Create a custom practice set
Pick category, difficulty, number of questions, and time limit. Start instantly with your own quiz.
Generate QuizSpace – Medium Level – GK Questions
Free practice for SSC, UPSC, Banking & Railway exams. No login required.
Mercury has ice deposits in permanently shadowed craters at its poles.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Despite proximity to the Sun, Mercury's zero axial tilt keeps polar craters in permanent shadow, allowing water ice to persist, confirmed by MESSENGER mission.
Type Ia supernovae are used as standard candles because they result from thermonuclear explosion of _______.
- Massive stars >8 solar masses
- White dwarfs reaching Chandrasekhar limit
- Neutron star mergers
- Red supergiants
Answer: White dwarfs reaching Chandrasekhar limit
Type Ia supernovae occur when carbon-oxygen white dwarfs accrete mass to ~1.4 solar masses, triggering uniform explosions useful for measuring cosmic distances.
The Indian Deep Space Network antenna in Byalalu has a diameter of _______ meters.
- 18 m
- 32 m
- 45 m
- 70 m
Answer: 32 m
IDSN's primary 32-meter steerable parabolic antenna enables communication with deep space missions like Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan at distances beyond GEO.
Skylab was the first U.S. space station, launched in 1973.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Skylab operated from 1973-1979, hosting three crews and conducting solar/astronomical research before re-entering Earth's atmosphere in 1979.
Tundra orbits are a type of highly elliptical orbit with inclination of approximately _______ degrees.
- 45°
- 63.4°
- 90°
- 0°
Answer: 63.4°
Tundra orbits (inclination 63.4°, period 24 hours) dwell over high-latitude regions, used for communications where GEO coverage is poor, similar to Molniya but longer dwell time.
The Hubble Constant measures which property of the universe?
- Age
- Expansion rate
- Temperature
- Density
Answer: Expansion rate
The Hubble Constant (H₀ ≈ 70 km/s/Mpc) quantifies the current expansion rate of the universe, relating galaxy recession velocity to distance.
Chandrayaan-3's landing site was officially named _______ Base Camp by ISRO.
- Shiv Shakti
- Tiranga Point
- Vikram Sarabhai
- Chandra
Answer: Shiv Shakti
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the landing point (69.37°S, 32.35°E) as 'Shiv Shakti Point' in August 2023, symbolizing determination and spirituality.
Haumea is distinguished by its elongated ellipsoidal shape and rapid rotation.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Haumea rotates every ~4 hours, causing extreme flattening into a triaxial ellipsoid. It also has a ring system and two moons.
Which ISRO launch vehicle uses four liquid strap-on boosters derived from the Vikas engine?
- PSLV-Core
- PSLV-XL
- GSLV Mk II
- SSLV
Answer: GSLV Mk II
GSLV Mk II employs four L40 liquid strap-ons using Vikas engines burning UDMH/N2O4, augmenting core stage thrust during initial ascent.
Which space agency developed the Proton launch vehicle?
- NASA
- Roscosmos
- ESA
- CNSA
Answer: Roscosmos
Proton is a Russian expendable launch vehicle derived from Soviet ICBM technology, historically used for ISS modules and commercial satellites.
The GSAT-N1 (GSAT-20) satellite was launched in 2024 aboard SpaceX's _______ rocket.
- Falcon 9
- Falcon Heavy
- Starship
- Electron
Answer: Falcon Heavy
Due to weight constraints, GSAT-N1 (4,700 kg) was launched via Falcon Heavy in November 2024, marking increased reliance on commercial launchers for heavy Indian satellites.
Wolf-Rayet stars are massive stars losing mass rapidly through strong stellar winds.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Wolf-Rayet stars (>20 solar masses) exhibit broad emission lines from intense winds ejecting outer layers, preceding supernova or gamma-ray burst events.
The Vyommitra humanoid robot is intended for which Gaganyaan-related mission?
- First crewed flight
- Uncrewed test flights
- Lunar landing
- Space station assembly
Answer: Uncrewed test flights
Vyommitra, a female humanoid robot, will fly on uncrewed Gaganyaan missions to simulate human presence, testing life support systems and microgravity responses.
Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 famously collided with which planet in 1994?
- Saturn
- Jupiter
- Uranus
- Neptune
Answer: Jupiter
Fragmented comet SL9 impacted Jupiter in July 1994, creating visible scars larger than Earth, providing insights into planetary impacts and Jupiter's atmosphere.
The first woman to walk on the Moon is planned under NASA's _______ program.
- Apollo
- Artemis
- Constellation
- Orion
Answer: Artemis
Artemis aims to land the first woman and next man on the lunar south pole, building sustainable presence ahead of Mars missions.
Starlink satellites operate in geostationary orbit for low-latency internet.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Starlink uses Low Earth Orbit (~550 km) constellations to achieve low latency (~20-40 ms), unlike GEO satellites which have ~600 ms latency due to distance.
The Great Attractor is a gravitational anomaly pulling galaxies including the Milky Way toward which direction?
- Andromeda
- Centaurus Cluster
- Virgo Supercluster
- Shapley Attractor
Answer: Centaurus Cluster
The Great Attractor lies in the direction of the Centaurus Cluster (~150-250 Mly away), influencing motion of the Local Group within the Laniakea Supercluster.
The U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), formerly ISAC, is located in _______.
- Ahmedabad
- Bengaluru
- Hyderabad
- Thiruvananthapuram
Answer: Bengaluru
URSC in Bengaluru is ISRO's lead center for satellite design, development, and testing, named after former ISRO chairman Prof. Udupi Ramachandra Rao.
Jupiter emits more energy than it receives from the Sun.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Jupiter radiates about twice the energy it absorbs from sunlight, generated by Kelvin-Helmholtz contraction and residual heat from formation.
Which augmentation system enhances GPS accuracy for aviation in Europe?
- WAAS
- EGNOS
- MSAS
- GAGAN
Answer: EGNOS
EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service) improves GPS precision and integrity for European aviation, similar to WAAS (USA), MSAS (Japan), and GAGAN (India).