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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

Q2561.GeographyAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2020, Paper IMedium

Which one of the following statements is NOT correct?

  1. A.Mahogany is a timber species of Tropical Rainforest
  2. B.Chaparral vegetation is found in Taiga climate
  3. C.Lichens are predominantly found in Tundra region
  4. D.Sal is a representative species of Moist Deciduous Forest
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Chaparral vegetation is found in Taiga climate

Chaparral is the shrub vegetation of the Mediterranean climate in California, not of the cold Taiga, so this statement is incorrect.

Q2562.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2020, Paper IHard

Which of the following statements are correct with regard to Speaker/Deputy Speaker, Lok Sabha? 1. On dissolution of the Lok Sabha, both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker cease to be members of the House. 2. Both Speaker and Deputy Speaker vacate their office on dissolution of the Lok Sabha. 3. Only Deputy Speaker vacates his office and Speaker shall not vacate his office until immediately before the first meeting of the Lok Sabha after dissolution. Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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

Dissolution ends the membership of every member, but Article 94 keeps the Speaker in office until just before the new House first meets.

Q2563.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2021, Paper IMedium

Which of the following factors are needed for the growth of corals? 1. Freshwater 2. Clear shallow salt water 3. Plenty of sunlight for photosynthesis 4. Warm water between 23 °C and 25 °C Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

Corals grow in clear, shallow, warm sea water with plenty of sunlight; fresh water kills them. Coral reefs are built by tiny animals called polyps, which take calcium carbonate from sea water to make hard skeletons.

Q2566.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2023, Paper IMedium

The ancient Indian medical treatise for horses called Ashvashastra is attributed to which one of the following persons?

  1. A.Vagbhatta of the seventh century
  2. B.The sage Shalihotra
  3. C.Bhartrihari of the seventh century
  4. D.Varahamihira of the sixth century
Show answer
Correct answer: B. The sage Shalihotra

Indian tradition credits Shalihotra with the science of horses, and veterinary medicine for horses came to be called Shalihotra Shastra after him.

Q2568.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2023, Paper IHard

Consider the following statements with reference to Jainism: 1. Vardhamana Mahavira attained Kaivalyajnana outside the town of Jrimbhikagrama, on the banks of river Rijupalika and in the field of a householder named Samaga. 2. The state when the Karma particles actually begin to flow towards the Jiva to bind it is known as Asrava. 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

Both statements match the Jaina tradition: the place of Mahavira's enlightenment and the meaning of asrava. Mahavira left home at about thirty and spent some twelve years in hard penance.

Q2569.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2024, Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements regarding instruments of Monetary Policy: 1. The Central Bank can increase the money supply by increasing the bank rate 2. The Central Bank can increase the money supply by purchasing securities from the public 3. The Central Bank can decrease the money supply by increasing the cash reserve ratio Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

Buying securities puts money into the economy and raising the cash reserve ratio takes it out, but raising the bank rate reduces money supply instead of increasing it.

Q2571.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2024, Paper IMedium

In recent years, which one among the following is the source of demand in the Indian economy in descending order?

  1. A.Private Consumption, Government Consumption, Net Exports, Gross Fixed Capital Formation
  2. B.Government Consumption, Private Consumption, Net Exports, Gross Fixed Capital Formation
  3. C.Private Consumption, Gross Fixed Capital Formation, Government Consumption, Net Exports
  4. D.Government Consumption, Private Consumption, Gross Fixed Capital Formation, Net Exports
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Private Consumption, Gross Fixed Capital Formation, Government Consumption, Net Exports

On the expenditure side of India's GDP, private consumption is the largest share, investment (gross fixed capital formation) comes next, then government consumption, and net exports come last.

Q2572.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2025, Paper IMedium

Which one among the following statements is not correct?

  1. A.The reaction of methane and chlorine in sunlight produces hydrogen gas.
  2. B.Palladium catalyzes the addition of hydrogen gas on an alkene.
  3. C.Ethanol burns in oxygen to give carbon dioxide, water and releases heat and light.
  4. D.Unsaturated hydrocarbons burn with a sooty flame.
Show answer
Correct answer: A. The reaction of methane and chlorine in sunlight produces hydrogen gas.

Methane and chlorine react in sunlight to give chloromethane and hydrogen chloride, not hydrogen gas. This is a substitution reaction: CH4 + Cl2 → CH3Cl + HCl in the presence of sunlight.

Q2573.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2025, Paper IMedium

Which of the following statements relating to carbon and its compounds are correct? 1. 1-Propyne has three double bonds. 2. The boiling point of acetic acid is higher than methane. 3. Ethanol reacts with sodium metal and produces hydrogen gas. 4. Esters give effervescence on reaction with sodium bicarbonate. Select the answer using the code given below.

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

Acetic acid boils far above methane, and ethanol gives hydrogen with sodium, while statements 1 and 4 are false. Propyne (CH3–C≡CH) is an alkyne: it has one carbon–carbon triple bond and no double bonds, so statement 1 is wrong.

Q2574.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2025, Paper IMedium

Which one among the following statements regarding gypsum is not correct?

  1. A.On heating gypsum at 373 K, it loses water molecules and becomes CaSO4 · H2O.
  2. B.On mixing with water, plaster of Paris changes to gypsum.
  3. C.Plaster of Paris is used for supporting fractured bones.
  4. D.Although gypsum possesses water of crystallization, it is not a liquid at room temperature.
Show answer
Correct answer: A. On heating gypsum at 373 K, it loses water molecules and becomes CaSO4 · H2O.

Gypsum heated at 373 K becomes calcium sulphate hemihydrate, CaSO4 · ½H2O, which is plaster of Paris, not CaSO4 · H2O as the statement says.

Q2575.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2026, Paper IMedium

Which one of the following factors is responsible for the spread of myxomatosis, a severe viral disease among rabbits?

  1. A.Higher water temperature
  2. B.Higher soil temperature
  3. C.High population density of rabbits
  4. D.Low population density of rabbits
Show answer
Correct answer: C. High population density of rabbits

Myxomatosis passes from rabbit to rabbit through biting insects and contact, so it spreads fastest where rabbits are crowded together.

Q2576.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2026, Paper IEasy

Which of the following is/are the basic step(s) in genetically modifying an organism? 1. Identification of DNA with desirable genes 2. Introduction of the identified DNA into the host 3. Maintenance of introduced DNA in the host and transfer of the DNA to its progeny Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

Making a genetically modified organism needs all three steps: find the useful DNA, put it into the host, and make sure the host keeps it and passes it on.

Q2577.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2026, Paper IEasy

In which one of the following regions of the Earth is the ozone hole prominently observed in the stratosphere?

  1. A.Equatorial region
  2. B.Arctic region
  3. C.Antarctic region
  4. D.Tropical region
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Antarctic region

The ozone hole, a sharp seasonal thinning of stratospheric ozone, forms every southern spring over Antarctica. During the long polar winter a strong circular wind, the polar vortex, isolates the air over Antarctica, and temperatures fall low enough to form polar stratospheric clouds.

Q2578.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2026, Paper IMedium

Which of the following statements about eutrophication is/are correct? 1. Eutrophication takes place in young lakes when the water is cold and clear. 2. Eutrophication is caused by nutrient enrichment in water bodies. Select the answer using the code given below.

  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

Eutrophication is the enrichment of a water body with nutrients, so statement 2 is correct, while statement 1 describes the opposite condition.

Q2579.General ScienceAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2018, GATMedium

If one set of chromosomes for a given plant is represented as N; in case of double fertilization, the zygote and the endosperm nucleus of a diploid plant would have how many sets of chromosomes respectively?

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

The zygote is diploid (2N) and the primary endosperm nucleus is triploid (3N). Double fertilisation is a feature of flowering plants.

Q2580.General ScienceAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2019, GATEasy

Which one of the following statements is NOT correct for the given reaction? Fe(s) + CuSO4(aq) → FeSO4(aq) + Cu(s)

  1. A.Iron is the reducing agent
  2. B.The solution turns green in colour after the reaction
  3. C.Copper is a more reactive metal than iron
  4. D.The reaction is an example of a redox reaction
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Copper is a more reactive metal than iron

The reaction happens because iron is more reactive than copper and pushes it out of its salt, so statement C is false.