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
81
The phrase 'Inkhorn terms' refers to what phenomenon in the Early Modern English period?
Answer:
Words borrowed from Latin/Greek deemed pretentious by some critics
Writers created many new words from classical languages during the Renaissance; critics called these 'inkhorn terms,' implying they were artificial and overly bookish.
82
Which event in the 18th and 19th centuries led to the influx of technical and scientific vocabulary into English?
Answer:
The Industrial Revolution
The rapid development of technology and science during the Industrial Revolution required new words, often created from Greek and Latin roots.
83
What is the primary difference between Old English and Modern English grammar?
Answer:
Old English was highly inflected (synthetic), while Modern English is analytic.
Old English relied on word endings (inflections) to indicate grammar, whereas Modern English relies on word order.
84
Which King of Wessex is famous for translating Latin works into Old English and encouraging literacy?
Answer:
Alfred the Great
King Alfred the Great promoted education in the vernacular Old English rather than Latin, preserving the language during the Viking invasions.
85
The word 'English' is derived from the name of which tribe?
Answer:
Angles
The word 'English' comes from 'Englisc', which was the language of the Angles (from 'Angleland' or England).
86
What is the term for the earliest known form of the language family from which English descends?
Answer:
Proto-Indo-European (PIE)
Proto-Indo-European is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family, which includes Germanic, Romance, and Slavic languages.
87
Which American lexicographer is responsible for American spelling reforms (e.g., 'color' vs 'colour')?
Answer:
Noah Webster
Noah Webster published his dictionary in 1828, promoting simplified spellings to establish a distinct American linguistic identity.
88
Who published the first comprehensive 'Dictionary of the English Language' in 1755?
Answer:
Samuel Johnson
Dr. Samuel Johnson's dictionary was a landmark achievement that heavily influenced the standardization of English spelling and definitions.
89
Which group of invaders in the 9th and 10th centuries contributed words like 'sky', 'egg', 'cake', and 'they' to English?
Answer:
The Vikings (Norsemen)
Old Norse, spoken by the Vikings, had a significant impact on everyday vocabulary and even grammatical pronouns in English.
90
What period of English covers the works of William Shakespeare and the King James Bible?
Answer:
Early Modern English
Early Modern English (approx. 1500–1700) is the era of the Elizabethan age, Shakespeare, and the standardization of the language through print.