100 Most Important GK Questions for Competitive Exams

General Knowledge (GK) is a crucial part of competitive exams like UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railways, and State PSCs. While many candidates focus on common topics, lesser-known but highly important GK questions often make a difference. Here’s a curated list of 100 must-know GK questions that can give you an edge in your preparation.

History & Polity

Who was the first President of the Indian National Congress? – W.C. Bonnerjee
Which Act introduced the system of Dyarchy in British India? – Government of India Act, 1919
Who was the only Indian Governor-General of independent India? – C. Rajagopalachari
Which Viceroy is associated with the Partition of Bengal in 1905? – Lord Curzon
Who was the founder of the Maurya Dynasty? – Chandragupta Maurya
Which Mughal emperor was known as ‘Zinda Pir’ (Living Saint)? – Aurangzeb
What was the first Indian newspaper? – Bengal Gazette (James Augustus Hicky, 1780)
Who was the first Speaker of the Lok Sabha? – Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar
Which Schedule of the Indian Constitution deals with Anti-Defection Law? – Tenth Schedule
Which Article provides for the amendment of the Indian Constitution? – Article 368

Geography & Environment

Which river is known as the ‘Sorrow of Bihar’? – Kosi River
Which is the only Indian state with a golden sand desert? – Rajasthan
Which Indian state has the maximum number of National Parks? – Madhya Pradesh
Which Indian state shares the longest border with Bangladesh? – West Bengal
Which is the world’s highest freshwater lake? – Lake Titicaca (South America)
Which is the smallest country in the world by area? – Vatican City
Which country has the highest number of volcanoes? – Indonesia
What is the world’s largest delta? – Sundarbans Delta (India-Bangladesh)
Which place is known as the ‘Land of the Midnight Sun’? – Norway
Which desert is the coldest in the world? – Antarctica Desert

Science & Technology

What is the SI unit of Electric Current? – Ampere
Which vitamin is known as the ‘Sunshine Vitamin’? – Vitamin D
Which element is the most abundant in Earth’s crust? – Oxygen
Who discovered the Proton? – Ernest Rutherford
Which gas is known as ‘Laughing Gas’? – Nitrous Oxide (N₂O)
Which metal is the best conductor of electricity? – Silver
Which blood group is known as the Universal Donor? – O Negative
Which part of the human brain controls balance? – Cerebellum
Which device converts AC to DC? – Rectifier
Which planet is known as the ‘Evening Star’? – Venus

Economy & Finance

Which is the first bank established in India? – Bank of Hindustan (1770)
What is the full form of GDP? – Gross Domestic Product
Which organization calculates India’s GDP? – National Statistical Office (NSO)
Which tax was replaced by GST in India? – Value Added Tax (VAT)
Which is the largest stock exchange in the world? – New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)
What is the current base year for calculating India’s GDP? – 2011-12
Which bank is called the ‘Bankers’ Bank’ in India? – Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
Which is the largest public sector bank in India? – State Bank of India (SBI)
What does NPA stand for in banking? – Non-Performing Asset
Which was the first Indian company to be listed on NASDAQ? – Infosys

Awards & Recognitions

Who was the first Indian to win the Nobel Prize? – Rabindranath Tagore (Literature, 1913)
Which is the highest gallantry award in India? – Param Vir Chakra
Who was the first woman to receive the Bharat Ratna? – Indira Gandhi
Who won the first Oscar award from India? – Bhanu Athaiya (Best Costume Design, 1983)
Which is the highest literary award in India? – Jnanpith Award
Who was the first Miss World from India? – Reita Faria (1966)
Who was the first Indian to win an Olympic gold medal in an individual event? – Abhinav Bindra (Shooting, 2008)
Who was the first Indian to win a Grammy Award? – Pandit Ravi Shankar
Which is the highest civilian award in the world? – Nobel Prize
Which film won the first-ever Oscar for Best Picture? – Wings (1927)

Sports & Games

Who is known as the ‘God of Cricket’? – Sachin Tendulkar
Which is the national sport of India? – None (Hockey is often mistaken, but there’s no official national sport)
Which is the oldest Grand Slam tournament in tennis? – Wimbledon
Who was the first Indian woman to win a Grand Slam title? – Sania Mirza
Who is the only Indian athlete to win a medal in seven consecutive Olympics? – Leander Paes (Tennis)
Which country has won the most FIFA World Cups? – Brazil
Who is the fastest man in the world? – Usain Bolt
Which is the only city to have hosted the Olympics three times? – London (1908, 1948, 2012)
Which is the largest cricket stadium in the world? – Narendra Modi Stadium, India
Who was the first captain of the Indian Test cricket team? – C.K. Nayudu

Miscellaneous & Current Affairs

Which is the first country to legalize Bitcoin? – El Salvador
Who invented the World Wide Web? – Tim Berners-Lee
What is India’s rank in the Global Happiness Index 2023? – 126
Which is the longest railway platform in the world? – Gorakhpur Railway Station, India
Which country has the most time zones? – France (Including overseas territories)
Which is the largest democracy in the world? – India
Which Indian city is called the ‘Silicon Valley of India’? – Bengaluru
What is the full form of ISRO? – Indian Space Research Organisation
Which country launched the first-ever Mars rover? – USSR (Mars 3, 1971)
Who wrote the National Song of India? – Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay

Indian Economy & Organizations

Which was the first Indian company to be listed on the London Stock Exchange? – Tata Group
Who is known as the “Father of the Indian Economic Reforms”? – Dr. Manmohan Singh
Which Indian state has the highest per capita income? – Goa
Which is the first Indian bank to introduce internet banking? – ICICI Bank
What is the currency of Bhutan? – Ngultrum
Which Indian economist won the Nobel Prize? – Amartya Sen (1998)
What does ‘Laissez-Faire’ mean in economics? – An economic system with minimal government interference
Which is the largest producer of wheat in India? – Uttar Pradesh
Which Indian state has the highest number of Special Economic Zones (SEZs)? – Tamil Nadu
What is India’s fiscal year duration? – April 1 to March 31

Indian & World Geography

Which city is called the “City of Seven Hills”? – Rome, Italy
Which river is known as “Dakshin Ganga”? – Godavari
Which Indian state has the longest coastline? – Gujarat
Which is the largest freshwater lake in India? – Wular Lake (Jammu & Kashmir)
What is the southernmost point of India? – Indira Point (Nicobar Islands)
Which is the only continent without an active volcano? – Australia
What is the capital of Kazakhstan? – Astana
Which Indian state has the highest number of international borders? – Arunachal Pradesh (shares borders with China, Bhutan, and Myanmar)
Which country has the highest number of islands? – Sweden (over 267,000 islands)
Which Indian city is called the “Gateway of North-East India”? – Guwahati

Science & Technology

Which metal is liquid at room temperature apart from mercury? – Gallium
Which is the hardest natural substance on Earth? – Diamond
What is the name of the first Indian satellite? – Aryabhata (1975)
Which planet has the most moons? – Saturn (83 moons discovered so far)
Which is the only planet that rotates on its side? – Uranus
Who discovered the neutron? – James Chadwick
What is the speed of light in a vacuum? – 299,792 km/s
Which part of the human body has the fastest healing capability? – The cornea of the eye
Which acid is present in vinegar? – Acetic Acid
Which vitamin deficiency causes night blindness? – Vitamin A

Final Thoughts

These 100 important GK questions cover a wide range of topics and are frequently asked in competitive exams. Preparing these will help you gain an edge over other candidates.

Do you want more in-depth explanations for any of these topics? Let me know!