General Knowledge Questions Part 1

1.The river Danube rises in which country?

Germany.

2. Which US state has the sugar maple as its state tree and is the leading US producer of maple sugar?

Vermont.

3. Which country is nicknamed ‘The Cockpit of Europe’ because of the number of battles throughout history fought on its soil?

Belgium.

4. What is the capital of Libya?

Tripoli.

5. Apart from French, German and Romansch, what is the fourth official language of the Switzerland?

Italian.

6. Which country is the world’s largest producer of coffee?

Brazil.

7. In which city was the world’s first underground train was service opened in 1863?

London.

8. How many pairs of ribs are there in the human body? 12.

9. Which country is separated form Ethiopia by the Red Sea?

Yemen.

10. What is the main port of Italy?

Genoa.

11. Mount Logan is the highest peak in which country?

Canada.

12. In which state is Harvard University?

New Jersey.

13. Which is larger: Norway or Finland?

Finland.

14. Which city was the first capital of the Kingdom of Italy until 1865?

Turin.

15. What is measured by an ammeter?

Electric current.

16. What is a rhinoceros horn made of?

Hair.

17. Which three countries, apart from the former Yugoslavia, share borders with Greece?

Albania, Bulgaria, Turkey.

18. The Palk Strait separates which two countries?

India and Sri Lanka.

19. Ga is the symbol for which element?

Gallium.

20. In the Greek alphabet, what is the name for the letter O?

Omicron.

21. What, in the 16th and 17th century, was a pavana?

A dance.

22. A nephron is the functional unit of which organ in the human body?

Kidney.

23. In which country is the ancient city of Tarsus?

Turkey.

24. The Khyber Pass links which two countries?

Afghanistan and Pakistan.

25. Name the six US states that comprise New England.

Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts.

26. Which musical instrument is played by both exhaling and inhaling?

Harmonica (or mouth organ).

27. The northern part of which country is called Oesling?

Luxembourg.

28. Napier is a city in which country?

New Zealand.

29. What is the Hook of Holland?

A port in the southeast Netherlands,

30. The river Douro forms part of the border between which two countries?

Spain and Portugal.

31. In which country is the Great Slave Lake?

Canada.

32. Which six countries border the Black Sea?

Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine.

33. Kathmandu is the capital of which country?

Nepal.

34. What name is given to a mixture of bicarbonate of soda and tartaric acid used in cooking?

Baking powder.

35. AOL are an internet service provider. What does AOL stand for?

America Online.

61. Quantas is the national airline of which country?

Australia.

62. What in Scotland is the meaning of the prefix ‘Inver’?

River mouth.

63. Which US state has the lowest population?

Alaska.

64. Which county is nicknamed the Garden of England?

Kent.

65. Which African country was formerly called French Sudan?

Mali.

66. Which sport was originally called ‘soccer-in-water’?

Water polo.

67. Which unit of measurement is derived from the Arabic quirrat, meaning seed?

Carat.

68. Which Italian city was originally built on seven hills?

Rome.

69. What does the acronym NAAFI stand for?

Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes.

70. Dolomite is an ore of which metal?

Magnesium.

71. Manama is the capital of which country?

Bahrain.

72. On which river does Berlin stand?

River Spree.

73. What type of clock was invented in 1656 by Christian Huygens?

The pendulum clock.

74. In which desert is the world’s driest place?

Atacama (Chile).

75. Which is the world’s saltiest sea?

The Red Sea.

76. …… and which is the least salty?

The Baltic Sea.

77. Which nun won the Nobel prize for peace in 1979?

Mother Teresa.

78. How many points in the pink ball worth in snooker?

Six.

79. Which scientist was named ‘Person of the Century’ by Time Magazine?

Albert Einstein.

80. What kind of creature is a monitor?

Lizard.

81. Which medical specialty is concerned with the problems and illnesses of children?

Pediatrics.

82. Who sailed in Santa Maria?

Christopher Columbus.

83. What name is given to the stiffening of the body after death?

Rigor mortis.

84. Which country was formerly known as Malagasy Republic?

Madagascar.

85. Addis Ababa is the capital of which country?

Ethiopia.

86. The name of which North African city literally means ‘white house’?

Casablanca.

87. Of what sort of fish is the dogfish a small variety?

Shark.

88. Which Asian country was divided at the 38th parallel after World War II?

Korea.

89. What is the name of the Winter Olympics event that combines cross-country skiing and shooting?

Biathlon.

90. Which American science-fiction writer wrote Fahrenheit 451?

Ray Bradbury.

91. For which powerful opiate is diamorphine the technical name?

Heroin.

92. How many dominoes are there in a normal set? 350. 28.

93. Who was cartoonist who created Batman?

Bob Kane.

94. Aerophobia is a fear of flying, agoraphobia is a fear of open spaces, what is acrophobia a fear of?

Heights.

95. In computing, how is a modulator-demodulator more commonly known?

Modem.

96. An auger bit is used to drill what type of material?

Wood.

97. What part of the wheelbarrow is the fulcrum?

The wheel.

98. What C is a device used to determine small lengths, of which a vernier is one type?

Caliper.

99. Rip, chain and band are types of which tools?

Saw.

100. What calibrated tool was the standard tool for engineers and scientists prior to the invention of the hand-held calculator?

Slide rule.