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
61
The 'Dictionary of American Regional English' (DARE) is famous for mapping:
Answer:
Regional variations in vocabulary across the United States
DARE tracks words like 'sub', 'hoagie', 'grinder', and 'hero' to specific geographic locations.
62
Which ancient Roman grammarian's name became a synonym for 'grammar' (Priscian)?
Answer:
Priscian
Priscian's 'Institutiones Grammaticae' was the standard text for over a thousand years; 'breaking Priscian's head' was a medieval idiom for speaking bad grammar.
63
The 'Merriam-Webster' company was formed when George and Charles Merriam bought the rights to whose dictionary?
Answer:
Noah Webster
After Noah Webster's death, the Merriam brothers bought the unsold copies and rights, continuing his legacy.
64
What is the 'Wiktionary' project?
Answer:
A collaborative, web-based, free content dictionary
Run by the Wikimedia Foundation, it applies the open-source model of Wikipedia to lexicography.
65
Who wrote 'A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language' (1985), considered the definitive reference grammar of modern English?
Answer:
Randolph Quirk
Quirk and his colleagues produced the most detailed descriptive grammar of English ever written.
66
The 'Academy' tradition (like L'Académie française) aims to:
Answer:
Regulate and preserve the 'purity' of a language
Unlike English, which has no official regulator, French and Spanish have Academies that dictate official grammar and vocabulary.
67
Joseph Wright is celebrated for compiling the:
Answer:
English Dialect Dictionary
Completed in 1905, this massive six-volume work recorded the dialect speech of the British Isles before standardization wiped much of it out.
68
Which famous author worked as a volunteer for the Oxford English Dictionary but was nearly fired for including 'obscenities'?
Answer:
J.R.R. Tolkien
Tolkien worked on the OED (specifically words starting with W) after WWI, before writing The Hobbit.
69
Eric Partridge was a lexicographer famous for his work on:
Answer:
Unconventional English (Slang and Cant)
His 'Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English' is a classic reference for cursing, catchphrases, and underworld language.
70
Dionysius Thrax wrote the 'Art of Grammar', which was the first systematic grammar of:
Answer:
Greek
Written in the 2nd century BCE, it defined parts of speech for Greek and served as a model for Latin and eventually European grammars.