Introductory
Which of these states does not border Alabama?
A. Tennessee
B. Georgia
C. Florida
D. Louisiana
D. Louisiana
Mathias Rust served 432 days in prison for landing his single-engine plane on May 28, 1987, at what site?
A. Red Square
B. St. Peter's Square
C. Versailles
D. Grand Canyon
A. Red Square
Mathias Rust landed his Cessna 172 on Red Square in Moscow, near St. Basil's Cathedral, on May 28, 1987, a stunt intended to promote peace.
How many U.S. flags have been planted on the moon?
A. 1
B. 3
C. 6
D. 8
C. 6
There are six American flags on the Moon, planted by astronauts during NASA's Apollo missions (11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17) between 1969 and 1972. While five are still standing (or at least their poles are), they are likely bleached white from intense UV radiation, but their shadows can still be seen in images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
The Sand Hills, the largest sand dune region in the Western Hemisphere, are in what U.S. state?
A. Idaho
B. Montana
C. Nebraska
D. North Dakota
C. Nebraska
Put these stores in order by when they first opened in the U.S., starting with the most recent.
A. Target
B. Sears
C. Old Navy
D. IKEA
C. Old Navy
D. IKEA
A. Target
B. Sears
The Mount St. Helens volcano is part of what U.S. mountain range?
A. Rocky
B. Sierra Nevada
C. Cascade
D. Allegheny
C. Cascade
Which of the following celebrities is not a twin?
A. John Elway
B. Maurice Gibb
C. Isabella Rossellini
D. Kevin Costner
D. Kevin Costner
What household appliance typically consumes the most electricity annually in an average home?
A. Dishwasher
B. Clothes dryer
C. Refrigerator
D. Electric oven
C. Refrigerator
Why do coastal regions generally have milder climates than inland areas?
A. Higher elevation
B. Ocean currents stabilize temperature
C. Wind speed increases
D. Earth’s rotation slows weather changes
B. Ocean currents stabilize temperature
The Bhagavad Gita is an important text of which religion?
A. Islam
B. Hinduism
C. Taoism
D. Judaism
B. Hinduism
In a speech to Congress, what general said the line "Old soldiers never die; they just fade away"?
A. Colin Powell
B. Robert E. Lee
C. Dwight Eisenhower
D. Douglas MacArthur
D. Douglas MacArthur
Atlantic hurricanes most frequently occur during which months?
A. April-May
B. January-March
C. November-December
D. August-October
D. August-October
Which fabric is most likely to shrink when washed in hot water?
A. Polyester
B. Nylon
C. Wool
D. Acrylic
C. Wool
Which assumption must be true for a scientific theory to be falsifiable?
A. It is widely accepted
B. It explains all known data
C. It makes testable predictions
D. It is mathematically elegant
C. It makes testable predictions
For a scientific theory to be falsifiable, the core assumption is that it must make specific, testable predictions that could potentially be proven wrong (disproven) by an experiment or observation, meaning there must be a conceivable outcome that contradicts the theory.
What element is named after the creator of the periodic table of elements?
A. Selenium
B. Mendelevium
C. Berkelium
D. Fermium
B. Mendelevium
In 1998, what did the American Film Institute vote as the greatest U.S. movie of all time?
A. Lawrence of Arabia
B. Casablanca
C. Gone With the Wind
D. Citizen Kane
D. Citizen Kane
Which of the following athletic shoe brands was named after its founder?
A. Puma
B. Saucony
C. Nike
D. Adidas
D. Adidas
Adidas is named after its founder, Adolf "Adi" Dassler; the name is a combination of his nickname "Adi" and the first three letters of his last name, "Das" (Adi-Das)
Why does a satellite in low Earth orbit not fall straight down to Earth?
A. Earth’s gravity is too weak
B. Air resistance cancels gravity
C. It is in continuous free fall while moving sideways
D. Earth’s rotation cancels gravity
C. It is in continuous free fall while moving sideways
Why do antibiotics not work against viruses?
A. Viruses lack DNA
B. Viruses lack metabolic machinery
C. Viruses mutate too fast
D. Viruses are immune to chemicals
B. Viruses lack metabolic machinery
Antibiotics don't work on viruses because viruses are fundamentally different from bacteria, lacking the cellular structures and independent metabolic machinery that antibiotics target.
Automysophobia is the fear of being what?
A. Alone
B. Dirty
C. Sick
D. Bitten
B. Dirty
What was the second state to be officially admitted into the Union?
A. Connecticut
B. New Jersey
C. Pennsylvania
D. Delaware
C. Pennsylvania
The second state to join the U.S. Union was Pennsylvania, which did so on December 12, 1787, following Delaware (the first) and preceding New Jersey (the third).
Since 1920, which state has held the nation's earliest presidential primary?
A. Iowa
B. Vermont
C. Delaware
D. New Hampshire
D. New Hampshire
Put these food products in the order they were first introduced, starting with the earliest.
A. Jell-O
B. Häagen-Dazs ice cream
C. PowerBar
D. Wheaties
A. Jell-O
D. Wheaties
B. Häagen-Dazs ice cream
C. PowerBar
Put these famous literary characters in the order they were first introduced, starting with the earliest.
A. Hannibal Lecter
B. Holden Caulfield
C. Huckleberry Finn
D. Hamlet
D. Hamlet
C. Huckleberry Finn
B. Holden Caulfield
A. Hannibal Lecter
The scientific study of human settlements is called what?
A. Ethology
B. Typhlology
C. Ekistics
D. Isagogics
C. Ekistics
Ekistics is the science of human settlements, an interdisciplinary field studying all scales of human habitats, from homes to cities, to understand and improve them for human well-being.