General Knowledge50 randomly selected General Knowledge questions for quizmasters. New random selection made weekly. Next update: Monday 22nd June 2026 (Please note: Questions are taken from our database of previous quizzes. Some questions and answers may be outdated.) |
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| 1. | Legend has it that if a courtier upset one of the ancient kings of Siam, the king would present them with a gift ultimately aimed at ruining them because of its high maintenance costs. Giving rise to a modern day term, what was this traditional gift? |
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White elephant | |
| 2. | What Thai province is renowned for its annual Elephant Round-up festival, held almost every November since 1960? |
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Surin (สุรินทร์) | |
| 3. | In ancient Roman religion and myth, who is king of the gods and the god of sky and thunder? |
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Jupiter / Jove (Latin: Iuppiter) | |
| 4. | The Taka is the official currency of what South Asian country? |
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Bangladesh | |
| 5. | What country has the world's largest Muslim population? |
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Indonesia | |
| 6. | Aboard ship, what has a 'Shellback' done that a 'Pollywog' hasn't? |
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Crossed the Equator | |
| 7. | In what field is the prestigious annual Pritzker Prize awarded? |
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Architecture | |
| 8. | The Shanghai World Financial Center gets its nickname from its resemblance to which household item? |
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Bottle opener | |
| 9. | What popular game features a character named "Boddy" in North America and "Black" in most other English speaking countries? |
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Clue / Cluedo | |
| 10. | At the start of a game of draughts (checkers), using an international 10 x 10 board, how many squares on the board are not covered by pieces? |
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60 (2 x 20 playing pieces) | |
| 11. | To the nearest degree, what is 120° Fahrenheit in Celsius? |
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49 (48.8889) | |
| 12. | In which country was Pope Francis born? |
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Argentina (Buenos Aires) | |
| 13. | What comes next in the following sequence: Blue, Black, Red, Yellow, ______? |
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Green (Olympic rings) | |
| 14. | What name is given to a large gathering of Scouts, rallying together at a national or international level? |
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Jamboree | |
| 15. | Meaning "for example" in English, "e.g." is an abbreviation of what two Latin words? |
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Exempli gratiā | |
| 16. | How many stars are there on the flag of Australia? |
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6 | |
| 17. | What one word can describe a part of the digestive system, a punctuation mark, and the currency of Costa Rica? |
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Colon | |
| 18. | Which of these festivals comes last in a Gregorian calendar year? A. Diwali B. Passover C. Ramadan D. Vesākha |
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A. Diwali (A. October B. March/April C. May/June D. May) | |
| 19. | In which country was pioneering bodybuilder Charles Atlas born in 1892? |
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Italy (born Angelo Siciliano) | |
| 20. | What Jewish Babylonian Aramaic term translates literally to "son of commandment"? |
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Bar Mitzvah (Hebrew: בַּר מִצְוָה) | |
| 21. | How many title deed cards are there in a standard game of Monopoly? |
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28 (22 streets, 4 railways, 2 utilities) | |
| 22. | According to the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, when two power-driven vessels are meeting head-on, in what direction must they both alter course, port or starboard? |
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Starboard (Right) | |
| 23. | Which country's official currency was the kroon before it adopted the Euro in January 2011? |
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Estonia | |
| 24. | The term "widdershins" means moving in what direction? |
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Anti-clockwise / Counter-clockwise | |
| 25. | The Chinese prefix 'bei' (北), as in Beijing, refers to what compass point? |
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North (Beijing (北京) means "Northern Capital") | |
| 26. | Who was born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in present-day North Macedonia in 1910? |
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Mother Teresa | |
| 27. | How many "Noble Truths" provide the basic framework of Buddhist teaching? |
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Four (Thai: อริยสัจสี่ ariyasaj sii) | |
| 28. | In a 2015 poll carried out across four continents, what was ranked the most famous locomotive of all time? |
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Flying Scotsman (LNER Class A3 4472) | |
| 29. | How many triangular points are there on a backgammon board? |
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24 | |
| 30. | Used by watchmakers and jewellers, a loupe is a small type of what? |
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Magnifying glass | |
| 31. | Similar to Britain's Red Arrows, what is the name of the US Air Force air demonstration squadron? |
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Thunderbirds | |
| 32. | In an alphabetical list of countries in Asia, Afghanistan come first. What comes last? |
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Yemen | |
| 33. | What does the 'S' stand for in UNESCO? |
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Scientific (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) | |
| 34. | How many U.S. states have a letter 'Y' in their name? |
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6 (Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Wyoming) | |
| 35. | The traditional Christian Festival of 'St. Peter ad Vincula' translates as 'St. Peter in ..." what? |
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Chains | |
| 36. | By what name are "full-scale anthropomorphic test devices" better known? |
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Crash Test Dummies | |
| 37. | Which of these does not contain a redundant word? A. HTTP port B. LCD display C. PIN number D. RSI injury E. ATM machine |
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A (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Port) | |
| 38. | What 'B' is a nickname often used to describe Cadillac One, the official state car used by the President of the United States? |
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The Beast | |
| 39. | Wedding anniversaries. Put these three in date order, earliest first: Sapphire, Emerald, Ruby |
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Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald (40 - 45 - 55) | |
| 40. | Who is the reigning monarch of the Principality of Monaco? |
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Albert II | |
| 41. | Since 1965, what former U.S. President has featured on the face of a 10¢ coin (dime)? |
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Franklin D. Roosevelt | |
| 42. | Instinct, Intimately, and Signature are men's fragrances by who? |
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David Beckham | |
| 43. | Formerly known as MSN Search, Live Search, and Windows Live Search; by what name has Microsoft's internet search engine been known since June 2009? |
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Bing | |
| 44. | What brand of scooter was introduced by Italian manufacturer Piaggio in 1946? |
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Vespa | |
| 45. | Thursday is named after the Anglo-Saxon god 'Thor'. After what Germanic god is Wednesday named? |
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Wōden / Wōdanaz / Odin | |
| 46. | Who, in Greek mythology, is twin brother of the goddess Artemis? |
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Apollo | |
| 47. | What New York tabloid is owned by Rupert Murdoch? |
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New York Post | |
| 48. | Before being replaced by the Euro, what was the currency of Portugal? |
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Escudo | |
| 49. | In the English dictionary, name two common words beginning with 'V' that do not follow the "I before E except after C" rule? |
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Veil / Vein | |
| 50. | An annual gathering of right-wing activists in the United States, what does CPAC stand for? |
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Conservative Political Action Conference | |
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