Hard GK questions

General knowledge Updated 11 Oct 2026

These hard GK questions are for readers who want a real challenge beyond the basics. The 50 difficult GK questions with answers cover Indian history, the Constitution, geography, science, world history and art and culture, at the level asked in UPSC prelims, SSC CGL, state PSC and bank exams.\n\nEvery question has four close options, so guessing is difficult. Each answer comes with an explanation that adds a useful fact, which makes this page good for revision as well as testing.

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Hard GK questions on Indian history

Q1. Which Mughal emperor built the Buland Darwaza at Fatehpur Sikri?
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Answer: C. Akbar
Akbar built the Buland Darwaza around 1575 to mark his victory in Gujarat. It is one of the highest gateways in India.
Q2. Robert Clive defeated Siraj ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal, at the Battle of Plassey in which year?
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Answer: B. 1757
The Battle of Plassey in 1757 saw Robert Clive defeat Siraj ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal, laying the base of British power in India.
Q3. Which brothers founded the Vijayanagara Empire in 1336?
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Answer: A. Harihara and Bukka
Harihara I and Bukka Raya of the Sangama dynasty founded the Vijayanagara Empire with its capital at Hampi.
Q4. Where did Gautama Buddha deliver his first sermon?
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Answer: D. Sarnath
The first sermon at Sarnath near Varanasi is known as Dharmachakra Pravartana, the turning of the wheel of law.
Q5. The Brahmi script of Ashoka's edicts was first deciphered in 1837 by:
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Answer: B. James Prinsep
James Prinsep, an officer of the East India Company mint, deciphered the Brahmi script, which made Ashoka's edicts readable.
Q6. Which Governor-General introduced the Permanent Settlement of Bengal in 1793?
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Answer: C. Lord Cornwallis
Under the Permanent Settlement, Lord Cornwallis fixed the land revenue to be paid by zamindars permanently.
Q7. The Doctrine of Lapse is associated with which Governor-General?
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Answer: D. Lord Dalhousie
Under the Doctrine of Lapse, Lord Dalhousie annexed states such as Satara and Jhansi whose rulers died without a natural heir.
Q8. The Ilbert Bill controversy of 1883 took place during the tenure of which Viceroy?
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Answer: A. Lord Ripon
The Ilbert Bill proposed to let Indian judges try European offenders, and the opposition to it showed racial bias in British rule.
Q9. Who presided over the first session of the Indian National Congress in 1885?
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Answer: D. W. C. Bonnerjee
The first session was held in Bombay in December 1885 under the presidency of Womesh Chunder Bonnerjee.
Q10. Who founded the Arya Samaj in 1875?
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Answer: C. Swami Dayanand Saraswati
Swami Dayanand Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj in Bombay and gave the call 'Go back to the Vedas'.
Q11. Who wrote the novel Anandamath, which contains the song Vande Mataram?
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Answer: B. Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay's Anandamath was published in 1882, and its song Vande Mataram became India's national song.

Hard questions on the Indian Constitution

Q12. Untouchability is abolished and its practice forbidden by which Article of the Indian Constitution?
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Answer: A. Article 17
Article 17 abolishes untouchability and forbids its practice in any form.
Q13. Which Article did Dr B. R. Ambedkar call the 'heart and soul' of the Constitution?
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Answer: D. Article 32
Article 32 gives the right to move the Supreme Court for enforcement of Fundamental Rights, the Right to Constitutional Remedies.
Q14. The Directive Principles of State Policy were borrowed from the constitution of which country?
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Answer: C. Ireland
The idea of Directive Principles in Part IV was taken from the Irish Constitution.
Q15. Part IVA on Fundamental Duties was inserted into the Constitution by which amendment?
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Answer: B. 42nd Amendment
The 42nd Amendment of 1976 added Fundamental Duties in Part IVA under Article 51A, on the advice of the Swaran Singh Committee.
Q16. Who was the President of the Constituent Assembly of India?
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Answer: A. Dr Rajendra Prasad
Dr Rajendra Prasad was elected permanent President of the Constituent Assembly, while Dr Sachchidananda Sinha was its temporary president.
Q17. What is the minimum age required to become the President of India?
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Answer: D. 35 years
Article 58 sets the minimum age for the President at 35 years.
Q18. Which constitutional amendment inserted Article 21A, the right to education?
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Answer: C. 86th Amendment
The 86th Amendment Act of 2002 made free and compulsory education for children aged 6 to 14 a Fundamental Right.
Q19. Which Article deals with President's Rule in a state when its constitutional machinery fails?
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Answer: B. Article 356
Article 356 deals with President's Rule, while Article 352 deals with national emergency and Article 360 with financial emergency.
Q20. Which amendment gave constitutional status to Panchayati Raj institutions?
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Answer: A. 73rd Amendment
The 73rd Amendment of 1992 added Part IX and the Eleventh Schedule for panchayats. The 74th Amendment did the same for urban local bodies.
Q21. Which Schedule of the Constitution contains the list of languages recognised by the Constitution of India?
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Answer: D. Eighth Schedule
The Eighth Schedule contains the list of languages recognised by the Constitution, while the Seventh Schedule contains the Union, State and Concurrent lists.

Tough geography questions

Q22. Which one of these four states is NOT crossed by the Tropic of Cancer?
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Answer: B. Bihar
The Tropic of Cancer passes through Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura and Mizoram, but not Bihar.
Q23. Which of these peninsular rivers flows through a rift valley and drains into the Arabian Sea?
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Answer: C. Narmada
The Narmada flows west through a rift valley between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges and meets the Gulf of Khambhat.
Q24. Which narrow strait lies between Tamil Nadu and the northern coast of Sri Lanka?
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Answer: A. Palk Strait
The Palk Strait lies between Tamil Nadu and northern Sri Lanka.
Q25. Which is the highest peak in the Western Ghats and in South India?
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Answer: B. Anamudi
Anamudi in Kerala's Anaimalai Hills rises to about 2,695 metres.
Q26. In which layer of the atmosphere is the ozone layer mainly found?
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Answer: C. Stratosphere
The ozone layer in the stratosphere absorbs most of the Sun's harmful ultraviolet rays.
Q27. Which line marks the boundary between Afghanistan and Pakistan?
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Answer: D. Durand Line
The Durand Line was drawn in 1893 by Sir Mortimer Durand.
Q28. The Strait of Gibraltar connects the Atlantic Ocean with which sea?
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Answer: A. Mediterranean Sea
The Strait of Gibraltar separates Spain in Europe from Morocco in Africa.
Q29. Barren Island, a volcanic island of India, lies in which sea?
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Answer: A. Andaman Sea
Barren Island is part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and is an active volcano.
Q30. In which state is the Kaziranga National Park, known for the one-horned rhinoceros?
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Answer: D. Assam
Kaziranga lies on the banks of the Brahmaputra in Assam and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Difficult science GK questions

Q31. Electric charge is measured in which SI unit?
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Answer: C. Coulomb
One coulomb is the charge carried by a current of one ampere flowing for one second.
Q32. Baking soda, used in cooking, is chemically known as:
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Answer: B. Sodium bicarbonate
Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃). Washing soda is sodium carbonate.
Q33. Which element has the highest electronegativity?
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Answer: C. Fluorine
Fluorine has the highest electronegativity on the Pauling scale, about 4.0.
Q34. Which part of the human brain controls balance and coordination of movement?
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Answer: A. Cerebellum
The cerebellum, at the back of the brain, maintains posture and balance.
Q35. Which gland is called the master gland of the human body?
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Answer: B. Pituitary gland
The pituitary gland releases hormones that control many other endocrine glands.
Q36. The Raman Effect, discovered by C. V. Raman, is related to which phenomenon?
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Answer: D. Scattering of light
Raman discovered the effect on 28 February 1928, a date celebrated as National Science Day, and won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930.
Q37. Brass is an alloy of which two metals?
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Answer: A. Copper and zinc
Brass is made of copper and zinc, while bronze is mainly copper and tin.
Q38. Deficiency of which vitamin causes scurvy?
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Answer: B. Vitamin C
Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is needed for healthy gums and skin, and its lack causes scurvy.
Q39. Which scientist discovered the ABO blood group system?
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Answer: C. Karl Landsteiner
Karl Landsteiner identified the A, B and O blood groups in 1901 and later received the Nobel Prize.

World history and general awareness

Q40. In which year was the United Nations established?
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Answer: D. 1945
The United Nations came into being on 24 October 1945, which is observed as United Nations Day.
Q41. The Treaty of Versailles of 1919 formally ended which war?
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Answer: A. First World War
The treaty was signed between Germany and the Allied Powers after the First World War.
Q42. Where is the International Court of Justice located?
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Answer: B. The Hague
The International Court of Justice, the main judicial body of the UN, sits in the Peace Palace at The Hague in the Netherlands.
Q43. Which country gifted the Statue of Liberty to the United States?
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Answer: D. France
The statue was dedicated in 1886 as a gift from the people of France to mark friendship between the two nations.
Q44. In which year did the French Revolution begin?
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Answer: C. 1789
The French Revolution began in 1789 with the storming of the Bastille on 14 July.
Q45. Who wrote the book Das Kapital?
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Answer: A. Karl Marx
Karl Marx published the first volume of Das Kapital in 1867, a critique of capitalism.

Art, culture and literature

Q46. Which dynasty built the temples of Khajuraho?
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Answer: B. Chandela
The Chandela rulers built the Khajuraho group of temples in Madhya Pradesh between the 10th and 11th centuries.
Q47. Sangam literature is associated with which language?
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Answer: C. Tamil
Sangam literature is the earliest body of Tamil literature, composed in assemblies of poets at Madurai.
Q48. Sattriya is a classical dance form of which state?
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Answer: D. Assam
Sattriya was developed by the saint Srimanta Sankardev in the sattras (monasteries) of Assam.
Q49. Who wrote the Sanskrit poem Gita Govinda?
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Answer: B. Jayadeva
Jayadeva, a 12th century poet, wrote the Gita Govinda about Radha and Krishna.
Q50. Who was the author of the Arthashastra?
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Answer: D. Kautilya
Kautilya, also called Chanakya, wrote the Arthashastra, a treatise on statecraft and economics.

How to prepare

Attempt these tough GK questions in one sitting first, without looking at the answers, and note your score out of 50. Then read the explanation for every question, including the ones you got right, because many explanations link the answer to a related fact such as a nearby Article, a similar alloy or another treaty.\n\nGroup your mistakes by section. If constitution questions were weak, revise Articles, Schedules and amendments; if history was weak, prepare a timeline of battles, Governor-Generals and reform movements. Repeat the page after a week and aim to beat your first score.

Study tips

Make short tables of Articles, Schedules and amendments, since exams often ask them with close options.
Learn facts in pairs, such as brass and bronze or Article 352 and Article 356, so that confusing options do not trap you.
Revise one section of static GK every day instead of reading everything once before the exam.

Questions people ask

What are hard GK questions?

Hard GK questions test detailed static knowledge such as constitutional Articles, historical dates and scientific terms. They have close options and are similar to questions asked in competitive exams.

How can I answer difficult GK questions in exams?

Eliminate options you know are wrong, link the question to a related fact you remember, and avoid guessing blindly when there is negative marking. Regular revision of static GK makes recall faster.

Which topics have the hardest GK questions?

The Constitution, ancient and medieval history, and science terms produce many tough questions because options look similar. Practising each topic separately helps.

Are these hard GK questions useful for UPSC and SSC exams?

Yes. They cover static GK topics from the UPSC prelims, SSC CGL, state PSC and banking syllabus and are written at a similar level.

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.