GK questions for class 8

GK for school Updated 11 Oct 2026

These gk questions for class 8 with answers cover Indian history and the freedom struggle, the Constitution, geography, science, space and inventions, and arts and sports. They are pitched at the level of a class 8 student and match the topics taught in history, civics, geography and science books.

Each question has four options, one correct answer and an explanation that adds a useful fact. Use them for quiz competitions, olympiad preparation or quick revision before exams.

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Indian history and freedom struggle

Q1. The Battle of Plassey, which laid the base of British rule in Bengal, was fought in which year?
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Answer: B. 1757
In 1757 Robert Clive's forces defeated Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah at Plassey, giving the East India Company control over Bengal.
Q2. Who founded the Mughal Empire in India after the First Battle of Panipat?
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Answer: C. Babur
Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat in 1526 and founded the Mughal Empire.
Q3. Chandragupta Maurya founded the Maurya Empire with the help of which adviser?
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Answer: A. Chanakya
Chanakya, also called Kautilya, guided Chandragupta and wrote the Arthashastra, a book on statecraft.
Q4. Jallianwala Bagh, where General Dyer ordered troops to fire on a crowd in April 1919, is in which city?
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Answer: B. Amritsar
On 13 April 1919 troops under General Dyer fired on a peaceful gathering at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar.
Q5. In which year did Mahatma Gandhi lead the Salt March to Dandi?
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Answer: A. 1930
The Salt March of 1930 began the Civil Disobedience Movement against the British salt tax.
Q6. The Quit India Movement was launched in which year?
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Answer: B. 1942
Gandhi gave the call to Quit India in August 1942 with the slogan Do or Die.
Q7. Which leader gave the slogan 'Give me blood, and I will give you freedom'?
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Answer: A. Subhas Chandra Bose
Subhas Chandra Bose led the Indian National Army and used this slogan to inspire Indians to join the fight.
Q8. Who declared 'Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it'?
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Answer: A. Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Bal Gangadhar Tilak, called Lokmanya, made self-rule a popular demand with this famous line.
Q9. In which year was the Indian National Congress founded?
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Answer: C. 1885
The Indian National Congress held its first session in Bombay in December 1885.
Q10. Who was the first and only Indian Governor-General of independent India?
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Answer: D. C. Rajagopalachari
C. Rajagopalachari held the post from 1948 until India became a republic in 1950, when the post was abolished.

Indian Constitution

Q11. The Constitution of India came into force on which date?
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Answer: D. 26 January 1950
The Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950, the day we celebrate as Republic Day.
Q12. Who was the chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Indian Constitution?
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Answer: C. B. R. Ambedkar
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar chaired the Drafting Committee and is called the chief architect of the Constitution.
Q13. On which date did the Constituent Assembly adopt the Constitution of India?
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Answer: A. 26 November 1949
The Constitution was adopted on 26 November 1949, which is observed as Constitution Day.
Q14. Under the Right to Equality, untouchability is abolished by which Article?
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Answer: A. Article 17
Article 17 abolishes untouchability and forbids its practice in any form.
Q15. What is the minimum age to be elected President of India?
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Answer: D. 35 years
Article 58 says a person must be at least 35 years old to be elected President.
Q16. The Rajya Sabha is also known as the:
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Answer: C. Council of States
The Rajya Sabha is the Council of States, while the Lok Sabha is the House of the People.
Q17. Who is the Supreme Commander of the Indian armed forces?
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Answer: D. The President of India
Under the Constitution the supreme command of the defence forces is vested in the President.

Geography of India and the world

Q18. A ship sailing directly between Tamil Nadu and northern Sri Lanka crosses which strait?
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Answer: C. Palk Strait
The narrow Palk Strait lies between Tamil Nadu and the northern tip of Sri Lanka.
Q19. Indian Standard Time is based on which longitude?
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Answer: B. 82.5 degrees East
The 82.5 degrees East meridian passes near Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh and sets the time for the whole country.
Q20. What is the name of the southernmost point of India?
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Answer: D. Indira Point
Indira Point on Great Nicobar Island is India's southernmost point; Kanyakumari is the southern tip of the mainland.
Q21. Because its floods often ravage north Bihar, which river is called the Sorrow of Bihar?
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Answer: A. Kosi
The Kosi often changes its course and floods north Bihar, earning it this name.
Q22. Which desert lies mostly in the state of Rajasthan?
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Answer: C. Thar Desert
The Thar, or Great Indian Desert, covers western Rajasthan and extends into Pakistan.
Q23. The Mariana Trench, the deepest known part of the oceans, lies in which ocean?
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Answer: C. Pacific Ocean
The Mariana Trench in the western Pacific is about 11 km deep at its lowest point.
Q24. Covering much of northern Africa, which is the world's largest hot desert?
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Answer: B. Sahara
The Sahara in northern Africa is the largest hot desert; Antarctica is larger but is a cold desert.
Q25. Which imaginary line divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres?
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Answer: B. Equator
The Equator is the 0 degree latitude line, halfway between the North and South Poles.
Q26. The Western Ghats are also known by which name?
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Answer: B. Sahyadri
The Western Ghats run along India's west coast and are called the Sahyadri in Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Science

Q27. In the SI system, force is measured in which unit?
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Answer: C. Newton
Force is measured in newtons, named after Sir Isaac Newton; one newton gives 1 kg an acceleration of 1 m/s squared.
Q28. Which cell organelle is called the powerhouse of the cell?
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Answer: C. Mitochondria
Mitochondria release energy from food during respiration, so they are called the powerhouse of the cell.
Q29. Our skin makes which vitamin when exposed to sunlight?
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Answer: A. Vitamin D
Sunlight helps the skin make vitamin D, which the body needs for strong bones.
Q30. Lack of iodine in the diet causes which disease?
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Answer: A. Goitre
Iodine is needed by the thyroid gland; its lack causes swelling of the neck called goitre.
Q31. Which is the lightest gas?
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Answer: B. Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the lightest element and the lightest gas known.
Q32. What is the pH value of pure water?
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Answer: C. 7
Pure water is neutral, and a neutral solution has a pH of 7.
Q33. What is the approximate speed of light in vacuum?
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Answer: D. 3 lakh km per second
Light travels about 3 x 10^8 metres, or 3 lakh kilometres, every second in vacuum.
Q34. Which is the hardest natural substance known?
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Answer: D. Diamond
Diamond is a form of carbon in which every atom is tightly bonded to four others, making it extremely hard.
Q35. The chemical symbol Na stands for which element?
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Answer: A. Sodium
Na comes from the Latin name natrium, which is why sodium's symbol is Na.
Q36. In an emergency, red cells of which blood group can be given to a patient of any blood group?
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Answer: D. O negative
O negative red cells carry no A, B or Rh antigens, so they can be given to people of any blood group in an emergency.

Space, discoveries and inventions

Q37. Who discovered penicillin, the first antibiotic, in 1928?
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Answer: D. Alexander Fleming
Alexander Fleming noticed that a mould called Penicillium killed bacteria, which led to penicillin.
Q38. The special and general theories of relativity were proposed by which scientist?
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Answer: C. Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein published the special theory of relativity in 1905 and the general theory in 1915.
Q39. India's first satellite, launched in April 1975, was named after which ancient scholar?
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Answer: D. Aryabhata
Aryabhata was named after the ancient Indian mathematician and astronomer.
Q40. What was the name of India's first mission to the Moon?
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Answer: A. Chandrayaan-1
Chandrayaan-1 was launched in 2008 and helped find evidence of water on the Moon.
Q41. Though not closest to the Sun, which planet has the highest surface temperature in the solar system?
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Answer: B. Venus
Venus has the hottest surface because its thick carbon dioxide atmosphere traps heat, so it is hotter than Mercury even though Mercury is closer to the Sun.
Q42. Which is the smallest planet in our solar system?
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Answer: B. Mercury
Mercury is the smallest planet and also the one closest to the Sun.
Q43. Who discovered the Raman Effect, for which he won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930?
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Answer: A. C. V. Raman
C. V. Raman studied how light scatters; National Science Day on 28 February marks his discovery.

Sports, arts and culture

Q44. Bharatanatyam is a classical dance form that originated in which state?
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Answer: B. Tamil Nadu
Bharatanatyam developed in the temples of Tamil Nadu and is one of India's oldest classical dances.
Q45. Kathakali, a dance-drama with colourful masks and costumes, belongs to which state?
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Answer: B. Kerala
Kathakali comes from Kerala and tells stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
Q46. Teams of Indian states compete for the Ranji Trophy in which sport?
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Answer: A. Cricket
The Ranji Trophy is India's domestic first-class cricket championship, named after Ranjitsinhji.
Q47. The Durand Cup is a trophy in which sport?
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Answer: D. Football
The Durand Cup, first held in 1888, is one of the oldest football tournaments in the world.
Q48. The ancient Olympic Games began in which country?
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Answer: C. Greece
The ancient Olympics were held at Olympia in Greece in honour of the god Zeus.
Q49. Who was the first Indian to win a Nobel Prize?
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Answer: D. Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for Gitanjali.
Q50. Vande Mataram, India's national song, was composed by which writer?
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Answer: B. Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
Vande Mataram appears in Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel Anandamath.

How to prepare

Class 8 GK goes beyond simple recall. Questions now ask for years, places, articles of the Constitution and scientific units, so it helps to learn facts in connected groups. Link the Battle of Plassey with the East India Company, the Salt March with Civil Disobedience and Article 17 with equality.

Attempt one section at a time without looking at the answers, then read every explanation, including those for questions you got right. Write the facts you missed in a notebook and revise them on the weekend. Many of these questions also appear in school quizzes, NTSE style general awareness papers and olympiads, so steady practice pays off.

Study tips

Make a timeline of the freedom struggle from 1857 to 1947 and pin it near your study table.
Learn units and symbols in science together, such as newton for force and Na for sodium.
Review the questions you got wrong after three days to fix them in memory.

Questions people ask

What are the most important GK topics for class 8?

Focus on the freedom struggle, basic facts of the Indian Constitution, physical geography of India, science units and discoveries, the solar system, and Indian art forms. These are covered in the class 8 syllabus and are common in school quizzes.

Are these class 8 GK questions useful for olympiads and quiz competitions?

Yes. The questions follow the kind of general awareness asked in school olympiads and inter-school quizzes. Practising them with the explanations builds both knowledge and speed.

How should a class 8 student prepare GK?

Read a little every day, connect each fact to your textbook chapter, and test yourself with MCQs like these. Keep a notebook of new facts and revise it weekly.

How many GK questions should I practise before a class 8 quiz?

Practising 50 to 100 well-chosen questions with explanations is more useful than skimming hundreds. Make sure you understand why each answer is correct.

Every question on this page is written and fact-checked by the GK Quizzes team. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it. How we make our questions.