Vocabulary Challenge
What does benevolent most closely mean?
A. Kind and generous
B. Proud and boastful
C. Nervous and hesitant
D. Harsh and unforgiving
A. Kind and generous
Which scientist formulated the three laws of motion?
A. Isaac Newton
B. Albert Einstein
C. Galileo Galilei
D. Charles Darwin
A. Isaac Newton
Which country has the largest population in South America?
A. Brazil
B. Argentina
C. Colombia
D. Peru
A. Brazil
What is the largest organ in the human body?
A. Skin
B. Liver
C. Lungs
D. Brain
A. Skin
What has many keys but cannot open a single lock?
A piano.
Which word means “showing great care and attention to detail”?
A. Dogmatic
B. Meticulous
C. Amorphous
D. Fallacious
B. Meticulous
Which historical figure is associated with the statement “I have a dream”?
A. Nelson Mandela
B. Martin Luther King Jr.
C. Abraham Lincoln
D. Winston Churchill
B. Martin Luther King Jr.
Which European capital lies on the River Seine?
A. Rome
B. Paris
C. Berlin
D. Madrid
B. Paris
Which number is represented by the Roman numeral XL?
A. 60
B. 40
C. 90
D. 15
B. 40
The more of me there is, the less you can see. What am I?
Darkness.
What does obdurate most closely mean?
A. Easily persuaded
B. Quiet and reserved
C. Stubbornly refusing to change
D. Highly emotional
C. Stubbornly refusing to change
Which artist painted The Starry Night?
A. Pablo Picasso
B. Claude Monet
C. Vincent van Gogh
D. Leonardo da Vinci
C. Vincent van Gogh
Which desert covers much of northern Africa?
A. Gobi Desert
B. Kalahari Desert
C. Sahara Desert
D. Atacama Desert
C. Sahara Desert
Which gas makes up the largest percentage of Earth's atmosphere?
A. Oxygen
B. Carbon dioxide
C. Nitrogen
D. Hydrogen
C. Nitrogen
What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?
The letter M.
Which word means “a tendency towards laziness or avoiding effort”?
A. Compunction
B. Benevolence
C. Indolence
D. Audacity
C. Indolence
Which explorer led the expedition that achieved the first circumnavigation of the Earth, although he died before it was completed?
A. Christopher Columbus
B. James Cook
C. Marco Polo
D. Ferdinand Magellan
D. Ferdinand Magellan
Which country contains the ancient city of Petra?
A. Egypt
B. Turkey
C. Lebanon
D. Jordan
D. Jordan
Which part of a cell contains most of its genetic material?
A. Cytoplasm
B. Cell membrane
C. Mitochondria
D. Nucleus
D. Nucleus
A girl has as many brothers as sisters. Each brother has only half as many brothers as sisters. How many boys and girls are in the family?
Three boys and four girls.
What does pernicious most closely mean?
A. Harmful, often in a gradual or subtle way
B. Short lived and temporary
C. Excessively emotional
D. Completely unpredictable
A. Harmful, often in a gradual or subtle way
Which mathematician is famous for a theorem concerning right angled triangles?
A. Pythagoras
B. Archimedes
C. Euclid
D. Fibonacci
A. Pythagoras
Which mountain range forms a major natural boundary between France and Spain?
A. Pyrenees
B. Alps
C. Andes
D. Carpathians
A. Pyrenees
Which blood vessels carry blood away from the heart?
A. Arteries
B. Veins
C. Capillaries
D. Bronchi
A. Arteries
Two fathers and two sons go fishing. Each catches one fish, but only three fish are caught. How is this possible?
They are a grandfather, his son and his grandson.
What does arcane most closely mean?
A. Openly aggressive
B. Easy to understand
C. Emotionally detached
D. Known or understood by only a small number of people
D. Known or understood by only a small number of people
Which scientist discovered penicillin after noticing mould killing bacteria in a laboratory dish?
A. Louis Pasteur
B. Alexander Fleming
C. Gregor Mendel
D. Robert Hooke
B. Alexander Fleming
Which sea separates Europe from Africa?
A. Red Sea
B. Mediterranean Sea
C. Arabian Sea
D. Black Sea
B. Mediterranean Sea
What is the value of \(2^5\)?
A. 16
B. 32
C. 64
D. 25
B. 32
You have three switches downstairs. One controls a light bulb upstairs. You may manipulate the switches however you like, but you can only go upstairs once. How can you identify which switch controls the bulb?
Turn on switch one for several minutes, then turn it off. Turn on switch two and go upstairs. If the bulb is lit, switch two controls it. If it is off but warm, switch one controls it. If it is off and cold, switch three controls it.
Which word describes someone who strongly insists that their beliefs are correct and refuses to consider other viewpoints?
A. Benevolent
B. Meticulous
C. Arcane
D. Dogmatic
D. Dogmatic
Which ancient philosopher was the teacher of Alexander the Great?
A. Socrates
B. Plato
C. Aristotle
D. Ptolemy
C. Aristotle
Which country is completely surrounded by South Africa?
A. Botswana
B. Eswatini
C. Lesotho
D. Namibia
C. Lesotho
Which electromagnetic wave has a shorter wavelength than visible light?
A. Radio waves
B. Microwaves
C. Ultraviolet
D. Infrared
C. Ultraviolet
A man leaves home, turns left three times and returns home. When he arrives, he sees two masked men waiting for him. Who are they?
He is a baseball player. Home means home plate, and the masked men are the catcher and umpire.
What does fallacious most closely mean?
A. Based on incorrect or faulty reasoning
B. Difficult to remember
C. Extremely convincing
D. Morally admirable
A. Based on incorrect or faulty reasoning
Who wrote the political and philosophical work The Republic?
A. Aristotle
B. Socrates
C. Homer
D. Plato
D. Plato
Which strait separates Asia from North America?
A. Strait of Gibraltar
B. Bosporus Strait
C. Strait of Malacca
D. Bering Strait
D. Bering Strait
Which process converts atmospheric nitrogen into compounds that plants can absorb?
A. Photosynthesis
B. Respiration
C. Transpiration
D. Nitrogen fixation
D. Nitrogen fixation
You have eight identical looking balls. One is slightly heavier than the others. Using a balance scale only twice, how can you identify the heavier ball?
Divide the balls into groups of three, three and two. Weigh the two groups of three. If one side is heavier, the heavier ball is among those three. Weigh two of those balls against each other. If one is heavier, that is the ball. If they balance, the third ball is heavier. If the first weighing balances, the heavier ball is among the two remaining balls, so weigh them against each other.
What does amorphous most closely mean?
A. Highly organised
B. Lacking a clear shape or definite form
C. Extremely ancient
D. Difficult to control
B. Lacking a clear shape or definite form
What does abscond most closely mean?
A. To confess openly
B. To argue strongly
C. To leave secretly to avoid being caught
D. To return unexpectedly
C. To leave secretly to avoid being caught