General knowledge quiz: 50 questions with answers
Updated on October 2, 2026 · 4 min read
In short
50 general knowledge questions with their answers, in five themes (animals, history, the human body, capitals, the Olympics), and our tips for hosting a team quiz night. The questions can also be played right on the page.
- 2–20 players
- 20–40 min
- Nothing needed
- No alcohol
Contents
Nothing livens up a night with friends like a quiz: everyone wants to prove they know more than the others. Here are 50 general knowledge questions with their answers in five themes, plus our tips to host a great quiz night.
How to host a quiz night
- Make teams: people think better together, and nobody is left alone with a hard question.
- Pick a host who reads the questions and keeps the answers. The host doesn't play.
- Set a time limit: 30 seconds per question keeps the pace up.
- Give 1 point per right answer, and a bonus to the team that gets three in a row.
- Mix the themes so that every team gets its chance.
Animals
- What is the fastest land animal in the world? Answer: The cheetah
- How many hearts does an octopus have? Answer: 3
- What is the largest marine mammal? Answer: The blue whale
- What is the platypus's main peculiarity? Answer: It lays eggs despite being a mammal
- How many neck vertebrae does a giraffe have? Answer: 7
- Which bird can fly backwards? Answer: The hummingbird
- What color is a polar bear's skin under its fur? Answer: Black
- What is the only mammal capable of true flight? Answer: The bat
- Which animal is said to have an exceptional memory, as in the saying 'never forgets'? Answer: The elephant
- Which insect produces honey? Answer: The honeybee
History
- Which navigator reached the Americas in 1492, in the service of Spain? Answer: Christopher Columbus
- What is the famous defensive wall built to protect the ancient Chinese states called? Answer: The Great Wall of China
- Which Egyptian pharaoh became famous after his almost intact tomb was discovered in 1922? Answer: Tutankhamun
- Which ancient country is considered the cradle of democracy? Answer: Greece
- According to the New Testament, who was crucified in Jerusalem? Answer: Jesus Christ
- What is the medieval social and political system based on the relationship between a lord and his vassal called? Answer: Feudalism
- Which invention, attributed to Gutenberg, revolutionized the spread of knowledge in the 15th century? Answer: The printing press
- Which absolute king of France was nicknamed the 'Sun King'? Answer: Louis XIV
- Which ancient Greek philosopher was the tutor of Alexander the Great? Answer: Aristotle
- Which famous 1815 battle marked Napoleon Bonaparte's final defeat? Answer: Waterloo
The human body
- What is the longest bone in the human body? Answer: The femur
- How many teeth does a full adult set have (including wisdom teeth)? Answer: 32
- Which organ is mainly responsible for filtering the blood and producing urine? Answer: The kidney
- Which is the strongest muscle in the human body in terms of force exerted relative to its size? Answer: The masseter
- What is the largest organ of the human body? Answer: The skin
- Which protein found in red blood cells is responsible for carrying oxygen? Answer: Haemoglobin
- In which part of the human body are the small bones called the hammer, anvil and stirrup found? Answer: The middle ear
- Which type of blood vessel carries oxygenated blood from the heart to the rest of the organs? Answer: Arteries
- Which blood type is considered the 'universal donor'? Answer: O negative (O-)
- How many chromosomes does a normal (non-reproductive) human cell have? Answer: 46
World capitals
- What is the capital of Afghanistan? Answer: Kabul
- What is the capital of South Africa (seat of government)? Answer: Pretoria
- What is the capital of Albania? Answer: Tirana
- What is the capital of Algeria? Answer: Algiers
- What is the capital of Germany? Answer: Berlin
- What is the capital of Andorra? Answer: Andorra la Vella
- What is the capital of Angola? Answer: Luanda
- What is the capital of Antigua and Barbuda? Answer: St John's
- What is the capital of Saudi Arabia? Answer: Riyadh
- What is the capital of Argentina? Answer: Buenos Aires
The Olympic Games
- Who is considered the founder of the modern Olympic Games? Answer: Pierre de Coubertin
- In which country did the ancient Olympic Games begin? Answer: Greece
- Which athlete holds the all-time record for Olympic medals (28 medals)? Answer: Michael Phelps
- In which year were the first modern Olympic Games held? Answer: 1896
- Which gymnast scored the first perfect 10 at the 1976 Montreal Olympics? Answer: Nadia Comăneci
- What do the five rings of the Olympic flag represent? Answer: The five continents united by Olympism
- What is the official distance of the Olympic marathon? Answer: 42.195 km
- Which city hosted the 2024 Summer Olympic Games? Answer: Paris
- Which additional sport made its debut on the official program at the Paris 2024 Games? Answer: Breaking (breakdance)
- In which city were the 1972 Olympics marred by a terrorist attack? Answer: Munich
Frequently asked questions
How do you host a quiz night with friends?
Form teams of three to five, choose a host to read the questions, and plan three or four rounds on different themes. A scoreboard everyone can see keeps the competition going round after round.
How many questions should you plan?
About twenty per hour of play, that is ten questions per round. Beyond forty questions attention drops: better to finish with a deciding round.
Where can you find more questions?
The Quiz in the Partizo app has thousands of them across dozens of themes, with four possible answers, a timer and each team's score.
The quiz with Partizo
These questions come from the Quiz in the Partizo app, which has thousands of them in dozens of themes. The phone asks the questions with four choices, times the answers and keeps the score: play all together, one at a time or in teams, over 10, 20 or 30 questions.
Fancy a music quiz? See our guide to hosting a music quiz with friends.