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. Who among the following scientists had discovered Radium?
[A] Marie Sklodowska-Curie and Pierre Curie
[B] André-Louis Debierne
[C] Kasimir Fajans
[D] Oswald Helmuth Göhring
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Marie Sklodowska-Curie and Pierre Curie ]
Notes:
Radium is a chemical element with the symbol Ra and atomic number 88. Radium was discovered by Marie Sklodowska Curie, a Polish chemist, and Pierre Curie, a French chemist, in 1898.
2. The exceptionally low melting point of mercury can be explained on the basis of which of the following explanations?
1. Mercury has completely filled-up atomic orbitals
2. In mercury, the binding energy of outer electrons (towards nucleus) is highest and no electron is available to participate in metallic bond formation
Choose the correct option from the codes given below:
[A] Only 1 is correct
[B] Only 2 is correct
[C] Both 1 & 2 are correct
[D] Neither 1 nor 2 is correct
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [ Both 1 & 2 are correct]
Notes:
Mercury belongs to the zinc group of elements in the periodic table, which comprises zinc, cadmium and mercury. They all have completely filled-up atomic orbitals. It becomes difficult to knock out these electron(s) from their orbitals and form metallic bonds. With its filled shell electron configuration it is very reluctant to form bonds even with other mercury atoms.
3. What are the products of the reaction when metal carbonate reacts with an acid?
[A] Salt and Hydrogen
[B] Carbon dioxide
[C] Salt, Carbon dioxide and water
[D] Salt, Carbon dioxide and Hydrogen
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Salt, Carbon dioxide and water]
Notes:
All metal carbonates and hydrogen carbonates react with acids to give a corresponding salt, carbon dioxide and water. Limestone, chalk and marble are different forms of calcium carbonate.
4. Which of the following antiseptic compounds is present in Dettol?
[A] Iodine
[B] Cresol
[C] Chloroxylenol
[D] Biothional
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [ Chloroxylenol ]
Notes:
Chloroxylenol, also known as para-chloro-meta-xylenol, is an antiseptic and disinfectant which is used for skin disinfection and cleaning surgical instruments. It is also used within a number of household disinfectants and wound cleaners.
5. Leptospirosis is a disease caused by ____:
[A] Fungus
[B] Protozoa
[C] Virus
[D] Bacteria
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Bacteria]
Notes:
Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease caused by corkscrew-shaped bacteria called Leptospira. Signs and symptoms can range from none to mild such as headaches, muscle pains, and fevers; to severe with bleeding from the lungs or meningitis. If the infection causes the person to turn yellow, have kidney failure and bleeding, it is then known as Weil’s disease.
6. Which one of the following is the smallest endocrine gland in human body?
[A] Pancreas
[B] Thyroid
[C] Pituitary
[D] Adrenal
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Pituitary]
Notes:
Pituitary gland, called Master Gland, is the smallest endocrine gland. It controls the general growth of the body coordinating the functioning of other endo crime glands and stimulates the primary sex hormones, i.e. ovaries and testes.
7. ____ is the cell organelle, in which the biochemical processes of respiration and energy production occur:
[A] Ribosomes
[B] Mitochondria
[C] Nucleus
[D] Chloroplast
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Mitochondria]
Notes:
Mitochondria is an organelle found in large numbers in most cells, in which the biochemical processes of respiration and energy production occur. It is for this reason that mitochondria are often referred to as the powerhouses of the cell mitochondria also play a key role in the ageing process as well as in the onset of degenerative disease.
8. Which one of the following features is absent in a virus?
[A] Presence of cell wall
[B] Reproduce within host cell
[C] Fully parasitic in nature
[D] Presence of either DNA or RNA
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Presence of cell wall]
Notes:
A virus has a simple structure. It has no internal cellular structure, no cell wall or cell membrane, just the protein coat that holds the string of nucleic acid. It is made only of a nucleic acid + a protein coat. A cell wall is a layer located outside the cell membrane found in plants, fungi, bacteria, algae, and archaea.
9. The wing of a bat and the wing of a bird are the examples of ____ limbs:
[A] Heterogeneous
[B] Homogenous
[C] Homologous
[D] Analogous
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Analogous]
Notes:
The wings of insects, bats and birds, that evolved independently in each lineage separately after diverging from an ancestor without wings, are examples of analogous organs. Analogous organs are the opposite of homologous organs, which have similar functions but different origins.
10. The release of which of the following into ponds and wells helps in controlling mosquitoes?
[A] Snail
[B] Crab
[C] Dogfish
[D] Gambusia fish
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Gambusia fish]
Notes:
The Gambusia fish, also known as larvivorous stagnant water fish. It feeds on the larvae of mosquitoes. So it helps in controlling their population. It is also called ‘mosquito fish’ and is being used as a biological control measure. Hence, a check on malaria and other vector borne diseases like even dengue.
