14 general knowledge questions with explained answers

Space: four questions to get started

Start with the planets. Check which property the question asks about: size and distance from the Sun produce different rankings. Keep your first answer before opening the explanation.

1. Which planet is the largest in our solar system?

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   Jupiter. Saturn comes second in size.

   NASA · Planets

2. Which planet is closest to the Sun?

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   Mercury. It is also the smallest of the eight planets.

   NASA · Planets

3. Which planet is farthest from the Sun?

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   Neptune. Pluto is classified as a dwarf planet.

   NASA · Planets

4. Which planet is third from the Sun?

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   Earth. It follows Mercury and Venus.

   NASA · Planets

Geography: name the countries and cities

These four questions connect landmarks with their locations. Check whether each question asks for a country or a city: recognising the landmark is only part of giving a precise answer.

1. In which country is the Taj Mahal?

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   India. The white marble mausoleum is in Agra. Pairing the landmark with its city gives you another way to remember the country.

   UNESCO · Taj Mahal

2. In which country is Machu Picchu?

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   Peru. The Inca site is in the Andes. Naming the mountain range alone would not answer a question asking for the country.

   UNESCO · Machu Picchu

3. Which country is home to the temples of Angkor?

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   Cambodia. Angkor preserves the heritage of the Khmer Empire. Connecting the site to its civilisation gives you a second memory cue.

   UNESCO · Angkor

4. In which city is the Acropolis that contains the Parthenon?

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   Athens. The question asks for a city: Greece is the right country, but it is less specific than the answer requested.

   UNESCO · Acropolis, Athens

History, science and sport

Now move on to people, dates and disciplines. Some questions need two elements: award the point only for a complete answer, following the scoring rule you agreed before starting.

1. In which year did Apollo 11 land on the Moon?

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   1969. The landing took place on 20 July. The year is enough for this question; you do not need to recall the exact date.

   NASA · Apollo 11

2. Who was the first person to walk on the Moon?

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   Neil Armstrong. He commanded Apollo 11. Learning the mission, year and astronaut together connects three facts instead of keeping them isolated.

   NASA · Neil Armstrong

3. In which two disciplines did Marie Curie receive Nobel Prizes?

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   Physics and chemistry. She received the physics prize in 1903 and the chemistry prize in 1911. This question needs both disciplines for a complete answer.

   Nobel Prize · Marie Curie

4. Which city hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896?

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   Athens. The word ‘modern’ matters: this question concerns the 1896 Games, rather than the sporting events of antiquity.

   Olympics · Athens 1896

Art: a familiar painting and a less obvious one

Two works from the same room in the Louvre finish the quiz. Try to recall the second painter before revealing the answer, even if the name does not come to you straight away.

1. Who painted the Mona Lisa?

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   Leonardo da Vinci. Mona Lisa and La Joconde name the same painting. You may encounter either name when a quiz switches between English and French.

   Louvre · Salle des États

2. Who painted The Wedding Feast at Cana displayed at the Louvre?

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   Veronese. The work shares the Salle des États with the Mona Lisa. Two paintings in one room can make a useful pair to remember.

   Louvre · Salle des États

Count your points and choose what to play next

Give yourself one point for each complete answer, for a total out of 14. Use the result to follow your own practice; it is not a ranking of general knowledge.

Return to the questions you missed with their answers closed, and try explaining each answer in one sentence. You can also read the questions to a friend, keep the explanations closed and compare your answers at the end of each topic.

For a different format, KRILLION offers games of 7 questions with 25 seconds per answer. Those questions accept several valid answers, and each answer’s rarity tier determines its points. This practice quiz instead has one expected answer per question and does not calculate rarity scores.

The first daily game needs no account. A free account allows up to 5 games per day, and lifetime access removes that limit. Start with the Daily Dive or choose a topic you enjoyed in this quiz.