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About This Quiz
There are those of us who pride ourselves on our overall general knowledge. We are the type of people who make a point of catching up with the daily news, be it on television, the radio while driving to work, or online to make sure we know not only what is going on in the world but as a way to improve our overall knowledge base and increase our frame of reference.
And that is what general knowledge is really. It's about having a broad understanding of the world around us, of a range of subjects and not only those that interest us, although our overall understanding of things we like will be higher than things we don't like. Perhaps the most important thing to remember about general knowledge is that it is not only about now but the past as well and, in some cases, the future.
In this quiz, we are going to test your general knowledge to the limit. Even if you are a bit of a general knowledge buff, expect to be stumped by some of our questions.
We have a range of questions covering many subjects just waiting for you. Let's see how well you do!
Good luck!
Of the options below, which is the southernmost tip of Africa?
Cape Agulhas
Many believe the most southern point of the African continent is the Cape Point in South Africa. While the southernmost point is in South Africa, it is Cape Agulhas, not Cape Point. The Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean meet at this point as well.
Cape Town
Cape Horn
Gibraltar
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What does a farrier do?
Makes barrels
Makes horseshoes
While a farrier does make shoes for horses, they are actually so much more than that. Farriers have an excellent knowledge of everything to do with horse hooves and are specialists in caring for horses and their hooves.
Fixes shoes
Makes arrows
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Can you pick a world famous soccer player from the options below?
Duane Vermeulen
Mookie Betts
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo has won all the major individual soccer accolades and helped Portugal win the European Cup in 2016. He has also won the most prestigious European club football competition, the European Cup, on five occasions.
Virat Kohli
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People suffering with genuphobia fear which body part?
Ears
The tongue
Eye lashes
Knees
Believe it or not, there are people who fear knees. And not only their knees but knees belonging to others as well. They also fear acts in which the knees are involved, for instance kneeling. That's just weird, man!
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Pi is approximately equal to which of these amounts?
3.010010001
2.99991919199
3.14159265359
Often written as the Greek letter for P which is π, Pi is a mathematical idea showing the ratio between the diameter of a circle and its circumference. The size of the circle will never change this ratio, which will always be 3.14 (to two decimal places).
4.1391414141
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Which city is known as the car manufacturing capital of the United States?
Los Angeles
Phoenix
Austin
Detroit
Not only home to Motown, Detroit is also called "Motor City," with all of America's major vehicle manufacturers based in the city. Detroit is in the state of Michigan.
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A group of camels are called a what?
Troop
Herd
School
Caravan
Caravans of camels are a form of transport in places like the Sahara Desert for the Bedouin people. Their ability to handle heat, store their own water and travel long distances makes them the perfect pack animal.
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From what country do Gurkha soldiers originate?
Burma
India
China
Nepal
Gurkha soldiers come from Nepal. They are renowned for their fighting skills and bravery, and they joined British forces during World War II. Today they serve in UN peacekeeping forces around the world.
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A diamond is made from what chemical substance?
Gold
Carbon
Diamonds are indeed made from carbon. Carbon is one of the most naturally appearing elements in the universe. Doesn't that kind of make you wonder why diamonds are so expensive?
Oxygen
Silver
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What is the top-selling electric car in the world?
Nissan Leaf
An all-electric vehicle, the Nissan Leaf went into production in 2010. Of course, perhaps the most important thing with such a car is its range. Today, a fully charged Leaf has a range of 107 miles with the larger 30 kWh battery. Perhaps more importantly, a flat battery can be charged to 80 percent in a mere 30 minutes. This is the best-selling electric car in the world.
Chevrolet Volt
Toyota Prius
None of the above
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What is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea?
Crete
Cyprus
Sicily
Sicily, at 9,927 square miles, is the largest island in the Mediterranean. It is followed by another Italian island, Sardinia, with Cyprus rounding out the top three.
Capri
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Can you name the nuclear power plant in the Ukraine that had a meltdown in 1986, spreading radio activity across Europe?
Koeberg
Chernobyl
The Chernobyl catastrophe sent shock waves around the world. Thanks to many people who braved the plant to stop the chain reaction, a massive worldwide tragedy was averted. The town of Chernobyl remains a ghost town 30 years later.
Fukushima
3-Mile Island
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Which famous leader once said that an army marches on its stomach?
Stalin
Hitler
Mao
Napoleon
Essentially what Napoleon was saying is that an effective army, capable of winning decisive battles, cannot do so if they are starving. And Napoleon's armies had problems in 1812 finding food. Reports suggest that men even committed suicide rather than die of starvation.
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Can you remember the name the first Space Shuttle?
Gemini
Challenger
Endeavor
Columbia
The first Space Shuttle was called Columbia. Unfortunately, Columbia was lost in the early part of 2003, breaking up on re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.
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Of the options below, which is produced by a blacksmith?
Wooden objects
Metal objects
Working with metal is a blacksmith's forte. Using traditional techniques handed down over time, the blacksmith can forge metal objects such as knives from iron and steel by heating and manipulating the material into the shape they desire. Modern blacksmiths make iron gates, for example.
Glass objects
None of the above
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ANZAC troops in World War II represented which two countries?
Australia and New Zealand
ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Both these nations formed part of the Commonwealth and fought alongside Britain during World War I and II. These troops are celebrated on ANZAC Day in New Zealand and Australia, observed on April 25 each year.
Scotland and Wales
New Zealand and Burma
New Zealand and South Africa
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What is the largest desert in the world?
Mojave
Kalahari
Arabian
Sahara
At more than 3.5 million square miles, the Sahara is the largest non-polar desert on Earth. It takes up nearly a third of the African continent.
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Can you name America's most populous city?
New York
New York City has a population of 8.5 million people. It is more than double the size of Los Angeles.
Los Angeles
Dallas
Miami
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Do you know which of these explorers discovered the North Pole?
James Cook
Hernan Cortes
Robert Peary
Robert Peary claimed to have found the North Pole in April of 1909. To this day, doubt remains, though, because Dr. Frederick Cook claimed to have reached the pole a year earlier.
Edmund Hillary
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Which of these is the longest river in the world?
Nile
Amazon
Measuring in at 6,992 km long, the Amazon is the longest river in the world. The Nile is the second longest at 6,853 km.
Hudson
Mekon
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Who invented the antibiotic, penicillin?
Alexander Fleming
Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928. He won a Nobel prize for his efforts in 1945. He made his discovery quite by accident.
Florence Nightingale
Joseph Lister
Benjamin Spock
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Can you name the capital of Spain from the list below?
Madrid
Madrid, the capital of Spain, is home to around 3.2 million people. It was founded in the 9th century.
Barcelona
Seville
Valencia
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Who is the author of the Harry Potter series?
J.K. Rowling
With the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling sold more than 500 million books worldwide. Incredible! It was turned into a massive series of Hollywood blockbusters as well.
J.R.R. Tolkien
Stephen King
Dean Koontz
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Can you name the country that hosted the 2006 soccer World Cup?
Japan
France
South Africa
Germany
Germany hosted the 2006 soccer World Cup, for the second time in the country's history. Germany came in third with a relatively young team that helped lay the foundation for a World Cup win in 2014.
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What does a cooper produce?
Wine
Metal items
Hats
Barrels
A person who makes barrels is known as a cooper and their profession is called coopering. Coopering is not only about barrel making, it also includes the construction of wooden buckets, tubs, churns and kegs.
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True or false? A bird's bones are hollow.
True
To help birds fly and reduce their weight significantly, their bones are hollow. But there is also another reason. They are filled with tiny air sacs which allow the body to bring in oxygen when the bird inhales and exhales!
False
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Which famous musician was born Stevland Judkins?
Stevie Wonder
One of R&B's greatest singers, Stevie Wonder was born Stevland Judkins in 1950. Wonder has been recording since the age of 11. This multi-instrumentalist has sold more than 100 millions albums worldwide, despite the fact that he went blind soon after birth.
Steven Tyler
Steve Miller
Steve Earle
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Which of these is the longest national highway in the world?
Australia Highway 1
Clocking in at 14,500 kilometers, Australia's Highway 1 system connects most of the states in the country. More than 1 million people use it daily.
Trans-Siberian Highway
N1, South Africa
None of the above
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Can you name the largest ocean on the planet?
Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest on Earth. It covers 59 million square miles! The second largest ocean on the planet is the Atlantic Ocean.
Atlantic
Southern
Indian
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The Sea of Tranquility is situated where?
Australia
On the moon
The Sea of Tranquility is found on the moon. It is a large depression made of basalt but is not filled with water.
Greenland
Alaska
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Generation X are people born between what years?
1999-2018
1960-1980
Generation X'ers were born for a 20-year period between 1960 and 1980. This is the MTV generation, the generation that grew up on a range of music but saw the birth of punk, hip hop and heavy metal. And it's also the generation considered to be the original slackers.
1990-2010
1900-1920
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What is the largest city in the world?
Dehli
Shanghai
Unbelievably, China has the two biggest cities in the world. Shanghai is home to 24 million inhabitants. Its municipal area covers a massive 2,448 square miles.
London
New York
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Of these vehicles, which is considered the first 'hot hatch'?
Opel Corsa
Ford Mustang
Volkswagen Golf Mk 1 GTI
Volkswagen started the ‘hot hatch’ revolution with the introduction of the Golf GTI in 1976. This was a Golf Mk 1 with a high-performance engine that instantly became a hit. Other manufacturers soon followed!
Chevrolet Nova
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True or false? The country of South Africa has 11 official languages.
True
Since the first democratic elections held in 1994, South Africa does indeed have 11 official languages. The most important of these is English, which everyone can communicate in. The others are Afrikaans, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, SiSwati, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu. Most South Africans can speak more than one language.
False
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What does a fletcher make?
Guns
Arrows
Fletchers were men who specialized in making arrows. During medieval times, this was an important craft, especially in England where the longbow was an important weapon.
Cabinets
None of the above
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You Got:
/35
