How Much General Knowledge Do You Have?

By: Monica Lee
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
How Much General Knowledge Do You Have?
Image: Shutterstock

About This Quiz

Although they say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, these days, there is so much knowledge at our fingertips that it may be dangerous to try and absorb it all! Take, for instance, the sciences; there is chemistry, biology, archaeology, pathology... it goes on and on. What about history? You could spend your life learning everything about the 18th century alone. That's why this quiz is for generalists, not specialists. It takes the most important information from social studies, art, history, and literature and offers just a smattering of questions that touch on each topic.

In this quiz, we're also looking for your general knowledge to be worldly. So don't be surprised if you're asked the capital of Iran (Tehran) or the difference between billiards and snooker. And remember, what happens today may be in the history books (or the internet) tomorrow. So you'll be asked about current TV shows and queried about recent Olympics. 

All in all, when you take this quiz, you'll not only find out what you know, you'll learn what you ought to know. Like the metric system or what religion the Dali Lama practices. It's time to see where you stand. Start the quiz. As Benjamin Franklin said, "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." Get interested now!

Which blood group accepts the blood of any of the four groups?
A
B
AB
O
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Individuals with Type AB blood are fortunate; they are universal recipients because they can receive any blood type.

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What type of blood type is a universal donor?
A
B
AB
O
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

People with Type O negative blood are considered to be universal donors because they can donate to people of any blood type.

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After Paris, which is the world’s largest primarily French-speaking city?
Montreal
Vancouver
Toronto
Calgary
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Even though the majority of Quebec is French speaking, English is widely spoken in major cities, like Quebec City or Montreal.

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How many holes are there in a standard golf course?
3
9
18
21
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The terms used in golf are "front nine" and "back nine," meaning there are 18 holes in all in a standard golf course.

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Who killed Julius Caesar?
Brutus
Nero
Caligula
Augustus
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Brutus is manipulated into believing that Caesar will become a tyrant and destroy Rome as a republic. So he kills Caesar, his friend, for the public good.

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Who developed the "Theory of Relativity"?
Coppernicus
Einstein
Galileo
Newton
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 1905, Albert Einstein determined that the laws of physics are the same for all non-accelerating observers and that the speed of light in a vacuum was independent of the motion of all observers.

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As a German Jew, this girl hid in an attic in Amsterdam for two years during WWII. She also wrote a diary which is now famous. What is her name?
Golda Meir
Hannah Senesh
Judith Kerr
Anne Frank
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On August 4, 1944, after 25 months in hiding, Anne Frank and the seven others in the attic were discovered by the Gestapo. She was 15 when the family was found and sent to concentration camps, where she died.

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Which one is the coldest place in the world?
Eureka, Nunavut, Canada
Vostok, Antarctica
Highlands of Iceland
North Ice, Greenland
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Vostok, Antarctica hosts a Russian research station. It lies south of the Pole of Cold with temperatures dipping into -128 degrees Fahrenheit (-89 degrees Celsius).

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What is the name of the continent where the Sahara desert can be found?
Africa
Australia
South America
Asia
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If you recall your middle school geography, there are seven continents: North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.

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He wrote plays such as Hamlet, King Lear, as well as Romeo and Juliet. What is his name?
George Bernard Shaw
Sophocles
William Shakespeare
Henrik Ibsen
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon."

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What is the name of the fictional boy who can fly and refuses to grow up?
Peter Pan
Hansel
Jack and the Bean Stalk
Tom Thumb
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Peter Pan and his friend Tinker Bell live in Neverland where children stay young forever. He is able to fly and is always trying to escape his nemesis, Captain Cook.

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Which type of animal is Bambi?
Rabbit
Bird
Deer
Squirrel
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

One of the most famous Disney movies of all times is called "Bambi." It features a fawn (Bambi) who loses its mother when a hunter kills her.

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Which organ in our body filters blood?
Liver
Bladder
Kidneys
Pituitary gland
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist, located just below the rib cage. Kidneys filter your blood, by removing wastes, toxins and extra water and empty that into the bladder.

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How many planets are there in our solar system?
7
8
9
10
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The latest data disqualifies Pluto as a planet. Therefore there are eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Pluto is called a dwarf planet.

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Who developed the "Theory of Evolution"?
Charles Darwin
Marie Curie
Max Planck
Leonardo da Vinci
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

English naturalist and biologist, Charles Darwin theorized that all species of life evolved over time from common ancestors through the process called natural selection.

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How many syllables make up a haiku?
5,7,5
5,5,7
7,5,5
5,4,3
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It starts with five syllables, the next line is seven syllables and it ends with a five-syllable line. There are only three lines in a haiku and there are no rules regarding punctuation and capitalization . A haiku does not need to rhyme; in fact, it usually doesn't.

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What is the name of the poker hand containing three of a kind and a pair?
Straight Flush
Royal Flush
Full House
Four of a Kind
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A Full House is the third best possible hand in poker hand. Only a Straight Flush and Four-of-a-Kind rank above it. The best possible straight flush is known as a Royal Flush, which consists of the ace, king, queen, jack and ten of a suit.

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What type of wave travels faster, light or sound?
Light
Sound
Both travel at the same time
They both travel but not in waves.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Just think about a storm. You see the lightning before you hear the thunder because light travels faster than sound. In a storm, if you count the seconds between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder, you know how far off the storm is since five seconds equals one mile.

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What is the study of plants called?
Botany
Biology
Archaeology
Chemistry
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Botany is the scientific study of plants or multi-cellular organisms that use photosynthesis to create food energy. This science is important because plants are used as food, they generate oxygen, provide fuel, medicine, and fibers that allow us to live.

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Who wrote the "Harry Potter" series?
Virginia Woolf
J.K Rowling
Agatha Christie
Emily Dickinson
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

From books to movies to video games and amusement parks, Harry Potter is popular world wide. 2016 statistics show that 49 percent of kids aged 15 to 17 have read a Harry Potter book.

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What is the official language of Brazil?
Spanish
Portuguese
French
German
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If you thought the answer was Spanish, it's similar. However, there are enough differences and subtleties between Portuguese and Spanish to make two different languages.

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What is the religion of the Dalai Lama?
Buddhism
Hinduism
Christianity
Judaism
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Some 500 million people in Asia, including the Dalai Lama, practice Buddhism. Buddhism is an outgrowth of Hinduism, which accepts the idea of reincarnation.

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What do you call a shape with eight sides?
Pentagon
Triangle
Octagon
Hexagon
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A pentagon is a five-sided shape, a six-sided shape is a hexagon, a seven-sided shape is a heptagon, while an octagon has eight sides.

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What is the name of the force holding us to Earth?
Acceleration
Gravity
Magnetism
Light waves
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Gravity is why an apple falls off a tree and lands on the ground. Issac Newton realized that there is a force that attracts a body toward the center of the earth, or toward any other physical body having mass.

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In Arabian Nights, Scheherazade told her stories for how many nights?
40 days and 40 nights
1001
100
110
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A woman tells a tale each night to a sultan and then starts a new tale that can't be finished until the next time they meet, in order to keep the sultan from killing her in the morning. She continues to do this for 1001 nights. By that time, the sultan has become enamored with her and no longer wishes to end her life.

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What country's flag feature a big maple leaf on it?
Japan
China
New Zealand
Canada
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Canada features a large maple leaf on its flag. The maple tree and its distinctive leaves are a part of Canada's natural beauty.

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What is the currency of India and Pakistan as well as a few other Asian countries?
Rupee
Yen
Dollar
Euro
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

There are approximately 72 rupees to a US dollar. For a comparison, in India, a dozen eggs cost approximately 64 rupees while it costs approximately $2 - $3 for a dozen eggs in the United States.

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Which organ produces insulin?
Kidneys
Liver
Bladder
Pancreas
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The pancreas is located behind the lower part of the stomach and in front of the spine. Because it produces insulin, it plays a vital role in diabetes, since it regulates blood glucose levels.

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Who did Matthew Perry play in the TV show, "Friends"?
Joey
Ross
Chandler
Gunther
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Not only was "Friends" the most popular show in the '90s, but it has never stopped being popular, which is why it's on a general knowledge quiz. "Friends" was the third-most popular English-language show in India and Pakistan in recent months. It was also the 26th-most popular English-language show on worldwide!

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What is the capital of Turkey?
Ankara
Istanbul
Tehran
Baghdad
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This is a tricky question. Although Ankara is the capital, Istanbul was the capital during the Ottoman Empire. Also, Istanbul is the biggest city in Turkey, so it's easy to get this answer wrong. Tehran is the capital of Iran, and Baghdad is the capital of Iraq.

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In what country were the 2014 Winter Olympics held in the town of Sochi?
North Korea
Russia
Canada
Brazil
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

With the tensions in Russia, you may have easily remembered Sochi and the Olympics held there. Russia was the big winner with 12 gold medals, Norway had 11, Canada 10 and the United States earned nine.

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Who is Winnie the Pooh's gloomy donkey friend?
Piglet
Owl
Tigger
Eeyore
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The books have been around for almost 90 years and have touched the hearts of millions of children around the world. Winnie-the-Pooh has been translated in over 50 languages. Eeyore is a pessimistic, gloomy, depressed, old grey stuffed donkey who is Pooh's friend.

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What is the name of the sports equipment needed to play snooker or in billiards, to hit the ball?
Rack
Bridge
Chalk
Cue stick
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The main difference between snooker and billiards is the number of balls used. In snooker, 22 balls, including the white striker ball, are used. In billiards, only three balls that are white, yellow, and red are used. And there are 15 balls in pool. Rules are different for each sport as well.

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What element is a diamond made of?
Carbon
Mercury
Helium
Iron
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Carbon under pressure can become a diamond. Diamonds are the hardest substance found in nature and are used in heavy-duty drill bits due to their ability to stay sharp and not break. They look great on a ring, too.

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What is the standard unit of distance in the metric system?
Meter
Foot
Centimeter
Inches
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This should be part of your general knowledge because all other countries except the United States, Liberia, and Myanmar use the metric system. You should be familiar not only with meters but volume in liters and Kelvin and Celsius for temperature.

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