Class 8 practice
Class 8 gk questions.
GK questions for Class 8, at the level of students aged 12–14, each with its answer and a short explanation. Try each one before opening the answer.
Which chemical compound is used to make the indelible purple ink marked on voters' fingers during elections in India?
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Answer: Silver nitrate
Silver nitrate reacts with salt and moisture on the skin to form a stain that cannot be easily washed away.
What ecological term describes organisms like fungi and bacteria that break down dead organic matter?
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Answer: Decomposers
Decomposers break down dead tissue and waste materials, recycling valuable nutrients back into the ecosystem.
In the Indian Parliament, what is the maximum permissible gap between two consecutive sessions?
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Answer: Six months
The Constitution of India mandates that Parliament must meet at least twice a year, with no more than six months between sessions.
Mangrove trees grow in waterlogged coastal soils with low oxygen. Which special root structures help them take in air directly from the atmosphere?
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Answer: Pneumatophores
Mangroves have specialised breathing roots called pneumatophores. These roots grow upwards out of the water and mud to absorb oxygen from the air.
A train travels at a speed of 54 km/h and passes a standing pole in 12 seconds. What is the length of the train?
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Answer: 180 metres
Convert 54 km/h to metres per second: 54 × (5/18) = 15 m/s. The distance covered is 15 m/s × 12 s = 180 metres.
Which major river forms the famous Dhuandhar Falls near Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh?
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Answer: Narmada
The Narmada River flows through marble rocks at Bhedaghat near Jabalpur before cascading down into the Dhuandhar Falls.
Under official Badminton World Federation rules, how many points must a player score to win a standard game?
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Answer: 21 points
Standard badminton matches follow a best-of-three games format, where each game is played to 21 points with a two-point lead.
In which layer of the Earth's atmosphere do nearly all weather events, such as clouds and rain, occur?
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Answer: Troposphere
The troposphere is the lowest atmospheric layer containing most water vapour and air mass, making it the zone where all weather occurs.
A lunar eclipse happens during a full moon. What is the correct alignment of celestial bodies during this event?
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Answer: Earth is between Sun and Moon
A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth passes directly between the Sun and the Moon, casting Earth's shadow onto the Moon's surface.
An isosceles triangle has two equal sides of length 7 cm each and a perimeter of 22 cm. What is the length of its third side?
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Answer: 8 cm
The sum of the two equal sides is 14 cm. Subtracting 14 cm from the perimeter of 22 cm leaves 8 cm for the base.
Which ancient Indian mathematician and astronomer wrote the famous scientific text titled 'Aryabhatiya' in the 5th century CE?
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Answer: Aryabhata
Aryabhata composed the Aryabhatiya in 499 CE. It dealt with arithmetic, algebra, spherical trigonometry, and planetary movements.
The famous iron pillar that has resisted rusting for over sixteen hundred years is located in which Indian historical complex?
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Answer: Qutb Minar complex, Delhi
Erected during the Gupta period, the Iron Pillar stands in the Qutb Minar complex in Mehrauli, Delhi, renowned for ancient metallurgy.
- True or false?
Venus is the hottest planet in our Solar System, even though Mercury orbits closer to the Sun.
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Answer: True
Venus has a dense carbon dioxide atmosphere. This creates a powerful greenhouse effect that traps heat, making it hotter than Mercury.
- True or false?
Mercury has a higher average surface temperature than Venus because it is closer to the Sun.
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Answer: False
Although Mercury is closer to the Sun, Venus is hotter due to an intense greenhouse effect in its dense atmosphere.
- True or false?
Harappan cities featured planned street layouts with covered drainage systems built from baked bricks.
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Answer: True
Indus Valley settlements like Mohenjo-daro are renowned for advanced urban design, grid-pattern roads, and elaborate brick-lined drainage networks.
- Fill in the blank.
In the Indian Parliament, the presiding officer of the Lok Sabha is known as the ___ (clue: starts with 'S').
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Answer: Speaker
The Speaker conducts the proceedings of the Lok Sabha and maintains order during debates in the lower house.
- Fill in the blank.
In a standard game of cricket, the length of the pitch between the two sets of wickets is ___ yards.
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Answer: 22
Under the Laws of Cricket, the pitch measures 22 yards, or approximately 20.12 metres, from wicket to wicket.
- Fill in the blank.
At the start of a standard chess match, each player has ___ pawns on the board.
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Answer: 8
A chess set provides each player with eight pawns, which occupy the entire second rank in the opening setup.
Which of these scientific units is the odd one out?
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Answer: Volt
Kelvin, Ampere, and Candela are fundamental SI base units. Volt is a derived unit used for electric potential.
Which substance is the odd one out among these forms of matter?
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Answer: Quartz
Diamond, Graphite, and Fullerene are crystalline allotropes of pure carbon. Quartz is a mineral composed of silicon dioxide.
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