100 general knowledge questions and answers for your next quiz
Quick answer: Here are 100 general knowledge questions with answers, split into 10 rounds of 10: geography, history, science, nature, sport, food, art, music, language and the human body.
How to use these questions
The questions are grouped into ten rounds, so you can run a full quiz night or pick a single round. Answers sit next to each question. For a quiz night, see our guide to the best trivia games for game night and how to run a quiz for large groups.
Want more?
If you prefer something gentler, try our 50 easy trivia questions. If you want a challenge, go straight to the 50 hard trivia questions.
Round 1: Geography
| # | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | What is the largest ocean on Earth? | The Pacific Ocean |
| 2 | What is the capital of Canada? | Ottawa |
| 3 | Which river flows through Cairo? | The Nile |
| 4 | What is the smallest country in the world? | Vatican City |
| 5 | What is the largest hot desert in the world? | The Sahara |
| 6 | What is the capital of Japan? | Tokyo |
| 7 | On which continent is Chile? | South America |
| 8 | What is the highest mountain in the world? | Mount Everest |
| 9 | Which country has the largest population? | India |
| 10 | What is the capital of Morocco? | Rabat |
Round 2: History
For more on the people behind these answers, see our guide to famous historical figures.
| # | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | In which year did the Second World War end? | 1945 |
| 12 | Who was the first person to walk on the Moon? | Neil Armstrong |
| 13 | Which ancient wonder stood in Alexandria? | The Lighthouse of Alexandria |
| 14 | Who founded the Ayyubid dynasty? | Saladin |
| 15 | In which year did the Berlin Wall fall? | 1989 |
| 16 | Which civilisation built Machu Picchu? | The Inca |
| 17 | Who was the first President of the United States? | George Washington |
| 18 | In which city was the Titanic built? | Belfast |
| 19 | Which queen of Egypt allied with Mark Antony? | Cleopatra |
| 20 | In which year did the First World War begin? | 1914 |
Round 3: Science
| # | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | What is the chemical symbol for gold? | Au |
| 22 | Which planet is known as the Red Planet? | Mars |
| 23 | Which gas do plants absorb from the air? | Carbon dioxide |
| 24 | What is H₂O better known as? | Water |
| 25 | How many planets are in the solar system? | 8 |
| 26 | What is the hardest natural substance? | Diamond |
| 27 | At what temperature does water boil at sea level? | 100°C |
| 28 | Who developed the theory of relativity? | Albert Einstein |
| 29 | What is the closest star to Earth? | The Sun |
| 30 | Which force keeps us on the ground? | Gravity |
Round 4: Nature and animals
Animal lovers can go further with our guides to dog breed groups and cat breeds.
| # | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | What is the largest mammal? | The blue whale |
| 32 | What is the fastest land animal? | The cheetah |
| 33 | How many legs does a spider have? | 8 |
| 34 | What is a baby kangaroo called? | A joey |
| 35 | Which bird is the national symbol of the United States? | The bald eagle |
| 36 | What do bees make? | Honey |
| 37 | Which animal is called the ship of the desert? | The camel |
| 38 | What is the largest species of big cat? | The tiger |
| 39 | Which tree produces acorns? | The oak |
| 40 | How many hearts does an octopus have? | 3 |
Round 5: Sport
Football fans will enjoy our football trivia games.
| # | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 41 | How many players does a football team have on the pitch? | 11 |
| 42 | Which country won the 2022 FIFA World Cup? | Argentina |
| 43 | How often are the Summer Olympics held? | Every 4 years |
| 44 | In which sport do you hit a shuttlecock? | Badminton |
| 45 | How many rings are on the Olympic flag? | 5 |
| 46 | Which country hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup? | Qatar |
| 47 | In tennis, what is a score of zero called? | Love |
| 48 | How long is a marathon? | 42.195 km |
| 49 | Which sport is played at Wimbledon? | Tennis |
| 50 | How many points is a touchdown worth in American football? | 6 |
Round 6: Food and drink
Many of these dishes appear in our guide to national dishes by region.
| # | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Which country does sushi come from? | Japan |
| 52 | What is the main ingredient of hummus? | Chickpeas |
| 53 | Which fruit is the base of guacamole? | Avocado |
| 54 | What is the national dish of Jordan? | Mansaf |
| 55 | Which country is famous for paella? | Spain |
| 56 | What is tofu made from? | Soybeans |
| 57 | Which spice is the most expensive by weight? | Saffron |
| 58 | Which nut is used to make marzipan? | Almonds |
| 59 | Which Italian city is pizza Margherita linked to? | Naples |
| 60 | Koshary is a national dish of which country? | Egypt |
Round 7: Art and literature
Read the stories behind these works in famous paintings by art movement and classic books to read.
| # | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 61 | Who painted the Mona Lisa? | Leonardo da Vinci |
| 62 | Who wrote Romeo and Juliet? | William Shakespeare |
| 63 | Who painted The Starry Night? | Vincent van Gogh |
| 64 | Who wrote Don Quixote? | Miguel de Cervantes |
| 65 | Which Egyptian writer won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1988? | Naguib Mahfouz |
| 66 | In which museum is the Mona Lisa? | The Louvre, Paris |
| 67 | Who painted Guernica? | Pablo Picasso |
| 68 | Who wrote Pride and Prejudice? | Jane Austen |
| 69 | Which art movement is Salvador Dalí linked to? | Surrealism |
| 70 | Who wrote One Hundred Years of Solitude? | Gabriel García Márquez |
Round 8: Music
See all five instrument families in types of musical instruments.
| # | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 71 | How many keys does a standard piano have? | 88 |
| 72 | Which fretless lute is central to Arabic music? | The oud |
| 73 | How many strings does a standard guitar have? | 6 |
| 74 | Who composed the Moonlight Sonata? | Ludwig van Beethoven |
| 75 | Which Lebanese singer is famous for “Li Beirut”? | Fairuz |
| 76 | Which Egyptian singer was called the Star of the East? | Umm Kulthum |
| 77 | Which instrument family does the trumpet belong to? | Brass |
| 78 | How many lines are on a musical staff? | 5 |
| 79 | Which band was John Lennon a member of? | The Beatles |
| 80 | Which orchestral instrument has 47 strings and seven pedals? | The concert harp |
Round 9: Language and words
Find out where each language is spoken in Arabic-speaking countries and Portuguese-speaking countries.
| # | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 81 | How many letters are in the English alphabet? | 26 |
| 82 | How many letters are in the Arabic alphabet? | 28 |
| 83 | Which language has the most native speakers? | Mandarin Chinese |
| 84 | What is the plural of “mouse”? | Mice |
| 85 | Which English word comes from the Arabic “qahwa”? | Coffee |
| 86 | What is the official language of Brazil? | Portuguese |
| 87 | What is a word that reads the same backwards called? | A palindrome |
| 88 | Which language is mainly spoken in Iran? | Persian (Farsi) |
| 89 | In which language does “arigato” mean thank you? | Japanese |
| 90 | What is the most common letter in English? | E |
Round 10: The human body
| # | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 91 | How many bones are in the adult human body? | 206 |
| 92 | What is the largest organ of the body? | The skin |
| 93 | How many teeth does an adult usually have? | 32 |
| 94 | Which organ pumps blood around the body? | The heart |
| 95 | What is the smallest bone in the body? | The stapes, in the ear |
| 96 | Which blood type is known as the universal donor? | O negative |
| 97 | How many chambers does the human heart have? | 4 |
| 98 | Which part of the eye controls how much light enters? | The iris |
| 99 | What is the longest bone in the body? | The femur (thigh bone) |
| 100 | Which vitamin does the skin make in sunlight? | Vitamin D |
Frequently asked questions
What are good general knowledge questions?
Questions most people have a fair chance at, mixed across topics such as geography, history, science, sport and food.
How many questions should a quiz have?
About 40 to 60 questions over 5 or 6 rounds for an evening quiz.
Where can I play general knowledge quizzes online?
Trivillion has free daily trivia, picture quizzes and topic quizzes in English, Arabic, Spanish and French.