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These general knowledge quiz questions are fun and free for everyone to try. You can test your general knowledge now by trying to answer them and then clicking on Check the Answer after each question. The quiz questions are in four levels of difficulty: Lower Intermediate Intermediate Upper Intermediate and Advanced (click, or scroll down, to find the different levels).
If you'd like to use them in a pub quiz or in a classroom quiz, we've made printer-friendly versions for you. You can print them out by clicking on the links just under each set of questions. There are two versions for printing; 'with answers' and 'without answers'. The questions were written for ESL students, but because they are general knowledge questions they can be used by everyone.
Each set has 24 quiz questions in 4 categories: Science, Geography, Sports and Music.

SCIENCE
What does your heart pump?Check the answerblood
Which is the nearest star? Check the answerthe sun
Which is heavier, gold or silver?Check the answergold
How many sides does a triangle have? Check the answerthree
What is H2O? Check the answerwater
How many legs does a butterfly have? Check the answersix

GEOGRAPHY
Which is bigger, a lake or an ocean? Check the answeran ocean
Which country has the most people? Check the answerChina
What is the capital city of Norway?Check the answerOslo
What is the biggest state in the U.S.A.? Check the answerAlaska
Which country has the biggest land area? Check the answerRussia
In which ocean is Hawaii? Check the answerthe Pacific
SPORTS
What sport is played at Wimbledon? Check the answertennis
In which country were the 2008 Olympic Games held? Check the answerChina
What country does the football player Romario come from?Check the answerBrazil
What is the most popular indoor sport in the U.S.A.?Check the answerbasketball
In which sport was Muhammad Ali the world champion? Check the answerboxing
Which famous golf player's mother comes from Thailand?Check the answerTiger Woods
MUSIC
How many strings does a violin have?Check the answerfour
Where was Ricky Martin born?Check the answerPuerto Rico
What pop group was Howie D. in?Check the answerBackstreet Boys
Which singer usually sings rap music, Mariah Carey or Eminem?Check the answerEminem
Which instrument is often used in jazz music, a saxophone or a tuba?
What nationality is Robbie Williams?


INTERMEDIATE
SCIENCE
Blood is filtered by which pair of organs?Check the answerkidneys
Which planet is the fifth from the sun?Check the answerJupiter
Who developed the theory of relativity?Check the answerAlbert Einstein
Which chemical element is represented by the symbol N?Check the answernitrogen
In which organelle of a living cell is DNA found?Check the answernucleus
Which travel faster, light or sound waves?Check the answerlight waves
GEOGRAPHY
In which country is Mount Everest?Check the answerNepal
Which continent has the biggest population?Check the answerAsia
What is the capital city of New Zealand?Check the answerWellington
On which continent is the Sahara desert?Check the answerAfrica
Name the two longest rivers in the world.Check the answerAmazon/Nile
Which ocean is to the east of Africa?Check the answerIndian Ocean
SPORTS
What is longest running race in the Olympic Games called?Check the answerthe marathon
Who won the 2003 British Open golf tournament?Check the answerBen Curtis
In snooker, what is the colour of the last ball potted?Check the answerblack
What nationality is the tennis player Lleyton Hewitt?Check the answerAustralian
In which sport can you throw a 'curve ball'?Check the answerbaseball
Which team won the 2003 Formula One car racing championship?Check the answerFerrari
MUSIC
Which pop singer married British movie director Guy Ritchie?Check the answerMadonna
Which rock group did George Harrison belong to?Check the answerThe Beatles
Which classical composer became deaf near the end of his life?Check the answerBeethoven
How many strings does a bass guitar usually have?Check the answerfour
In what country did reggae music originate?Check the answerJamaica
How many instruments are there in a string quintet?Check the answerfive


UPPER INTERMEDIATE
SCIENCE
Which vitamin is abundant in citrus fruits?Check the answervitamin C
What instrument is used for measuring temperature?Check the answera thermometer
Who developed the theory of evolution by natural selection?Check the answerCharles Darwin
What gas do plants absorb from the atmosphere?Check the answercarbon dioxide
What do we call a shape with eight sides?Check the answeroctagon
What is the study of plants called?Check the answerbotany
GEOGRAPHY
Which South American country has the greatest land area?Check the answerBrazil
What is the capital city of Sri Lanka?Check the answerColombo
Which climate is generally hotter and more humid, tropical or temperate?Check the answertropical
What do we call a mountain which could erupt?Check the answera volcano
Antarctica covers which of the earth's poles?Check the answerthe South Pole
On which continent is Sierra Leone?Check the answerAfrica
SPORTS
In which sport would you use a 'sand iron'?Check the answergolf
In boxing, what do the letters K.O. stand for?Check the answerknock out
Baseball originated in the U.S.A. in which century?Check the answer19th century
How many rings are there in the Olympic Games symbol?Check the answerfive
Which country won the 1998 FIFA World Cup football tournament?Check the answerFrance
Who won the 2003 Wimbledon women's tennis championship?Check the answerSerena Williams
MUSIC
Which female pop singer had a big hit called 'Baby, One More Time'?Check the answerBritney Spears
What pop group was Michael Jackson a member of when he was young?Check the answerThe Jackson Five
What type of music did Louis Armstrong play?Check the answerjazz
What does an orchestra's conductor wave to keep time?Check the answerbaton
What nationality was Mozart?Check the answerAustrian
Which rock group is Michael Stipe the lead singer of?Check the answerREM
Print the Upper Intermediate questions:With Answers // Without Answers.
ADVANCED
SCIENCE
Triton is a moon of which planet?Check the answerNeptune
For what process do plants need sunlight, CO2 and water?Check the answerphotosynthesis
Which physicist wrote a book called 'A Brief History of Time'?Check the answerStephen Hawking
Which chemical element is represented by the symbol Zn?Check the answerZinc
In which organ of the body is the cerebrum found?Check the answerthe brain
What do we call the study of birds?Check the answerornithology
GEOGRAPHY
In which country is the world's highest waterfall?Check the answerVenezuela
What natural phenomena are measured by the 'Richter scale'?Check the answerearthquakes
Which two oceans does the Panama Canal link?Check the answerAtlantic/Pacific
What is South America's highest mountain range?Check the answerthe Andes
What is the capital city of Kenya?Check the answerNairobi
What is the line of latitude 23.5 degrees north of the equator called?Check the answertropic of Cancer
SPORTS
In which athletic event is a heavy metal ball thrown?Check the answershot put
In what sport could you 'hit a six' or 'bowl a leg spinner'?Check the answercricket
Golf was first played in which country?Check the answerScotland
In which sport could you find yourself in a headlock?Check the answerwrestling
In which sport are a bow and arrow used?Check the answerarchery
What does a third-place getter at the Olympic Games win?Check the answera bronze medal
MUSIC
What instrument did the jazz musician Miles Davis play?Check the answertrumpet
Which British rock group do Liam and Noel Gallagher belong to?Check the answerOasis
Which instrument has keys, pedals and strings?Check the answerpiano
In which country is a 'gamelan orchestra' most commonly found?Check the answerIndonesia
Who wrote the song entitled 'Yesterday'?Check the answerPaul McCartney
Which is the largest stringed instrument in a classical orchestra?Check the answerdouble bass