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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

Q4401.Awards & HonoursAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2025, GKEasy

Which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. C. Rajagopalachari was the first recipient of the Bharat Ratna. 2. Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya initiated the concept of 'Integral Humanism'. 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

C. Rajagopalachari is listed first among the first Bharat Ratna awardees of 1954, and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya gave the philosophy of Integral Humanism.

Q4403.Indian PolityAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2026, GKMedium

Which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. In First-Past-the-Post system of representation, candidate who wins the election may not get majority votes 2. In Proportional Representation system of representation, candidate who wins the election gets majority of votes 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: A. 1 only

Under First-Past-the-Post a candidate needs only more votes than any rival, not a majority, while Proportional Representation does not require a winner to secure a majority either.

Q4404.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2024, GS Paper IEasy

With reference to "Coriolis force", which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. It increases with increase in wind velocity. 2. It is maximum at the poles and is absent at the equator. 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 Coriolis force grows with the speed of the wind and with latitude, so it is strongest at the poles and zero at the equator.

Q4405.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2025, GS Paper IEasy

Who among the following led a successful military campaign against the kingdom of Srivijaya, the powerful maritime State, which ruled the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java and the neighbouring islands?

  1. A.Amoghavarsha (Rashtrakuta)
  2. B.Prataparudra (Kakatiya)
  3. C.Rajendra I (Chola)
  4. D.Vishnuvardhana (Hoysala)
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Rajendra I (Chola)

Around 1025 CE Rajendra Chola I sent a naval expedition that raided Kadaram (Kedah) and other ports of the Srivijaya kingdom.

Q4406.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2016, GS Paper IMedium

What is/are the importance/importances of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification? 1. It aims to promote effective action through innovative national programmes and supportive international partnerships. 2. It has a special/particular focus on South Asia and North Africa regions, and its Secretariat facilitates the allocation of major portion of financial resources to these regions. 3. It is committed to bottom-up approach, encouraging the participation of local people in combating the desertification. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

The UNCCD works through national action programmes, international partnership and local participation, but its special focus is Africa, not South Asia and North Africa.

Q4407.Art & CultureAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IMedium

With reference to Manipuri Sankirtana, consider the following statements: 1. It is a song and dance performance. 2. Cymbals are the only musical instruments used in the performance. 3. It is performed to narrate the life and deeds of Lord Krishna. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

Sankirtana combines singing, drumming and dance to tell the life and deeds of Krishna, but cymbals are not its only instruments.

Q4408.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IMedium

He wrote biographies of Mazzini, Garibaldi, Shivaji and Shrikrishna; stayed in America for some time; and was also elected to the Central Assembly. He was

  1. A.Aurobindo Ghosh
  2. B.Bipin Chandra Pal
  3. C.Lala Lajpat Rai
  4. D.Motilal Nehru
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Lala Lajpat Rai

The Punjab leader wrote these biographies, lived in the United States during the First World War and was elected to the Central Legislative Assembly in 1926.

Q4409.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2019, GS Paper IHard

With reference to forced labour (Vishti) in India during the Gupta period, which one of the following statements is correct?

  1. A.It was considered a source of income for the State, a sort of tax paid by the people.
  2. B.It was totally absent in the Madhya Pradesh and Kathiawar regions of the Gupta Empire.
  3. C.The forced labourer was entitled to weekly wages.
  4. D.The eldest son of the labourer was sent as the forced labourer.
Show answer
Correct answer: A. It was considered a source of income for the State, a sort of tax paid by the people.

Vishti was unpaid labour that subjects owed to the king, so it worked like a tax paid in work instead of money or grain.

Q4410.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2020, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements: 1. According to the Constitution of India, a person who is eligible to vote can be made a minister in a State for six months even if he/she is not a member of the Legislature of that State. 2. According to the Representation of People Act, 1951, a person convicted of a criminal offence and sentenced to imprisonment for five years is permanently disqualified from contesting an election even after his release from prison. 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: D. Neither 1 nor 2

Being eligible to vote is not enough to become a minister, and the disqualification after a conviction is not permanent.

Q4411.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2023, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements: Statement-I: Marsupials are not naturally found in India. Statement-II: Marsupials can thrive only in montane grasslands with no predators. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. A.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I
  2. B.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I
  3. C.Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect
  4. D.Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect

India has no native marsupials, but marsupials are not confined to predator-free montane grasslands. Marsupials are mammals whose young are born at a very early stage and usually grow further in the mother's pouch.

Q4412.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2024, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following description: 1. Annual and daily range of temperatures is low. 2. Precipitation occurs throughout the year. 3. Precipitation varies between 50 cm - 250 cm. What is this type of climate?

  1. A.Equatorial climate
  2. B.China type climate
  3. C.Humid subtropical climate
  4. D.Marine West coast climate
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Marine West coast climate

Mild temperatures with small ranges, rain in every month and a total of about 50 to 250 cm describe the west coast marine (Cfb) type.

Q4413.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2025, GS Paper IEasy

Fa-hien (Faxian), the Chinese pilgrim, travelled to India during the reign of

  1. A.Samudragupta
  2. B.Chandragupta II
  3. C.Kumaragupta I
  4. D.Skandagupta
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Chandragupta II

Fa-hien was in India from about 399 to 414 CE, when Chandragupta II Vikramaditya ruled the Gupta empire. Faxian was a Chinese Buddhist monk who set out overland to collect Buddhist texts, especially rules of monastic discipline.

Q4414.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2019, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following: 1. Deification of the Buddha 2. Treading the path of Bodhisattvas 3. Image worship and rituals Which of the above is/are the feature/features of Mahayana Buddhism?

  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: D. 1, 2 and 3

All three are marks of Mahayana Buddhism, the 'Great Vehicle' that grew from around the beginning of the Common Era.

Q4415.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2020, GS Paper IEasy

With reference to the provisions contained in Part IV of the Constitution of India, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. They shall be enforceable by courts. 2. They shall not be enforceable by any court. 3. The principles laid down in this part are to influence the making of laws by the State. Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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

Part IV holds the Directive Principles of State Policy, which no court can enforce but which the State must apply in making laws.

Q4416.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2023, GS Paper IHard

Consider the following statements: 1. Amarkantak Hills are at the confluence of Vindhya and Sahyadri Ranges. 2. Biligirirangan Hills constitute the easternmost part of Satpura Range. 3. Seshachalam Hills constitute the southernmost part of Western Ghats. How many of the statements given above are correct?

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

Each statement places the hills in the wrong range. Statement 1 is wrong: Amarkantak, the source of the Narmada and the Son, lies in the Maikal hills where the Vindhya and Satpura ranges meet.

Q4417.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2024, GS Paper IEasy

With reference to "water vapour", which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. It is a gas, the amount of which decreases with altitude. 2. Its percentage is maximum at the poles. 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: A. 1 only

Water vapour thins out quickly with height, but it is most plentiful in the warm tropics, not at the poles.

Q4419.Art & CultureAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2026, GS Paper IMedium

What does an empty seat represent in early Buddhist iconography?

  1. A.The meditation of the Buddha
  2. B.The Buddha's First Sermon
  3. C.The Buddha's Mahaparinibbana
  4. D.The Buddha's Mahabhinishkramana
Show answer
Correct answer: A. The meditation of the Buddha

In early Buddhist art the Buddha was not shown in human form, and an empty seat stood for him seated in meditation.

Q4420.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2019, GS Paper IHard

In which of the following relief sculpture inscriptions is 'Ranyo Ashoka' (King Ashoka) mentioned along with the stone portrait of Ashoka?

  1. A.Kanganahalli
  2. B.Sanchi
  3. C.Shahbazgarhi
  4. D.Sohgaura
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Kanganahalli

A relief panel from the stupa at Kanganahalli in Karnataka shows a king with his queens and carries the label 'Raya Asoko' (Ranyo Ashoka), making it the only known portrait of Ashoka named in an inscription.