General Knowledge Questions and Answers

101 General Knowledge Questions and Answers for Competitive Exam

General Knowledge Questions and Answers

General Knowledge (GK) is a broad domain that encompasses a variety of subjects, including history, geography, science, literature, current affairs, and more. GK plays a crucial role in competitive exams like the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) exams in India, which aim to recruit staff for various posts in the different Ministries and Departments of the Government of India and in Subordinate Offices.

General Knowledge Questions and Answers

General Knowledge Questions and Answers

  1. What is the smallest continent by land area?
    • Australia
  2. Who discovered penicillin?
    • Alexander Fleming
  3. What is the capital of Japan?
    • Tokyo
  4. Which is the largest desert in the world?
    • Sahara Desert
  5. Who was the first President of the United States?
    • George Washington
  6. Which element has the chemical symbol ‘O’?
    • Oxygen
  7. What is the national sport of Canada?
    • Lacrosse/Ice Hockey
  8. Who invented the telephone?
    • Alexander Graham Bell
  9. Which is the largest ocean in the world?
    • Pacific Ocean
  10. Who was the first man to step on the moon?
    • Neil Armstrong
  11. What is the capital of France?
    • Paris
  12. Which gas is most abundant in the Earth’s atmosphere?
    • Nitrogen
  13. Who wrote ‘Pride and Prejudice’?
    • Jane Austen
  14. What is the largest island in the world?
    • Greenland
  15. Who painted the Mona Lisa?
    • Leonardo da Vinci
  16. Which country is known as the Land of the Rising Sun?
    • Japan
  17. What is the national currency of Japan?
    • Yen
  18. Who is known as the ‘Missile Man of India’?
    • Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
  19. Which city is known as the ‘Pink City’ in India?
    • Jaipur
  20. Who was the first Indian woman to win a Nobel Prize?
    • Mother Teresa
  21. Which is the longest bone in the human body?
    • Femur
  22. What is the chemical formula for water?
    • H₂O
  23. Who wrote the epic ‘Iliad’ and ‘Odyssey’?
    • Homer
  24. Which country gifted the Statue of Liberty to the USA?
    • France
  25. Who is known as the ‘Nightingale of India’?
    • Sarojini Naidu
  26. Which planet is closest to the sun?
    • Mercury
  27. Who was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean?
    • Amelia Earhart
  28. What is the capital of Canada?
    • Ottawa
  29. Which Indian state has the longest coastline?
    • Gujarat
  30. Who wrote the play ‘Hamlet’?
    • William Shakespeare
  31. Which metal is the best conductor of electricity?
    • Silver
  32. What is the largest gland in the human body?
    • Liver
  33. Which is the largest freshwater lake in the world by volume?
    • Lake Baikal
  34. Who was the first Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal?
    • Abhinav Bindra
  35. What is the hardest natural substance on Earth?
    • Diamond
  36. Who is the current Secretary-General of the United Nations?
    • António Guterres
  37. Which country has the highest population in the world?
    • China
  38. What is the smallest bone in the human body?
    • Stapes
  39. Who invented the light bulb?
    • Thomas Edison
  40. Which country is known as the Land of Thunderbolt?
    • Bhutan
  41. What is the study of weather called?
    • Meteorology
  42. Who is the author of ‘Harry Potter’ series?
    • J.K. Rowling
  43. Which is the tallest waterfall in the world?
    • Angel Falls
  44. Who was the first Indian woman to go into space?
    • Kalpana Chawla
  45. What is the largest planet in our solar system?
    • Jupiter
  46. Which Indian city is known as the ‘City of Joy’?
    • Kolkata
  47. Who was the first Prime Minister of India?
    • Jawaharlal Nehru
  48. Which acid is found in lemon?
    • Citric Acid
  49. What is the capital of Brazil?
    • Brasília
  50. Who invented the World Wide Web?
    • Tim Berners-Lee
  51. Which is the largest state in India by area?
    • Rajasthan
  52. Who is known as the ‘Flying Sikh’ of India?
    • Milkha Singh
  53. What is the chemical symbol for gold?
    • Au
  54. Which continent is known as the ‘Dark Continent’?
    • Africa
  55. Who wrote the book ‘A Brief History of Time’?
    • Stephen Hawking
  56. What is the highest mountain in Africa?
    • Mount Kilimanjaro
  57. Who was the first Indian to win a Nobel Prize?
    • Rabindranath Tagore
  58. What is the full form of NASA?
    • National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  59. Which gas is used in the preparation of soda water?
    • Carbon Dioxide
  60. What is the national flower of India?
    • Lotus
  61. Who was the first President of India?
    • Dr. Rajendra Prasad
  62. Which river is called the ‘Sorrow of Bihar’?
    • Kosi River
  63. Who is known as the ‘Father of Computers’?
    • Charles Babbage
  64. What is the capital of Russia?
    • Moscow
  65. Which is the smallest country in the world by area?
    • Vatican City
  66. Who invented the polio vaccine?
    • Jonas Salk
  67. Which Indian state is known as the ‘Land of Five Rivers’?
    • Punjab
  68. What is the national animal of India?
    • Bengal Tiger
  69. Who wrote the Indian national song ‘Vande Mataram’?
    • Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
  70. Which element is known as the ‘King of Chemicals’?
    • Sulphuric Acid (H₂SO₄)
  71. Who is the first woman to climb Mount Everest?
    • Junko Tabei
  72. Which country is known as the ‘Land of White Elephants’?
    • Thailand
  73. What is the boiling point of water at sea level?
    • 100°C (212°F)
  74. Who is known as the ‘Light of Asia’?
    • Gautama Buddha
  75. Which Indian city is known as the ‘Silicon Valley of India’?
    • Bengaluru
  76. Who discovered the law of gravitation?
    • Sir Isaac Newton
  77. What is the national tree of India?
    • Banyan Tree
  78. Which country is the largest producer of coffee in the world?
    • Brazil
  79. What is the full form of UNICEF?
    • United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund
  80. Who wrote ‘The Jungle Book’?
    • Rudyard Kipling
  81. What is the unit of electrical resistance?
    • Ohm
  82. Which Indian state is known as the ‘Spice Garden of India’?
    • Kerala
  83. Who is the inventor of the printing press?
    • Johannes Gutenberg
  84. What is the currency of China?
    • Yuan
  85. Which river is known as the ‘Ganga of the South’?
    • Godavari
  86. Who wrote the book ‘Geetanjali’?
    • Rabindranath Tagore
  87. Which vitamin is produced when the skin is exposed to sunlight?
    • Vitamin D
  88. What is the national bird of India?
    • Indian Peafowl (Peacock)
  89. Who was the first man to reach the South Pole?
    • Roald Amundsen
  90. Which is the longest railway platform in the world?
    • Gorakhpur, India
  91. What is the hardest substance available on Earth?
    • Diamond
  92. Who is known as the ‘Iron Man of India’?
    • Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
  93. What is the capital of Australia?
    • Canberra
  94. Which planet is known as the Red Planet?
    • Mars
  95. Who wrote the national anthem of India?
    • Rabindranath Tagore
  96. In which year did India gain independence?
  97. 1947
  98. What is the largest mammal in the world?
    • Blue Whale
  99. Who is known as the ‘Father of the Nation’ in India?
    • Mahatma Gandhi
  100. Which river is the longest in the world?
    • Nile
  101. Who was the first woman Prime Minister of India?
    • Indira Gandhi

These questions cover a wide range of topics and should be useful for your SSC competitive exam preparation.