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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

Q3343.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2023, GATEasy

The "Reign of Terror" in revolutionary France referred to

  1. A.Bands of revolutionaries moving around to terrorise people who did not participate in the revolution
  2. B.The royal forces punishing people who participated in the revolution
  3. C.Trial and beheading persons considered enemies of the republic by the revolutionary tribunal
  4. D.The general atmosphere of insecurity perceived by people after the beheading of the king
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Trial and beheading persons considered enemies of the republic by the revolutionary tribunal

The Reign of Terror (1793–94) was the period when revolutionary tribunals tried and guillotined people seen as enemies of the republic.

Q3344.Indian EconomyAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2024, GATMedium

Which among the following is/are the objective(s) of setting up of Planning Commission in the 1950s in India? 1. To increase production and offering opportunities to all for employment 2. To make assessment of all resources of the country 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: C. Both 1 and 2

The Cabinet resolution that set up the Planning Commission in March 1950 named both aims.

Q3345.General ScienceAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2025, GATMedium

Which one of the following statements is NOT correct?

  1. A.The molecules of soap are sodium or potassium salts of long chain fatty acids
  2. B.The molecules of soap contain both hydrophobic and hydrophilic ends
  3. C.Detergents are more effective than soaps in hard water
  4. D.In micelles the ionic-end of the molecules is towards oil droplet while the other end faces outside
Show answer
Correct answer: D. In micelles the ionic-end of the molecules is towards oil droplet while the other end faces outside

In a micelle it is the long hydrocarbon tail that points into the oil droplet, while the ionic end faces outward into the water, so statement D reverses the real picture.

Q3346.General ScienceAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2026, GATHard

An insulating container contains 250 g of water at 20°C. Steam at 100°C is passed through it, heating it up to 25°C. During this process, part of the steam also gets condensed, raising the mass of water to 252 g. If the specific heat of water is 1 Cal g⁻¹ °C⁻¹, then what is the value of the latent heat of steam?

  1. A.530 Cal/g
  2. B.540 Cal/g
  3. C.550 Cal/g
  4. D.560 Cal/g
Show answer
Correct answer: C. 550 Cal/g

The heat given out by 2 g of steam equals the heat taken in by 250 g of water, and that balance gives L = 550 Cal/g. The water warms from 20°C to 25°C, so it absorbs 250 × 1 × 5 = 1250 Cal.

Q3348.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2018, Paper IMedium

Statement I : Mahatma Gandhi went on a fast unto death against the Communal Award announced by the British Government. Statement II : The Poona Pact resulted in a joint electorate with an enhanced number of seats reserved for Depressed Classes.

  1. A.Both the statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I
  2. B.Both the statements are individually true but Statement II is not the correct explanation of Statement I
  3. C.Statement I is true but Statement II is false
  4. D.Statement I is false but Statement II is true
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Both the statements are individually true but Statement II is not the correct explanation of Statement I

Both statements are true, but the Poona Pact was the result of Gandhi's fast, not the reason for it, so Statement II does not explain Statement I. British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald announced the Communal Award in August 1932.

Q3349.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2019, Paper IMedium

Which one of the following statements is true with regard to an economy which is on its production possibility frontier?

  1. A.The economy has to sacrifice some production of one commodity in order to increase the production of another commodity
  2. B.There is no limit or constraint for the economy in the production of goods and services
  3. C.The economy can produce more of one commodity up to a point without reducing the production of any other commodity
  4. D.Its production possibility frontier is an upward sloping curve
Show answer
Correct answer: A. The economy has to sacrifice some production of one commodity in order to increase the production of another commodity

On the frontier all resources are fully and efficiently used, so producing more of one good is possible only by giving up some of the other.

Q3352.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2023, Paper IEasy

Lactic acid is formed in the muscles during exercise or running. It is formed :

  1. A.to give extra energy from fat.
  2. B.to give extra oxygen from lungs.
  3. C.to give extra energy from glucose.
  4. D.to give extra energy from vitamins.
Show answer
Correct answer: C. to give extra energy from glucose.

When oxygen runs short during hard exercise, muscle cells break glucose down anaerobically, and lactic acid is the by-product. In glycolysis, which takes place in the cytoplasm, one molecule of glucose splits into two molecules of pyruvate and yields a little ATP.

Q3353.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2024, Paper IMedium

Which of the following statements are correct? 1. The Third Round Table Conference met in London in November 1932 without the participation of Congress 2. The discussions in the Third Round Table Conference led to the passing of the Government of India Act, 1935 3. The Government of India Act, 1935 did not favor the idea of provincial autonomy 4. The Governor was not given any power in the Act of 1935 to take over and run the administration of a province Select the answer using the code given below:

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

The Third Round Table Conference met in London in November 1932 without the Congress, and its work led to the Government of India Act, 1935.

Q3354.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2018, Paper IEasy

Statement I : A compass needle placed near a current-carrying wire will get deflected. Statement II : A current-carrying wire creates magnetic field around it.

  1. A.Both the statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I
  2. B.Both the statements are individually true but Statement II is not the correct explanation of Statement I
  3. C.Statement I is true but Statement II is false
  4. D.Statement I is false but Statement II is true
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Both the statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I

Both statements are true, and the magnetic field set up by the current (Statement II) is exactly why the compass needle turns (Statement I).

Q3355.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2019, Paper IMedium

Which one of the following is an example of a price ceiling?

  1. A.Fares charged by Airlines in India
  2. B.Price printed on biscuit packets
  3. C.Minimum support price for cane growers
  4. D.Minimum wages fixed by state Governments
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Price printed on biscuit packets

The printed maximum retail price is the most a seller may charge, so it works as an upper limit, a price ceiling.

Q3356.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2021, Paper IEasy

On the basis of employment conditions, the economy is divided into

  1. A.organized and unorganized sectors
  2. B.private and public sectors
  3. C.seasonal and disguised sectors
  4. D.primary, secondary and tertiary sectors
Show answer
Correct answer: A. organized and unorganized sectors

The terms of employment, such as regular jobs, fixed hours and legal protection, decide whether work belongs to the organized or the unorganized sector.

Q3358.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2026, Paper IMedium

Which of the following statements about Article 20(1) of the Constitution of India is/are correct? 1. It contains a provision against ex post facto legislation. 2. A legislation shall not be competent to make a criminal law retrospective. 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: C. Both 1 and 2

Article 20(1) bars ex post facto criminal laws, so a legislature cannot make a criminal law apply retrospectively. Article 20 gives protection in respect of conviction for offences.

Q3359.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2017, Paper IHard

Which one of the following statements about the Gupta period is NOT correct?

  1. A.Forced labour (Vishti) became more common than before in this period
  2. B.A passage in the Vishnu Purana refers to the Guptas enjoying all the territories along the Ganga up to Prayaga
  3. C.The Mehrauli inscription suggests that Chandragupta fought against a confederacy of enemies in Bengal and also led a campaign into the Punjab
  4. D.Saurashtra was not a part of the Gupta Empire
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Saurashtra was not a part of the Gupta Empire

This statement is false: Saurashtra was a Gupta province after Chandragupta II defeated the Western Kshatrapas. Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya) ended the rule of the Shaka Western Kshatrapas in Gujarat and Malwa around the end of the fourth century, adding Saurashtra and the western ports to the empire.