Create a custom practice set
Pick category, difficulty, number of questions, and time limit. Start instantly with your own quiz.
Generate QuizMCQ – GK Questions
Free practice for SSC, UPSC, Banking & Railway exams. No login required.
Type Ia supernovae are used as standard candles because they result from thermonuclear explosion of _______.
- Massive stars >8 solar masses
- White dwarfs reaching Chandrasekhar limit
- Neutron star mergers
- Red supergiants
Answer: White dwarfs reaching Chandrasekhar limit
Type Ia supernovae occur when carbon-oxygen white dwarfs accrete mass to ~1.4 solar masses, triggering uniform explosions useful for measuring cosmic distances.
Which mission returned the first samples from the Moon since Luna 24 in 1976?
- Chang'e 5
- Artemis I
- Hayabusa2
- OSIRIS-REx
Answer: Chang'e 5
China's Chang'e 5 returned 1.7 kg of lunar regolith in December 2020, the first lunar sample return in 44 years, from Oceanus Procellarum.
Tundra orbits are a type of highly elliptical orbit with inclination of approximately _______ degrees.
- 45°
- 63.4°
- 90°
- 0°
Answer: 63.4°
Tundra orbits (inclination 63.4°, period 24 hours) dwell over high-latitude regions, used for communications where GEO coverage is poor, similar to Molniya but longer dwell time.
The Hubble Constant measures which property of the universe?
- Age
- Expansion rate
- Temperature
- Density
Answer: Expansion rate
The Hubble Constant (H₀ ≈ 70 km/s/Mpc) quantifies the current expansion rate of the universe, relating galaxy recession velocity to distance.
Which ISRO launch vehicle uses four liquid strap-on boosters derived from the Vikas engine?
- PSLV-Core
- PSLV-XL
- GSLV Mk II
- SSLV
Answer: GSLV Mk II
GSLV Mk II employs four L40 liquid strap-ons using Vikas engines burning UDMH/N2O4, augmenting core stage thrust during initial ascent.
Which space agency developed the Proton launch vehicle?
- NASA
- Roscosmos
- ESA
- CNSA
Answer: Roscosmos
Proton is a Russian expendable launch vehicle derived from Soviet ICBM technology, historically used for ISS modules and commercial satellites.
The Vyommitra humanoid robot is intended for which Gaganyaan-related mission?
- First crewed flight
- Uncrewed test flights
- Lunar landing
- Space station assembly
Answer: Uncrewed test flights
Vyommitra, a female humanoid robot, will fly on uncrewed Gaganyaan missions to simulate human presence, testing life support systems and microgravity responses.
Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 famously collided with which planet in 1994?
- Saturn
- Jupiter
- Uranus
- Neptune
Answer: Jupiter
Fragmented comet SL9 impacted Jupiter in July 1994, creating visible scars larger than Earth, providing insights into planetary impacts and Jupiter's atmosphere.
The Great Attractor is a gravitational anomaly pulling galaxies including the Milky Way toward which direction?
- Andromeda
- Centaurus Cluster
- Virgo Supercluster
- Shapley Attractor
Answer: Centaurus Cluster
The Great Attractor lies in the direction of the Centaurus Cluster (~150-250 Mly away), influencing motion of the Local Group within the Laniakea Supercluster.
Which mission mapped Venus's surface through clouds using radar in the 1990s?
- Venera 13
- Magellan
- Akatsuki
- Pioneer Venus
Answer: Magellan
NASA's Magellan orbiter (1990-1994) used synthetic aperture radar to map 98% of Venus's surface, revealing volcanic plains, tectonic features, and impact craters.
Which augmentation system enhances GPS accuracy for aviation in Europe?
- WAAS
- EGNOS
- MSAS
- GAGAN
Answer: EGNOS
EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service) improves GPS precision and integrity for European aviation, similar to WAAS (USA), MSAS (Japan), and GAGAN (India).
What is the approximate lifespan of a star like our Sun on the main sequence?
- 1 million years
- 10 billion years
- 100 billion years
- 1 trillion years
Answer: 10 billion years
Sun-like stars spend ~10 billion years fusing hydrogen. The Sun is currently ~4.6 billion years old, halfway through its main sequence phase.
Which Indian satellite series provides real-time weather imagery every 15 minutes over India?
- INSAT-3D/3DR
- Cartosat
- Resourcesat
- Oceansat
Answer: INSAT-3D/3DR
INSAT-3D and INSAT-3DR provide high-frequency meteorological imaging, sounding, and disaster alert services crucial for cyclone tracking and monsoon monitoring.
Which moon of Saturn has lakes of liquid methane and ethane on its surface?
- Enceladus
- Titan
- Rhea
- Dione
Answer: Titan
Titan is the only body besides Earth with stable surface liquids, consisting of hydrocarbon lakes and seas, observed by Cassini-Huygens mission.
Which space telescope discovered the first confirmed exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star (51 Pegasi b)?
- Hubble
- Kepler
- Ground-based ELODIE spectrograph
- TESS
Answer: Ground-based ELODIE spectrograph
51 Pegasi b was discovered in 1995 using radial velocity method with ground-based ELODIE spectrograph at Observatoire de Haute-Provence, not a space telescope. Note: Question tests precision—no space telescope made this discovery.
Which ISRO launch vehicle was retired after its final flight in 2022?
- ASLV
- PSLV
- GSLV Mk II
- LVM3
Answer: GSLV Mk II
GSLV Mk II flew its last mission (EOS-03) in 2021/2022 era before being phased out in favor of LVM3 and upcoming NGLV for heavier payloads.
Which constellation contains the star Vega, the fifth-brightest in the night sky?
- Lyra
- Cygnus
- Aquila
- Boötes
Answer: Lyra
Vega is the brightest star in Lyra and part of the Summer Triangle asterism. It was once the North Star and will be again in ~12,000 years.
Which component of Chandrayaan-3 remained functional in lunar orbit after the landing?
- Vikram lander
- Pragyan rover
- Propulsion Module
- All components ceased operation
Answer: Propulsion Module
After separating Vikram, the Propulsion Module continued orbiting the Moon, hosting the SHAPE experiment to observe Earthshine for exoplanet habitability studies.
Which planet has supersonic winds exceeding 2,000 km/h, the fastest in the solar system?
- Jupiter
- Saturn
- Uranus
- Neptune
Answer: Neptune
Neptune exhibits the strongest sustained winds in the solar system, reaching speeds up to 2,100 km/h near the Great Dark Spot, driven by internal heat despite minimal solar input.
Who was the first person to perform a spacewalk (extravehicular activity)?
- Alexei Leonov
- Ed White
- Neil Armstrong
- Bruce McCandless
Answer: Alexei Leonov
Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov conducted the first EVA on March 18, 1965, spending 12 minutes outside Voskhod 2, tethered to the spacecraft.