GENERAL AWARENESS PRACTICE MCQs

Q1. In which city is the dargah (tomb) of sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti located ?
(A) Mumbai
(B) Srinagar
(C) New Delhi
(D) Ajmer

Q2.  With with musical instrument is Pt. Ravi Shankar associated ?
(A) Sitar
(B) Sarod
(C) Santoor
(D) Tabla

Q3. In 1953, who became the first woman President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) ?
(A) Rajkumari Amrit Kaur
(B) Sucheta Kriplani
(C) Vijay Laxmi Pandit
(D) Sarojini Naidu

Q4. Which lake seprates the Hyderabad, capital of Andhra Pradesh, from its twin city Secunderabad ?
(A) Loktak Lake
(B) Chilka Lake
(C) Wular Lake
(D) Hussain Sagar Lake

Q5. What is the name of India’s first nuclear reactor ?
(A) Apsara
(B) Kamini
(C) Dhruva
(D) Aryabhatt

Q6. At which place did Mahatama Gandhi start his first Satyagraha in India ?
(A) Kheda (Gujarat)
(B) Champaran (Bihar)
(C) Sabarmati (Gujarat)
(D) Mumbai (Maharashtra)

Q7. ’Wings of Fire’ and ‘Ignited Minds’ books are authored by which Indian scientist ?
(A) H.G.Khurana
(B) M.S.Swaminathan
(C) A.P.J.Abdul Kalam
(D) S.Chandrasekhar


Q8. The Gir Forest National Park (Sasan Gir), the only home of the Asiatic Lions, is situated in which state ?
(A) Kerala
(B) Gujarat
(C) West Bengal
(D) Madhya Pradesh

Q9. Which Mughal emperor assumed the title of ‘Alamgir’ (Conqueror of the world) ?
(A) Akbar
(B) Jehangir
(C) Shahjahan
(D) Aurangzeb

Q10. What is the common name of Acetylsalicylic Acid ?
(A) Aspirin
(B) Vinegar
(C) Vitamin C
(D) Vitriol

Q11. Who signs one rupee currency note of India ?
(A) RBI Governor
(B) Finance Secretary
(C) Finance Minister
(D) President

Q12. Who wrote the ‘Das Capital’, an extensive treatise on political economy ?
(A) Karl Marx
(B) Friedrich Engles
(C) Leo Tolstoy
(D) Maxim Gorky

Q13. Who was the first law minister of independent India ?
(A) Vallabhbhai Patel
(B) Rafi Ahmed Kidwai
(C) B.R.Ambedkar
(D) Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

Q14. Arabica, Robusta and Liberica are the varieties of which popluar beverage ?
(A) Tea
(B) Coffee
(C) Yoghurt
(D) Lemonade

Q15. Which Indian classical dance form, native of Andhra Pradesh, was developed by Siddhendra Yogi from Bhamakalapam dance drama ?
(A) Odissi
(B) Kathakali
(C) Bharatanatyam
(D) Kuchipudi

Q16. Where is the headquarters of the National Institute of Oceanography located ?
(A) Dona Paula (Goa)
(B) Kochi (Kerala)
(C) Mumbai (Maharashtra)
(D) Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh)

Q17. Which European country is known as the ‘Land of a thousand lakes’ ?
(A) Denmark
(B) Sweden
(C) Norway
(D) Finland

Q18. Which is the nearest star to the Sun ?
(A) Proxima Centauri
(B) Alpha Centauri A
(C) Alpha Centauri B
(D) Bernard’s Star

Q19. Which gas is commonly known as ‘Laughing Gas’ ?
(A) Ozone
(B) Methane
(C) Nitrous Oxide
(D) Carbon dioxide

Q20. Which is the only continent through which all three main latitude lines – Equator, Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn – passes ?
(A) Asia
(B) Africa
(C) Europe
(D) South America

Q21. Kavaratti, an island town, is the capital of which Indian union territory ?
(A) Lakshadweep
(B) Daman and Diu
(C) Puducherry
(D) Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Q22. Garba dance is native of which Indian state ?
(A) Punjab
(B) Maharashtra
(C) Gujarat
(D) West Bengal

Q23. Antarctica is the largest cold desert in the world. Which is the largest hot desert in the world ?
(A) Thar
(B) Gobi
(C) Sahara
(D) Kalahari

Q24. Sadakat Ashram memorial in Patna is dedicated to which former President of India ?
(A) Zakir Hussain
(B) Rajendra Prasad
(C) Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
(D) V.V.Giri

Q25. Who discoverd Penicillin ?
(A) Jonas Salk
(B) Frederick Benting
(C) Alexander Fleming
(D) Ronald Ross

Q26. In Mumbai terror attacks on 26 Nov. 2008, what was the code name of security forces commando action against terrorists ?
(A) Operation Vijay
(B) Operation Shakti
(C) Operation Cactus
(D) Operation Black Tornado

Q27. At which temprature, Celsius and Fahrenheit scales will show same reading ?
(A) 0 degree
(B) 32 degre
(C) 180 degree
(D) minus 40 degree

Q28. Launched on 1st July 1822, which newspaper is the Asia’s oldest extant daily ?
(A) The Times of India
(B) Mumbai Samachar
(C) The Indian Express
(D) Hindustan Times

Q29. Who is the first Indian woman to graduate from the Harvard Business School ?
(A) Naina Lal Kidwai
(B) Lalita D. Gupte
(C) Kiran Mazumdar Shaw
(D) Chanda Kochhar

Q30. In domestic LPG cylinders, a small quantity of which foul smelling chemical is added to act as a warning agent in case of any gas leakage ?
(A) Pyridine
(B) Isocyanide
(C) Cadaverine
(D) Ethyl Mercaptan


Q31. In tabletop game Carrom, how many coins are used ?
(A) 15
(B) 17
(C) 19
(D) 21

Q32. How much time does Sunlight take to reach the Earth ?
(A) 8 minutes
(B) 10 minutes
(C) 12 minutes
(D) 15 minutes

Q33. Alpha is the first letter of Greek alphabet. Which is the last ?
(A) Beta
(B) Gamma
(C) Sigma
(D) Omega

Q34. Which ruler of Gupta dynasty is also called the ‘Napoleon of India’ ?
(A) Ramagupta
(B) Skandagupta
(C) Samudragupta
(D) Chandragupta Vikramaditya

Q35. Which mountain range in Chhatisgarh, with name literally meaning the hump of ox, is world famous for top-quality deposits of iron ore ?
(A) Aravali
(B) Bailadila
(C) Nilgiri
(D) Patkai

Q36. Which scientist is considered as the father of Indian Space Programme ?
(A) Vikram Sarabhai
(B) Homi Bhabha
(C) M.S.Swaminathan
(D) A.P.J.Abdul Kalam

Q37. Which pigment is responsible for red colour of tomatoes ?
(A) Melanin
(B) Lycopene
(C) Bilirubin
(D) Chlorophyll

Q38. Who founded the ‘Pushti Marg’ (path of divine grace) sect of the Hindu religion ?
(A) Adi Shankaracharya
(B) Nimbarkacharya
(C) Ramanujacharya
(D) Vallabhacharya

Q39. Who authored the book `The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid’ ?
(A) Philip Kotler
(B) Jack Welch
(C) C.K.Prahalad
(D) Mohanbir Sawhney

Q40. Indira Mount, an underwater mountain named after former PM of India Smt. Indira Gandhi, is in which ocean ?
(A) Indian Ocean
(B) Antarctic Ocean
(C) Atlantic Ocean
(D) Pacific Ocean

Q41. In Roman numerals, which letter represents one thousand ?
(A) L
(B) C
(C) M
(D) X

Q42. Who was the only woman ruler of Delhi ?
(A) Chand Bibi
(B) Razia Sultan
(C) Rani Durgavati
(D) Rani Rudramma Devi

Q43. How do we better know Oscar award winner lyricist Sampooran Singh Kalra, the writer of ‘Jai Ho’ song for film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ ?
(A) Sameer
(B) Gulzar
(C) Javed Akhtar
(D) Prasoon Joshi

Q44. Where did Lord Mahavira, the last of 24 tirthankars in Jain tradition, attain Nirvana ?
(A) Nanded (Maharashtra)
(B) Kolkata (W.Bengal)
(C) Kushinagar (U.P.)
(D) Pawapuri (Bihar)

Q45. In 1904, which revolutionary founded Abhinav Bharat Society ?
(A) Veer Savarkar
(B) Bhagat Singh
(C) Chandrasekhar Azad
(D) Lala Hardayal

Q46. In which city are the headquarters of International Olympic Committee (IOC) located ?
(A) Zurich (Switzerland)
(B) London (United Kingdom)
(C) Dubai (United Arab Emirates)
(D) Lausanne (Switzerland)

Q47. In 1872, which Viceroy of India was assassinated at Port Blair in the Andaman Islands ?
(A) Lord Mayo
(B) Lord Curzon
(C) Lord Lytton
(D) Lord Irwin

Q48. Greenland, the largest island in world, is the part of which country ?
(A) Canada
(B) Denmark
(C) Norway
(D) Iceland

Q49. Who created the first cloned sheep Dolly ?
(A) Adam Osborne
(B) Charles Babbage
(C) Tim Burners-Lee
(D) Ian Wilmut

Q50. Which pass, connecting Sri Lankan mainland with Jaffna peninsula. is referred as the ‘Gateway to Jaffna’ ?
(A) Khyber pass
(B) Nathu La pass
(C) Elephant pass
(D) Rohtang pass

Q51. After Sachin Tendulkar, who is the second cricketer to receive the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award ?
(A) Saurav Ganguly
(B) Rahul Dravid
(C) Mahendra Singh Dhoni
(D) Anil Kumble

Q52. Which city houses the headquarters of Central Railway ?
(A) Bhopal
(B) Nagpur
(C) Allahabad
(D) Mumbai

Q53. Who was the first Indian Governor-General of independent India ?
(A) Lord Mountbatten
(B) C.Rajagopalachari
(C) Rajendra Prasad
(D) Jawaharlal Nehru

Q54. ’Bhogi’, ‘Surya’, ‘Mattu’ and ‘Kanum’ are the parts of which four day long harvest festival of Tamilnadu ?
(A) Bihu
(B) Lohri
(C) Pongal
(D) Baisakhi

Q55. Wheeler Island, the site of India’s missile testing facility Integrated Test Range (ITR), is situated in which state ?
(A) Orissa
(B) Andhra Pradesh
(C) Tamilnadu
(D) Kerala

Q56. To whom does the President of India address his resignation ?
(A) Chief Justice of India
(B) Prime Minister
(C) Lok Sabha Speaker
(D) Vice President

Q57. Apart from Russia, the territory of which country lies in both Europe and Asia continents ?
(A) Turkey
(B) Greece
(C) France
(D) Germany

Q58. In 1998, who became the first Indian ever to be awarded the Wharton School Dean’s Medal ?
(A) J.R.D.Tata
(B) Dhirubhai Ambani
(C) N.R.Narayana Murthy
(D) Azim Premji

Q59. Who is known as the ‘Father of Medicine’ ?
(A) Herodotus
(B) Hipparchus
(C) Hippocrates
(D) Wilhelm Wundt

Q60. ’Razmnama’ is the Persian translation of which Indian epic ?
(A) Ramayana
(B) Mahabahrat
(C) Raghuvamsha
(D) Kumarsambhava

Q61. After Hindi, which is the second most spoken language in India ?
(A) Tamil
(B) Marathi
(C) Telugu
(D) Bengali

Q62. In terms of area, which is the largest country ?
(A) Russia
(B) Canada
(C) China
(D) United States of America

Q63. Who was the first woman to receive the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award ?
(A) Indira Gandhi
(B) Mother Teresa
(C) Aruna Asaf Ali
(D) M.S.Subbulakshmi

Q64. Which is the only element whose atoms have no neutron ?
(A) Helium
(B) Oxygen
(C) Nitogen
(D) Hydrogen

Q65. Challenger Deep, a part of Mariana Trench and the deepest point in the oceans, named after British ship Challenger II which first surveyed it in 1951, is located in which ocean ?
(A) Indian Ocean
(B) Pacific Ocean
(C) Atlantic Ocean
(D) Antarctic Ocean

Q66. In 1922, Chittarajnan Das and Motilal Nehru founded which political party ?
(A) Forward Block
(B) Swaraj Party
(C) Swatantra Party
(D) Ghadar Party

Q67. According to Hindu mythology, which warrior was the possessor of ‘Chanrdrahas’ sword ?
(A) Arjun
(B) Kansa
(C) Ravana
(D) Parshuram

Q68. In which state is the Dachigam National Park, famous for Hangul (Red Deer), located ?
(A) Assam
(B) Jammu & Kashmir
(C) West Bengal
(D) Madhya Pradesh

Q69. Which early 11th century traveller to India authored the books ‘Tahqiq-i-Hind’ and ‘Kitab-ul-Hind’ ?
(A) Fi-Hien
(B) Marco Polo
(C) Al Beruni
(D) Ibn Batuta

Q70. Who was the first President of Pakistan ?
(A) Ayub Khan
(B) Liaquat Ali Khan
(C) Iskandar Mirza
(D) Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Q71. Which is the heaviest organ in the human body ?
(A) Heart
(B) Liver
(C) Kidney
(D) Stomach

Q72. Which hill station was the summer capital of British India ?
(A) Nainital
(B) Mussoorie
(C) Darjeeling
(D) Shimla

Q73. ’Hematite’ and ‘Magnetite’ are the principal ores of which metal ?
(A) Iron
(B) Nickel
(C) Cobalt
(D) Aluminium

Q74. ’Biman’ is the national airline of which Asian country ?
(A) Nepal
(B) Bhutan
(C) Bangladesh
(D) Sri Lanka

Q75. In 1581, which Mughal ruler started religious doctrine ‘Din-i-Ilahi’ (Divine Faith) ?
(A) Babar
(B) Akbar
(C) Jehangir
(D) Shahjahan

Q76. From which country did India procure the aircraft carier Admiral Gorshkov, scheduled to join Indian Navy as INS Vikramaditaya in 2012 ?
(A) Russia
(B) Germany
(C) France
(D) United States of America

Q77. Which National Film Award is given to the Best First Film of a Director ?
(A) Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus)
(B) Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus)
(C) Nargis Dutt Award
(D) Indira Gandhi Award

Q78. ’Kalaripayattu’ is the traditional martial art of which Indian state ?
(A) Punjab
(B) Manipur
(C) Kerala
(D) Jammu & Kashmir

Q79. Hazratbal Dargah, which houses the sacred hair of Prophet Mohammed, is situated in which city ?
(A) Ajmer
(B) Srinagar
(C) Fatehpur Sikri
(D) Mumbai

Q80. ’Struggle for Existence’ book is the autobiography of which Indian woman leader ?
(A) Mayawati
(B) J.Jayalalitha
(C) Sushma Swaraj
(D) Mamta Banerjee

Q81. Who administers the oath of office to the President of India ?
(A) Prime Minister
(B) Lok Sabha Speaker
(C) Rajya Sabha Speaker
(D) Chief Justice of India

Q82. With which state is the Phulkari embroidery associated ?
(A) Punjab
(B) Gujarat
(C) Karnataka
(D) Uttar Pradesh

Q83. Which capital city houses the headquarters of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) ?
(A) Dhaka
(B) Thimpu
(C) Kathmandu
(D) Islamabad

Q84. Zend Avesta is the holy book of which religion ?
(A) Islam
(B) Judaism
(C) Christianity
(D) Zoroastrianism

Q85. Before Hyderabad, which city was the the capital of Andhra Pradesh (erstwhile Andhra State) ?
(A) Warangal
(B) Kurnool
(C) Vijayawada
(D) Visakhapatnam

Q86. Who was the first Indian to win boy’s Wimbledon Singles title in 1954 ?
(A) Ramanathan Krishnan
(B) Vijay Amritraj
(C) Ramesh Krishnan
(D) Leander Paes

Q87. At which place in Kerala was the first tide (ocean wave) generated electricity project of India established ?
(A) Alapuzha
(B) Ezhimala
(C) Vizhinjam
(D) Kozhikode

Q88. In 1954, with which Chinese premier did Indian PM Jawaharlal Nehru sign Panchsheel (five principles of peaceful co-existence) Pact ?
(A) Mao Zedong
(B) Zhou Enlai
(C) Deng Xiaoping
(D) Hua Guofeng

Q89. Who authored the ‘Rajatarangini’, a historical chronicle of Kashmir ?
(A) Kalidas
(B) Kalhana
(C) Chankaya
(D) Banabhatt

Q90. Who designed the Param Vir Chakra medal, India’s highest military award ?
(A) Nek Chand
(B) Umesh Rao
(C) Bobby Kooka
(D) Savitri Khanolkar


Q91. Who directed ‘Raja Harishchandra’ (1913), the first totally indigenous Indian feature film ?
(A) Ardeshir Irani
(B) Dadasaheb Phalke
(C) V.Shantaram
(D) Sohrab Modi

Q92. Who is the ex-officio chairman of the Planning Commission of India ?
(A) President
(B) Prime Minister
(C) Finance Minister
(D) RBI Governor

Q93. What is the name of India’s longest river bridge, built over the river Ganga at Patna ?
(A) Rabindra Setu
(B) Vidyasagar Setu
(C) Mahatma Gandhi Setu
(D) Anna Indira Gandhi Bridge

Q94. Who founded the Brahmo Samaj, initially known as Brahmo Sabha, in 1828 ?
(A) Raja Ram Mohan Roy
(B) Debendranath Tagore
(C) Mahadev Govind Ranade
(D) Keshub Chandra Sen

Q95. ’Tamasha’ is the popular folk theatre of which state ?
(A) Punjab
(B) Maharashtra
(C) Karnataka
(D) West Bengal

Q96. In which city is the Central Rice Research Institute located ?
(A) Karnal (Haryana)
(B) Shimla (Himachal Pradesh)
(C) Rajamundry (Andhra Pradesh)
(D) Cuttack (Orissa)

Q97. At which place Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and the last Guru of Sikhs, created ‘Khalsa’ in 1699 ?
(A) Anandpur (Punjab)
(B) Amritsar (Punjab)
(C) Patna (Bihar)
(D) Nanded (Maharashtra)

Q98. Who is the first woman Air Marshal of India Air Force (IAF) ?
(A) Punita Arora
(B) Harita Kaur Deol
(C) Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya
(D) Padmavathy Bandopadhyay

Q99. What is the boundary line demarcating India and China known as ?
(A) Curzon Line
(B) Durand Line
(C) McMahon Line
(D) RadCliffe Line

Q100. In 1958, which billiards player became the first Indian to win an individual world title in any sport ?
(A) Wilson Jones
(B) Michael Ferreira
(C) Geet Sethi
(D) Manoj Kothari