General Science is an important section in most of the recruitment competitive exams in India including recruitment exams for Banking, Staff Selection Commission, Railways ALP & Technician, Railways Group D posts among various other exams. General Science section usually consists of questions from Physics, Chemistry and Life Sciences. The syllabus of General Science includes topics from high school Physics, Chemistry, & Life Sciences (Biology, Zoology, Plant Physiology, Animal Physiology, Human Physiology etc.). General Science Quick Read chapter highlights some of the key points for Quick Review before the exams.

The word science comes from the Latin word scientia, which implies knowledge. The science as subject is the systematic, consistent and excellent study of the physical world including everything than can be seen, observed or detected in nature by the man and society and the knowledge that grows out of such study. Study of science includes formulation of hypothesis, postulates, assumptions, theories and laws based experimental observations and mathematical conclusions. Science is broadly categorized into Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Formal Sciences and Applied Sciences.

Natural Sciences - Study of Nature and elements and phenomena occurring in nature. [ Biology, Chemistry, Physics]

Social Sciences - Study of People and Societies [ Psychology, Sociology, Economics,..]

Formal Sciences - Study of abstract concepts [ Mathematics, Logic,]

Applied Sciences - Disciplines that use science. [ Engineering, Medicine]

General Science Quick Read - Important Q&A for General Science Section.
1. The temperature at which all substances have zero thermal energy - 273 degree celcius.
2. Any substance which when added to a reaction, alters the rate of the reaction but remains chemically unchanged at the end of the process is called -Catalyst.
3. The study of the inter-relations of animals and plantswith their environment is called-Ecology.
4. Study of insects is called-Entomology.
5. A unit used to express the focal power of optical lenses-Dioptre.
6. The velocity that a body with less mass must achieve in order to escape from the gravitational attraction of a more massive body is called-Escape Velocity.
7. Laughing gas is chemically known as-Nitrous Oxide.
8. The blood vessels carrying blood from the heart to various parts of the body is called-Artery.
9. The distance travelled by light in one year is called -Light year.
10. An organism which derives its nourishment from another living organism is called-Parasite.
11. Newton's which law states that the rate of change of momentum of a body is directly proportional to the force applied and takes place in the direction in which the force act -Newton's second law of motion.
12. Which is the world's first man-made satellite Sputnik-I.(4Oct.1957)
13. Which planet is the brightest of all the planets-Venus.
14. Small pieces of solid matter which are found scattered in the inter-planetary space of the solar system are known as-Meteoroids.
15. The largest gland in the body which is dark red in colour is-Liver.
16. Inadequate secretion of Insulin hormone causes which disease-Diabetes.
17. Common cold, Influenza, Chickenpox and Measles are caused due to the attack of Virus or Bacteria -Virus.
18. In which atmospheric layer are the communication satellite located-Ionosphere.
19. The scientific principle behind 'Fibre Optics' is –Total internal reflection of light.
20. Ginger is a stem and not a root, True or False - True (because it has nodes and Internodes).
21. When we wind a watch which energy is stored - Potential Energy.
22. On which phenomena the process of Dialysis used on patient with affected kidneys is Based -Osmosis.
23. When a piece of ice floating in a beaker of water melts, the level of water will rise or fall-Remains the same.
24. Energy stored in a dry cell is - Chemical energy.
25. When a cricketer lowers his hand while catching the ball, it saves him from injury due to - Conservation of momentum.
26. Full form of AIDS is - Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
27. Chemical technology dealing with the conversion of base metals into gold is - Alchemy.
28. Subtances produced by micro-organism that kill or prevent growth of other micro-organism is called - Antibiotics.
29. Substances which react with acids to form salts is called - Base.
30. The ancient oriental art of growing trees in dwarf form is called - Bonsai.
31. What is the unit of heat - Calorie.
32. The ability of a body to resist tension or compression and to recover its original shape and size when the stress is removed is called - Elasticity.
33. The negatively charged particles which revolve around the nucleus of the atom in certain orbits is called - Electron.
34. The branch of biology dealing with study of Heredity is - Genetics.
35. Kwashiorkor is caused due to the deficiency of - Protein.
36. Optical illusion often witnessed in deserts when the objects on the surface of the earth at some distance appear as if reflected from surface of water owing to unequal heating of the different parts of atmosphere is called- Mirage.
37. The branch of science which deals with study of nature and properties of light is called- Optics.
38. The scale used to measure the magnitudes of earthquakes is called - Richter scale.
39. The heat required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance through one degree celcius is called - Specific heat.
40. The speed greater than the speed of sound is called- Supersonic speed.
41. Volatile substance that incapacitates for a time by powerfully irritating the eyes, provoking tears is called - Tear gas.
42. Who is the inventor of Dynamite - Alfred B.Nobel.
43. Who discovered life in plants - Jagadish Chandra Bose.
44. The unit used to measure loudness of sound is - Decibel.
45. The smallest part of an element that can take part in a chemical reaction is called - Atom.
46. Substances used for destroying or stopping growth of micro-organisms in living tissue is Called - Antiseptic.
47. Water that does not form lather with soap easily is called - Hard water.
48. The lines drawn on maps joining the places having same barometric pressure is called -Isobars.
49. Lymph differs from blood in not having - Red Blood Corpuscles.
50. Universal receivers can receive blood from - Groups O, A, B and AB
51. Study of Grass is called - Agrostology.
52. Study of Tumor is called - Oncology.
53. Which physical property will be unaffected with increase in quantity - Density.
54. Oil spreads over the surface of water because - Oil has less surface tension than water.
55. In high mountaneous regions bleeding through nose occurs because - The pressure of the blood in the capillaries is higher than the outside air pressure.
56. Why does a man weigh more at the poles than at the equator - Gravitational pull is more at the poles.
57. A gas will behave as an ideal gas at - At very low pressure and high temperature.
58. Oology is the branch of science dealing with the study of - Birds egg.
59. Why does a drop of liquid assume a spherical shape - Because a sphere has the least surface tension
60. When cream is separated from milk the density of milk increases or decreases-Increases
61. Diamond is harder than Graphite due to difference of - Crystalline structure.
62. Which combination of colours is the most convenient during day and night time- Red and Green
63. An element which does not react with oxygen is - Helium
64. An instrument that measures and records the relative humidity of air is - Hygrometer
65. The different colours of different stars are due to the variation of-Temperature
66. Which is left when an hydrogen atom loses its electron - A proton
67. The fundamental scientific principle in the operation of a battery is - Oxidation-reduction
68. Which metal is used to galvanise iron - Zinc
69. The instrument used to measure the force and velocity of the wind is- Anemometer
70. Edward Jenner is associated with - Small Pox
71. The scientist who explained about blood circulation for the first time was - William Harvey
72. Nitroglycerine is used as - An explosive
73. Solar Energy is due to the process of - Fusion reactions
74. In a dry cell battery which are used as electrolytes - Ammonium Chloride and Zinc Chloride
75. Permanent Research Station of India, Dakshin Gangotri is located at - Antarctica
76. Which types of waves are used in a night vision apparatus - Infrared waves
77. In order to stay over the same spot on the earth, a geostationary satellite has to be directly Above - TheEquator
78. Water is used to cool the engines of cars, buses,trucks, etc. It is because water has-High specific heat
79. Due to contract of eyeball, a long-sighted eye can onlysee farther objects which is corrected by using -Convex lens
80. Rainwater collected after 30 to 40 minutes of raining is not suitable for drinking because it is - Acidic
81. The refining of petroleum is done by the process of -Fractional Distillation Physical quantities which are completely described by a magnitude (size) alone are known as - Scalar quantities
82. Study of the abundance and reactions of chemical elements and molecules in the universe, and their interaction with radiation is called - Astrochemistry
83. Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany is located atLucknow,UttarPradesh
84. Organelles which is known as the power house of the cells - Mitochondria
85. Photosynthesis takes place maximum in red colour and minimum in - Violet colour
86. Other name of White Blood Cells is - Leukocytes
87. Other name of Red Blood Cells is - Erythrocytes
88. Which antiseptic compound is present in Dettol – Chloroxylenol
89. What is a compound that is a white solid which absorbs water vapour from the air – Calcium chloride
90. To which product of equivalent weight and valency of an element is equal – Atomic weight
91. Which element forms the highest number of compounds in the periodic table – Silicon
92. How does addition of ethylene dibromide help to petrol – Elimination of lead oxide
93. What do we call the process of separation of pure water from impurities – Distillation
94. What is the name of gas which is present in both the natural gas and the biogas – Methane
95. Of which alloy the commonly used safety fuse-wire is made – Alloy of Tin and Lead
96. What is alcohol obtained in the saponification process – Glycerol
97. Which is used to dilute oxygen in the gas cylinders used by divers – Helium
98. What do cathode rays case when obstructed by metal –emission of X-rays
99. With which liqued is anomalous expansion associated – Water
100. What is a tick paste of cement, sand and water called – Mortar
101. Ethanol containing 5% water By which name is it known – Rectified spirit
102. Of which Container radioactive materials should be kept – Pb
103. Which is not an anesthetic agent in surgical operations – Acetone
104. What is the percentage of Nitrogen, present in ammonium sulphate – 21%
105. Which is the nuclear particle having no mass and no charge, but only spin – Neutrino
106. The pH of fresh milk is 6. When it turns sour, what will be the pH – Less than 6
107. How must have metals used to make wires for safety fuses– Low resistivity and low melting point
108. Sodium stearate is a salt and how is it used – To make soap
109. Which are the two main constituents of granite– Iron and silica
110. Which method of water purification does not kill microorganism – Filtration
111. Which gase is supporter of combustion – Oxygen
112. By which was the presence of Cobalt. in Vitamin B-12 established for the first time – Borax-Bead test
113. Which metal can deposit copper from copper sulphate solution – Iron
114. Which group of gases contribute to the "Green House effect" – Carbon dioxide and Methane
115. On heating, Gypsum loses certain percentage of its water content and what does it become – Plaster of Paris
116. A liquid initially contracts when cooled down to 4 degree Celsius but on further cooling down to zero degree Celsius, it expands. What is the name of liquid – Water
117. Under which category Magnetic, electrostatic and gravitational forces come – Non-contact forces
118. No matter how far you stand from a mirror, your image appears erect, How is the mirror likely to be – Either plane or convex
119. Due to which Phenomenon are advanced sunrise and delayed sunset found in the sky – Refraction of sunlight
120. Due to which Phenomenon is the formation of colours in soap bubbles – Interference of light
121. On which principle a pressure cooker works – Elevation of boiling point of water by application of pressure
122. Why does pressure of a gas increases due to increase of its temperature– Kinetic energies of die gas molecules are higher
123. By which Newton’s may the weight of an object be assigned– Laws of gravitation
124. With which field is a current carrying conductor associated – A magnetic field
125. On which the linear expansion of a solid rod is independent – On its time of heat flow
126. Which doesn't have any effect on velocity of sound – Pressure
127. Why does white light into its components – Due to dispersion
128. What type of lenses are used in movie projectors – Convex
129. During which radioactivity radiation is not emitted – Cathode rays
130. An object is undergoing a non-accelerated motion.What is Its rate of change in momentum – Zero
131. A particle is moving freely. Then its– kinetic energy is always greater than zero
132. If an object undergoes a uniform circular motion,then What will be– Its velocity changes
133. In how many hours does geostationary satellite complete its one revolution around the earth – 24 hours
134. MCB, which cuts off the electricity supply in case of short-circuiting, on which effect does it work – Magnetic effect of current
135. A motor vehicle is moving in a circle with a uniform speed. Where will be the net acceleration of the vehicle – towards the centre of circle
136. Which property of a proton may change while it moves freely in a magnetic field – Velocity
137. During sunrise and sunset, why does sun appears reddish-orange – Reddish-orange light is least scattered by the atmosphere
138. Why are ball bearings used in bicycles, cars, etc – The effective area of contact between the wheel and axle is reduced
139. By which Signal a television channel is characterised – Frequency of transmitted signal
140. What is a good conductor while carrying current – Electrically neutral
141. What is the device used for measuring the wavelength of X-rays – Bragg Spectrometer
142. Which is responsible for the working of Newton's colour disc experiment – Persistence of vision
143. Who is the founder, of quantum theory of radiation – Plank
144. What is Photon – The fundamental unit/quantum of Light
145. When does a liquid disturbed by stirring come to rest – Due to Viscosity