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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

Q3321.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2023, GS Paper IHard

Which one of the following explains the practice of 'Vattakirutal' as mentioned in Sangam poems?

  1. A.Kings employing women bodyguards
  2. B.Learned persons assembling in royal courts to discuss religious and philosophical matters
  3. C.Young girls keeping watch over agricultural fields and driving away birds and animals
  4. D.A king defeated in a battle committing ritual suicide by starving himself to death
Show answer
Correct answer: D. A king defeated in a battle committing ritual suicide by starving himself to death

Vadakkiruttal, literally "sitting facing the north", was the Sangam practice in which a defeated or dishonoured king sat facing north and fasted until death.

Q3322.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2025, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements : I. No virus can survive in ocean waters. II. No virus can infect bacteria. III. No virus can change the cellular transcriptional activity in host cells. How many of the statements given above are correct?

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

Each statement says "no virus can", and each is disproved by well-known viruses.

Q3323.Science & TechnologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IHard

In the Indian context, what is the implication of ratifying the 'Additional Protocol' with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) ?

  1. A.The civilian nuclear reactors come under IAEA safeguards.
  2. B.The military nuclear installations come under the inspection of IAEA.
  3. C.The country will have the privilege to buy uranium from the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
  4. D.The country automatically becomes a member of the NSG.
Show answer
Correct answer: A. The civilian nuclear reactors come under IAEA safeguards.

For India, the Additional Protocol strengthens IAEA oversight of the civilian nuclear facilities India has chosen to place under safeguards; its military programme stays outside.

Q3324.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2019, GS Paper IMedium

For the measurement/estimation of which of the following are satellite images/remote sensing data used? 1. Chlorophyll content in the vegetation of a specific location 2. Greenhouse gas emissions from rice paddies of a specific location 3. Land surface temperatures of a specific location Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

Satellite sensors are used to estimate all three, because each leaves a signature in the light or heat a place gives off.

Q3325.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2020, GS Paper IMedium

Which of the following are the reasons/factors for exposure to benzene pollution ? 1. Automobile exhaust 2. Tobacco smoke 3. Wood burning 4. Using varnished wooden furniture 5. Using products made of polyurethane Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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

All five release benzene, either by burning carbon-based material or by giving off fumes from solvents and synthetic materials. Benzene is a volatile organic compound and a known human carcinogen linked to leukaemia.

Q3326.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IHard

With reference to the history of ancient India, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. Mitakshara was the civil law for upper castes and Dayabhaga was the civil law for lower castes. 2. In the Mitakshara system, the sons can claim right to the property during the lifetime of the father, whereas in the Dayabhaga system, it is only after the death of the father that the sons can claim right to the property. 3. The Mitakshara system deals with the matters related to the property held by male members only of a family, whereas the Dayabhaga system deals with the matters related to the property held by both male and female members of a family. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

The real difference between the two schools is when a son's right to ancestral property arises, not caste or the sex of the owner.

Q3327.Science & TechnologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2022, GS Paper IMedium

Which one of the following statements best reflects the idea behind the "Fractional Orbital Bombardment System" often talked about in media ?

  1. A.A hypersonic missile is launched into space to counter the asteroid approaching the Earth and explode it in space.
  2. B.A spacecraft lands on another planet after making several orbital motions.
  3. C.A missile is put into a stable orbit around the Earth and deorbits over a target on the Earth.
  4. D.A spacecraft moves along a comet with the same speed and places a probe on its surface.
Show answer
Correct answer: C. A missile is put into a stable orbit around the Earth and deorbits over a target on the Earth.

In a Fractional Orbital Bombardment System, a warhead is placed in a low orbit around the Earth and then brought down out of that orbit onto its target.

Q3329.Environment & EcologyAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2018, GATHard

Consider the following Wildlife Sanctuaries of India: 1. Shikari Devi 2. Bhadra 3. Simlipal 4. Pachmarhi Which one of the following is the correct order of the above Wildlife Sanctuaries in terms of their location from south to north?

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

From south to north the order is Bhadra (Karnataka), Simlipal (Odisha), Pachmarhi (Madhya Pradesh) and Shikari Devi (Himachal Pradesh). Bhadra lies in the Western Ghats of Chikkamagaluru district, Karnataka, at about 13.5°N, and is a tiger reserve.

Q3330.GeographyAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2019, GATHard

"Inversion of Rainfall" is associated with

  1. A.Orographic rainfall
  2. B.Convectional rainfall
  3. C.Cyclonic rainfall (Tropical)
  4. D.Cyclonic rainfall (Temperate)
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Orographic rainfall

On a mountain slope, rainfall increases with height only up to a certain level and then decreases above it; this is called the inversion of rainfall.

Q3333.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2023, GATHard

In which one of the following ways did the First World War Not impact Europe?

  1. A.From a continent of creditors it turned into a continent of debtors
  2. B.Soldiers came to be placed higher in social status than civilians
  3. C.Popular support decreased for conservative dictatorship which had come into being recently
  4. D.National honour occupied centre stage in the public sphere
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Popular support decreased for conservative dictatorship which had come into being recently

The war did not reduce support for conservative dictatorships; popular support for them actually grew after 1918. The First World War (1914–18) left Europe drained.

Q3334.GeographyAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2024, GATEasy

Which of the following statements regarding clouds is/are correct? 1. Clouds are classified on the basis of altitude and their form. 2. According to altitude they are classified as High, Middle and Low clouds. 3. Stratus, Nimbostratus and Stratocumulus are high clouds. Select the answer using the code given below:

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

Clouds are grouped by height and shape into high, middle and low families, but stratus, nimbostratus and stratocumulus are low clouds, not high ones.

Q3335.Indian EconomyAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2024, GATHard

Which among the following statements with regard to Five Year Plans in India is/are correct? 1. The First and Ninth five year plans accorded high priority to agriculture 2. The Third Plan was based on the Harrod-Domar Model 3. Seventh Plan focused on food, work and productivity 4. The Ninth five year plan emphasized on massive investments in public sector Select the answer using the code given below:

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

The First and Ninth Plans gave top priority to agriculture, and the Seventh Plan's slogan was food, work and productivity.

Q3336.General ScienceAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2025, GATMedium

Which one of the following statements is correct?

  1. A.A neutron is formed by combination of an electron and a proton. Therefore, it is neutral
  2. B.The mass of an electron is about 1/2000 times that of a proton
  3. C.An isotope of cobalt is used in the treatment of goiter
  4. D.J.J. Thomson proposed that the nucleus of an atom contains only neutrons
Show answer
Correct answer: B. The mass of an electron is about 1/2000 times that of a proton

An electron's mass is about 1/1836 of a proton's, which is roughly 1/2000. The electron has a mass of about 9.1 × 10⁻³¹ kg, while the proton has about 1.67 × 10⁻²⁷ kg, nearly 1,836 times heavier.

Q3338.General ScienceAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2018, GATMedium

AIDS is caused by a virus whose genetic material is

  1. A.single stranded circular DNA
  2. B.double stranded DNA
  3. C.single stranded RNA
  4. D.double stranded RNA
Show answer
Correct answer: C. single stranded RNA

AIDS is caused by HIV, a retrovirus whose genome is two copies of single-stranded RNA. After HIV enters a helper T-cell (CD4 cell), its enzyme reverse transcriptase copies the viral RNA into DNA, which is then built into the host cell's own DNA.

Q3340.General ScienceAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2019, GATMedium

If the work done on the system or by the system is zero, which one of the following statements for a gas kept at a certain temperature is correct?

  1. A.Change in internal energy of the system is equal to flow of heat in or out of the system.
  2. B.Change in internal energy of the system is less than heat transferred.
  3. C.Change in internal energy of the system is more than the heat flow.
  4. D.Cannot be determined.
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Change in internal energy of the system is equal to flow of heat in or out of the system.

With no work done, the first law of thermodynamics reduces to ΔU = Q, so the change in internal energy equals the heat that flows in or out.