100+ General Science Questions and Answers are consistently drawn from the General Science section across various competitive exams. General science constitutes a core component of the competitive exam syllabus.
Hence, this article has curated questions and answers about general science, aligning with the prevalent question trends observed in numerous past competitive exams.
Topics on General Science Questions Answers
Heat, Sound, Light, Magnetism, Astronomy and space science, computers and internet, Nutrition, Respiration, Metabolic Wastes, Skeletal system, Reproduction, Plant, Human disease and defense mechanism, Kinetic theory of Nature, Acid, Bases, and salts, etc.
General Science Questions Answers 2024
General Science Questions Answers set 1
A. Study the following questions and answers on General Science. This will surely prove fruitful if anyone practices regularly.
1. Cobalt-60 is commonly used in radiation therapy because it emits
(a) alpha rays
(b) beta rays
(d) X-rays
(c) gamma rays
Ans: (c) gamma rays
2. Low temperatures (Cryogenics) find application in
(a) space travel, surgery, and magnetic levitation
(b) surgery, magnetic levitation, and telemetry
(c) space travel, surgery, and telemetry
(d) space travel, magnetic levitation, and telemetry
Ans: (a) space travel, surgery, and magnetic levitation
3. Which one of the following scholars suggests the earth’s origin from gases and dust particles?
(a) James Jeans
(b) H. Alfven
(c) F. Hoyle
(d) O. Schmid
Ans: (a) James Jeans
4. For which one of the following is capillarity, not the only reason?
(a) Blotting of ink
(b) Rising of underground water
(c) Spread water drop on a cotton cloth
(d) Rising of water from the roots of a plant to its foliage
Ans: (b) Rising of underground water
5. Light from the nearest star (other than the sun) reaches the earth in
(a) 4.2 seconds
(b) 42 seconds
(c) 4.2 years
(d) 42 years
Ans: (c) 4.2 years
General Science Questions Answers set 2
6. The pole star does not seem to move because
(a) it is in line with the earth’s axis of rotation
(b) it moves around the sun and not the earth
(c) its movement can be seen only during a solar eclipse
(d) it rotates very rapidly
Ans: (a) it is in line with the earth’s axis of rotation
7. The age of the earth can be estimated by
(a) uranium dating
(b) carbon dating
(c) atomic clocks
(d) biological clocks
Ans: (a) uranium dating
8. The enormous energy released in an atomic explosion is due to the
(a) conversion of mass into energy
(b) conversion of chemical energy into heat energy
(c) conversion of mechanical energy into nuclear energy
(d) conversion of neutrons into protons
Ans: (a) conversion of mass into energy
9. The process by which energy is generated in the sun is the
(a) fission of uranium
(b) fusion of helium
(c) fusion of hydrogen
(d) combination of all these processes
Ans: (c) fusion of hydrogen
10. The process responsible for the enormous energy in the sun is
(a) nuclear fission
(b) nuclear fusion
(c) the burning of gases
(d) as yet unknown
Ans: (b) nuclear fusion
General Science Questions Answers set 3
11. Which of the following are Einstein’s discoveries?
(a) photoelectric effect and X-rays
(b) Radioactivity and the theory of relativity
(c) photoelectric effect and the theory of relativity
(d) radioactivity and X-rays
Ans: (c) photoelectric effect and the theory of relativity
12. The unit of astronomical distances is the
(a) angstrom
(b) kilometer
(c) nautical mile
(d) light year
Ans: (d) light year
13. The solar system belongs to the galaxy caused
(a) Andromeda nebula
(b) Milky Way
(c) Radio galaxy
(d) Magellanic cloud
Ans: (b) Milky Way
14. Radiocarbon dating technique is used to estimate the age of
(a) rocks
(b) fossils
(c) soil
(d) buildings
Ans: (b) fossils
General Science Questions Answers set 4
15. Which of the following crops is/are affected by the “early blight” disease?
(a) Potato
(b) Rice
(c) Sugarcane
(d) Wheat
Ans: (a) Potato
16. Litmus is obtained from
(a) an alga
(b) a bacterium
(c) a fungus
(d) lichen
Ans: (d) lichen
17. Sulphur shower’ is
(a) discharge of large quantities of Crocus (yellow Kesar) pollen grains into the air
(b) discharge of large quantities of Pinus pollen grains into the air forming yellowish clouds
(c) release of a large number of sulfur particles into the air from factories processing sulfur
(d) release of a large number of sulphur particles into the air near sulfur mines.
Ans: (b) discharge of large quantities of Pinus pollen grains into the air forming yellowish clouds
18. Which of the following statements about green plants is true?
(a) Leaves are the respiratory organs of plants
(b) Only green plants photosynthesize
(c) They respire at night and photosynthesize during the day
(d) They respire all the time, like animals, but the rate of photosynthesis during the day is much higher than the rate of respiration.
Ans: (d) They respire all the time, like animals, but the rate of photosynthesis during the day is much higher than the rate of respiration.
19. Which of the following spices is obtained from roots?
(a) cinnamon
(b) clove
(c) turmeric
(d) none of the
Ans: (d) None of the
20. Which of the following human disease/s is/are hereditary in nature?
(a) hemophilia
(b) phenylketonuria
(c) sickle-cell anemia
(d) all the above
Ans: (d) all the above
General Science Questions Answers set 5
21. A bacterium divides every minute and takes an hour to fill a cup. How much time will it take to fill half the cup?
(a) 15 minutes
(b) 30 minutes
(c) 59 minutes
(d) 60 minutes
Ans: (c) 59 minutes
22. Which of the following is a famous agricultural scientist who has been awarded a Nobel peace prize
(a) S Chandrasekhar
(b) Hargobind Khorana
(c) Norman Borlaug
(d) MS Swaminathan
Ans: (c) Norman Borlaug
23. In which part of India does saffron grow
(a) Darjeeling district
(b) Jammu and Kashmir
(c) Madhya Pradesh hills
(d) Nilgiri hills
Ans: (b) Jammu and Kashmir
24. An antibiotic is
(a) a chemical compound produced by a living organism that inhibits the growth of other organisms
(b) a compound synthesized by a living organism that inhibits the growth of microbes
(c) a synthetic compound inhibiting the growth of other organisms
(d) a synthetic compound inhibiting the growth of bacteria
Ans: (b) a compound synthesized by a living organism that inhibits the growth of microbes
25. Seeds can best be preserved in
(a) cool and dry conditions.
(b) cool and wet conditions
(c) hot and dry conditions
(d) hot and wet conditions
Ans: (a) cool and dry conditions.
General Science Questions Answers set 6
26. Sharbati Sonora refers to
(a) the name of a lady
(b) a variety of rice
(c) a variety of wheat
(d) a hybrid variety of maize
Ans: (c) a variety of wheat
27. Snakes and vultures are eating rats in a field. If wild dogs are let into the field the immediate result will be a
(a) decrease in the number of snakes
(b) decrease in the number of vultures
(c) decrease in the number of rats
(d) increase in the number of snakes
Ans: (b) decrease in the number of vultures
28. Which of the following cells/structures are excretory in function?
1. Malpighian tubules
2. Flame cells
3. Amoeboid coelomocytes
4. Chlorogogen cells
(a) 1, 2
(b) 2,3
(c) 1, 2, 3
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4
Ans: (d) 1, 2, 3, 4
29. Radiocarbon dating is used to find the age of
(a) buildings
(b) fossils
(c) rocks
(d) babies
Ans: (b) fossils
30. The mutation theory of evolution was proposed by
(a) Darwin
(b) Lamarck
(c) Mendel
(d) none of these
Ans: (d) None of these
General Science Questions Answers set 7
31. Palaeontology is the study of
(a) birds
(b) bones
(c) fossils
(d) primates
Ans: (c) fossils
32. The Lamarckian theory of organic evolution is usually known as the theory of
(a) natural selection
(b) inheritance of acquired characters
(c) continuity of germplasm
(d) descent with change
Ans: (b) inheritance of acquired characters
33. An ecosystem consists of
(a) a living community and its environment
(b) all the plants and animals in an area
(c) carnivores and herbivores of an area
(d) producers, consumers, and decomposers in a particular locality
Ans: (a) a living community and its environment
34. A prairie is
(a) grassland without trees
(b) a locality in Australia
(c) an area in South America on the side of the river Amazon
(d) A kind of plant
Ans: (a)grassland without trees
General Science Questions Answers set 8
35. Nitrification refers to
(a) fixation of molecular nitrogen
(b) oxidation of ammonia into nitrate
(e) reduction of nitrate into ammonia
(d) reduction of nitrate into molecular nitrogen
Ans: (b) oxidation of ammonia into nitrate
36. One way of checking the expansion of the Thar desert would be
(a) by digging canals
(b) through afforestation
(c) through artificial rains
(d) by constructing water reservoirs
Ans: (b) through afforestation
37. The ozone layer of the earth is useful for living beings because
(a) it serves as the source of oxygen by decomposing air
(b) it maintains the nitrogen cycle of the earth
(c) it maintains the temperature of the earth
(d) it protects them from excessive ultraviolet rays of the sun
Ans: (d) it protects them from excessive ultraviolet rays of the sun
38. A hydrophyte is
(a) a marine animal
(b) an aquatic plant
(c) a plant disease
(d) a rootless plant
Ans: (b) an aquatic plant
39. The functional unit in ecology is the
(a) organism
(b) biosphere
(c) ecosystem
(d) population
Ans: (c) ecosystem
40. The best example of an ecological community is
(a) a meadow
(b) an oak tree
(c) all the people in Delhi
(d) all the whales on earth
Ans: (a) a meadow
General Science Questions Answers set 9
41. Aquaculture is the
(a) the water portion of the biosphere
(b) loss of water by plants
(c) use of water for farming
(d) the water content of organisms
Ans: (c) use of water for farming
42. Jaundice results from the malfunctioning of the
(a) kidney
(b) liver
(c) lungs
(d) stomach
Ans: (b) liver
43. The medicine for typhoid is
(a) chloroquine
(b) vitamin A
(c) chloromycetin
(d) sulpha-drugs
Ans: (c) chloromycetin
44. An increase in the number of leucocytes to 500,000 cu. mm. and above indicates
(a) leukopenia
(b) leukemia
(c) leucopoiesis
(d) aleukemic
Ans: (b) leukemia
45. Trypanosomes are transmitted from animal to animal or man by the
(a) sandfly
(b) tsetse fly
(d) spirochaetes
(c) bacilli
Ans: (b) tsetse fly
46. Excessive consumption of alcoholic drinks causes damage to the
(a) liver
(b) kidney
(c) heart
(d) lungs
Ans: (a) liver
47. Syphilis is caused by
(a) spirochaete
(b) vibrio
(c) gonococcus
(d) bacillus
Ans: (d) bacillus
48. Elephantiasis, i.e., enormous enlargement of certain parts such as that of the leg, scrotum, penis, breast, etc. is caused by
(a) the tapeworm Taenia sodium
(b) the nematode, Washeteria bancroftian
(c) the fungus Microspore
(d) allergy
Ans: (b) the nematode, Washeteria bancroftian
49. Which of the following worms enters the intestine by penetrating the skin?
(a) hookworm
(b) tapeworm
(c) threadworm
(d) ringworm
Ans: (a) hookworm
50. What is responsible for diphtheria and influenza?
(a) virus and bacteria respectively
(b) bacteria and virus respectively
(c) bacteria
(d) water pollution
Ans: (b) bacteria and virus respectively
General Science Questions Answers set 10
51. The first surgical transplant of the human heart was performed by
(a) William de Vries
(b) Christian Barnard
(c) Gerhard Hansen
(d) Joseph Lister
Ans: (b) Christian Barnard
52. The disease in which high levels of uric acid in the blood are characteristic is
(a) arthritis
(b) gout
(c) rheumatism
(d) rheumatic heart
Ans: (b) gout
53. In countries where polished rice is the main cereal in their diet, people suffer from
(a) pellagra
(b) scurvy
(c) beriberi
(d) osteomalacia
Ans: (b) scurvy
54. The deficiency of vitamin A causes
(a) hair to fall
(b) dysentery
(c) night blindness
(d) weakness
Ans: (c) night blindness
55. The number of chromosomes in a normal human body cell is
(a) 43
(b) 44
(c) 45
(d) 46
Ans: (d) 46
56. A person with which one of the following blood groups is considered a universal donor?
(a) A
(b) AB
(c) B
(d) O
Ans: (d) O
General Science Questions Answers set 11
57. Which of the following fungi has been extensively used for genetic studies?
(a) bread mold
(b) green mold
(c) pink bread mold
(d) mushroom
Ans: (c) pink bread mold
58. The fungus, Puccinia graminids, causes serious plant disease. Which of the following crops is affected by it?
(a) gram
(b) maize
(c) rice
(d) wheat
Ans: (c) rice
59. Lathyrism, a human disease-causing paralysis of the lower limbs, is caused by
(a) bacterial infection
(b) consumption of kesari dal
(c) nervous failure
(d) viral infection
Ans: (b) consumption of kesari dal
60. Quinine, the commonly used drug for malaria, is obtained from a plant. What part of the plant yields the drug?
(a) leaves
(b) fruits
(c) root
(d) stem bark
Ans: (d) stem bark
General Science Questions Answers set 12
61. Which of the following is a substance abundantly available in the sea and administered in a certain deficiency disease?
(a) iodine
(b) iron
(c) vitamin A
(d) fluorine
Ans: (a) iodine
62. A preparation of living or killed micro-organisms or viruses used in the prevention of diseases through immunization is called
(a) toxoid
(b) vaccine
(d) anti-toxin
(c) viremia
Ans: (b) vaccine
63. Which one of the following is a true fruit?
(a) apple
(b) cashew nut
(c) pineapple
(d) coconut
Ans: (d) coconut
64. Fruit development without fertilization is called
(b) pedogamy
(a) apogamy
(c) polycarpic
(d) parthenocarpy
Ans: (d) parthenocarpy
65. When male and female flowers are borne on different plants, the plant is said to be
(a) bisexual
(b) dioecious
(c) dichlamydeous
(d) monoecious
Ans: (b) dioecious
General Science Questions Answers set 13
66. The dry fruit chilgoza is obtained from
(a) Cycas
(b) deodar
(c) Cyprus
(d) pine
Ans: (d) pine
67. Which one of the following is not a fruit?
(a) coconut
(b) chilgoza
(c) mango
(d) wheat grain
Ans: (b) chilgoza
68. The pollen grains in plants are produced in the
(a) anther
(b) carpel
(c) ovary
(d) ovule
Ans: (a) anther
69. Jhum is
(a) a folk dance,
(b) the name of a river valley
(c) a tribe
(d) a type of cultivation
Ans: (d) a type of cultivation
70. The age of a tree can be found by
(a) measuring its height
(b) measuring its diameter
(c) analysis of its sap
(d) counting the annual growth rings in a section of its stem
Ans: (d) counting the annual growth rings in a section of its stem
General Science Questions Answers set 14
71. Secondary growth in plants refers to the
(a) development of secondary organs after the plant attains maturity
(b) development of flowers and fruits
(c) growth in length and development of new branches after the plant starts flowering
(d) formation of secondary tissues by the activity of lateral meristems
Ans: (d) formation of secondary tissues by the activity of lateral meristems
72. Hydroponics is concerned with
(a) growing plants without soil
(b) growing plants without water but with atmospheric moisture
(c) the treatment of water with sound
(d) the conservation of water technique
Ans: (a) growing plants without soil
73. Which of the following plant hormones controls fruit ripening?
(a) auxins
(b) ethylene
(c) gibberellic acid
(d) zeatin
Ans: (b) ethylene
74. Seed dormancy can be broken by treating the seeds With
(a) abscisic acid
(b) acetic acid
(c) coumarin
(d) gibberellic acid
Ans: (d) gibberellic acid
75. The sex of a child is determined by the
(a)chromosomes of the father
(b) chromosomes of the mother
(c) Rh factor of the parents
(d) the blood group of the father
Ans: (a)chromosomes of the father
General Science Questions Answers set 15
76. An organism that breeds true for particular acter producing identical gametes is called
(a) hemizygous
(b) heterozygous
(c) homogamous
(d) homozygous
Ans: (d) homozygous
77. Chromosomes not related to sex inheritance called
(a) allosomes
(b) autosomes
(c) centrosomes
(d) mesosomes
Ans: (d) mesosomes
78. The cell undergoing a reduction division is c
(a) germ cell
(b) meiocyte
(d) oocyte
(c) meiospore
Ans: (b) meiocyte
79. Which one of the following plants has the largest flower
(a) Chrysanthemum
(b) Rafflesia
(c) Sunflower
(d) Zinnia
Ans: (b) Rafflesia
80. Pollination by insects is called
(a) anemophily
(b) entomophily
(c) hydrophily
(d) ornithophily
Ans: (b) entomophily
General Science Questions Answers set 16
81. In milk, fat content is reduced during
(a) winter
(b) summer
(c) monsoons
(d) none of these
Ans: (b) summer
82. Which of the following is most important for the growth of children up to the age of 14?
(a) protein
(b) vitamins
(c) fat
(d) milk
Ans: (a) protein
83. Which of the following is a semiconductor?
(a) phosphorus
(b) wood
(c) silicon
(d) glass
Ans: (c) silicon
84. IC chips’ for computers are usually made of
(a) lead
(b) silicon
(c) chromium
(d) gold
Ans: (b) silicon
General Science Questions Answers set 17
85. Which of the following would be most suitable for making an electromagnet?
(a) copper
(b) tungsten
(c) soft iron
(d) steel
Ans: (c) soft iron
86. Bats can fly in the dark because
(a) they have a better vision in the dark
(b) the pupils of their eyes are very big
(c) they are guided by ultrasonic waves produced by them
(d) any bird can do so
Ans: (c) they are guided by ultrasonic waves produced by them
87. A device used for measuring the depth of the sea is called
(a) altimeter
(b) fathometer
(c) hydrometer
(d) manometer
Ans: (b) fathometer
88. The technique of recording and reproducing three-dimensional images of objects is known as
(a) audiography
(b) lexicography
(c) Holography
(d) photography
Ans: (c) Holography
89. Which part of the camera is analogous to the retina in the human eye
(a) lens
(b) film
(c) aperture
(d) shutter
Ans: (b) film
90. When a person enters a dark room from bright light, he is not able to see clearly for a little while because the
(a) the eye is unable to adjust itself immediately
(b) a retina becomes insensitive momentarily
(c) iris is unable to dilate the pupil immediately
(d) distance between the lens and retina takes time to adjust
Ans: (c) iris is unable to dilate the pupil immediately
General Science Questions Answers set 18
91. The sky appears blue because
(a) it is actually blue
(b) the atmosphere scatters blue colours more than the others
(c) all colours interfere with produce blue
(d) in white light the blue component dominates
Ans: (b) the atmosphere scatters blue colours more than the others
92. To an astronaut, the outer space appears
(b) black
(a) white
(c) deep blue
(d) crimson
Ans: (a) white
93. The sun appears deep orange-red before it sets because
(a) it is hotter at the end of the day
(b) it contains more helium in the evening
(c) it emits only orange-red light
(d) its light has to traverse a thicker atmosphere; therefore, other colors get scattered and do not reach us.
Ans: (d) its light has to traverse a thicker atmosphere, therefore, other colours get scattered and do not reach us.
94. The three primary colors are
(a) blue, green, and red
(b) blue, yellow, and red
(c) yellow, orange, and red
(d) violet, indigo, and blue
Ans: (a) blue, green and red
General Science Questions Answers set 19
95. The type of mirror used in the headlamps of cars is the
(a) plane mirror
(b) spherical convex mirror
(c) spherical concave mirror
(d) parabolic concave mirror
Ans: (d) parabolic concave mirror
96. When a pencil is partly immersed in water in a slanting position, the immersed portion appears
(a) bent towards the bottom
(b) bent towards the water surface
(c) bent in a zigzag manner
(d) curved downward
Ans: (b) bent towards the water surface
97. What type of mirror can be used to obtain the real image of an object?
(a) plane mirror
(b) concave mirror
(c) convex mirror
(d) no mirror can produce a real image
Ans: (b) concave mirror
98. Which of the following can be used as a burning glass
(a) plane mirror
(b) convex mirror
(c) concave lens
(d) concave mirror
Ans: (d) concave mirror
99. A dentist’s mirror is a
(a) cylindrical mirror
(b) plane mirror
(b) convex mirror
(d) concave mirror
Ans: (d) concave mirror
100. For the rearview, motorists use
(a) plane mirror
(b) concave mirror
(c) convex mirror
(d) cylindrical mirror
Ans: (c) convex mirror