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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

Q3641.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2016, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following pairs :

Terms sometimes seen in the news — Their origin

1. Annex-I Countries — Cartagena Protocol

2. Certified Emissions Reductions — Nagoya Protocol

3. Clean Development Mechanism — Kyoto Protocol

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

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

All three terms come from the climate treaties, the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol, so only the third pair is right.

Q3642.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IMedium

The object of the Butler Committee of 1927 was to

  1. A.Define the jurisdiction of the Central and Provincial Governments.
  2. B.Define the powers of the Secretary of State for India.
  3. C.Impose censorship on national press.
  4. D.Improve the relationship between the Government of India and the Indian States.
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Improve the relationship between the Government of India and the Indian States.

The Butler Committee was set up to examine the ties between the British paramount power and the princely states. The Indian States Committee was appointed in 1927 under Sir Harcourt Butler, with its report coming in 1929.

Q3643.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2022, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following pairs :

Peak — Mountains

1. Namcha Barwa — Garhwal Himalaya

2. Nanda Devi — Kumaon Himalaya

3. Nokrek — Sikkim Himalaya

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

  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

Nanda Devi belongs to the Kumaon Himalaya, but Namcha Barwa and Nokrek are wrongly placed. Nanda Devi (7,816 m) is the highest peak lying wholly within India and the highest in Uttarakhand.

Q3645.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2019, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following pairs :

Famous place — River

1. Pandharpur : Chandrabhaga

2. Tiruchirappalli : Cauvery

3. Hampi : Malaprabha

Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

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

Pandharpur stands on the Chandrabhaga and Tiruchirappalli on the Cauvery, but Hampi lies on the Tungabhadra, not the Malaprabha. Pandharpur in Solapur district of Maharashtra is the seat of Lord Vitthal (Vithoba) and the goal of the Warkari pilgrimage.

Q3646.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IEasy

In case of which one of the following biogeochemical cycles, the weathering of rocks is the main source of release of nutrient to enter the cycle?

  1. A.Carbon cycle
  2. B.Nitrogen cycle
  3. C.Phosphorus cycle
  4. D.Sulphur cycle
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Phosphorus cycle

Phosphorus has no gaseous form in the cycle, so it enters ecosystems mainly when phosphate rocks weather. The phosphorus cycle is a sedimentary cycle.

Q3649.General ScienceAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2018, GATEasy

Which of the following properties is true for a tooth paste?

  1. A.It is acidic
  2. B.It is neutral
  3. C.It is basic
  4. D.It is made up of Calcium phosphate, the material of tooth enamel
Show answer
Correct answer: C. It is basic

Toothpaste is mildly basic so that it can neutralise the acid that causes tooth decay. Bacteria in the mouth break down sugar and food particles left on the teeth and produce acids.

Q3655.General ScienceAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2023, GATMedium

In angiosperms, pollen grain germinates to produce two male gametes. Which one of the following functions is carried out by these gametes?

  1. A.Both the gametes fuse with a single egg cell
  2. B.Both the gametes fuse with two different egg cells
  3. C.One gamete fuses with the egg cell and the other one eventually degenerate
  4. D.One gamete fuses with the egg cell and the other one fuses with a diploid secondary nucleus
Show answer
Correct answer: D. One gamete fuses with the egg cell and the other one fuses with a diploid secondary nucleus

This is double fertilisation, a feature found only in flowering plants. The pollen tube carries the two male gametes into the embryo sac.

Q3657.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2025, GATEasy

Which among the following Acts provided for the establishment of a Supreme Court of Justice at Calcutta for Europeans, their employees and the citizens of India?

  1. A.The Regulating Act of 1773
  2. B.The Charter Act of 1793
  3. C.The Charter Act of 1813
  4. D.Government of India Act of 1858
Show answer
Correct answer: A. The Regulating Act of 1773

This first act of the British Parliament to control the East India Company provided for a Supreme Court of Judicature at Calcutta.

Q3659.General ScienceAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2017, GATEasy

Temporary hardness in water is due to which one of the following of Calcium and Magnesium?

  1. A.Hydrogencarbonates
  2. B.Carbonates
  3. C.Chlorides
  4. D.Sulphates
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Hydrogencarbonates

Temporary hardness comes from dissolved calcium and magnesium hydrogencarbonates (bicarbonates), and it can be removed simply by boiling. On boiling, calcium hydrogencarbonate breaks down into insoluble calcium carbonate, water and carbon dioxide, and the carbonate settles out; this is the scale seen inside kettles.