General Knowledge 42

Question 1

What is the English term for the work of art the French call La Joconde?

Answer 1

The Mona Lisa

Question 2

Which sign of the Zodiac has the shortest name?

Answer 2

Leo

Question 3

To the nearest ten miles, how long is the Channel Tunnel?

Answer 3

31 miles

Question 4

Which group had a 1979 hit with He’s the Greatest Dancer?

Answer 4

Sister Sledge

Question 5

Which Spanish-named storm followed Storm Dennis in February 2020?

Answer 5

Storm Jorge

Question 6

Who hosted the 2020 Radio 4 series Nature Table?

Answer 6

Sue Perkins

Question 7

In which country is the province of British Columbia?

Answer 7

Canada

Question 8

Which weather occurrence might be described as ‘forked’?

Answer 8

Lightning

Question 9

Which two words that sound the same but are spelt differently mean ‘labyrinth’ and ‘corn’?

Answer 9

Maze and maize

Question 10

What is the fourth colour of the rainbow?

Answer 10

Green

Question 11

By what name is the character of T’Challa known in the title of a 2018 film?

Answer 11

Black Panther

Question 12

What was the name of the video cassette format developed by Sony in the 1970s, that lost out to VHS?

Answer 12

Betamax

Question 13

Which member of the spurge family of plants, known for its red or pink bracts, is particularly popular at Christmas?

Answer 13

Poinsettia

Question 14

In which country is the ancient site of Karnak?

Answer 14

Egypt

Question 15

The Red Ensign is the flag of which organisation?

Answer 15

British Merchant Navy

Question 16

In which month does the Edinburgh Festival Fringe take place?

Answer 16

August

Question 17

What title was shared by a 2019 comedy series by Aisling Bea and a 1989-90 sketch show by Brian Conley?

Answer 17

This Way Up

Question 18

Which event of 1969 was described as ‘three days of peace and music’?

Answer 18

Woodstock

Question 19

Actor Michael Sheen was born in which country of the UK?

Answer 19

Wales

Question 20

The internet subscription service Spotify offers which product?

Answer 20

Music

Question 21

Is nickel magnetic?

Answer 21

Yes

Question 22

Which electronics company produces the Xperia line of smartphones and tablets?

Answer 22

Sony

Question 23

What does an antiemetic drug prevent?

Answer 23

Nausea and vomiting

Question 24

The SE, X and 11 are models of which electronic gadget?

Answer 24

iPhone

Question 25

In the human heart what name is given to either of the top two chambers?

Answer 25

Atrium

Question 26

How many adenoids are there in the human body?

Answer 26

Two

Question 27

What is the name of Apple’s tablet computer?

Answer 27

iPad

Question 28

The Large Hadron Collider lies under the border of which two European countries?

Answer 28

France and Switzerland

Question 29

The surname of which electrical engineer (d.2013) is synonymous with the noise-reduction systems he pioneered?

Answer 29

(Ray) Dolby

Question 30

Galileo first observed the rings of which planet in 1610?

Answer 30

Saturn

Question 31

What is the name of the chief muscle used in breathing?

Answer 31

The diaphragm

Question 32

Which letter on a computer keyboard is used for the paste command?

Answer 32

V

Question 33

Photovoltaics is concerned with which form of energy?

Answer 33

Solar energy

Question 34

What is the name of Google’s cloud-based file service?

Answer 34

Google Drive

Question 35

What name is shared by a highly ionised gas and a constituent of blood?

Answer 35

Plasma

Question 36

In which part of the human body does most digestion of food take place?

Answer 36

The small intestine

Question 37

As of 2020, how many planets are there in the solar system?

Answer 37

Eight

Question 38

Which creature features in the logo of Twitter™?

Answer 38

A bird

Question 39

What name is given to the equivalent of an earthquake on the Earth’s natural satellite?

Answer 39

Moonquake