60 general knowledge questions with answers

Sixty general knowledge questions with answers, sorted by difficulty rather than by subject: twenty easy, twenty medium and twenty hard. That way you can build a round where nobody drops out and nobody is bored.

By Roy de Bie · Updated August 11, 2026 · 5 min read

How to mix the levels

The most common mistake in a homemade quiz is that every question sits at roughly the same difficulty. All hard, and half the table gives up after three questions. All easy, and everyone finishes level so luck decides. A round of ten questions works best at about this ratio:

Four easy questions, spread through the round. These keep everyone in it.
Four medium questions. This is where the first real gap opens up.
Two hard ones, one of them as the closer. These decide the standings.
Never open with your hardest question. The first one decides whether people want the rest.
Play in teams if the group is mixed: the levels then balance out by themselves.

Easy

What is the capital of France? Paris
Which continent is the largest? Asia
What is the largest planet in our solar system? Jupiter
Which language is spoken in Brazil? Portuguese
How many players per team are on court in basketball? 5
Which sea lies between Europe and Africa? the Mediterranean
On which date is Dutch King's Day? 27 April; if that falls on a Sunday it moves a day earlier
What is the capital of Italy? Rome
What is the largest land animal in the world? the African elephant
How many senses does the classic list give humans? 5
What is the largest organ of the human body? the skin
Which currency do you pay with in Japan? the yen
What is the largest desert in Africa called? the Sahara
Which planet is known for its rings? Saturn
What is the capital of Germany? Berlin
Which Dutch painter cut off part of his own ear? Vincent van Gogh
How many degrees are there in a full circle? 360
Which river flows through Paris? the Seine
Who wrote "Romeo and Juliet"? William Shakespeare
Which planet is called the red planet? Mars

Medium

Which metal is liquid at room temperature (20 °C)? mercury
What is the process of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly called? metamorphosis
How many chromosomes does a human have? 46
Which city was the capital of the Byzantine Empire? Constantinople
Which country is Timbuktu in? Mali
Which instrument measures air pressure? a barometer
How many time zones does Russia have? 11
What does the abbreviation NASA stand for? National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Which Greek god ruled the sea? Poseidon
Which Dutch city is nicknamed Mokum? Amsterdam
What is the deepest point in the ocean called? the Challenger Deep, in the Mariana Trench
Which vitamin does your body make from sunlight? vitamin D
Which element has atomic number 1? hydrogen
What is the largest inland sea in the world? the Caspian Sea
Who wrote "The Discovery of Heaven"? Harry Mulisch
What is it called when light changes direction entering another medium? refraction
What is the largest island in the world? Greenland
Which language has the most native speakers worldwide? Mandarin Chinese
Which gas makes up most of the atmosphere? nitrogen, about 78 per cent
Which Dutch prime minister served the longest? Mark Rutte

Hard

What is the capital of Kazakhstan? Astana; from 2019 to 2022 the city was called Nur-Sultan
In which year was the Dutch Thorbecke constitution introduced? 1848
Which country has the most time zones? France, because of its overseas territories
Which is the smallest country in Africa by area? the Seychelles; on the mainland it is the Gambia
Which planet orbits the sun almost on its side? Uranus
Who was the first woman in space? Valentina Tereshkova
In which year was the Maastricht Treaty signed? 1992; it came into force in 1993
What is the smallest bone in the human body? the stapes, in the middle ear
What is the largest moon of Jupiter called? Ganymede
Who invented movable-type printing in Europe? Johannes Gutenberg
What is the capital of Myanmar? Naypyidaw
Which country has the longest coastline in the world? Canada
What is the smallest country in South America? Suriname
Which chemical element has the symbol W? tungsten
In which year was the Dutch East India Company founded? 1602
Who wrote "Turkish Delight"? Jan Wolkers
What is the longest mountain range on land? the Andes
Which sovereign country was the first to give women the national vote? New Zealand, in 1893
Who was the first elected secretary-general of the United Nations? Trygve Lie
What is the largest lake in Africa? Lake Victoria

From loose questions to a quiz night

Sixty questions will fill a few rounds, but reading them out and marking answers stays manual work. With Kwishetwel the question is up on the TV, everyone answers at the same time on their own phone, and the standings keep score for you. No app and no account for your guests. Every Thursday at 18:00 a new ready-made quiz is waiting, too.

Create a quiz night for free →See the plans

Further reading: 100+ pub quiz questions with answers, 50 music quiz questions with answers and how to make your own pub quiz.