Skip to content
GK24
Prime

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

Q2601.General ScienceAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2023, GATEasy

Ms. Rani decides to convert her AC generator into a DC generator. Which one of the following she would need to use ?

  1. A.A split-ring type commutator
  2. B.Slip rings and brushes
  3. C.A stronger magnetic field
  4. D.A rectangular wire loop
Show answer
Correct answer: A. A split-ring type commutator

A split-ring commutator reverses the coil's connection to the outer circuit every half turn, so the current outside flows in one direction only.

Q2604.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2025, GATMedium

In the Harappan Civilization, traces of canals have been found at

  1. A.Banawali
  2. B.Lothal
  3. C.Shortughai
  4. D.Dholavira
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Shortughai

Shortughai, a Harappan trading settlement in north-eastern Afghanistan, is the site where traces of irrigation canals have been found. Most Harappan farmers relied on river floods and wells, and no canals have been found in the Indus heartland.

Q2605.General ScienceAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2026, GATMedium

Consider the following statements : I. A solution of iodine in ethanol known as 'tincture of iodine' is a heterogeneous mixture. II. A suspension is a heterogeneous mixture and its particles scatter a beam of light passing through it, making its path visible. III. A colloidal solution, although it appears homogeneous, is a heterogeneous mixture. 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: B. II and III only

Tincture of iodine is a true solution, which is homogeneous, so statement I is wrong, while II and III are right.

Q2609.GeographyAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2019, Paper IMedium

Doldrum are

1. equatorial calms

2. calm and light winds

3. roaring forties

4. variable both in position and in extent

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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

The doldrums are the equatorial belt of calm and light, variable winds, and the belt shifts with the seasons; they have nothing to do with the roaring forties.

Q2612.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2024, Paper IHard

Consider the following statements:

1. Burden of a tax on a commodity is independent of who (buyer or seller) it is explicitly imposed upon

2. Burden of a tax on a commodity depends on the slope of the demand and supply curves

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

Who finally bears a tax (its incidence) is decided by the market, through the elasticities of demand and supply, not by the law that says who must pay it.

Q2614.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2026, Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements about genetic engineering:

1. The technique of genetic engineering involves creation of recombinant DNA, use of gene cloning and gene transfer.

2. Restriction enzymes cut DNA at specific locations.

3. Restriction enzymes split the entire double-stranded DNA into two strands.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

Genetic engineering uses recombinant DNA, cloning and gene transfer, and restriction enzymes cut DNA at specific sites; but they do not unzip DNA into two strands, so statement 3 is wrong.

Q2616.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2018, Paper IHard

Which one of the following groups belongs to the same school of thought?

  1. A.J. J. Rousseau, M. Robespierre, N. Bonaparte, O. Cromwell
  2. B.T. Jefferson, J. Madison, G. Washington, Abraham Lincoln
  3. C.F. Engels, K. Marx, M. Bakunin, J. S. Mill
  4. D.Georgi Plekhanov, Vera Zasulich, Alexandra Kollontai, V. I. Lenin
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Georgi Plekhanov, Vera Zasulich, Alexandra Kollontai, V. I. Lenin

All four were Russian Marxists, so they belong to one school of thought. Plekhanov is called the father of Russian Marxism; in 1883 he founded the Emancipation of Labour group in Geneva with Vera Zasulich, who had begun as a populist revolutionary.

Q2618.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2025, Paper IEasy

Cholesterol is a type of

  1. A.carbohydrate
  2. B.protein
  3. C.lipid
  4. D.nucleic acid
Show answer
Correct answer: C. lipid

Cholesterol is a sterol, a kind of lipid (fat-like substance) that does not dissolve in water. Cholesterol is made mainly in the liver and also comes from animal foods such as eggs, meat and butter; plants do not contain it.

Q2619.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2026, Paper IEasy

Consider the following statements regarding biodiversity conservation:

1. In situ conservation refers to conservation of species in their natural habitats.

2. Nature reserves are areas specifically designed for wildlife conservation.

3. Captive breeding of animals is an in situ conservation measure.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

Statements 1 and 2 are correct, but captive breeding is an ex situ measure, so statement 3 is wrong. In situ conservation protects plants and animals where they naturally live, along with their whole ecosystem.

Q2620.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2017, Paper IMedium

Which of the following are the necessary conditions for the growth of coral reefs?

1. Photic conditions

2. Clean and sediment free water

3. Sea salinity of 6%

4. Tropical sea water with temperature of 20°C to 21°C

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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

Corals need sunlit, clean, warm tropical water, but a salinity of 6% is far too high for them, so statement 3 is wrong.