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
The suffix '-gate' (as in 'Watergate', 'Deflategate') is now used to denote:
Answer:
A political scandal
This is a modern morphological abstraction derived from the Watergate scandal of the 1970s.
2
Words like 'algebra', 'algorithm', 'lemon', and 'sugar' entered English via:
Answer:
Arabic
During the Middle Ages, Arabic scholarship in math and science, as well as trade, brought these terms into European languages and eventually English.
3
What is 'rhoticity' in English accents?
Answer:
The pronunciation of the letter 'r' when it follows a vowel (e.g., in 'car')
American English is typically rhotic (r is pronounced), while standard British English (RP) is non-rhotic (r is silent in 'car' or 'hard').
4
The 'Great Vowel Shift' affected:
Answer:
Long vowels only
The shift involved the systematic raising of long vowels; short vowels were largely unaffected.
5
Which English dialect still uses 'thee' and 'thou' in everyday speech?
Answer:
Yorkshire/Northern English
While standardized out of general English, 'thee/thou' forms survived in regional dialects of Northern England.
6
The word 'whisky' comes from Gaelic 'uisce beatha', meaning:
Answer:
Water of life
It is a calque of the Latin 'aqua vitae'.
7
Which 20th-century development created a new variety of English called 'Estuary English'?
Answer:
Migration and social mixing along the Thames Estuary
Estuary English is a blend of RP (Received Pronunciation) and Cockney features, widely spoken in southeast England today.
8
The acronym 'RADAR' stands for:
Answer:
Radio Detection And Ranging
Many modern technical terms are acronyms that have become treated as standard words.
9
Legal phrases like 'breaking and entering' or 'will and testament' are examples of:
Answer:
Bilingual redundancy (English + French/Latin)
To ensure understanding across different populations after the Conquest, lawyers used pairs of words: one Old English (breaking, will) and one French/Latin (entering, testament).
10
The word 'lord' comes from the Old English 'hlaf-weard', which literally means:
Answer:
Loaf guardian
It signifies the person responsible for feeding his dependents; similarly, 'lady' comes from 'hlaf-dige' (loaf kneader).