Image: Wiki Commons by MJ Boswell
About This Quiz
So you fancy yourself as a bit of a general knowledge buff? You like to watch the evening news, read the daily newspaper, keep abreast of the goings on in the world and also read up on history whenever you can?
Well, then you have come to the right place, that's for sure. Because this general knowledge quiz is not easily tamed! In fact, you can be sure that it will push your brain to the limit. Your grey matter is going to get a full workout while taking this general knowledge quiz, that is for sure.
But there is a catch. We want to see if you can answer these questions in 10 seconds or less. That means you have around six minutes to nail this one! Think you can do it? Well, you're going to need some very broad general knowledge to ace it, that's for sure. We cover a range of topics from history, to science, geography, a little bit of sports and much more!
If you're stuck, make use of our hints, don't be afraid, they can set you on the right track. So are you ready? Let's begin then, shall we?
Light from the sun takes how long to reach Earth?
8 minutes & 20 seconds
Light travels at 299,792,458 meters per second. That means that light from the sun gets to earth in just 8 minutes and 20 seconds, which is very impressive. It does however, show how far a light year (the distance light will travel in a year) really is.
About 1 hour
A year
2 seconds
Advertisement
Of these planets, which has the most moons?
Earth
Jupiter
Jupiter, the fifth planet from the sun has many moons. In fact, astronomers have counted 67 separate celestial bodies near the planet.
Mars
Venus
Advertisement
Who of these is considered to be the father of geometry?
Edison
Copernicus
Pythagoras
A Greek philosopher, Pythagoras was born in 570 BC and lived till 495 BC. Other than his knowledge of math (he discovered the Pythagorean theorem) he also is associated with having discovered the five different climatic zones, proportions and the fact that the Earth is a sphere.
Galileo
Advertisement
How many official languages are there in India?
1
2
5
22
India is a land of many different languages, so much so that it has 22 that are regarded as official. Some of these include Hindi, Bengali, Tamil and Urdu.
Advertisement
In the world of computers, what does a CPU refer to?
Central Processing Unit
The central processing unit is the "brains" of every computer. Essentially, it sends signals to other parts of the computer. These take the form of instructions.
Computer Processing Unit
Central Programming Unit
Computer Pentium User
Advertisement
Which band featured the guitarist, Brian May?
Blink 182
Led Zeppelin
Queen
Brian May is the guitarist from the band Queen who were prominent during the 1970s and were lead by the talented Freddie Mercury. Interestingly, May built his own guitar (which he still uses today) and plays it without a pick. He uses a coin instead.
Level 42
Advertisement
In which sport can you score a try, conversion and penalty?
Cricket
Soccer
Rugby
Rugby was invented in 1823. Legend has it that a boy named William Webb Ellis, disregarding the rules of football, picked up the ball and ran with it and that is how the sport was born. Today, it is played in many countries around the world, with New Zealand the current world champions.
Polo
Advertisement
Dogs sweat through their _______?
Fur
Feet pads
Dogs regulate their heat by panting and sweating through the pads of their feet. Just think about it, if they were us and sweated through their skin, we would have very wet dogs that smelled horrible!
Tails
Nose
Advertisement
What is a group of whales called?
School
Pod
Although you might think a group of whales would be a school, like fish are, they are not. A group of whales are known as a pod, instead.
Troop
Cluster
Advertisement
Which of the planets in our solar system was the first to be discovered by telescope?
Mars
Mercury
Pluto
Uranus
As many of the other planets are seen with the naked eye, it was Uranus that was the first to be discovered by a telescope. Sir William Herschel did so in 1781.
Advertisement
La Sagrada Familia, a famous Roman Catholic church in Barcelona was designed by which architect?
Antoni GaudÃ
Antoni GaudÃ's works are legendary and fall under the banner of Catalan Modernism. His church design in Barcelona, the La Sagrada Familia, was begun in 1882 but remains unfinished to this day.
Frank Ghery
Norman Foster
Zaha Hadid
Advertisement
What is the outer shell of the Earth called?
Crust
The crust is the outer layer of the Earth. It sits atop the next layer, the mantle, which in turn protects the crust from the molten core of the the planet.
Mantle
Plates
None of the above
Advertisement
The sport of MMA is extremely popular world wide. What does MMA actually stand for?
Mixed Martial Action
Mixed Martial Arts
Mixed Martial Arts started in the early 1980s. It gained far more popularity, however, thanks to the Ultimate Fighting Championship or UFC which began in 1993. Why is it called Mixed Martial Arts? Well, because many fighting styles are allowed.
Mashup Martial Action
None of the above
Advertisement
Where would you find the city off Dar es Salaam?
Tanzania
Dar es Salaam is the largest city in the African country of Tanzania and its former capital. The name of the city, when translated, roughly means "the house of peace."
Egypt
Libya
Hungary
Advertisement
Which of these organizations was the precursor to the United Nations?
UNESCO
League of Nations
The League of Nations was formed after the First World War. The exact date? Well, that was January 10, 1920. The purpose of the organization was to prevent another World War. America did not join, even though the League of Nations was President Woodrow Wilson’s idea.
World Bank
Organization of African Unity
Advertisement
Do you know what the N stands for in NATO?
North
Formed due to the growing threats of Communism, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed in 1949 and originally consisted of 29 members.
Natural
Nuclear
National
Advertisement
From the list below, pick the body of water that connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea.
Panama Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal is a vital body of water. It allows shipping to move from the Mediterranean through to the Red Sea and then the Indian Ocean without having to sail around Africa. It was opened in 1869.
Dead Sea
Rosebank Canal
Advertisement
If you are a universal donor when it come to blood donation, what blood type do you have?
O negative
A donor with O negative blood can give blood to any recipient. This is because they have no factors in their blood that can adversely react with the recipient. O negative blood is used often in emergencies.
O positive
A positive
A negative
Advertisement
Of these bones, which is the longest in the human body?
Frontal bone
Femur
The femur is the longest bone in the human body. Not only that, it is the strongest bone as well and is found in the thigh.
Humerus
Patella
Advertisement
On a periodic table, what does the letters Au represent?
Chlorine
Gold
Gold holds the periodic table name of Au because of its Latin name, aurum. A precious metal, gold has an atomic number of 79. We all know how sought after this metal is.
Lead
Aluminum
Advertisement
The album, "What's The Story, Morning Glory" was recorded by which British band in 1995?
Oasis
Oasis, formed by the Gallagher brothers, were one of the biggest bands in Britain in 1995. Together with their rivals, Blur, they promote a form of music the tabloids christened "Brit Pop." Their album, "What's the Story, Morning Glory" was one of the biggest hits of that decade.
Blur
Menswear
Suede
Advertisement
Can you name the French aviator who was the first man to cross the English Channel in 1909?
Georges Guynemer
Eddie Rickenbacker
Louis Bleriot
Not only did Louis Bleriot become the first person to fly across the English channel, but he had another claim to fame as well. Bleriot designed the first headlamp that was practical to fix to cars. Bleriot achieved his channel crossing on June 25, 1909.
Rene Fonck
Advertisement
If an animal lives both within water and on land it is known as an __________?
Mammal
Rodent
Marsupial
Amphibian
Amphibians include animals such as frogs and toads, among others. They can live in both water and on land, and they can breathe through their skin!
Advertisement
Of these countries, which is the furthest south on Earth?
South Africa
Chile
Chile is the most southern country of those listed above. Its most southern point the Diego RamÃrez islands which are located at 56°32'S. The most southern point on its mainland is Cape Froward at 53°53'S. Interestingly, the most southern point owned by any country is the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands which form part of Britain. These are located at 59°42'S.
Australia
New Zealand
Advertisement
Can you name the sport in which short corners and penalty corners take place?
Field Hockey
Field hockey is the sport in which you could have a penalty or a short corner. The game as it is played today was recorded in the 19th Century in England. However, it has its origins in the middle ages. It has been an ever-present Olympic sport since 1928.
Cricket
Netball
Rounders
Advertisement
What element do diamonds consist of?
Nitrogen
Carbon
Diamonds are nothing but carbon, one of the most plentiful elements on the planet. It makes you wonder how they became so expensive! Diamonds were formed billions of years ago below the surface of the earth and actually originate from carbon dioxide atoms.
Oxygen
Chlorine
Advertisement
From these options, can you identify the capital of South Korea?
Pyongyang
Seoul
Seoul is the capital of South Korea. It covers an area of 233.67 square miles and is home to around 9 million people. The metropolitan area surrounding Seoul is home to 25 million people!
Tokyo
Beijing
Advertisement
Do you know which company invented the mobile phone?
Apple
Samsung
Motorola
Motorola, through Martin Cooper, started working on cellular phone technology in the 1970s. In 1983, the first phones were brought to market. Cooper made the first call with a mobile phone and is considered the "father of the cell phone."
Huawei
Advertisement
Twitter, one of the most popular social media platforms, started in which year?
2009
2006
An online social media network in which users send messages known as tweets, Twitter was launched in July 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone, and Evan Williams. By 2016, the service had over 300 million active users.
2011
2013
Advertisement
Name the double-digit highway that connects Chicago and Los Angeles.
Route 11
Route 66
Route 66 was established in the 1920s as a way to connect Chicago and Los Angeles with just one main thoroughfare. It covered a total of 2,448 miles. Route 66 has many other names including the "Mother Road" and the "Main Street of America."
Highway 99
Road 55
Advertisement
By density, which continent has the highest human population ratio?
North America
Europe
Asia
Asia certainly has the highest population density of all the continents. And it stands to reason thanks to the fact that it houses both India and China, the two most populous nations in the world.
South America
Advertisement
On which continent would you find an animal known as the aardvark?
Asia
Australia
North America
Africa
The aardvark, which when translated to English means earth pig, roams central and southern Africa. A nocturnal burrower, they are noted for their long snouts and large ears.
Advertisement
The Typhoon, Hurricane and Tempest aren't only weather systems! What else have these names been used for?
Aircraft from World War II
The Hurricane, Typhoon and Tempest were all aircraft built by the Hawker company during the course of World War II. Perhaps the most famous is the Hurricane which together with the Supermarine Spitfire, defended Great Britain during the Battle of Britain.
Presidential biographies
Nicknames for boxers
None of the above
Advertisement
During which years did the Korean War take place?
1949 to 1952
1950 to 1953
The Korean War started when forces from the Communist north crossed the 38th parallel and invaded South Korea, a non-Communist country. Under General Douglas MacArthur, the United States and other Allied Forces held off the Koreans right at the tip of the country, eventually fighting back to recapture Seoul. Eventually, the countries were set back to how they were before the war started.
1959 to 1963
1964 to 1971
Advertisement
What is the claim to fame of Brian Lara?
A famous cricketer
Brian Charles Lara is widely regarded as one of the best modern day batsman in the game of cricket. He played for the West Indies. He holds the record for the highest Test score, 400 not out and the highest First Class score, 501 not out.
A famous soccer player
A famous tennis player
A famous singer
Advertisement
You Got:
/35
.jpg){kind=link}