General Knowledge50 randomly selected General Knowledge questions for quizmasters. New random selection made weekly. Next update: Monday 24th February 2025 (Please note: Questions are taken from our database of previous quizzes. Some questions and answers may be outdated.) |
|
|
|
|
| 1. | Carl XVI Gustaf is the reigning king of which country? |
|
Sweden | |
| 2. | What 'F' is an English language word of Japanese origin which describes a traditional style of bedding consisting of padded mattresses and quilts pliable enough to be folded and stored away during the day? |
|
Futon | |
| 3. | On a hunting trip in the Alps in 1941, Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral was intrigued by burdock burrs (seeds) that kept sticking to his clothes and his dog's fur. After lengthy experimentation, what did he patent in the mid 1950s? |
|
Velcro | |
| 4. | Which is greater? A. 80 knots B. 90 mph C. 40 m/s |
|
A. 80 knots (92.0624 mph / 41.1556 m/s) | |
| 5. | ¿An inverted question mark starts a written question in what major European language? |
|
Spanish | |
| 6. | The original 1935 version of Monopoly took its street names from which American city? |
|
Atlantic City (New Jersey) | |
| 7. | Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, is the incumbent president of what Southeast Asian country? |
|
Indonesia | |
| 8. | What is Barack Obama's middle name? |
|
Hussein (Barack Hussein Obama II) | |
| 9. | Which of these is the odd one out? Aunt, Brother, Cousin, Father, Mother, Niece, Sister, Uncle |
|
Cousin (All the rest are gender specific) | |
| 10. | Brooklyn Joseph, Romeo James, Cruz David, and Harper Seven are the children of what celebrity couple? |
|
David & Victoria Beckham | |
| 11. | Translating into English as "our thing", what is the Italian term for the Mafia? |
|
Cosa Nostra | |
| 12. | What does OPEC stand for? |
|
Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries | |
| 13. | Of the 12 signs of the zodiac, in English Language terms, which two come last alphabetically? |
|
Taurus and Virgo | |
| 14. | Who is the reigning monarch of the Principality of Monaco? |
|
Albert II | |
| 15. | How many different letters are used in the modern system of Roman numerals? |
|
7 (I V X L D C M) | |
| 16. | What far-future year comes next in this strobogrammatic sequence? |
|
6009 (a strobogrammatic number is one that reads the same when rotated 180 degrees) | |
| 17. | A national symbol of the French Republic, what is the name of France's Goddess of Liberty? |
|
Marianne | |
| 18. | What are generally considered to be the four precious stones? |
|
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald | |
| 19. | In Western culture, which birthstone is associated with the month of January? |
|
Garnet | |
| 20. | In reference to the U.S. church denomination, what do the initials A.M.E. stand for? |
|
African Methodist Episcopal | |
| 21. | Complete this sequence: Blue, Red, Yellow, Blue, Green, ____? |
|
Red (Google logo colours) | |
| 22. | In which country is the Sinhalese language spoken? |
|
Sri Lanka | |
| 23. | What did the "M" stand for in Richard M. Nixon's middle name? |
|
Milhous | |
| 24. | What 'D' describes the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of a ship's hull? |
|
Draft / Draught | |
| 25. | Who, in Greek mythology, is twin brother of the goddess Artemis? |
|
Apollo | |
| 26. | What nationality is WikiLeaks' editor-in-chief Julian Assange? |
|
Australian | |
| 27. | Spain is the third largest country in the world in terms of population with Spanish as a native language. Which two countries are first and second? |
|
Mexico & Colombia | |
| 28. | What letter comes next in this sequence? |
|
J (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges) | |
| 29. | What is the third letter of the Greek alphabet? |
|
Gamma (uppercase Γ, lowercase γ; Greek: Γάμμα) | |
| 30. | Next in line of succession after the U.S. Vice President, who is the current Speaker of the House of Representatives? |
|
Paul Ryan | |
| 31. | What three letters describe the academic qualification for a Doctor of Philosophy? |
|
Ph.D. | |
| 32. | Replace these initials with words to make a true statement: |
|
8 Sides on a Stop Sign | |
| 33. | Using the English language algebraic notation for chess pieces, K stands for King. What letter is used to represent a Knight? |
|
N | |
| 34. | Borrowed from German, what word is used in the English language to describe the pleasure or joy that comes from learning of or witnessing the troubles, failures, or humiliation of another? |
|
Schadenfreude | |
| 35. | Which word describes both a blunt sword and a very thin sheet of metal? |
|
Foil | |
| 36. | Which country has the largest population of native Puerto Ricans? |
|
United States (4.8 million compared to 3.5 million in Puerto Rico) | |
| 37. | What one word can describe a part of the digestive system, a punctuation mark, and the currency of Costa Rica? |
|
Colon | |
| 38. | What French fashion term means "ready-to-wear"? |
|
Prêt-à-porter | |
| 39. | What is the name of these collectible animal figurines made of flocked plastic by the Japanese gaming company Epoch? |
|
Sylvanian Families | |
| 40. | What country has the internet domain code .is? |
|
Iceland | |
| 41. | What colour smoke rises from the Vatican chimney when a new Pope has been elected? |
|
White | |
| 42. | Hun Sen has served as Prime Minister of what country since 1985? |
|
Cambodia | |
| 43. | What, in economic terms, does GDP stand for? |
|
Gross domestic product | |
| 44. | What country has the international vehicle registration code 'D'? |
|
Germany (Deutschland) | |
| 45. | In Monopoly, what square precedes Pacific Avenue (US), Regent Street (UK), Castlereagh Street (AU) and Dee Street (NZ)? |
|
Go To Jail | |
| 46. | A caterpillar covers its outward journey to a vegetable patch at a speed of 114 metres per hour. After filling up with his favourite foods the caterpillar returns, over exactly the same distance, at 38 metres per hour. What is the caterpillar’s average speed over the entire journey? |
|
57 metres per hour (38m/h takes 3 times longer than 114m/h, so (114+38+38+38)/4) | |
| 47. | What nickname is commonly given to members of the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity? |
|
Moonies (after its founder Sun Myung Moon) | |
| 48. | The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council are France, the United Kingdom, the United States, and what two others? |
|
China and Russia | |
| 49. | In folklore, who was Peeping Tom looking at when he was struck blind? |
|
Lady Godiva | |
| 50. | What 'P' describes the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China? |
|
Pinyin (Hanyu Pinyin) | |
|
Back to Top Hide Answers Back to Category Index Back to Quiz Index |
|