General Knowledge MCQs
Topic Notes: General Knowledge
MCQs and preparation resources for competitive exams, covering important concepts, past papers, and detailed explanations.
Plato
- Biography: Ancient Greek philosopher (427–347 BCE), student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle, founder of the Academy in Athens.
- Important Ideas:
- Theory of Forms
- Philosopher-King
- Ideal State
1
Which Greek explorer was the first to sail out of the Mediterranean and reach Britain and the Arctic?
Answer:
Pytheas
Pytheas of Massalia made a voyage of exploration to northwestern Europe in about 325 BC, describing the midnight sun.
2
Who was the legendary pioneer who blazed the Wilderness Road through the Cumberland Gap?
Answer:
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone was an American pioneer whose exploration helped settle Kentucky and the American frontier.
3
Who founded the city of Detroit in 1701?
Answer:
Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac
Cadillac founded Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit, which grew into the city of Detroit.
4
Who was the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest?
Answer:
Junko Tabei
Japanese mountaineer Junko Tabei reached the summit of Everest in 1975.
5
Which British mountaineer famously replied 'Because it's there' when asked why he wanted to climb Everest?
Answer:
George Mallory
Mallory participated in the first three British expeditions to Mount Everest in the 1920s and disappeared on the mountain in 1924.
6
Who was the first animal to orbit the Earth?
Answer:
Laika the Dog
Laika was a Soviet space dog who became the first animal to orbit the Earth aboard Sputnik 2 in 1957.
7
Who was the first pilot to break the sound barrier?
Answer:
Chuck Yeager
Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in the Bell X-1 rocket plane in 1947.
8
Who was the first person to sail alone around the world?
Answer:
Joshua Slocum
Joshua Slocum circumnavigated the globe solo in his sloop *Spray* between 1895 and 1898.
9
Who successfully recreated the voyage of St. Brendan the Navigator in a leather boat?
Answer:
Tim Severin
Tim Severin sailed a leather curragh across the Atlantic to prove that the legendary voyage of St. Brendan was possible.
10
Which archaeologist discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922?
Answer:
Howard Carter
Howard Carter's discovery of the intact tomb in the Valley of the Kings is one of the most famous archaeological finds in history.