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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

Q3381.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2026, GKMedium

Consider the following statements : 1. Packaged foods are purged with nitrogen gas in order to prevent their oxidation. 2. Tooth decay starts when pH of the mouth is lower than 5.5. 3. The reactivity of metals decreases in the order : Mg > Fe > Zn. Which of the statements given above is/are not correct ?

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

Statements 1 and 2 are correct; statement 3 is wrong because zinc is more reactive than iron.

Q3383.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2017, GKEasy

Which one of the following is not a semiconductor?

  1. A.Silicon
  2. B.Germanium
  3. C.Quartz
  4. D.Gallium arsenide
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Quartz

Quartz is crystalline silicon dioxide (SiO₂), an electrical insulator, not a semiconductor. A semiconductor has a conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator, and its conductivity rises with temperature or when impurities are added (doping).

Q3384.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2017, GKMedium

Two wires are made having same length l and area of cross-section A. Wire 1 is made of copper and wire 2 is made of aluminium. It is given that the electrical conductivity of copper is more than that of aluminium. In this context, which one of the following statements is correct?

  1. A.The resistance of wire 1 will be higher than that of wire 2.
  2. B.The resistance of wire 2 will be higher than that of wire 1.
  3. C.The resistance of both the wires will be the same.
  4. D.If same current is flown through both the wires, the power dissipated in both the wires will be the same.
Show answer
Correct answer: B. The resistance of wire 2 will be higher than that of wire 1.

With equal length and area, the wire of lower conductivity, aluminium, has the higher resistance. Resistance is R = ρl/A, where ρ is resistivity, and resistivity is the reciprocal of conductivity (ρ = 1/σ).

Q3385.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2018, GKEasy

Which one of the following does not convert electrical energy into light energy?

  1. A.A candle
  2. B.A light-emitting diode
  3. C.A laser
  4. D.A television set
Show answer
Correct answer: A. A candle

A candle gives light by burning wax, so it converts chemical energy, not electrical energy, into light and heat. In a burning candle the wax vapour combines with oxygen in the air; the chemical energy stored in the wax is released as heat and light.

Q3387.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2019, GKEasy

Which of the following statements with regard to the 'Make in India' initiative is/are correct ? 1. It was launched in the year 2018. 2. Its objective is to foster innovation. Select the correct 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

Make in India was launched in 2014, not 2018, and fostering innovation is one of its stated objectives. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Make in India on 25 September 2014 to turn India into a global hub for design and manufacturing.

Q3388.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2020, GKMedium

Silver articles become black after some time when exposed to air because

  1. A.silver gets oxidized to silver oxide
  2. B.silver reacts with moist carbon dioxide in the air to form silver carbonate
  3. C.silver reacts with sulphur in the air to form a coating of silver sulphide
  4. D.silver reacts with nitrogen oxides in the air to form silver nitrate
Show answer
Correct answer: C. silver reacts with sulphur in the air to form a coating of silver sulphide

The black layer on old silver is silver sulphide (Ag₂S). Air contains traces of sulphur compounds, mainly hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) from burning fuels and decaying matter.

Q3389.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2021, GKEasy

Aluminium is manufactured from

  1. A.Copper ore
  2. B.Bauxite ore
  3. C.Mica ore
  4. D.Manganese ore
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Bauxite ore

Bauxite, a hydrated aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃·2H₂O), is the main ore from which aluminium is extracted. Bauxite is first purified into alumina (aluminium oxide) by the Bayer process.

Q3390.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2021, GKHard

Which one of the following materials is present in a guard tube (drying tube) that is used for preparation of HCl gas ?

  1. A.Calcium chloride
  2. B.Calcium bromide
  3. C.Calcium iodide
  4. D.Calcium fluoride
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Calcium chloride

A guard tube is filled with anhydrous calcium chloride, which absorbs moisture and keeps the hydrogen chloride gas dry. In the school experiment, hydrogen chloride gas is made by heating sodium chloride with concentrated sulphuric acid, and the gas is passed through a guard tube containing calcium chloride.

Q3393.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2023, GKHard

Which of the following is/are the sub-mission/sub-missions of the National Skill Development Mission (NSDM)? 1. Institutional training 2. Overseas employment 3. Leveraging of public infrastructure Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

Institutional training, overseas employment and leveraging of public infrastructure are all sub-missions of the National Skill Development Mission.

Q3396.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2024, GKMedium

The phenomenon of rainbow formation by water droplets involves :

  1. A.single refraction of sunlight
  2. B.one internal reflection of sunlight
  3. C.two internal reflections of sunlight
  4. D.both refraction and internal reflection of sunlight
Show answer
Correct answer: D. both refraction and internal reflection of sunlight

A rainbow forms only because sunlight is refracted, dispersed and internally reflected inside raindrops. When sunlight enters a water droplet it is refracted and split into its colours (dispersion), because each colour bends by a different amount.

Q3398.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2025, GKMedium

Variable oxidation numbers are possible for :

  1. A.Sodium
  2. B.Calcium
  3. C.Iron
  4. D.Lithium
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Iron

Iron is a transition (d-block) element, and such elements can show more than one oxidation state. In transition metals the energies of the outer s electrons and the inner d electrons are very close, so atoms can lose different numbers of electrons.

Q3399.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2026, GKMedium

Which one among the following pairs is not correctly matched ?

  1. A.Nitrogen : Three unpaired electrons
  2. B.Carbon : Tetravalent
  3. C.Chlorine : Two stable isotopic forms
  4. D.Helium : Diatomic gas
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Helium : Diatomic gas

Helium is a noble gas whose atoms exist singly, so it is a monatomic gas, not a diatomic one. Helium has a completely filled first shell (1s²), so its atoms have no tendency to share electrons or bond with each other.

Q3400.Science & TechnologyEasy

Which of the following is NOT one of the four pillars of the quantum programme supported by TDB?

  1. A.Identity security
  2. B.Location integrity
  3. C.Time integrity
  4. D.Climate resilience
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Climate resilience

The four pillars are identity security, location integrity, network security and time integrity. Under identity security the project develops quantum-secure physical unclonable functions and quantum-safe trusted platform modules so that device identity is anchored in hardware.