General Science Questions (MCQs) for Competitive Examinations
General Science Multiple choice questions for GK paper in SSC, NDA, CDS, UPSC, UPPSC and State PSC Examinations. These questions are part of GKToday’s 35000+ MCQs Bank Course in GKToday Android App
1. Intensive cultivation refers to ___:
[A] Raising production by intensive use of existing land
[B] Raising production by large scale use of imported inputs
[C] Production with intensive use of labour
[D] Production with intensive use of fertilizer
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Raising production by intensive use of existing land]
Notes:
Intensive farming is an agricultural intensification and mechanization system that aims to maximize yields from available land through various means, such as heavy use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. It is characterized by a low fallow ratio, higher use of inputs such as capital and labour, and higher crop yields per unit land area.
2. Jellyfish are an example of which type of phylum?
[A] Phylum -Protozoa
[B] Phylum -Porifera
[C] Phylum – Cnidaria
[D] Phylum -Ctenophora
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Phylum – Cnidaria]
Notes:
Cnidarian, also called coelenterate, any member of the phylum Cnidaria (Coelenterata), a group made up of more than 9,000 living species. ? Mostly marine animals, the cnidarians include the corals, hydras, jellyfish, Portuguese men-of-war, sea anemones, sea pens, sea whips, and sea fans.
3. Grey hair is caused due to
____:
[A] Aging of epidermal cells
[B] Death of dermal cells
[C] Loss of sebum in epidermal cells
[D] Loss of melanin in epidermal cells
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Loss of melanin in epidermal cells]
Notes:
The hair follicles have pigment cells that make melanin, a chemical that gives the hair its color. As one ages, these cells start to die. Without pigment, new hair strands grow in lighter and take on various shades of gray, silver, and eventually white.
4. The part of the stem where a leaf arises is known as ___:
[A] Carpel
[B] Bud
[C] Node
[D] Tuber
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Node]
Notes:
The leaves arise in the regions of the plant known as the plant nodes and are therefore the point of attachment of the leaves. The region of the plant between two nodes is known as the internode. The angle between the upper surface of the leaf and the stem from which it arises is known as the axil.
5. The disease which has been eradicated ____:
[A] Mumps
[B] Small pox
[C] Measles
[D] Chicken pox
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Small pox]
Notes:
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. After vaccination campaigns throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the WHO certified the global eradication of smallpox in 1979. Smallpox is one of two infectious diseases to have been eradicated, the other being Rinderpest.
6. Why do the plant closes stomata when it does NOT need carbon dioxide for photosynthesis?
[A] To store carbon dioxide
[B] To prevent water loss
[C] To release stored oxygen
[D] None of the above
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [To prevent water loss]
Notes:
Stomata are tiny openings or pores in plant tissue that allow for gas exchange. Stomata allow a plant to take in carbon dioxide, which is needed for photosynthesis. They also help to reduce water loss by closing when conditions are hot or dry. Stomata look like tiny mouths which open and close as they assist in transpiration.
7. Activity of an enzyme can be modulated by change of
____:
[A] pH
[B] Light
[C] Humidity
[D] Rainfall
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [pH]
Notes:
Changes in pH which can accompany metabolic process such as respiration (aerobic glycolysis for example) can alter the conformation of an enzyme and hence enzyme activity such as salivarya mylase is effective in neutral condition, pepsin in acidic condition l.5 (less than pH 7) and trypsin in basic condition (more than pH 7).
8. The process of photosynthesis involves conversion of ____:
[A] Chemical energy into radiant energy
[B] Solar energy into chemical energy
[C] Chemical energy into mechanical energy
[D] Mechanical energy into solar energy
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Solar energy into chemical energy]
Notes:
Photosynthesis is the process by which light energy is converted into chemical energy by organisms. Carbon dioxide and water are the raw materials of this process. The light energy comes from the Sun and its end products are oxygen and glucose.
9. The radioactive Strontium-90 causes _____:
[A] Lung cancer
[B] Skin cancer
[C] Bone cancer
[D] Brain cancer
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Skin cancer]
Notes:
Strontium-90 is a radioactive isotope of strontium produced by nuclear fission. Used mostly in weapons and nuclear power plants, poisoning usually occurs through accidental ingestion. Studies have also linked strontium-90 to various forms of skin cancer.
10. Leukaemia or blood cancer is characterised by abnormal in crease of the ____:
[A] Blood plasma
[B] Blood platelets
[C] Red blood cells
[D] White blood cells
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [White blood cells]
Notes:
Leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called “blasts”. Damage to the bone marrow, by way of displacing the normal bone marrow cells with higher numbers of immature white blood cells, results in a lack of blood platelets, which are important in the blood clotting process. This means people with leukaemia may easily become bruised, bleed excessively, or develop pinprick bleeds (petechiae). White blood cells, which are involved in fighting pathogens, may be suppressed or dysfunctional. This could cause the patient’s immune system to be unable to fight off a simple infection or to start attacking other normal body cells.
