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. Which of the following celestial bodies contains abundant quantities of helium3 as a potential source of energy?
[A] Moon
[B] Earth
[C] Sun
[D] Mars
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Moon]
Notes:
The Moon has been bombarded with large quantities of Helium-3 by the solar wind. It is thought that this isotope could provide safer nuclear energy in a fusion reactor, since it is not radioactive and would not produce dangerous waste products.
2. Which of the following gases helps in bread/cake fermentation so as to make it soft and spongy?
[A] Carbon Monoxide
[B] Hydrogen
[C] Carbon Dioxide
[D] Oxygen
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Carbon Dioxide]
Notes:
Fermentation is an anaerobic chemical process that breaks down glucose molecules. In baking, yeast consumes sugar and converts it into carbon dioxide and alcohol, making the dough rise. This gas gets trapped in the strands of gluten, resulting in air pockets that cause the dough to rise and form the characteristic spongy texture of bread and cakes. Further, the creation of lactic and acetic acids during fermentation augments this dough handling process, improves flavor, enhances the texture, and extends the shelf-life of the baked products.
3. What is the ultimate product of Glycolysis?
[A] Pyruvic acid
[B] Carbon dioxide
[C] Glucose
[D] Ethyl alcohol
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Pyruvic acid]
Notes:
Glycolysis, part of cellular respiration, is a series of reactions that constitute the first phase of most carbohydrate catabolism, catabolism meaning the breaking down of larger molecules into smaller ones. Glycolysis breaks down glucose and forms pyruvate with the production of two molecules of ATP. The entire process from conversion of glucose to pyruvate is anaerobic that is it does not take place in presence of oxygen.
4. The suicidal bags of the cell are
____:
[A] Ribosomes
[B] Lysosomes
[C] Phagosomes
[D] Dictyosomes
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Lysosomes]
Notes:
Lysosomes are called the suicide bags of the cells they contain digestive enzymes, and break down food, cellular debris and foreign invaders like bacteria. When the cell is injured beyond repair, or becomes old, the lysosome digests the cell. So, it is called “suicide bag of the cell.”
5. Chicken Pox is caused by which micro-organism?
[A] Virus
[B] Bacteria
[C] Protozoa
[D] Fungus
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Virus]
Notes:
Chickenpox, also known as varicella, is a highly contagious infection caused by the varicella zoster virus. The disease results in a characteristic skin rash that forms small, itchy blisters, which eventually scab over. It is an airborne disease which spreads easily through the coughs and sneezes of an infected person.
6. Which of the following statement is incorrect?
[A] Each sperm is a single cell
[B] Oviparous animal does not give birth to young ones
[C] External fertilisation takes place in frog
[D] Fertilisation is necessary even in asexual reproduction
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Fertilisation is necessary even in asexual reproduction]
Notes:
While fertilization is necessary for organisms that reproduce sexually, individuals that reproduce asexually?do so without the need for fertilization. These organisms produce genetically identical copies of themselves through?binary fission, budding, fragmentation, parthenogenesis, or other forms of asexual reproduction.
7. The duration 19-21 days refers to ___:
[A] The period of menstrual cycle soon after menstruation, during which fertilisation is most likely to occur
[B] Incubation period of hens egg
[C] Average life-span of a red blood cell in humans
[D] Period of completion of one schizogony cycle of malarial parasite inside a red blood cell
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [The period of menstrual cycle soon after menstruation, during which fertilisation is most likely to occur]
Notes:
In menstrual cycle 19-21 days stands for the fertilizing period also called danger period. After ovulation on 14th day chances of contraption are at their highest with well developed endometrium for implantation. This is the time in the menstrual cycle when progesterone should be at its peak for the month and when estrogen should be at the height of its luteal plateau.
8. Preserved traces of living organisms retained in the form of impressions of the body parts in the soil are called ____:
[A] Specimen
[B] Phylogeny
[C] Fossils
[D] Antique
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Fossils]
Notes:
A fossil is the naturally preserved remains or traces of organisms that lived in the geologic past. There are two main types of fossils; body and trace. Body fossils include the remains of organisms that were once living, and trace fossils are the signs that organisms were present (i.e. footprints, tracks, trails, and burrows).
9. If a healthy freshwater fish is placed in salt water, what will be the expected consequence?
[A] The fish becomes dehydrated and dies
[B] The fish becomes bloated and dies
[C] The fish suffers from fungal or bacterial disease and dies
[D] There is no observable effect on the fish provided there is sufficient food
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [The fish becomes dehydrated and dies]
Notes:
When freshwater fish is placed in salt water, the water molecules contained in the fish’s body would pass through the cell membranes of the fish, causing the fish to lose water by osmosis. This sudden change in the molecular makeup of the fish would cause the fish to undergo severe dehydration followed by death.
10. 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.