General Knowledge MCQs for PPSC, FPSC & Competitive Exams (Free PDF)

Correct answer: V-shaped. Rivers cut narrow, steep-sided V-shaped valleys, especially in mountainous areas.

Background: Rivers cut straight downward in mountains, forming narrow valleys with steep V-shaped walls.

• C-shaped: “C-shaped” is not a standard valley type.
• O-shaped: “O-shaped” is not a standard valley type.
• U-shaped: U-shaped valleys are carved by glaciers.

Did you know? The Grand Canyon is a famous river-cut gorge. Glaciers carve wider, U-shaped valleys.

Memory trick: River = V; Glacier = U.

Correct answer: 17. The UN’s 2030 Agenda has 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Background: The SDGs were adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda. They replaced the 8 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

• 12: 12 is fewer than the actual number.
• 19: 19 is more than the actual number.
• 21: 21 is more than the actual number.

Did you know? The 17 goals have 169 targets, and the deadline is 2030.

Memory trick: 17 goals, 169 targets, year 2030.

Correct answer: SAARC. SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) was formed in Dhaka in 1985.

Background: SAARC was founded on 8 December 1985 in Dhaka by seven countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

• ECO: ECO was also formed in 1985, but it is a West and Central Asian body, not a South Asian one.
• OIC: The OIC was formed in 1969.
• SCO: The SCO was formed in 2001.

Did you know? Its secretariat is in Kathmandu, Nepal, and Afghanistan joined as the eighth member in 2007.

Memory trick: SAARC = South Asia + HQ Kathmandu + 7 founders.

Correct answer: 1875. Swami Dayananda Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj in 1875.

Background: Swami Dayananda Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj in Bombay in 1875 as a Hindu reform movement with the slogan “Back to the Vedas”.

• 1872: 1872 is not the founding year.
• 1885: 1885 is when the Indian National Congress was formed.
• 1892: 1892 is not the founding year.

Did you know? Dayananda’s main book was Satyarth Prakash, and the movement later became active in education and the Shuddhi campaign.

Memory trick: Arya Samaj 1875 and Congress 1885: ten years apart.

Correct answer: Kashmir. Kashmir is widely called the “Paradise on Earth” and the “Paradise of Asia” for its natural beauty.

Background: Kashmir’s lakes, valleys, and snow-covered mountains have earned it the title “Paradise on Earth”.

• Hunza: Hunza is known as a mountain valley, but not by this title.
• Skardu: Skardu is known as a gateway to the Karakoram, but not by this title.
• Swat: Swat is called the “Switzerland of the East”.

Did you know? A famous Persian couplet describing Kashmir as heaven on earth is attributed to the Mughal emperor Jahangir. Swat is called the “Switzerland of the East”.

Memory trick: Kashmir = Jannat; Swat = Switzerland.

Correct answer: 13 Sep 1948. India began Operation Polo and marched into Hyderabad on 13 September 1948.

Background: Operation Polo was India’s military action against Hyderabad State. The Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, had not joined India or Pakistan after 1947.

• 26 Nov 1947: 26 November 1947 is not the date.
• 1st Feb 1948: 1 February 1948 is not the date.
• 14 Nov 1948: 14 November 1948 is not the date.

Did you know? Indian troops entered on 13 September 1948, and Hyderabad surrendered on 17 September 1948. It is called “Polo” because Hyderabad had many polo grounds.

Memory trick: 13 September 1948 = Hyderabad falls.

Correct answer: 366. A leap year has 366 days because February has 29 days.

Background: A leap year adds 29 February to the calendar, so it has 365 + 1 = 366 days.

• 363: 363 is not the number of days in a year.
• 364: 364 is not the number of days in a year.
• 365: 365 days is the length of an ordinary year.

Did you know? A year is a leap year if it is divisible by 4, but century years must also be divisible by 400 (so 2000 was a leap year and 1900 was not). 2028 is the next after 2024.

Memory trick: Leap = 365 + 1 = 366.

Correct answer: Sirimavo Bandaranaike. Sirimavo Bandaranaike became Prime Minister of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in 1960.

Background: Sirimavo Bandaranaike became Prime Minister of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1960, after her husband S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike was assassinated in 1959.

• Benazir Bhutto: Benazir Bhutto was the first woman Prime Minister of a Muslim-majority country (1988).
• Indira Gandhi: Indira Gandhi became Prime Minister of India in 1966.
• Margaret Thatcher: Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister of the UK in 1979.

Did you know? She served three terms as Prime Minister. Her daughter Chandrika Kumaratunga later became President of Sri Lanka.

Memory trick: Sirimavo = first woman PM in the world; Benazir = first in a Muslim country.

Correct answer: India. The Lok Sabha is the lower house of India’s Parliament.

Background: The Lok Sabha is the “House of the People”, directly elected by Indian voters. The upper house is the Rajya Sabha (Council of States).

• Bangladesh: Bangladesh’s parliament is the Jatiya Sangsad.
• Nepal: Nepal’s parliament is the Federal Parliament.
• Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka’s legislature is simply called Parliament.

Did you know? The Lok Sabha has 543 elected members. The party or alliance that wins a majority there forms the government.

Memory trick: Lok = people, Sabha = assembly → House of the People.

Correct answer: 2001. The World Trade Center attacks took place on 11 September 2001.

Background: The attacks on the World Trade Center in New York happened on 11 September 2001, when hijacked planes struck the Twin Towers.

• 2000: 2000 is the wrong year.
• 2004: 2004 is the wrong year.
• 2007: 2007 is the wrong year.

Did you know? They led to the US-led “War on Terror” and the invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001.

Memory trick: 9/11 = September 11, 2001.

Correct answer: India. India has led investment in Chabahar port, including the Shahid Beheshti terminal.

Background: Chabahar lies on Iran’s Gulf of Oman coast. It gives India sea access to Afghanistan and Central Asia without passing through Pakistan.

• China: China’s major investment is in Pakistan’s Gwadar port.
• USA: The USA is not the main investor in Chabahar.
• UAE: The UAE is not the main investor in Chabahar.

Did you know? Chabahar is close to Pakistan’s Gwadar port, which China is developing under CPEC.

Memory trick: Chabahar = India’s port; Gwadar = Pakistan/China (CPEC).

Correct answer: China. Beijing, China hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Background: China hosted the Summer Olympics in Beijing in August 2008.

• London: London hosted the Games in 2012.
• Los Angeles: Los Angeles hosted the Games in 1984 and 1932.
• None of these: “None of these” is incorrect because China is correct.

Did you know? The opening ceremony began on 8 August 2008 at 8:08 pm. London hosted in 2012, and Los Angeles will host in 2028.

Memory trick: 8-8-08 → Beijing.

Correct answer: Berlin. The WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence is based in Berlin, Germany.

Background: The WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence in Berlin was launched in 2021 to use data and technology to detect outbreaks early.

• Geneva: Geneva is WHO’s headquarters, not the location of this hub.
• Rome: Rome is not the location of the hub.
• Vienna: Vienna is not the location of the hub.

Did you know? WHO’s headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland, and the organization was founded in 1948.

Memory trick: Hub in Berlin, Headquarters in Geneva (B for hub, G for general headquarters).

Correct answer: 30 lac. The initial release comprised about 30 lakh (3 million) pages.

Background: Large document releases are counted in lakh in Pakistani exams: 1 lakh = 100,000, so 30 lakh = 3 million pages.

• 15 lac: 15 lakh is lower than the number published.
• 20 lac: 20 lakh is lower than the number published.
• 35 lac: 35 lakh is higher than the number published.

Did you know? The release followed a US law, the Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed in late 2025.

Memory trick: 30 lakh = 3 million (lakh × 100,000).

Correct answer: 7. A netball team has seven players on court.

Background: Netball developed from early women’s basketball in the late 1800s. Each of its seven players has a fixed position and may move only in certain zones.

• 5: Five is the number of players per side in basketball.
• 6: Six is the number of players per side in volleyball.
• 9: Nine is the number of players per side in baseball.

Did you know? The seven positions are GS, GA, WA, C, WD, GD, and GK.

Memory trick: Count the position letters: GS-GA-WA-C-WD-GD-GK = 7.

Correct answer: Greece. Olympia in Greece is the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games and houses their archaeological museum.

Background: Olympia in the Peloponnese was the site of the ancient Olympic Games, first held in 776 BCE. The modern Games were revived in Athens in 1896.

• France: France hosted the modern Games in Paris but has no museum of the ancient Games at Olympia.
• Italy: Italy is not the location of Olympia.
• Egypt: Egypt is not the location of Olympia.

Did you know? The Olympic flame for the modern Games is still lit at Olympia using a parabolic mirror and the Sun’s rays. The IOC’s Olympic Museum itself is in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Memory trick: Olympia → Olympics → Greece.

Correct answer: Venice. St. Mark’s Basilica stands in St. Mark’s Square in Venice, Italy.

Background: St. Mark’s Basilica stands on St. Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco) and was the chapel of the Doge of Venice.

• Rome: Rome is home to St. Peter’s Basilica.
• Madrid: Madrid is not the location of St. Mark’s Basilica.
• None of these: “None of these” is incorrect because Venice is correct.

Did you know? According to tradition, the relics of St. Mark the Evangelist were brought to Venice from Alexandria in the 9th century.

Memory trick: Mark → Venice; Peter → Rome.

Correct answer: Monogamy. Monogamy, marriage to one spouse at a time, is the most widespread marriage system.

Background: Marriage systems are named by the number of spouses: mono = one, bi = two, poly = many.

• Bigamy: Bigamy (having two spouses) is illegal in most countries.
• Polyandry: Polyandry (one wife with several husbands) is very rare.
• Exogamy: Exogamy is a rule of marrying outside one’s own group, not the main marriage system.

Did you know? “Monogamy” comes from the Greek monos (one) and gamos (marriage).

Memory trick: Mono = one, like a monorail running on one rail.

Correct answer: Kazakhstan. Nursultan Nazarbayev was the first President of Kazakhstan (1991–2019).

Background: Nazarbayev led Kazakhstan from independence in 1991 until he resigned in March 2019.

• Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan’s leaders have been from the Aliyev family and others.
• Tajikistan: Tajikistan’s long-time president is Emomali Rahmon.
• Maldives: The Maldives is a separate country with different leaders.

Did you know? In 2019 Kazakhstan’s capital Astana was renamed Nur-Sultan in his honour; it was renamed Astana again in 2022.

Memory trick: Kazakhstan’s capital: Nur-Sultan (2019) → Nazarbayev.

Correct answer: Ibn Sina. Ibn Sina (Avicenna) is known as “Al-Sheikh Al-Raees” (the chief master) for his authority in medicine and philosophy.

Background: “Al-Sheikh Al-Raees” means “the Chief Master”. Ibn Sina (Avicenna, born near Bukhara in 980 CE) earned it through his authority in medicine and philosophy.

• Al-Razi: Al-Razi (Rhazes) is known as a physician and chemist.
• Al-Kindi: Al-Kindi is known as the “philosopher of the Arabs”.
• Ibn al-Haytham: Ibn al-Haytham is known as the father of optics.

Did you know? His book Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb (The Canon of Medicine) was used as a standard medical text for centuries in both the Islamic world and Europe.

Memory trick: Ibn Sina = Sheikh Raees = “Chief of doctors”. Think: Canon of Medicine → Ibn Sina.