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CDS GK Questions 2026

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.

CDS GK Questions with Answers

Q2303.Indian PolityMedium

Under which of the new criminal laws are electronic and digital records admissible as primary evidence?

  1. A.Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023
  2. B.Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023
  3. C.Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023
  4. D.Information Technology Act, 2000
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023

The Adhiniyam is the law of evidence and it places electronic and digital records on the same footing as paper documents, so that such a record is admissible as primary evidence and the definition of a document expressly covers e-mails, server logs, computer files, locational evidence and messages stored on…

Q2307.Indian PolityEasy

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 has replaced which of the following laws?

  1. A.The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973
  2. B.The Indian Penal Code, 1860
  3. C.The Indian Evidence Act, 1872
  4. D.The Criminal Law Amendment Act, 2013
Show answer
Correct answer: B. The Indian Penal Code, 1860

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 is the substantive criminal law of India and it took the place of the Indian Penal Code drafted on the recommendation of the First Law Commission under Lord Macaulay.

Q2308.Indian PolityAsked in: Uttar Pradesh · UPSSSC Junior Assistant 2016Medium

In which section of the Indian Penal Code is 'mental unsoundness' contained?

  1. A.Section 88
  2. B.Section 83
  3. C.Section 84
  4. D.Section 86
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Section 84

Section 84 of the Indian Penal Code was the general exception for the act of a person of unsound mind: nothing is an offence which is done by a person who, at the time of doing it, by reason of unsoundness of mind is incapable of knowing the nature of…

Q2309.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2024, GS Paper IEasy

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which one of the following is the largest source of sulphur dioxide emissions?

  1. A.Locomotives using fossil fuels
  2. B.Ships using fossil fuels
  3. C.Extraction of metals from ores
  4. D.Power plants using fossil fuels
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Power plants using fossil fuels

The EPA names the burning of fossil fuels by power plants and other industrial facilities as the largest source of sulphur dioxide.

Q2311.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following phenomena : 1. Light is affected by gravity. 2. The Universe is constantly expanding. 3. Matter warps its surrounding space-time. Which of the above is/are the prediction/predictions of Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, often discussed in media ?

  1. A.1 and 2 only
  2. B.3 only
  3. C.1 and 3 only
  4. D.1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Correct answer: D. 1, 2 and 3

All three follow from Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, published in 1915. General relativity explains gravity not as a force but as the curving of space-time by mass and energy; in John Wheeler's words, matter tells space-time how to curve, and space-time tells matter how to move.

Q2312.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IEasy

Consider the following : 1. Bacteria 2. Fungi 3. Virus Which of the above can be cultured in artificial/synthetic medium?

  1. A.1 and 2 only
  2. B.2 and 3 only
  3. C.1 and 3 only
  4. D.1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Correct answer: A. 1 and 2 only

Bacteria and fungi grow on artificial media, but viruses multiply only inside living cells. Bacteria and fungi are living cells with their own machinery for making energy and proteins, so they grow on nutrient agar, broth or synthetic media in a laboratory.

Q2314.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2025, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements : I. If any question arises as to whether a Member of the House of the People has become subject to disqualification under the 10th Schedule, the President's decision in accordance with the opinion of the Council of Union Ministers shall be final. II. There is no mention of the word 'political party' in the Constitution of India. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A.I only
  2. B.II only
  3. C.Both I and II
  4. D.Neither I nor II
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Neither I nor II

Defection cases are decided by the Speaker or Chairman, not the President, and the Tenth Schedule itself uses the term 'political party'.

Q2315.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IEasy

In the context of Indian history, the principle of Dyarchy (diarchy) refers to

  1. A.Division of the central legislature into two houses.
  2. B.Introduction of double government i.e., Central and State governments.
  3. C.Having two sets of rulers; one in London and another in Delhi.
  4. D.Division of the subjects delegated to the provinces into two categories.
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Division of the subjects delegated to the provinces into two categories.

Under dyarchy the provincial subjects were split into transferred and reserved subjects. Dyarchy was introduced in the provinces by the Government of India Act, 1919, based on the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms.

Q2316.Science & TechnologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IEasy

Bollgard I and Bollgard II technologies are mentioned in the context of

  1. A.clonal propagation of crop plants
  2. B.developing genetically modified crop plants
  3. C.production of plant growth substances
  4. D.production of biofertilizers
Show answer
Correct answer: B. developing genetically modified crop plants

Bollgard I and Bollgard II are Bt cotton technologies that make the cotton plant resistant to bollworms. Bt cotton carries genes taken from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, which make Cry proteins that are toxic to the larvae of bollworms.

Q2317.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2024, GS Paper IHard

Consider the following statements : Statement-I : Sumed pipeline is a strategic route for Persian Gulf oil and natural gas shipments to Europe. Statement-II : Sumed pipeline connects the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. A.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  2. B.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  3. C.Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  4. D.Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I

The pipeline is a strategic route to Europe precisely because it links the Red Sea with the Mediterranean.

Q2318.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2025, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements : I. On the dissolution of the House of the People, the Speaker shall not vacate his/her office until immediately before the first meeting of the House of the People after the dissolution. II. According to the provisions of the Constitution of India, a Member of the House of the People on being elected as Speaker shall resign his/her political party immediately. III. The Speaker of the House of the People may be removed from his/her office by a resolution of the House of the People passed by a majority of all the then Members of the House, provided that no resolution shall be moved unless at least fourteen days' notice has been given of the intention to move the resolution. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. A.I and II only
  2. B.II and III only
  3. C.I and III only
  4. D.I, II and III
Show answer
Correct answer: C. I and III only

Both come word for word from Article 94, while the Constitution says nothing about the Speaker leaving his or her party.

Q2319.Art & CultureAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2016, GS Paper IEasy

What is/are common to the two historical places known as Ajanta and Mahabalipuram? 1. Both were built in the same period. 2. Both belong to the same religious denomination. 3. Both have rock-cut monuments. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  1. A.1 and 2 only
  2. B.3 only
  3. C.1 and 3 only
  4. D.None of the statements given above is correct
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 3 only

Ajanta and Mahabalipuram both have monuments cut out of living rock, but they were made in different periods and for different faiths.

Q2320.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IMedium

In the context of hereditary diseases, consider the following statements : 1. Passing on mitochondrial diseases from parent to child can be prevented by mitochondrial replacement therapy either before or after in vitro fertilization of egg. 2. A child inherits mitochondrial diseases entirely from mother and not from father. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A.1 only
  2. B.2 only
  3. C.Both 1 and 2
  4. D.Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Both 1 and 2

Mitochondrial DNA comes only from the mother, and mitochondrial replacement therapy can stop a mitochondrial disease from passing to the child.