C) ~500,000 km/s D) ~1,000,000 km/s

A) ~300,000 km/s. Precisely, it is 299,792 kilometers per second.

Which country produces the most coffee in the world? A) Colombia B) Vietnam C) Brazil D) Ethiopia

C) Brazil. Brazil has been the world's leading coffee producer for over a century.

What is the smallest continent by land area? A) Europe B) Antarctica C) Australia D) South America

C) Australia. It is the smallest continent and the lowest, flattest, and driest inhabited one.

Who wrote 'The Odyssey'? A) Socrates B) Plato C) Aristotle D) Homer

D) Homer. The ancient Greek poet also composed the Iliad.

What is the boiling point of water at sea level? A) 90°C B) 100°C C) 110°C D) 120°C

B) 100°C. Standard atmospheric pressure sets water's boiling point at 100°C (212°F).

Which blood type is known as the universal donor? A) A positive B) AB negative C) O negative D) B positive

C) O negative. Its red blood cells lack A, B, and Rh antigens, making it safe for all recipients.

What is the powerhouse of the eukaryotic cell? A) Ribosome B) Nucleus C) Mitochondria D) Golgi body

C) Mitochondria. They produce energy in the form of ATP through cellular respiration.

How many players are on the field per team in soccer? A) 9 B) 10 C) 11 D) 12

C) 11. Each team fields 11 players, including the goalkeeper.

What is the capital of Spain? A) Barcelona B) Seville C) Madrid D) Valencia

C) Madrid. Madrid is the geographic center and capital city of Spain.

Which planet has the most visible ring system? A) Uranus B) Saturn C) Neptune D) Jupiter

B) Saturn. Its rings consist primarily of water ice and rock particles.

Who was the first person to walk on the Moon? A) Buzz Aldrin B) Yuri Gagarin C) Neil Armstrong D) John Glenn

C) Neil Armstrong. He stepped onto the lunar surface during Apollo 11 in July 1969.

What is the tallest mountain above sea level? A) K2 B) Kangchenjunga C) Mount Everest D) Lhotse

C) Mount Everest. It stands at 8,848.86 meters in the Himalayas.

What process do plants use to make food from sunlight? A) Respiration B) Photosynthesis C) Fermentation D) Transpiration

B) Photosynthesis. Chlorophyll captures light to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose.

Which musical instrument has 88 keys? A) Harpsichord B) Accordion C) Piano D) Organ

C) Piano. A standard modern piano has 52 white keys and 36 black keys.

What is the national animal of Scotland? A) Lion B) Unicorn C) Dragon D) Stag

B) Unicorn. The mythical creature has been a Scottish royal heraldic symbol for centuries.

What is the primary language spoken in Brazil? A) Spanish B) Portuguese C) French D) Italian

B) Portuguese. Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking country in the Americas.

Which human organ can regenerate tissue significantly? A) Kidney B) Heart C) Liver D) Pancreas

C) Liver. The liver can regenerate even after losing up to 75% of its mass.

What does DNA stand for? A) Deoxyribonucleic acid B) Dinucleic acid C) Deoxynitro acid D) Ribonucleic acid

A) Deoxyribonucleic acid. It carries hereditary genetic instructions in organisms.

Which continent contains the most countries? A) Asia B) Europe C) Africa D) North America

C) Africa. Africa contains 54 fully recognized sovereign states.

Who discovered penicillin? A) Louis Pasteur B) Alexander Fleming C) Robert Koch D) Edward Jenner

B) Alexander Fleming. He observed the antibacterial properties of Penicillium mold in 1928.

What is the Roman numeral for 50? A) L B) C C) D D) M

A) L. In Roman numerals, X is 10, L is 50, C is 100, and D is 500.

Which bird is the fastest in a diving descent? A) Golden eagle B) Peregrine falcon C) Cheetah D) Swift

B) Peregrine falcon. It can exceed speeds of 320 km/h (200 mph) during hunting stoops.

What is the square root of 144? A) 10 B) 11 C) 12 D) 14

C) 12. Multiplying 12 by 12 yields 144.

Which metal is liquid at standard room temperature? A) Mercury B) Gallium C) Lead D) Tin

A) Mercury. Mercury has a melting point of -38.8°C.

What is the capital of Egypt? A) Alexandria B) Giza C) Cairo D) Luxor

C) Cairo. Cairo is the largest city in the Arab world and Egypt's capital.

How many valves does the human heart contain? A) 2 B) 3 C) 4 D) 5

C) 4. They are the tricuspid, pulmonary, mitral, and aortic valves.

Who painted 'The Starry Night'? A) Claude Monet B) Vincent van Gogh C) Pablo Picasso D) Salvador Dalí

B) Vincent van Gogh. He painted the famous swirling night sky in 1889.

What is the chemical formula for table salt? A) NaF B) KCl C) NaCl D) CaCl2

C) NaCl. Sodium chloride is formed from sodium and chlorine ions.