General Knowledge MCQs
Topic Notes: General Knowledge
MCQs and preparation resources for competitive exams, covering important concepts, past papers, and detailed explanations.
Plato
- Biography: Ancient Greek philosopher (427–347 BCE), student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle, founder of the Academy in Athens.
- Important Ideas:
- Theory of Forms
- Philosopher-King
- Ideal State
51
Which NASA mission performed a gravity assist flyby of Mars in March 2025 on its way to Jupiter?
Answer:
Europa Clipper
NASA's Europa Clipper, launched in October 2024, executed a Mars gravity assist flyby in March 2025 to gain the necessary speed to reach Jupiter.
52
ISRO's 'Proba-3' mission, launched in late 2024, is a collaboration with ESA to demonstrate what technology?
Answer:
Precise formation flying to create a solar coronagraph
Proba-3 is an ESA mission launched by ISRO to demonstrate precise formation flying, where two satellites fly in tandem to form an artificial solar eclipse (coronagraph).
53
The Starlab commercial space station project passed which critical NASA milestone in March 2025?
Answer:
Preliminary Design Review (PDR)
Starlab Space LLC successfully completed the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) with NASA in March 2025, signaling its design was technically sound to proceed to full development.
54
In January 2025, Firefly Aerospace launched its first 'Blue Ghost' lunar lander. What is the name of this specific mission?
Answer:
Ghost Riders in the Sky
Firefly Aerospace named its first Blue Ghost mission 'Ghost Riders in the Sky'. It launched in January 2025 to deliver NASA CLPS payloads.
55
Which Chinese spacecraft was launched in November 2025 explicitly to assist or retrieve astronauts stranded on the Tiangong space station?
Answer:
Shenzhou 22
China launched Shenzhou 22 in November 2025 to assist the crew, following issues with a previous spacecraft that delayed the return of astronauts.
56
The European Space Agency's 'Euclid' telescope released its 'Quick Data Release 1' (Q1) in March 2025. Approximately how many new strong gravitational lenses did it identify?
Answer:
500
The Q1 data release from Euclid revealed approximately 500 new strong gravitational lens candidates, significantly increasing the known number of such objects.
57
What was the outcome of the Intuitive Machines IM-2 'Athena' landing in March 2025?
Answer:
Landed sideways/tipped over
The Athena lander touched down but ended up on its side (similar to IM-1), which limited its solar power generation and led to an early end of the mission.
58
The NASA ESCAPADE mission, designed to study Mars' magnetosphere, was launched in November 2025 aboard which debut rocket?
Answer:
New Glenn
The ESCAPADE mission was launched aboard the maiden flight of Blue Origin's 'New Glenn' rocket in November 2025.
59
Which major milestone did SpaceX's Starship achieve for the first time during its fifth flight test in late 2024/early 2025?
Answer:
Successful catch of the Super Heavy booster by the launch tower arms
During the fifth flight test, SpaceX successfully caught the Super Heavy booster using the 'Mechazilla' launch tower arms, a historic feat for reusable rocket technology.
60
In February 2025, Intuitive Machines' IM-2 mission launched with the Nova-C lander named 'Athena'. What was the specific landing site targeted by this mission?
Answer:
Mons Mouton
The IM-2 mission targeted Mons Mouton, a flat-topped mountain near the lunar south pole, specifically chosen to hunt for water ice using the PRIME-1 drill.