Question 1

What is the capital of Australia?

Accepted Answer

Canberra. A common trick question - many people guess Sydney or Melbourne. Canberra was purpose-built as the capital in 1913.

Question 2

Which country has the most natural lakes?

Accepted Answer

Canada. Canada has over 2 million lakes - more than the rest of the world combined.

Question 3

What is the smallest country in the world by area?

Accepted Answer

Vatican City. Vatican City covers just 0.49 square kilometers (0.19 square miles) and is entirely surrounded by Rome, Italy.

Question 4

Which is the longest river in the world?

Accepted Answer

The Nile (though the Amazon is a close contender). The Nile is typically cited at 6,650 km. Some 2007 measurements suggest the Amazon may be slightly longer at 6,992 km.

Question 5

What is the only sea on Earth with no coastline?

Accepted Answer

The Sargasso Sea. Located in the North Atlantic, it is bounded by ocean currents instead of land.

Question 6

Which country has the largest population?

Accepted Answer

India. India overtook China in 2023 with around 1.43 billion people. China remains second with roughly the same total.

Question 7

On which continent is the Atacama Desert?

Accepted Answer

South America (Chile). The Atacama is the driest non-polar desert on Earth, with some weather stations having recorded zero rainfall.

Question 8

What is the deepest ocean trench in the world?

Accepted Answer

The Mariana Trench. Located in the western Pacific, the Challenger Deep section reaches about 11,000 metres (36,000 feet) below sea level.

Question 9

What is the chemical symbol for gold?

Accepted Answer

Au. Au comes from the Latin "aurum". Gold has atomic number 79.

Question 10

How many bones are there in an adult human body?

Accepted Answer

206. Babies are born with about 270 bones, but many fuse together as they grow.

Question 11

What is the hardest known natural substance?

Accepted Answer

Diamond. Diamond scores 10 on the Mohs hardness scale. Synthetic substances like wurtzite boron nitride can be harder under some conditions.

Question 12

Which planet is known as the Red Planet?

Accepted Answer

Mars. Mars appears red because of iron oxide (rust) on its surface.

Question 13

What is the largest organ in the human body?

Accepted Answer

The skin. The skin of an average adult covers about 2 square metres and weighs about 4 kg.

Question 14

What does DNA stand for?

Accepted Answer

Deoxyribonucleic acid. DNA is the molecule that carries genetic instructions in nearly all living organisms.

Question 15

Which is the only mammal capable of true sustained flight?

Accepted Answer

Bats. Flying squirrels and sugar gliders only glide. Bats are the only mammals with powered flight.

Question 16

What is the speed of light in a vacuum (approximately)?

Accepted Answer

299,792 kilometers per second (about 186,000 miles per second). Often rounded to 300,000 km/s. It takes about 8 minutes and 20 seconds for light to travel from the Sun to Earth.

Question 17

In what year did World War II end?

Accepted Answer

1945. Germany surrendered in May 1945; Japan formally surrendered on September 2, 1945 after the atomic bombings.

Question 18

Who was the first President of the United States?

Accepted Answer

George Washington. Washington served from 1789 to 1797 and set many precedents for the office, including the two-term tradition.

Question 19

In what year did the Berlin Wall fall?

Accepted Answer

1989. The wall fell on November 9, 1989, leading to German reunification the following year.

Question 20

Which ancient civilization built the Machu Picchu citadel?

Accepted Answer

The Inca. Built in the 15th century in modern-day Peru, it was likely an estate for emperor Pachacuti.

Question 21

Who wrote the original "Communist Manifesto"?

Accepted Answer

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Published in 1848, the pamphlet became one of the most influential political texts in modern history.

Question 22

What was the name of the ship that sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg?

Accepted Answer

The RMS Titanic. The Titanic was on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York when it struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic.

Question 23

Who painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?

Accepted Answer

Michelangelo. Michelangelo painted it between 1508 and 1512 at the commission of Pope Julius II.

Question 24

In what year did humans first land on the Moon?

Accepted Answer

1969. Apollo 11 landed on July 20, 1969. Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the lunar surface.

Question 25

How many players are on a soccer (football) team during a match?

Accepted Answer

11 per side. One goalkeeper plus ten outfield players, with substitutions allowed depending on competition rules.

Question 26

In which sport would you perform a "Fosbury Flop"?

Accepted Answer

High jump. Dick Fosbury popularized the back-first technique at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, winning gold.

Question 27

How often are the Summer Olympic Games held?

Accepted Answer

Every four years. Held since 1896 (with a few wartime cancellations). Winter Games are also every four years, offset by two.

Question 28

Which country has won the most FIFA World Cup titles?

Accepted Answer

Brazil (5). Brazil has won in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. Germany and Italy each have four titles.

Question 29

In tennis, what is a score of zero called?

Accepted Answer

Love. The origin is debated but may come from the French "l'oeuf" (the egg), referring to the shape of a zero.

Question 30

What is the maximum break in snooker?

Accepted Answer

147. A 147 break requires potting all 15 reds with blacks, followed by all six colors - a "maximum break".

Question 31

In which sport is the term "birdie" used?

Accepted Answer

Golf. A birdie means scoring one stroke under par on a hole. An eagle is two under; a bogey is one over.

Question 32

How many points is a touchdown worth in American football?

Accepted Answer

6 points. A touchdown is six points. A team can then attempt a one-point extra-point kick or a two-point conversion.

Question 33

Who wrote the play "Romeo and Juliet"?

Accepted Answer

William Shakespeare. Written around 1594-1596, it remains one of the most performed plays in the English language.

Question 34

Which artist painted the "Mona Lisa"?

Accepted Answer

Leonardo da Vinci. Painted between 1503 and 1519, the portrait now hangs in the Louvre in Paris.

Question 35

Who is the author of the "Harry Potter" book series?

Accepted Answer

J.K. Rowling. The seven-book series sold over 600 million copies worldwide and was translated into 80+ languages.

Question 36

Which band released the album "Dark Side of the Moon" in 1973?

Accepted Answer

Pink Floyd. It stayed on the Billboard 200 for 962 weeks, the longest run of any album in chart history.

Question 37

What is the name of the wizarding school in "Harry Potter"?

Accepted Answer

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hogwarts is hidden in the Scottish Highlands and split into four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.

Question 38

Who wrote "1984" and "Animal Farm"?

Accepted Answer

George Orwell. Orwell (born Eric Blair) wrote both novels in the 1940s as critiques of totalitarianism.

Question 39

Which TV series features the Iron Throne and the line "Winter is coming"?

Accepted Answer

Game of Thrones. Based on George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" novels, the HBO series ran from 2011 to 2019.

Question 40

What is the best-selling music album of all time?

Accepted Answer

Michael Jackson - "Thriller" (1982). With estimated sales over 70 million copies worldwide, Thriller remains uncontested.

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