GK Capsule - 15 1. Benjamin Franklin said, He that lives upon X will die fasting.

French author Francois de La Rochefoucauld said, X and fear are inseparable. Martin Luther said, Everything that is done in the world is done by X. What is X? A) Ambition B) Hope C) Love D) Luck 2.The U.S. presidential retreat at Camp David has often been the scene of international summit meetings, such as those between the Israelis and the Palestinians. After whom was Camp David named? A) The statue of David by Michelangelo B) Private Lester B. David, a gunner in World War II C) American frontier hero Davy Crockett D) President Dwight Eisenhowers grandson 3. The first official international cricket match was held in 1844. Which were the participating countries? A) Afghanistan and India B) Australia and England C) Canada and the United States D) Ireland and Scotland 4.Each year, southern France is buffeted by a strong wind called the mistral. It is: A) A cold wind from the north B) A hot wind from the south C) A dry wind from the east D) A moist wind from the west 5.What is a kanoon? A) A Malay canoe B) A moonlight revel C) A stall where an elephant can be parked D) A zither-like instrument with fifty or more strings 6.Which was the last continent to be discovered by Europeans? A) Antarctica B) Greenland C) Oceania/Australia

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D) South America 7.A map of the New World produced in 1507 had the name America on it. What was the source of the name? A) The Carib Indian word for prosperity B) The Crown Prince of Spains favorite horse C) Columbuss daughter D) An Italian explorer, Amerigo Vespucci 8.When the continents are listed in order from largest to smallest with respect to surface area, the first four are Asia, Africa, North America and South America. Which of the following correctly completes the list? A) Antarctica, Europe, Oceania/Australia B) Antarctica, Oceania/Australia, Europe C) Europe, Antarctica, Oceania/Australia D) Europe, Oceania/Australia, Antarctica 9. Niccol Machiavelli, the statesman, historian and politician hailed from A) Spain B) Italy C) Russia D) France 10. Unlike most other fish, sharks dont have A) Bones B) Teeth C) Gills D) Liver 11.The great medieval mathematician known as Fibonacci produced a series of important works in the early 13th century. One important innovation in his writings was... A) Failing to include a specifically religious preface B) Using Arabic numeric notation instead of Roman C) Using his native Italian instead of Latin or Greek D) Using specially trained scribes to ensure accuracy 12.Girolamo Cardano (1501-1576), the great mathematician, physician, astrologer and scholar who founded probability theory, led a colorful and controversial life that included time spent in prison for the crime of... A) Casting the horoscope of Jesus Christ B) Employing the square roots of negative numbers C) Murdering his daughter-in-law D) Practising medicine without a license

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13.The 18th-century French intellectual Franois-Marie Arouet is better known by another name. He was: A) King Louis XIV B) Diderot, the encyclopedist C) Laplace, the physicist and mathematician D) Voltaire, the philosopher 14.Hyraxes are small furry mammals of Africa and South Asia, whose diet consists of plants and fruit. Oddly enough, the nearest relatives of the hyrax among other mammals are the: A) Bears B) Elephants C) Giraffes D) Lions and tigers 15.In the famous Warner Brothers cartoons, a fast-moving bird called a road runner makes life difficult for a not-so-wily coyote. The real road runner is actually a type of: A) Cuckoo B) Pheasant C) Stork D) Turkey 16.What type of animal is a grison? A) Aquatic the smallest member of the dolphin family B) Domestic any small house pet C) Mythical combining an eagles head and wings with a serpents body D) South American a relative of the weasel 17.Most commercial silk fiber is produced by silkworms, a kind of caterpillar native to China. The silkworm is a fussy eater; in fact, it dines on nothing but: A) Bamboo shoots B) Eucalyptus bark C) Mulberry leaves D) Orchid nectar 18.Who was the first European known to have encountered cacao? A) Christopher Columbus B) Hernando Cortez C) John Cabot D) Ponce de Leon 19.Chocolate makes a poor food for the family dog. Why? A) Chemical reactions produce an unpleasant chocolate dog smell B) It causes a euphoric high that may make the dog hard to manage C) It contains substances that are toxic for dogs D) Long-term use puts dogs at risk of canine obesity

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20.Studies have shown that chocolate may help ward off heart disease. What type of chocolate is thought to be most effective for this? A) Dark chocolate B) Liqueur-filled chocolate C) Milk chocolate D) White chocolate 21.The carob tree produces a fruit that when roasted and grounded into a powder makes a good substitute for cocoa. What is another name for the carob? A) Desert bean B) Devils biscuit C) St. Johns bread D) Shepherds lunch 22. The mightiest wrestler of ancient Greece was Milo of Croton, champion in six successive Olympiads. Even Milos legendary strength was not enough to save him in the end, alas. It is said that he lost his life in a contest with... A) A bull B) A fish C) A philosopher D) A tree 23. The month January is named for Janus, a Roman god who had two... A) Centaurs B) Faces C) Mothers D) Physical forms 24. In a mountainous area of central Ethiopia are to be found eleven Christian churches, known as the Lalibela churches. Dating from the 13th century, today they are famed for a remarkable feature of their construction. What is it? A) At the summer solstice, their shadows meet at a single point B) Their spires are made of translucent rock crystal C) They are entirely subterranean D) They were hewn in place from solid rock 25. Cotards syndrome is a rare disorder associated with manic-depression, schizophrenia and some other brain illnesses. The Cotards victim often suffers from a particular delusion, believing that he or she is: A) Dead B) Immune to gravity C) Invisible D) Unrecognizable

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26. Douglas Bader, a World War II British flying ace, had a remarkable and distinguished military career despite a serious physical handicap. Specifically, Bader: A) Had suffered amputation of both legs B) Needed chemical stimulants to remain awake more than a few hours C) Was almost completely deaf D) Was prone to epileptic fits that could strike without warning 27. What does exiguous mean? A) Burdensome, inconvenient B) Cruel, spiteful C) Small, scanty D) Unbelievable, absurd 28. According to legend, St. Brendan and a group of monks sailed from Ireland to the Bahamas in the sixth century. The type of boat they used would have been a: A) Knorr B) Canoe C) Galley D) Coracle 29 The earliest known European settlement in the Americas is: A) Navidad, Hispaniola (now Haiti) B) LAnse aux Meadows, Newfoundland C) Machu Pichu, Peru D) Los Angeles, California 30. One early explorers journeys would not have been so well known to us if he had not been imprisoned a few years after his travels. His name was: A) Marco Polo B) Sir John Mandeville C) Christopher Columbus D) Erik the Red 31. It is good to have a keel on a sea-going vessel because: A) It helps to fend off sharks B) It will warn you of shallow water C) It keeps the vessel from being blown sideways D) It strengthens the hull 32. There is one pretty purple flower that does not belong in your salad; its very poisonous. Which flower is it? A) Lavender B) Lilac C) Violet D) Wisteria

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33. Which flowering plant does the vanilla bean come from? A) Catalpa B) Crocus C) Orchid D) Ti tree 34. The ancient board game known variously as Morelles, Merry Peg and Mills, is now usually called Nine Mens Morris. This name comes from: A) A London inn B) A medieval field sport C) A musical instrument D) A traditional dance 35. The popular Japanese game of shogi closely resembles another game that is much better known internationally. Which one? A) Backgammon B) Checkers (draughts) C) Chess D) Go 36. The familiar childrens board game of Snakes and Ladders (sometimes called Chutes and Ladders in the USA) was originally intended for what purpose? A) To convey the capriciousness of fate B) To give practice in counting to 100 C) To illustrate the perils of Protestantism D) To teach Hindu moral principles 37. Which popular English pastime involves throwing a cheese? A) Darts B) Morris dancing C) Skittles D) Toad in the hole 38. Each July, an athletic contest takes place in northern Pakistan between teams representing the Chitral and Gilgit districts. The game is held under the full moon on a field high up on the Shandur Pass. What sport do they play? A) Cricket B) Football (soccer) C) Polo D) Tug of war 39. To whom was the first patent for a technical invention awarded? A) Christiaan Huygens, mathematician and engineer B) Filippo Brunelleschi, architect and engineer C) Leonardo da Vinci, artist and inventor D) Sir Christopher Wren, architect and scientist

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40. The first coin-operated vending machine dates from at least the first century BC. What product did the machine dispense? A) Healing crystals B) Holy water C) Honey wine D) Horoscopes 41. In 1856, English chemist William Perkin, hoping to improve the treatment of malaria, tried to synthesize quinine in his home laboratory. Although the effort failed, he managed to create quite a different product instead. What was it? A) The first commercial bug repellant B) The first food preservative C) The first synthetic dye D) The first transparent plastic 42. In the early Olympic Games, only free, male Greek citizens could compete. After Rome conquered Greece, Romans participated as well. Which Roman emperor competed at Olympia in a ten-horse chariot race? A) Augustus B) Nero C) Tiberius D) Vespasian 43.Twenty-seven-year old James Connelly withdrew from Harvard University to compete in the Olympics in Athens in 1896, and went on to become the first victor in modern Olympic competition. What was his event? A) The 100-metre dash B) The triple jump C) The decathlon D) The marathon 44. From 1900 on, women competed in some Olympic events, but track and field events were not included until the 1928 Games in Amsterdam. Several participants in the 800metre event collapsed after the race. As a result: A) Womens events were cut back B) Lighter garments were introduced C) Athletes were required to sign waivers before competing D) Emergency oxygen was made available at all events 45. Where should one go to find the ablative absolute? A) A book of Latin grammar B) A film by visionary German director Fritz Lang C) An Irish monastery D) A plastic surgeon

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46. Starting in the late 1880s, European representatives of Thomas Edison recorded the voices of famous people to publicize the newly-invented phonograph. Not long after, one of the people recorded on Edisons machine became the first person ever whose voice was heard after his death. He was: A) Johannes Brahms, composer B) Robert Browning, poet C) Sir Arthur Sullivan, composer D) Alfred Lord Tennyson, poet 47. Whitehorse, the capital of Canadas Yukon Territory, was founded late in the 19th century. The town derives its name from: A) A brand of whisky B) A native legend C) A railroad engineers favorite stallion D) The white foam of the rapids in the Yukon river 48. In 1592, a posthumous memoir was published that included a thinly-disguised attack on Shakespeare, characterizing him as an upstart crow and poetical pretender. Which late rival playwright was the author of the book? A) Christopher Marlowe B) Robert Greene C) Thomas Nashe D) Thomas Kyd 49. In Henry V, who are the characters Bardolph, Nym and Pistol? A) Cronies of the rascally Sir John Falstaff B) Servants who run away rather than follow Henry into battle C) Soldiers who die in battle defending the king D) Traitors whom Henry orders to be hanged 50. Which of the following Shakespeare plays was written in collaboration with another playwright? A) The Comedy of Errors B) The Two Noble Kinsmen C) Troilus and Cressida D) Two Gentlemen of Verona

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Answers to previous GK Capsule 1-B , 2-B, 3-B, 4-A, 5-A, 6-B, 7-D, 8-B, 9-B, 10-B, 11-C, 12-D, 13-C, 14-A, 15-B, 16A., 17-C, 18-B, 19-D, 20-D, 21-A, 22-C, 23-B, 24-B, 25-D, 26-B, 27-A, 28-B, 29-A, 30-B, 31-C, 32-B, 33-A, 34-A, 35-A, 36-A, 37-A, 38-A, 39-A, 40-A, 41-D, 42-B, 43C, 44-A, 45-A, 46-B, 47-C, 48-B, 49-C, 50-A

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