General Knowledge Quiz

The Planning Commission of India was historically headed by the Prime Minister of India. During the period when Manmohan Singh served as Prime Minister (2004-2014), he would have been the ex-officio Chairman of the Planning Commission. The other options listed were never heads of this institution.

George Washington served as the first President of the United States from 1789 to 1797, following his role as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president (1861-1865), John F. Kennedy was the 35th (1961-1963), and Barack Obama was the 44th (2009-2017).

The Battle of Buxar was fought in 1764 between the British East India Company and the combined forces of Mir Qasim (the Nawab of Bengal), Shuja-u-Daula (the Nawab of Awadh), and Shah Alam II (the Mughal Emperor). Mir Qasim is the correct specific adversary among the choices.

Nathan Astle of New Zealand scored the fastest double century in Test cricket, reaching 200 runs in just 153 balls against England in 2002. This record stood for many years. Virender Sehwag has a triple-century but not the fastest double century.

South Korea celebrates its independence day on August 15th, commemorating liberation from Japanese colonial rule in 1945, the same year India gained independence. North Korea celebrates liberation on August 15th as well but has a different national day focus. Indonesia and Malaysia have different independence dates.

Canberra is the capital city of Australia, specifically designed and built to be the capital as a compromise between rivals Sydney and Melbourne. Victoria is a state, Perth is a city in Western Australia, and Tasmania is an island state. The capital was deliberately chosen in a neutral location to avoid interstate rivalry.

The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world, covering approximately 9.2 million square kilometers across North Africa. While Antarctica is technically a desert (the largest overall), the term 'desert' in most geographical contexts refers to hot deserts unless specified otherwise. The Great Siberian Plain is not a desert, and Alaska is a state, not a desert region.

Brazil is the world's largest coffee producer, accounting for about one-third of global coffee production. The country's favorable climate and vast plantations make it the dominant producer. India and Sri Lanka grow tea rather than coffee as their primary beverage crop, and China is not a major coffee producer.

The Dead Sea's shores are the lowest point on land on Earth, at approximately 430 meters below sea level. The Dead Sea is located between Jordan and Israel. Antarctica contains the lowest point of ice but not land. Madagascar and the Cape of Good Hope are not notable for extreme elevations.