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. Identify the noble gas utilized in radiotherapy?
[A] Neon
[B] Argon
[C] Radon
[D] Xenon
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Radon]
Notes:
Radon, a radioactive noble gas with atomic number 86, is used in radiotherapy. Created by disintegration of radium, its one of the heaviest gases and a health hazard. Radon gas, chemically inert yet radioactive, can accumulate in buildings and drinking water causing lung cancer. Furthermore, radon is noted for brilliant phosphorescence when cooled below its freezing point. Its most stable isotope, 222Rn, has a half-life of 3.8 days. Groundwater often has a higher 222Rn concentration than surface water due to less exposure to atmosphere.
2. Heart attack occurs due to
____:
[A] Impairment of hearts working due to unknown reasons
[B] Bacterial attack on the heart
[C] Lack of supply of blood to the heart itself
[D] Stopping of heart beat
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Lack of supply of blood to the heart itself]
Notes:
A heart attack occurs when blood flow to a part of your heart is blocked for a long enough time that part of the heart muscle is damaged or dies. The medical term for this is myocardial infarction. Most heart attacks are caused by a blood clot that blocks one of the coronary arteries. The coronary arteries bring blood and oxygen to the heart. If the blood flow is blocked, the heart is starved of oxygen and heart cells die.
3. What does Insulin do?
[A] Increases blood sugar
[B] Decreases blood sugar
[C] Constricts blood vessels
[D] Stimulates lactation
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Decreases blood sugar]
Notes:
Insulin is central to regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body. It stops the use of fat as an energy source by inhibiting the release of glucagon. It removes excess glucose from the blood, which otherwise would be toxic. Insulin helps blood sugar enter the body’s cells so it can be used for energy. Insulin also signals the liver to store blood sugar for later use. Blood sugar enters cells, and levels in the bloodstream decrease, signaling insulin to decrease too.
4. Which one of the following endocrine gland is situated in the neck?
[A] Pituitary
[B] Thyroid
[C] Pancreas
[D] Adrenals
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Thyroid]
Notes:
The thyroid gland is one of the largest endocrine glands in the human body which is found in the neck. It controls how quickly the body uses energy, makes proteins, and controls how sensitive the body is to other hormones.
5. The second Green Revolution aims at increasing agricultural output to promote ____:
[A] Development of rural sector
[B] Availability of easy credit to big farmers
[C] Co-operative farming
[D] Inclusive growth
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Inclusive growth]
Notes:
According to 11th Fiver Year Plan, the Second Green Revolution aims to meet the problems of small and marginal farmers for providing income security to a large section of rural households and treating them as partners of development instead of a mere beneficiary of some government schemes or programme.
6. In the context of agriculture, the term barani refers to ____:
[A] Rain-fed farming
[B] Irrigated farming
[C] Mixed farming
[D] Dry farming
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Rain-fed farming]
Notes:
Barani area are traditionally rain-fed areas. These are any low rain area where the rain-fed dry farming is practiced. Bagar tract, the dry sandy tract of land on the border of Rajasthan state adjoining the states of Haryana and Punjab, is an example of Barani land.
7. A molecule in plants comparable to haemoglobin in animals is ____:
[A] Carotene
[B] Chlorophyll
[C] Cellulose
[D] Cytochrome
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Chlorophyll]
Notes:
Haemoglobin is the iron-containing oxygen transporting metalloprotein in the red blood cells of all vertebrates. Similarly, Cytochromes are, in general, membrane-bound haemo-proteins containing heme groups and are primarily responsible for the generation of ATP via electron transport.
8. Vermicomposting is done by ____:
[A] Bacteria
[B] Worms
[C] Fungus
[D] Animals
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Worms]
Notes:
Vermicomposting is the process of using worms also called red worms and micro-organisms to turn kitchen waste into black, earthy-smelling, nutrient-rich humus. Vermicompost is an excellent, nutrient-rich organic fertilizer and soil conditioner.
9. A spore producing plant is ____:
[A] Rose
[B] Potato
[C] Ginger
[D] Bread mould
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Bread mould]
Notes:
Mould is a member of the fungi kingdom. Fungi can be defined as a plant without chlorophyll, so it cannot get energy directly from the sun. This means that fungi must use other plants and animals as its food source. This is why bread mould is so common because of the ingredients in bread, it is an excellent source of nutrition for many moulds to grow and thrive.
10. BT seed is associated with ____:
[A] Rice
[B] Cotton
[C] Wheat
[D] Oil seeds
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Cotton]
Notes:
Cotton is the most popular of the BT crops. In BT cotton, BT gene was isolated and transferred from a bacterium Bacillus thurigiensis to American cotton. The American cotton was subsequently crossed with Indian cotton to introduce the gene into native varieties. The BT cotton variety contains a foreign gene obtained from Bacillus thuringiensis. This bacterial gene, introduced genetically into the cotton seeds, protects the plants from bollworm (A. lepidoptora), a major pest of cotton.