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100 Science GK Questions with Answers

Today's 100 Science questions. Pick an option, then tap "Show answer". A new set of 100 comes every day.

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100 questions
  1. Why are appliances in houses joined in parallel?
    1. to save electricity
    2. to use less wire
    3. to keep the current equal
    4. so every appliance gets full voltage and all can run separately
    Show answer

    Answer: (D) so every appliance gets full voltage and all can run separately

    In parallel every appliance has the same (230 V) potential difference and switching one off does not affect the others.

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  2. Why is chloroform kept in dark bottles?
    1. To stop evaporation
    2. To stop freezing
    3. To save its colour
    4. To stop phosgene forming in light
    Show answer

    Answer: (D) To stop phosgene forming in light

    2CHCl₃ + O₂ → 2COCl₂ + 2HCl (in light).

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  3. How does Amoeba reproduce asexually?
    1. Budding
    2. Fission
    3. Fragmentation
    4. Spore formation
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Fission

    Amoeba reproduces through fission, splitting into two equal halves.

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  4. As temperature rises, the solubility of gases in water —
    1. increases
    2. decreases
    3. stays the same
    4. first rises then falls
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) decreases

    Dissolving a gas is exothermic; on heating the gas escapes — ponds lose oxygen in summer.

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  5. Which gland is called the "master gland"?
    1. Thyroid
    2. Pituitary gland
    3. Pancreas
    4. Adrenal gland
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Pituitary gland

    The pituitary gland controls several other glands, which is exactly why it is called the "master gland".

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  6. The maximum kinetic energy of photoelectrons depends on —
    1. intensity
    2. frequency
    3. time of exposure
    4. size of the metal
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) frequency

    Kmax = hν − φ — only on frequency (and the work function of the metal); intensity only raises the number of electrons.

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  7. Which germ layer builds the skin and nervous system?
    1. Ectoderm
    2. Mesoderm
    3. Endoderm
    4. None
    Show answer

    Answer: (A) Ectoderm

    The ectoderm builds both the skin and the nervous system.

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  8. Which country's rocket launched India's first satellite, Aryabhata?
    1. the United States
    2. the Soviet Union
    3. France
    4. Japan
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) the Soviet Union

    Aryabhata was launched on 19 April 1975 aboard a Soviet Cosmos-3M rocket.

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  9. What kind of ribosomes does a eukaryotic cell carry?
    1. 70S only
    2. 80S only
    3. Both 70S and 80S
    4. Neither
    Show answer

    Answer: (C) Both 70S and 80S

    A eukaryotic cell carries 80S ribosomes in its cytoplasm and 70S ribosomes in its mitochondria and chloroplasts.

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  10. Which component is largest in Portland cement?
    1. Silica
    2. Lime (CaO)
    3. Alumina
    4. Gypsum
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Lime (CaO)

    CaO ≈ 50–60%, SiO₂ ≈ 20–25%, Al₂O₃ ≈ 5–10%.

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  1. What should be used on burning petrol or oil?
    1. Water
    2. Soda-acid
    3. Foam
    4. Nothing
    Show answer

    Answer: (C) Foam

    Foam forms a layer on the oil and keeps air out; water makes the oil float and spread.

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  2. Which Agni missile is an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)?
    1. Agni-II
    2. Agni-III
    3. Agni-V
    4. Agni-I
    Show answer

    Answer: (C) Agni-V

    Agni-V is a solid-fuelled Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) with a range of 5000-5500 km.

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  3. What is on the strip of a safety-match box?
    1. White phosphorus
    2. Sulphur
    3. KClO₃
    4. Red phosphorus and powdered glass
    Show answer

    Answer: (D) Red phosphorus and powdered glass

    The head of the stick has KClO₃ + Sb₂S₃; the box has red phosphorus.

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  4. What does the ovule turn into after fertilisation?
    1. A fruit
    2. A seed
    3. A flower
    4. A leaf
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) A seed

    After fertilisation, the ovule turns into a seed, while the whole ovary turns into a fruit.

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  5. In ballistic missile defence, what kind of strike is PAD built for?
    1. within the atmosphere (endo-atmospheric)
    2. outside the atmosphere (exo-atmospheric)
    3. only land attacks
    4. only naval attacks
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) outside the atmosphere (exo-atmospheric)

    Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) is built to intercept incoming missiles outside the atmosphere (exo-atmospheric), while AAD works within the atmosphere.

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  6. What vehicle carries the Nag missile's land version?
    1. the Arjun tank
    2. NAMICA
    3. T-90 Bhishma
    4. BMP-2
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) NAMICA

    The Nag missile's land version is carried by a tracked vehicle called NAMICA (Nag Missile Carrier).

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  7. According to Darwin's theory, how does evolution take place?
    1. through inheritance of acquired characters
    2. through natural selection
    3. through sudden mutation alone
    4. through artificial selection
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) through natural selection

    Darwin showed that the environment selects, from among the variations that arise in a population, those individuals that are better suited to the surrounding conditions — this is natural selection.

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  8. Which disease comes from a vitamin D deficiency?
    1. Scurvy
    2. Rickets
    3. Beriberi
    4. Night blindness
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Rickets

    A shortage of vitamin D causes a calcium deficiency in bones, leading to rickets (in children) and osteomalacia (in adults).

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  9. In which medium does light travel fastest?
    1. water
    2. vacuum
    3. glass
    4. diamond
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) vacuum

    The speed of light is highest in vacuum (3 × 10⁸ m/s); the higher the refractive index, the lower the speed.

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  10. Approximate percentage (w/v) of "20 volume" H₂O₂?
    1. 3%
    2. 6%
    3. 10%
    4. 20%
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) 6%

    20 × 68/22.4 ≈ 60.7 g/L ≈ 6%; "10 volume" ≈ 3%.

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  1. How is an EPROM wiped clean?
    1. with an electric shock
    2. by holding it under ultraviolet (UV) light
    3. with a magnet
    4. it cannot be erased at all
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) by holding it under ultraviolet (UV) light

    Wiping an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM) requires holding it under an intense source of ultraviolet (UV) light.

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  2. Which is the correct order of increasing frequency in the electromagnetic spectrum?
    1. X-ray, UV, visible, radio
    2. gamma, X, UV, visible
    3. radio, microwave, infrared, visible, UV, X, gamma
    4. visible, radio, gamma, X
    Show answer

    Answer: (C) radio, microwave, infrared, visible, UV, X, gamma

    Frequency is lowest for radio and highest for gamma rays; wavelength is the reverse.

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  3. Itai-itai disease is linked with?
    1. Mercury
    2. Cadmium
    3. Fluoride
    4. Nitrate
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Cadmium

    Cadmium makes bones brittle and painful — the Jinzu River in Japan.

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  4. Why was Golden Rice genetically modified?
    1. to increase protein
    2. to produce beta-carotene
    3. to resist pests
    4. to stay fresh longer
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) to produce beta-carotene

    Golden Rice was engineered so its edible grain biosynthesises beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A.

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  5. Which generation of computers was built on integrated circuits?
    1. first
    2. second
    3. third
    4. fourth
    Show answer

    Answer: (C) third

    The third generation (1964-71) was built on integrated circuits, while the fourth generation moved on to microprocessors.

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  6. Through what medium does the TV signal reach the home in a DTH service?
    1. through a ground cable
    2. directly from a satellite to a dish antenna
    3. through a mobile tower
    4. through a telephone line
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) directly from a satellite to a dish antenna

    In DTH (Direct-To-Home), the signal travels straight from a satellite to the home's dish antenna and set-top box.

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  7. Which event proves that light is a transverse wave?
    1. interference
    2. diffraction
    3. polarisation
    4. reflection
    Show answer

    Answer: (C) polarisation

    Polarisation happens only in transverse waves; interference and diffraction also happen in longitudinal waves (sound).

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  8. The charge on a body is always a whole-number multiple of 1.6 × 10⁻¹⁹ C — this is called:
    1. conservation of charge
    2. quantisation of charge
    3. induction
    4. polarisation
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) quantisation of charge

    Charge is always q = ne, n a whole number — this is quantisation; conservation means the total charge stays constant.

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  9. What is a foreign particle that enters the body and triggers the immune system called?
    1. antibody
    2. antigen
    3. vaccine
    4. hormone
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) antigen

    Any foreign particle, such as bacteria or a virus, that activates the immune system is called an antigen.

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  10. What does a virus need in order to stay alive?
    1. Only water
    2. A living host cell
    3. Sunlight
    4. Oxygen
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) A living host cell

    Viruses are obligate parasites and cannot reproduce or grow without a living host cell.

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  1. Sound goes from air into water. Which quantity does not change?
    1. speed
    2. wavelength
    3. all three change
    4. frequency
    Show answer

    Answer: (D) frequency

    The source decides the frequency; on changing the medium the speed and wavelength change, not the frequency.

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  2. What change happens to the atomic and mass numbers in α-decay?
    1. Z + 1, A same
    2. no change
    3. Z − 1, A same
    4. Z − 2, A − 4
    Show answer

    Answer: (D) Z − 2, A − 4

    An α-particle is a helium nucleus (2 protons, 2 neutrons), so Z falls by two and A by four.

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  3. Who discovered penicillin?
    1. Waksman
    2. Alexander Fleming
    3. Ehrlich
    4. Domagk
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Alexander Fleming

    In 1928 from the Penicillium fungus; Waksman gave streptomycin, Domagk the sulpha drug.

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  4. What can excessive use of nitrogenous fertilisers lead to?
    1. lower soil acidity
    2. higher soil acidity and nitrate leaching into groundwater
    3. only benefits for the soil
    4. none of these
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) higher soil acidity and nitrate leaching into groundwater

    Excessive or inappropriate use can raise soil acidity and allow nitrate to leach down into the groundwater.

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  5. What kind of nutrition does a pitcher plant practise?
    1. Self-feeding
    2. Parasitic
    3. Insectivorous
    4. Saprophytic
    Show answer

    Answer: (C) Insectivorous

    A pitcher plant is insectivorous, catching insects to make up for a shortage of nitrogen.

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  6. Which of these non-metals conducts electricity?
    1. Sulphur
    2. Graphite
    3. Phosphorus
    4. Iodine
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Graphite

    In the layers of graphite one electron of each carbon stays free, so it conducts electricity.

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  7. How much copper (63.5) is deposited when 1930 C passes through CuSO₄ solution?
    1. 6.35 g
    2. 1.27 g
    3. 0.635 g
    4. 0.3175 g
    Show answer

    Answer: (C) 0.635 g

    1930 C = 0.02 F; Cu²⁺ needs 2 electrons → 0.01 mole = 0.635 g.

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  8. In Döbereiner’s triad Li, Na, K, the atomic weight of Na is nearly equal to —
    1. the sum of Li and K
    2. the average of Li and K
    3. half of K
    4. three times Li
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) the average of Li and K

    (7 + 39)/2 = 23 — the middle one’s atomic weight equals the average of the first and third.

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  9. In which layer of the atmosphere is the ozone layer?
    1. Troposphere
    2. Stratosphere
    3. Mesosphere
    4. Thermosphere
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Stratosphere

    The ozone layer is at ≈ 15–35 km in the stratosphere; that is why temperature rises with height there.

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  10. By Wien’s law, as temperature rises the wavelength of the strongest radiation —
    1. increases
    2. decreases
    3. does not change
    4. becomes zero
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) decreases

    λ_max × T = constant, so λ_max gets shorter as temperature rises — a hot body’s colour shifts from red towards blue.

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  1. The range of a ball thrown at 20 m/s at 45° (g = 10) is —
    1. 20 m
    2. 10 m
    3. 80 m
    4. 40 m
    Show answer

    Answer: (D) 40 m

    R = u² sin2θ / g = 400 × sin90° / 10 = 40 m — the maximum range at this speed.

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  2. 1 newton equals how many dyne?
    1. 10³ dyne
    2. 10⁵ dyne
    3. 10⁷ dyne
    4. 10⁹ dyne
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) 10⁵ dyne

    1 N = 1 kg × 1 m/s² = 1000 g × 100 cm/s² = 10⁵ dyne. The newton is the SI unit and the dyne the CGS unit of force.

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  3. Which is the correct relation between K and °C?
    1. K = °C − 273
    2. K = °C + 273
    3. K = °C × 2
    4. K = °C ÷ 2
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) K = °C + 273

    The Kelvin scale starts from absolute zero (−273°C), so K = °C + 273 (exactly 273.15).

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  4. What kind of blood does the right atrium of the heart receive?
    1. Oxygen-rich
    2. Carbon dioxide-rich
    3. A mix of both
    4. Pure plasma
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Carbon dioxide-rich

    The right atrium receives carbon dioxide-rich blood from the rest of the body, which later gets purified in the lungs.

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  5. Chemical formula of laughing gas?
    1. NO
    2. N₂O
    3. NO₂
    4. N₂O₅
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) N₂O

    Nitrous oxide (N₂O) — forms on heating NH₄NO₃; an anaesthetic.

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  6. Who overturned the vital force theory by making urea?
    1. Berzelius
    2. Wöhler
    3. Kolbe
    4. Kekulé
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Wöhler

    Wöhler heated ammonium cyanate in 1828 and got urea — NH₄CNO → NH₂CONH₂.

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  7. What was India's first interplanetary mission?
    1. Chandrayaan-I
    2. the Mars Orbiter Mission
    3. Aditya-L1
    4. Gaganyaan
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) the Mars Orbiter Mission

    The Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan), launched in 2013, was India's first interplanetary mission.

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  8. Which compound forms in the Mond process of refining nickel?
    1. NiO
    2. NiSO₄
    3. NiCl₂
    4. Ni(CO)₄
    Show answer

    Answer: (D) Ni(CO)₄

    Ni + 4CO → Ni(CO)₄ (volatile, ≈ 330–350 K), which breaks at ≈ 450–470 K to give pure nickel.

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  9. Which of these has the highest global warming potential (GWP)?
    1. CO₂
    2. CH₄
    3. N₂O
    4. SF₆
    Show answer

    Answer: (D) SF₆

    SF₆ ≈ 23,500; N₂O ≈ 265, CH₄ ≈ 28, CO₂ = 1.

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  10. An aircraft wing lifts the plane by which principle?
    1. Pascal’s law
    2. Bernoulli’s principle
    3. Archimedes’ principle
    4. Hooke’s law
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Bernoulli’s principle

    Air flows faster over the wing, so the pressure there is lower; the higher pressure below pushes the wing up.

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  1. The Chandrasekhar limit (≈ 1.44 solar masses) is related to —
    1. orbits of planets
    2. the size of a black hole
    3. the maximum mass of a white dwarf star
    4. the diameter of a galaxy
    Show answer

    Answer: (C) the maximum mass of a white dwarf star

    A core heavier than this cannot stay a white dwarf and becomes a neutron star or black hole; Chandrasekhar got the 1983 Nobel for it.

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  2. From which generation of mobile technology did messages first start being sent encrypted?
    1. 1G
    2. 2G
    3. 3G
    4. 4G
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) 2G

    Starting with 2G, mobile messages began being digitally encrypted, so that only the intended recipient could read them.

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  3. Who discovered the first evidence of Homo erectus, and where?
    1. Raymond Dart, in South Africa
    2. Eugene Dubois, in Java
    3. Charles Darwin, in England
    4. Hugo de Vries, in Holland
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Eugene Dubois, in Java

    Eugene Dubois discovered the first evidence of Homo erectus in Java in 1891 and named it Pithecanthropus erectus.

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  4. Which is the densest liquid?
    1. water
    2. kerosene
    3. glycerine
    4. mercury
    Show answer

    Answer: (D) mercury

    The density of mercury is about 13,600 kg/m³ — 13.6 times that of water.

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  5. What kind of photoperiod plant is Xanthium?
    1. Long-day
    2. Short-day
    3. Day-neutral
    4. Vernalisation-dependent
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Short-day

    Xanthium is a short-day plant (SDP), needing light below a fixed critical duration to flower.

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  6. Cathode rays are made of which particles?
    1. protons
    2. electrons
    3. neutrons
    4. photons
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) electrons

    Cathode rays are a stream of negatively charged electrons; their e/m came out the same for every gas and cathode.

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  7. Which of these is a chemical change?
    1. Melting of ice
    2. Milk turning into curd
    3. Sublimation of camphor
    4. Dissolving salt
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Milk turning into curd

    Curd contains a new substance (lactic acid) and the change does not reverse — the other three are physical changes.

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  8. Who coined the word "radioactivity"?
    1. Henri Becquerel
    2. Madame Curie
    3. Einstein
    4. Niels Bohr
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Madame Curie

    Radioactivity was discovered by Henri Becquerel, but the word itself was coined by Madame Curie.

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  9. Why was TDSAT established?
    1. to license new telecom companies
    2. to take over telecom dispute resolution, separating it from TRAI
    3. to install mobile towers
    4. to fix internet speeds
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) to take over telecom dispute resolution, separating it from TRAI

    TDSAT was created through an ordinance effective 29 May 2000, to carve dispute resolution out of TRAI and hand it to a separate tribunal.

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  10. Why is nitrogen filled in chips packets?
    1. For taste
    2. To add moisture
    3. To add weight
    4. To stop rancidity (oxidation)
    Show answer

    Answer: (D) To stop rancidity (oxidation)

    N₂ is inert; with no oxygen the fat is not oxidised (no staleness).

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  1. What is Dolly the sheep known for?
    1. being the first GM organism
    2. being the first mammal cloned from an adult cell
    3. being the first transgenic plant
    4. none of these
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) being the first mammal cloned from an adult cell

    Dolly the sheep was the first mammal successfully cloned from an adult cell through differentiation.

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  2. Who discovered the electron?
    1. Rutherford
    2. J. J. Thomson
    3. Chadwick
    4. Millikan
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) J. J. Thomson

    In 1897 Thomson bent cathode rays in electric and magnetic fields and proved they are negatively charged particles (electrons); Millikan later measured the charge.

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  3. Compared with a closed pipe of the same length, the fundamental of an open pipe is —
    1. half
    2. equal
    3. double
    4. four times
    Show answer

    Answer: (C) double

    Open pipe f = v/2L and closed pipe f = v/4L, so the open pipe’s fundamental is double.

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  4. Which cells of the retina recognise colours?
    1. rods
    2. cones
    3. nerve cells
    4. yellow cells
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) cones

    Cone cells recognise colours in bright light; rods work in dim light.

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  5. Why do the testes sit outside the body in the scrotum?
    1. For protection
    2. They need a lower temperature
    3. To make hormones
    4. No particular reason
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) They need a lower temperature

    Sperm production needs a temperature lower than the body’s own, which is why the testes sit outside.

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  6. What is a gymnosperm’s defining feature?
    1. Producing flowers
    2. A naked seed
    3. Having no roots
    4. Being single-celled
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) A naked seed

    A gymnosperm’s seeds are never wrapped in a fruit, which is why they are called naked-seeded plants.

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  7. The value of γ = Cₚ/Cᵥ for a monatomic gas is —
    1. 1.4
    2. 1.33
    3. 1.67
    4. 1.29
    Show answer

    Answer: (C) 1.67

    A monatomic gas has f = 3, so γ = 1 + 2/3 = 5/3 ≈ 1.67.

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  8. Which policy does India's nuclear doctrine commit to?
    1. First Use
    2. No First Use
    3. no stated policy
    4. defensive weapons only
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) No First Use

    India's nuclear doctrine is built around a policy of "No First Use."

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  9. Standard EMF of the Daniell cell?
    1. 0.76 V
    2. 1.10 V
    3. 1.36 V
    4. 2.00 V
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) 1.10 V

    E° = 0.34 − (−0.76) = 1.10 V; Zn anode, Cu cathode.

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  10. What is the correct rising order of levels of organisation?
    1. community → population → species → organism
    2. organism → species → population → community
    3. population → species → organism → community
    4. organism → community → population → species
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) organism → species → population → community

    The correct rising order is: a single organism, then its species, then the population of that species, and finally the community formed by different populations together.

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  1. Which bones belong to the axial skeleton?
    1. Arms and legs
    2. Skull, spine and ribs
    3. The shoulder girdle
    4. Fingers
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Skull, spine and ribs

    The skull, vertebral column, ribs and sternum belong to the axial skeleton, while arms and legs belong to the appendicular skeleton.

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  2. In which year was the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) established?
    1. 1992
    2. 1997
    3. 2000
    4. 2012
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) 1997

    TRAI was set up on 20 February 1997 through an Act of Parliament.

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  3. Which species is mainly reared as the silkworm in sericulture?
    1. Apis mellifera
    2. Bombyx mori
    3. Catla catla
    4. Gossypium hirsutum
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Bombyx mori

    Sericulture mainly rears the species Bombyx mori as the silkworm for producing silk.

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  4. Which contraceptive method blocks both pregnancy and STDs 100% of the time?
    1. Condom
    2. IUD
    3. Abstinence
    4. Birth control pill
    Show answer

    Answer: (C) Abstinence

    Abstinence is the only method that, by avoiding sexual contact entirely, fully blocks both pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease.

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  5. What is a fungus’s cell wall made of?
    1. Cellulose
    2. Chitin
    3. Protein
    4. Lipid
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Chitin

    A fungus’s cell wall is built from chitin, while a plant’s is built from cellulose.

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  6. The audible range of a normal human is —
    1. 0–20 Hz
    2. 20–20,000 Hz
    3. above 20,000 Hz
    4. 200–2000 Hz
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) 20–20,000 Hz

    Below 20 Hz is infrasonic and above 20 kHz is ultrasonic.

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  7. What is the chromosome count like in cells produced by meiosis?
    1. Same as the mother cell
    2. Half (haploid)
    3. Double
    4. Zero
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    Answer: (B) Half (haploid)

    Cells produced by meiosis are haploid (n), while the mother cell was diploid (2n).

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  8. Oxidation state of iron in K₄[Fe(CN)₆]?
    1. +3
    2. 0
    3. +2
    4. +6
    Show answer

    Answer: (C) +2

    4(+1) + x + 6(−1) = 0 → x = +2; +3 in K₃[Fe(CN)₆].

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  9. Which agency carried out Mission Shakti?
    1. ISRO
    2. DRDO
    3. NASA
    4. DAE
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) DRDO

    Mission Shakti, the anti-satellite test on 27 March 2019, was carried out by DRDO.

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  10. Why is thermal pollution harmful to aquatic life?
    1. The water turns salty
    2. The water freezes
    3. Hot water holds less oxygen
    4. Light is reduced
    Show answer

    Answer: (C) Hot water holds less oxygen

    The solubility of gases falls as temperature rises, while fish need more oxygen.

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  1. How did the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) treat India, despite India never signing the NPT?
    1. it never made any exception
    2. it relaxed its guidelines specifically for India
    3. it applied the same rules to every country
    4. it excluded India from the group entirely
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) it relaxed its guidelines specifically for India

    The NSG relaxed its guidelines specifically for India, even without India ever signing the NPT.

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  2. An iron nail sinks in water but an iron ship floats, because —
    1. the ship displaces water equal to its own weight
    2. the iron of the ship is lighter
    3. sea water is warm
    4. the ship is painted
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    Answer: (A) the ship displaces water equal to its own weight

    Because of its hollow shape the ship displaces a huge amount of water, whose weight becomes equal to the ship’s weight.

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  3. Who discovered the magnetic effect of current?
    1. Faraday
    2. Oersted
    3. Ohm
    4. Ampère
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    Answer: (B) Oersted

    In 1820 Oersted saw a magnetic needle deflect near a current-carrying wire.

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  4. Which blood group is considered the universal donor?
    1. A
    2. B
    3. AB
    4. O
    Show answer

    Answer: (D) O

    Blood group O carries no antigens, so it can be given to a person of any blood group.

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  5. What is the basic difference between Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)?
    1. they are the same thing
    2. AR adds things to the real world, VR builds an entirely new one
    3. VR is only for sound
    4. AR is only for gaming
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) AR adds things to the real world, VR builds an entirely new one

    AR overlays computer-generated information onto a view of the real world, while VR fully immerses the user in an artificial environment.

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  6. Why does a pond full of water look shallower than it is?
    1. reflection
    2. diffraction
    3. scattering
    4. refraction
    Show answer

    Answer: (D) refraction

    Rays from the bottom bend away from the normal while going from water to air, so the bottom looks raised.

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  7. Why does the He₂ molecule not form?
    1. Helium is very light
    2. Helium is radioactive
    3. Its bond order is zero
    4. Helium has no p orbital
    Show answer

    Answer: (C) Its bond order is zero

    2 electrons in bonding σ1s and 2 in antibonding σ*1s — bond order ½(2 − 2) = 0.

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  8. What decides the sex of a human child?
    1. the mother's egg
    2. the father's sperm
    3. both equally
    4. nothing decides it
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) the father's sperm

    The mother always contributes an X-carrying egg, while the father can contribute either an X or a Y sperm, so the sex of the child is decided by the father's sperm.

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  9. What shape has turnip and beetroot taken?
    1. Conical
    2. Napiform
    3. Fusiform
    4. A breathing root
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Napiform

    Turnip and beetroot roots take a napiform shape — nearly spherical and swollen.

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  10. What is the correct order of ecosystems from highest to lowest productivity?
    1. ocean, lake, grassland, mangrove
    2. mangrove, ocean, grassland, lake
    3. mangrove, grassland, lake, ocean
    4. ocean, mangrove, lake, grassland
    Show answer

    Answer: (C) mangrove, grassland, lake, ocean

    From highest to lowest productivity: mangrove forest comes first, then grassland and lake at roughly the same level, and the open ocean comes last.

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  1. How many orbitals are in a d subshell?
    1. 3
    2. 1
    3. 7
    4. 5
    Show answer

    Answer: (D) 5

    For l = 2, m has 2l + 1 = 5 values — five d orbitals, up to 10 electrons.

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  2. Because of the lanthanoid contraction, which two elements are nearly equal in size?
    1. Ti and Zr
    2. Fe and Co
    3. Zr and Hf
    4. Cu and Ag
    Show answer

    Answer: (C) Zr and Hf

    The contraction of the 14 lanthanoids before Hf makes Hf as small as Zr (≈ 160 pm).

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  3. Within what temperature range do enzymes work best?
    1. 0–10°C
    2. 35–40°C
    3. 60–70°C
    4. 90–100°C
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) 35–40°C

    Most human enzymes have an ideal temperature range of 35–40°C.

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  4. Which of these ions is the smallest?
    1. O²⁻
    2. F⁻
    3. Na⁺
    4. Al³⁺
    Show answer

    Answer: (D) Al³⁺

    All four are isoelectronic (10 e⁻); Al³⁺ has the most protons (13), so it is the smallest.

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  5. Why does galvanising protect iron even when scratched?
    1. Zinc is less reactive
    2. Zinc is shiny
    3. Zinc is more reactive and corrodes first
    4. Zinc absorbs water
    Show answer

    Answer: (C) Zinc is more reactive and corrodes first

    Zinc becomes the sacrificial anode; with tinning the iron rusts fast once scratched.

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  6. Which of these levers always has a mechanical advantage less than 1?
    1. scissors
    2. tongs
    3. wheelbarrow
    4. see-saw
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) tongs

    Tongs are a third-class lever (effort in the middle), whose effort arm is always shorter than the load arm.

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  7. Which state of matter is mainly found in the Sun and stars?
    1. Solid
    2. Plasma
    3. Bose–Einstein condensate
    4. Liquid
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Plasma

    At very high temperature gas atoms are ionised into plasma — the Sun and stars are in this state.

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  8. What is xylem’s main job?
    1. Carrying food
    2. Carrying water
    3. Making hormones
    4. Photosynthesis
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Carrying water

    Xylem carries water and minerals from the root to the leaves, while also giving mechanical support.

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  9. Which of these is a chemical change?
    1. Melting of ice
    2. Dissolving of salt
    3. Tearing of paper
    4. Milk turning into curd
    Show answer

    Answer: (D) Milk turning into curd

    In making curd bacteria turn the lactose of milk into lactic acid — a new substance forms.

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  10. Product of the Hofmann bromamide reaction on acetamide?
    1. Ethylamine
    2. Methylamine
    3. Acetic acid
    4. Aniline
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Methylamine

    One carbon fewer: CH₃CONH₂ ⟶ CH₃NH₂.

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GK question sets

FAQs

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This page lists GK questions and answers chapter by chapter — history, geography, polity, economy, science, computer and current affairs. Tap "Show answer" under any question for the answer and explanation.

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