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
1
The 'Betty Trask Award' is given to debut novels by authors under the age of 35 in which genre?
Answer:
Traditional or Romantic
It is a bequest for authors under 35 writing in a traditional or romantic style.
2
Who was the first person to win both an Oscar and a Nobel Prize in Literature?
Answer:
George Bernard Shaw
Shaw won the Nobel in 1925 and an Oscar for the screenplay of 'Pygmalion' in 1938. (Bob Dylan also achieved this later).
3
The 'Georg Büchner Prize' is the most important literary prize for:
Answer:
German literature
Named after the dramatist Georg Büchner, it is awarded by the German Academy for Language and Literature.
4
The 'Akutagawa Prize' is the most prestigious literary award in which country?
Answer:
Japan
It is awarded semi-annually for the best serious literary story by a new or rising author.
5
Which of these authors won the Nobel Prize in Literature posthumously (before the rules were tightened)?
Answer:
Erik Axel Karlfeldt
Karlfeldt won in 1931 after his death. The rules now state a person cannot be nominated posthumously, but can win if they die between the announcement and the ceremony.
6
The 'National Book Critics Circle Award' is judged by:
Answer:
Book critics and review editors
It is the only national award judged by critics.
7
The 'James Tait Black Memorial Prizes' are notable for being:
Answer:
Britain's oldest literary awards
Established in 1919, they are awarded by the University of Edinburgh.
8
In 2018, an 'Alternative Nobel Prize' (The New Academy Prize) was awarded to Maryse Condé because:
Answer:
The Nobel Prize was cancelled that year due to a sexual assault scandal.
The Swedish Academy was embroiled in a scandal, postponing the 2018 award, so a temporary academy was formed to award a prize.
9
The 'Goldsmiths Prize' is distinctive because it rewards:
Answer:
Fiction that breaks the mold or extends the possibilities of the novel form (Experimental fiction)
It celebrates experimental and innovative fiction.
10
The 'Folio Prize' (now the Writers’ Prize) was established in 2013 in reaction to:
Answer:
The Booker Prize focusing too much on 'readability' over literary merit
It aimed to reward the best English-language fiction regardless of form, genre, or geography, judged purely on literary merit.