Static GK carries most of the 100 marks of the CDS General Knowledge paper. Of the 120 questions in the CDS (II) 2026 paper, about 20 were on Indian Polity, about 20 on the History of India, about 15 on Geography and the environment, about 10 on the Indian Economy and about 37 on Physics, Chemistry and Biology, which makes CDS the most science-heavy General Knowledge paper among the major recruitment exams. Polity questions test writs, the NHRC, electoral systems, disqualification of legislators, GST and delimitation. History runs from the Upanishads and the Shunga dynasty to Vijayanagara, temple architecture, the Sylhet referendum and the SNDP Yogam. Geography asks about the atmosphere, earthquakes and tsunamis, Ramsar sites, mangroves and World Heritage sites. Science stays at school level but expects reasoning: a lens problem, a magnetic field direction, molarity versus molality, what cooking soda is, how enzymes act. This page holds GK24's topic-wise GK notes for CDS, written as short facts and tables so that a topic can be revised in one sitting. Read a topic, then solve its previous-year questions and quiz on this site to check what stayed with you.
Which one of the following plants has unisexual flowers?
Papaya bears unisexual flowers: a flower has either stamens or a pistil, and male and female flowers usually grow on separate plants.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following 'discontinuities' separates the Earth's crust from the mantle?
The Mohorovicic discontinuity, or Moho, is the boundary between the crust and the mantle, where seismic waves suddenly speed up.
Read the full explanation →Mica is mainly used in :
. Mica is an excellent electrical insulator that withstands high voltage and heat, so it is used mainly in the electrical and electronic industries.
Read the full explanation →In flowering plants, DNA content of the parent plant gets halved during
Pollen grains are formed by meiosis, the division that halves the chromosome number and DNA content of the parent cell.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following events: 1. Launch of Non-Cooperation Movement 2. All-India Khilafat Conference in Delhi 3. Passing of the Rowlatt Act 4. Jallianwala Bagh incident Which one of the following is the correct chronological order of the given events (earliest to latest) ?
The Rowlatt Act (March 1919) came first, then the Jallianwala Bagh massacre (April 1919), the All-India Khilafat Conference in Delhi (November 1919) and finally the Non-Cooperation Movement (1920).
Read the full explanation →There is a ball of mass 320 g. It has 625 J potential energy when released freely from a height. The speed with which it will hit the ground is
In free fall all the potential energy turns into kinetic energy, so 625 J = ½ × 0.32 kg × v², which gives v = 62.5 m/s. First change the mass into kilograms: 320 g = 0.32 kg.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following statements with reference to Coriolis force is/are correct ? 1. Coriolis force acts perpendicular to the pressure gradient force 2. At the equator, the Coriolis force is zero and the wind blows perpendicular to the isobars Select the answer using the code given below:
Both statements are correct: the Coriolis force works at right angles to the pressure gradient force, and it vanishes at the equator, where winds cross the isobars at right angles.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following were the years of Annual Plans ?
After the Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) ran into trouble, India ran three one-year Annual Plans from 1966 to 1969 before the Fourth Plan began.
Read the full explanation →In which cell does the first meiotic cell division take place during the process of spermatogenesis?
The primary spermatocyte is the diploid cell that enters meiosis I and splits into two haploid secondary spermatocytes. Spermatogenesis takes place in the seminiferous tubules of the testes.
Read the full explanation →With reference to the Indian Parliament, consider the following statements : 1. A bill pending in the Lok Sabha lapses on its dissolution. 2. A bill passed by the Lok Sabha and pending in the Rajya Sabha lapses on the dissolution of the Lok Sabha. 3. A bill in regard to which the President of India notified his/her intention to summon the Houses to a joint sitting lapses on the dissolution of the Lok Sabha. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Article 107 of the Constitution decides which bills die when the Lok Sabha is dissolved. A bill pending in the Lok Sabha lapses on its dissolution, whether it began there or came from the Rajya Sabha, so statement 1 is correct.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following is not a member of Gulf Cooperation Council?
Iran has never been a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council, though it lies on the Persian Gulf. The GCC was founded in May 1981 in Abu Dhabi by six Arab monarchies of the Arabian Peninsula: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
Read the full explanation →With reference to 'Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD)' sometimes mentioned in the news while forecasting Indian monsoon, which of the following statements is/are correct ? 1. IOD phenomenon is characterised by a difference in sea surface temperature between tropical Western Indian Ocean and tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean. 2. An IOD phenomenon can influence an El Nino's impact on the monsoon. Select the correct answer using the code given below:
The Indian Ocean Dipole lies wholly within the Indian Ocean, and it can soften or strengthen El Nino's effect on the monsoon.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following statements best describes "carbon fertilization" ?
Carbon fertilization is the rise in the rate of photosynthesis, and so in plant growth, when there is more carbon dioxide in the air.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements : 1. Jet streams occur in the Northern Hemisphere only. 2. Only some cyclones develop an eye. 3. The temperature inside the eye of a cyclone is nearly 10°C lesser than that of the surroundings. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Only statement 2 is true. Statement 1 is wrong because jet streams, the narrow belts of very fast westerly winds near the top of the troposphere, blow in both hemispheres.
Read the full explanation →The term 'ACE2' is talked about in the context of
ACE2 is the receptor through which the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, enters human cells. ACE2 stands for angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, a protein on the surface of cells in the lungs, heart, blood vessels, kidneys and gut, where it normally helps control blood pressure.
Read the full explanation →With reference to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, consider the following statements : While any resolution for the removal of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha is under consideration 1. He/She shall not preside. 2. He/She shall not have the right to speak. 3. He/She shall not be entitled to vote on the resolution in the first instance. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Article 96 of the Constitution sets out the Speaker's position while a resolution for his or her removal is being considered.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements about Lokpal : I. The power of Lokpal applies to public servants of India, but not to the Indian public servants posted outside India. II. The Chairperson or a Member shall not be a Member of the Parliament or a Member of the Legislature of any State or Union Territory, and only the Chief Justice of India, whether incumbent or retired, has to be its Chairperson. III. The Chairperson or a Member shall not be a person of less than forty-five years of age on the date of assuming office as the Chairperson or Member, as the case may be. IV. Lokpal cannot inquire into the allegations of corruption against a sitting Prime Minister of India. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, only the age rule holds. Statement III is right: a Chairperson or Member must be at least 45 years old on the date of taking office.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following : 1. Calcutta Unitarian Committee 2. Tabernacle of New Dispensation 3. Indian Reform Association Keshab Chandra Sen is associated with the establishment of which of the above?
Keshab Chandra Sen founded the Tabernacle of New Dispensation and the Indian Reform Association, but not the Calcutta Unitarian Committee.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements: 1. Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) to Reduce Short Lived Climate Pollutants is a unique initiative of G20 group of countries. 2. The CCAC focuses on methane, black carbon and hydrofluorocarbons. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
The CCAC is not a G20 body, but it does target methane, black carbon and HFCs. The Climate and Clean Air Coalition was launched in February 2012 by the UN Environment Programme together with six countries: Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, Mexico, Sweden and the United States.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following pairs : Terms sometimes seen in news — Context/Topic 1. Belle II experiment — Artificial Intelligence 2. Blockchain technology — Digital/Cryptocurrency 3. CRISPR-Cas9 — Particle Physics Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched ?
Only blockchain is matched with its right field. Belle II is a particle physics experiment at the SuperKEKB electron-positron collider in Tsukuba, Japan; it studies B mesons to look for physics beyond the Standard Model, and Indian institutes such as TIFR take part in it.
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