Do You Know Enough to Crush This Basic Knowledge Quiz?
By: Alex Wittman
3 min
Image: imran kadir photography / Moment / Getty Images
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.
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.
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.
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!
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).
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.