GSA Practice Set 12 – General Science & Ability (20 Original MCQs Explained)

Intro: This is GSA Practice Set 12 — 20 original MCQs: 10 General Science (Q1–Q10) and 10 General Ability (Q11–Q20). Attempt all 20 in 25 minutes without looking at the answers, then check the explained answers and review your weak section. These are original practice questions, not copied from FPSC papers or competitor question banks, and this site is not affiliated with FPSC. Scoring: 18–20 = strong. 15–17 = good. 12–14 = fair, revise the sections you missed. Below 12 = study the weak-section review, then re-attempt in 2 days.

Section A — General Science (Q1–Q10):

Q1. What is the chemical symbol for iron? A) Ir B) Fe C) In D) Io

Q2. What is the chemical symbol for silver? A) Si B) Ag C) Sv D) Sl

Q3. Which gas do humans need to breathe to live? A) Carbon dioxide B) Nitrogen C) Oxygen D) Hydrogen

Q4. Which planet is known as the Morning Star? A) Mars B) Venus C) Jupiter D) Saturn

Q5. What is the largest mammal in the world? A) African elephant B) Blue whale C) Giraffe D) Hippopotamus

Q6. What is the hardest natural substance? A) Gold B) Diamond C) Iron D) Quartz

Q7. At what temperature does water freeze at sea level? A) 0°C B) 10°C C) 50°C D) 100°C

Q8. Which vitamin is found in citrus fruits (oranges, lemons)? A) Vitamin A B) Vitamin B C) Vitamin C D) Vitamin D

Q9. Which organ filters blood in the human body? A) Liver B) Heart C) Lung D) Kidney

Q10. What is the SI unit of energy? A) Watt B) Volt C) Joule D) Ampere

Section B — General Ability (Q11–Q20):

Q11. If 4 books cost Rs 200, what is the cost of 1 book (same price)? A) Rs 40 B) Rs 50 C) Rs 60 D) Rs 80

Q12. Next number in the series: 1, 3, 5, 7, ? A) 8 B) 9 C) 10 D) 11

Q13. What is 20% of 300? A) 20 B) 40 C) 60 D) 80

Q14. If x – 4 = 6, what is x? A) 2 B) 6 C) 10 D) 24

Q15. What is the square of 12? A) 24 B) 120 C) 144 D) 240

Q16. What is the cube of 2? A) 4 B) 6 C) 8 D) 12

Q17. How many sides does a hexagon have? A) 5 B) 6 C) 7 D) 8

Q18. How many minutes are there in 2 hours? A) 60 B) 90 C) 120 D) 180

Q19. What is 15 + 25? A) 30 B) 35 C) 40 D) 45

Q20. What is 100 – 37? A) 63 B) 67 C) 73 D) 77

Answer Key + Explained Answers:

Q1 – B) Fe. Iron is Fe (from Latin “ferrum” = iron). Ir is iridium, In is indium, “Io” is not a symbol.

Q2 – B) Ag. Silver is Ag (from Latin “argentum” = silver). Si is silicon, “Sv / Sl” are not symbols.

Q3 – C) Oxygen. Humans need oxygen to breathe (respiration). Carbon dioxide is exhaled, nitrogen is inert in air, hydrogen is trace.

Q4 – B) Venus. Venus is the Morning Star (bright, visible at dawn / dusk). Mars is the Red Planet, Jupiter is the largest, Saturn has rings.

Q5 – B) Blue whale. Blue whale is the largest mammal (up to about 30 m, 200 tonnes). African elephant is the largest land mammal, giraffe is the tallest, hippopotamus is large but smaller.

Q6 – B) Diamond. Diamond is the hardest natural substance (10 on Mohs scale). Gold, iron, and quartz are softer.

Q7 – A) 0°C. Water freezes at 0°C (32°F) at sea level. 10°C is liquid, 50°C is warm, 100°C is boiling.

Q8 – C) Vitamin C. Citrus fruits are rich in Vitamin C. Vitamin A (vision), B (energy), D (sunlight) are not the main citrus vitamin.

Q9 – D) Kidney. Kidneys filter blood (remove waste, balance fluids). Liver detoxifies, heart pumps, lungs exchange gases.

Q10 – C) Joule. Joule (J) is the SI unit of energy. Watt = power, Volt = voltage, Ampere = current.

Q11 – B) Rs 50. One book = 200 ÷ 4 = Rs 50.

Q12 – B) 9. Each term adds 2: 1 + 2 = 3, 3 + 2 = 5, 5 + 2 = 7, 7 + 2 = 9. (8, 10, 11 are not +2.)

Q13 – C) 60. 20% of 300 = 0.20 × 300 = 60.

Q14 – C) 10. x – 4 = 6 → x = 6 + 4 = 10.

Q15 – C) 144. 12² = 12 × 12 = 144. (24 = 12 × 2, 120 and 240 are not squares.)

Q16 – C) 8. 2³ = 2 × 2 × 2 = 8. (4 = 2², 6 and 12 are not cubes of 2.)

Q17 – B) 6. A hexagon has 6 sides (hexa = six). Pentagon has 5, heptagon has 7, octagon has 8.

Q18 – C) 120. 2 hours × 60 minutes = 120 minutes.

Q19 – C) 40. 15 + 25 = 40.

Q20 – A) 63. 100 – 37 = 63.

Weak-Section Review:

Which section did you score lowest in? Write the 3 questions you missed, the correct answers, and one line for each explaining why. General Science: revise symbols (Fe iron, Ag silver), oxygen (breathing), Venus (Morning Star), blue whale (largest mammal), diamond (hardest), 0°C (freezing), Vitamin C (citrus), kidney (filters blood), Joule (energy). General Ability: practise unitary method, +2 series, percentages, algebra, squares / cubes, shapes (hexagon 6), time (2 hours = 120 min), addition / subtraction. Re-attempt this set in 2 days.

Closing line: These are original practice questions written for csspastpapers.pk. They are not FPSC official questions, and this site is not affiliated with FPSC.

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