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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

Q2402.General ScienceAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2026, GATHard

Consider the following pairs of reactions and properties : Reaction — Property I. Fe(s) + 2HCl(aq) → FeCl₂(aq) + H₂(g) — Fe is reductant II. Zn(s) + CuSO₄(aq) → ZnSO₄(aq) + Cu(s) — Cu is being reduced III. Br₂(l) + 2I⁻(aq) → 2Br⁻(aq) + I₂(s) — Br₂ is reductant IV. CH₄(g) + 2O₂(g) → CO₂(g) + 2H₂O(l) — C atom in CH₄ is oxidized Which of the above pairs are correct?

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

Pairs I, II and IV describe the electron transfer correctly; pair III calls bromine a reductant when it is the oxidant.

Q2403.General ScienceAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2026, GATMedium

Coconut oil upon hydrolysis with potassium hydroxide gives :

  1. A.Free fatty acids and sodium hydroxide
  2. B.Glycerol and sodium salts of fatty acids
  3. C.Glycol and potassium salts of fatty acids
  4. D.Glycerol and potassium salts of fatty acids
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Glycerol and potassium salts of fatty acids

Boiling an oil or fat with an alkali splits it into glycerol and the salts of its fatty acids; with potassium hydroxide those salts are potassium salts.

Q2404.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2024, GS Paper IMedium

With reference to Union Budget, consider the following statements : 1. The Union Finance Minister on behalf of the Prime Minister lays the Annual Financial Statement before both the Houses of Parliament. 2. At the Union level, no demand for a grant can be made except on the recommendation of the President of India. 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: B. 2 only

Demands for grants need the President's recommendation, but the Budget is laid on behalf of the President, not the Prime Minister.

Q2405.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2025, GS Paper IEasy

Artificial way of causing rainfall to reduce air pollution makes use of

  1. A.silver iodide and potassium iodide
  2. B.silver nitrate and potassium iodide
  3. C.silver iodide and potassium nitrate
  4. D.silver nitrate and potassium chloride
Show answer
Correct answer: A. silver iodide and potassium iodide

These salts are the usual seeding agents in cloud seeding, the artificial way to make rain. Cloud seeding sprays tiny particles into clouds that already hold moisture, from aircraft, rockets or ground generators.

Q2406.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2016, GS Paper IEasy

The Montague-Chelmsford Proposals were related to

  1. A.social reforms
  2. B.educational reforms
  3. C.reforms in police administration
  4. D.constitutional reforms
Show answer
Correct answer: D. constitutional reforms

The proposals led to the Government of India Act, 1919, which changed how British India was governed. Edwin Montagu, the Secretary of State for India, announced in August 1917 that Britain aimed at the gradual development of self-governing institutions in India.

Q2407.Static GKAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IMedium

With reference to the role of UN-Habitat in the United Nations programme working towards a better urban future, which of the statements is/are correct ? 1. UN-Habitat has been mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities to provide adequate shelter for all. 2. Its partners are either governments or local urban authorities only. 3. UN-Habitat contributes to the overall objective of the United Nations system to reduce poverty and to promote access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. Select the correct answer using the code given below :

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

UN-Habitat has a General Assembly mandate for sustainable cities and shelter, and it works on poverty, water and sanitation, but its partners are not limited to governments.

Q2408.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2019, GS Paper IHard

As per the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 in India, which one of the following statements is correct?

  1. A.Waste generator has to segregate waste into five categories.
  2. B.The Rules are applicable to notified urban local bodies, notified towns and all industrial townships only.
  3. C.The Rules provide for exact and elaborate criteria for the identification of sites for landfills and waste processing facilities.
  4. D.It is mandatory on the part of waste generator that the waste generated in one district cannot be moved to another district.
Show answer
Correct answer: C. The Rules provide for exact and elaborate criteria for the identification of sites for landfills and waste processing facilities.

The 2016 Rules set out detailed criteria for choosing sites for landfills and waste processing facilities. The Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, framed under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, replaced the Municipal Solid Wastes Rules of 2000.

Q2409.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IMedium

With reference to recent developments regarding 'Recombinant Vector Vaccines', consider the following statements : 1. Genetic engineering is applied in the development of these vaccines. 2. Bacteria and viruses are used as vectors. 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

Recombinant vector vaccines are made by genetic engineering, and both viruses and bacteria serve as their vectors. In a recombinant vector vaccine, scientists take a harmless or weakened carrier, the vector, and insert into it the gene for an antigen of the disease-causing germ.

Q2410.Science & TechnologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2023, GS Paper IMedium

'Aerial metagenomics' best refers to which one of the following situations?

  1. A.Collecting DNA samples from air in a habitat at one go
  2. B.Understanding the genetic makeup of avian species of a habitat
  3. C.Using air-borne devices to collect blood samples from moving animals
  4. D.Sending drones to inaccessible areas to collect plant and animal samples from land surfaces and water bodies
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Collecting DNA samples from air in a habitat at one go

Aerial metagenomics reads all the DNA floating in the air of a place together. Every living thing sheds traces of DNA through skin cells, hair, pollen, spores and droppings, and this environmental DNA, or eDNA, drifts in the air.

Q2411.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2024, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements : 1. It is the Governor of the State who recognizes and declares any community of that State as a Scheduled Tribe. 2. A community declared as a Scheduled Tribe in a State need not be so in another State. 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: B. 2 only

The President, not the Governor, specifies Scheduled Tribes, and the list is made state by state.

Q2412.Science & TechnologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2025, GS Paper IMedium

With reference to India's defence, consider the following pairs : Aircraft type — Description I. Dornier-228 : Maritime patrol aircraft II. IL-76 : Supersonic combat aircraft III. C-17 Globemaster III : Military transport aircraft How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

  1. A.Only one
  2. B.Only two
  3. C.All the three
  4. D.None
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Only two

Pairs I and III are correct; the IL-76 is a heavy transport aircraft, not a supersonic fighter.

Q2413.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IEasy

Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) is a standard criterion for

  1. A.Measuring oxygen levels in blood
  2. B.Computing oxygen levels in forest ecosystems
  3. C.Pollution assay in aquatic ecosystems
  4. D.Assessing oxygen levels in high altitude regions
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Pollution assay in aquatic ecosystems

BOD tells how much organic pollution a body of water carries. Biological, or biochemical, Oxygen Demand is the amount of dissolved oxygen that aerobic micro-organisms use up while breaking down the organic matter in a water sample, usually measured over five days at 20 degrees Celsius and expressed in milligrams…

Q2414.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements : 1. The Earth's magnetic field has reversed every few hundred thousand years. 2. When the Earth was created more than 4000 million years ago, there was 54% oxygen and no carbon dioxide. 3. When living organisms originated, they modified the early atmosphere of the Earth. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

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

The magnetic field has flipped many times and life changed the early air, but the young Earth had almost no free oxygen.

Q2415.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2019, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements : The Environment Protection Act, 1986 empowers the Government of India to 1. state the requirement of public participation in the process of environmental protection, and the procedure and manner in which it is sought 2. lay down the standards for emission or discharge of environmental pollutants from various sources 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: B. 2 only

The Act empowers the Centre to set emission and discharge standards, but it says nothing about public participation. The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 was passed after the Bhopal gas tragedy as an umbrella law under Article 253, to give effect to the decisions of the 1972 Stockholm Conference.

Q2416.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2020, GS Paper IHard

With reference to the current trends in the cultivation of sugarcane in India, consider the following statements : 1. A substantial saving in seed material is made when 'bud chip settlings' are raised in a nursery and transplanted in the main field. 2. When direct planting of setts is done, the germination percentage is better with single-budded setts as compared to setts with many buds. 3. If bad weather conditions prevail when setts are directly planted, single-budded setts have better survival as compared to large setts. 4. Sugarcane can be cultivated using settlings prepared from tissue culture. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

Bud chip nurseries save seed cane and tissue-culture settlings are used, but single-bud setts do worse than larger setts when planted directly.

Q2417.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IHard

Consider the following statements : 1. Moringa (drumstick tree) is a leguminous evergreen tree. 2. Tamarind tree is endemic to South Asia. 3. In India, most of the tamarind is collected as minor forest produce. 4. India exports tamarind and seeds of moringa. 5. Seeds of moringa and tamarind can be used in the production of biofuels. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. A.1, 2, 4 and 5
  2. B.3, 4 and 5
  3. C.1, 3 and 4
  4. D.1, 2, 3 and 5
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 3, 4 and 5

Moringa is not a legume and tamarind is not native to South Asia, so statements 1 and 2 are false.

Q2418.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2022, GS Paper IHard

According to Kautilya's Arthashastra, which of the following are correct ? 1. A person could be a slave as a result of a judicial punishment. 2. If a female slave bore her master a son, she was legally free. 3. If a son born to a female slave was fathered by her master, the son was entitled to the legal status of the master's son. Which of the statements given above are correct ?

  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: D. 1, 2 and 3

The Arthashastra records all three rules about slavery. Kautilya's Arthashastra, the treatise on statecraft linked to the Mauryan court of Chandragupta Maurya, has a section on dasas, or slaves.

Q2419.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2023, GS Paper IHard

Consider the following activities : 1. Spreading finely ground basalt rock on farmlands extensively 2. Increasing the alkalinity of oceans by adding lime 3. Capturing carbon dioxide released by various industries and pumping it into abandoned subterranean mines in the form of carbonated waters How many of the above activities are often considered and discussed for carbon capture and sequestration?

  1. A.Only one
  2. B.Only two
  3. C.All three
  4. D.None
Show answer
Correct answer: C. All three

Each activity is a recognised way of pulling carbon dioxide out of circulation and locking it away.

Q2420.Awards & HonoursAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2026, GS Paper IHard

X, born in the UK, was conferred the Nobel Prize in 2025. He was a professor in an American university when this prize was announced. Identify 'X':

  1. A.Michel H. Devoret
  2. B.Richard Robson
  3. C.John Clarke
  4. D.Joel Mokyr
Show answer
Correct answer: C. John Clarke

He was born in Cambridge, England, and is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics went to John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis for discovering macroscopic quantum tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit.