General knowledge trivia — 10 questions
Here are 10 questions from the “General knowledge” quiz (1,053 questions in all), with their answer choices. Try to answer before opening “See the answer”. The selection changes every week.
Which red food coloring (E120) comes from an insect?
- Annatto
- Betanin
- Curcumin
- Carmine
See the answer
Carmine — It is extracted from cochineal, an insect living on American cacti.
Pineapples grow on trees.
- True
- False
See the answer
False — They grow in the center of a low plant with a leaf rosette, a bromeliad.
Which French composer wrote the opera Lakmé (1883), famous for its "Flower Duet"?
- Charles Gounod
- Jules Massenet
- Georges Bizet
- Léo Delibes
See the answer
Léo Delibes — Set in British India; Delibes also composed the ballets Coppélia and Sylvia.
Which bird is the national emblem of the United States?
- The condor
- The bald eagle
- The peregrine falcon
- The wild turkey
See the answer
The bald eagle — Benjamin Franklin reportedly thought the turkey a more "respectable" bird than this scavenging raptor.
Which bird lays the largest eggs in the world?
- Ostrich
- Swan
- Emu
- Golden eagle
See the answer
Ostrich — An ostrich egg weighs about 1.5 kg, as much as two dozen chicken eggs.
Which city is nicknamed the City of Light?
- London
- Rome
- Las Vegas
- Paris
See the answer
Paris — The name is linked to the Age of Enlightenment and to its early street lighting.
At the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, which sprinters raised black-gloved fists on the podium?
- Jesse Owens and Ralph Metcalfe
- Tommie Smith and John Carlos
- Bob Hayes and Jim Hines
- Carl Lewis and Calvin Smith
See the answer
Tommie Smith and John Carlos — This protest against racism followed the 200 m; Australian Peter Norman stood with them.
Ice is denser than liquid water.
- True
- False
See the answer
False — It's the reverse, which is why ice cubes and icebergs float.
Andy Warhol was born in New York City.
- True
- False
See the answer
False — He was born in 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Rusyn immigrants; a museum there is devoted to him.
Which city hosted the first Paralympic Games, in 1960?
- London
- Helsinki
- Tokyo
- Rome
See the answer
Rome — They were held right after the Olympics, in the same city.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are in the “General knowledge” quiz?
There are 1,053 free questions at the moment, and we keep adding more.
Do I need an account to play?
No. You can play right away, without an account. An account only adds your statistics, your rating and the rankings.
How are these 10 questions chosen?
They are drawn at random among the text questions of this category and change every week. For ten questions at your level, play a series: the difficulty adjusts to you.
How hard is this quiz?
The difficulty goes from Easy to Infernal and adjusts to your rating, like in chess.
Where can I see the answers?
Under each question, open “See the answer”. Try to answer first!