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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

Q4521.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2020, GS Paper IMedium

One common agreement between Gandhism and Marxism is

  1. A.the final goal of a stateless society
  2. B.class struggle
  3. C.abolition of private property
  4. D.economic determinism
Show answer
Correct answer: A. the final goal of a stateless society

Both Gandhi and Marx saw the State as an instrument of coercion and imagined an ideal society in which it would no longer be needed.

Q4522.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IEasy

Which one of the following effects of creation of black money in India has been the main cause of worry to the Government of India?

  1. A.Diversion of resources to the purchase of real estate and investment in luxury housing
  2. B.Investment in unproductive activities and purchase of precious stones, jewellery, gold, etc.
  3. C.Large donations to political parties and growth of regionalism
  4. D.Loss of revenue to the State Exchequer due to tax evasion
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Loss of revenue to the State Exchequer due to tax evasion

Black money is, by definition, income hidden from the tax authorities, so its most direct and serious effect is the tax the government never receives.

Q4523.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2022, GS Paper IMedium

Which of the following activities constitute real sector in the economy ?

1. Farmers harvesting their crops

2. Textile mills converting raw cotton into fabrics

3. A commercial bank lending money to a trading company

4. A corporate body issuing Rupee Denominated Bonds overseas

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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

The real sector produces actual goods and services, so harvesting crops and making cloth belong to it, while lending and issuing bonds belong to the financial sector.

Q4524.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2023, GS Paper IEasy

About three-fourths of world's cobalt, a metal required for the manufacture of batteries for electric motor vehicles, is produced by

  1. A.Argentina
  2. B.Botswana
  3. C.the Democratic Republic of the Congo
  4. D.Kazakhstan
Show answer
Correct answer: C. the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The DRC mines roughly three-quarters of the world's cobalt, far ahead of any other country. Cobalt is used in the cathodes of lithium-ion batteries because it keeps them stable and lets them store more energy, which is why demand has risen with electric vehicles and mobile phones.

Q4525.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2024, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following information :

Waterfall : Region : River

1. Dhuandhar : Malwa : Narmada

2. Hundru : Chota Nagpur : Subarnarekha

3. Gersoppa : Western Ghats : Netravati

In how many of the above rows is the given information correctly matched ?

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

Only row 2 is fully correct; rows 1 and 3 each have a wrong entry. Hundru Falls, near Ranchi in Jharkhand, is formed where the Subarnarekha river drops off the edge of the Ranchi plateau, part of the Chota Nagpur region, so row 2 is right.

Q4526.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2025, GS Paper IEasy

Consider the following statements about Raja Ram Mohan Roy :

I. He possessed great love and respect for the traditional philosophical systems of the East.

II. He desired his countrymen to accept the rational and scientific approach and the principle of human dignity and social equality of all men and women.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A.I only
  2. B.II only
  3. C.Both I and II
  4. D.Neither I nor II
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Both I and II

Ram Mohan Roy respected the philosophical heritage of the East while urging Indians to adopt reason, science and social equality.

Q4527.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2026, GS Paper IHard

Consider the following statements relating to the use of the place-value system in India :

1. The earliest epigraphic use of the place-value system in India is found in the Mankani plates from Gujarat (AD 595 - 596).

2. In the ninth century, place-values become general in inscriptions all over India.

3. The place-values have been found in Sanskrit inscriptions in South-east Asia as early as the seventh century.

Which of the statements given above are correct ?

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

All three statements match what inscriptions tell us about how the decimal place-value system spread. In the place-value system, the value of a digit depends on its position, so nine digits and a zero can write any number.

Q4528.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IEasy

Which one of the following statements is correct ?

  1. A.Rights are claims of the State against the citizens.
  2. B.Rights are privileges which are incorporated in the Constitution of a State.
  3. C.Rights are claims of the citizens against the State.
  4. D.Rights are privileges of a few citizens against the many.
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Rights are claims of the citizens against the State.

A right is a claim that the individual makes and that the State recognises and is bound to respect. In political theory, rights mark out an area of freedom that the State must not enter and conditions it must secure.

Q4529.Banking & Financial AwarenessAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IEasy

Which one of the following best describes the term "Merchant Discount Rate" sometimes seen in news ?

  1. A.The incentive given by a bank to a merchant for accepting payments through debit cards pertaining to that bank.
  2. B.The amount paid back by banks to their customers when they use debit cards for financial transactions for purchasing goods or services.
  3. C.The charge to a merchant by a bank for accepting payments from his customers through the bank's debit cards.
  4. D.The incentive given by the Government to merchants for promoting digital payments by their customers through Point of Sale (PoS) machines and debit cards.
Show answer
Correct answer: C. The charge to a merchant by a bank for accepting payments from his customers through the bank's debit cards.

The Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) is the fee a bank charges a merchant for processing payments the merchant receives from customers by card.

Q4530.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2019, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following pairs :

Movement/Organization : Leader

1. All India Anti-Untouchability League : Mahatma Gandhi

2. All India Kisan Sabha : Swami Sahajanand Saraswati

3. Self-Respect Movement : E. V. Ramaswami Naicker

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

  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 organisations are correctly paired with the leaders who founded or led them. Mahatma Gandhi founded the All India Anti-Untouchability League in September 1932, soon after the Poona Pact; it was renamed the Harijan Sevak Sangh in 1933.

Q4532.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements :

The effect of devaluation of a currency is that it necessarily

1. improves the competitiveness of the domestic exports in the foreign markets

2. increases the foreign value of domestic currency

3. improves the trade balance

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

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

Devaluation makes domestic goods cheaper abroad, so export competitiveness improves, but it lowers the external value of the currency and does not necessarily improve the trade balance.

Q4533.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2023, GS Paper IHard

Which one of the following is the best example of repeated falls in sea level, giving rise to present-day extensive marshland?

  1. A.Bhitarkanika Mangroves
  2. B.Marakkanam Salt Pans
  3. C.Naupada Swamp
  4. D.Rann of Kutch
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Rann of Kutch

The Rann was once a shallow arm of the Arabian Sea, and as the sea withdrew from it, aided by the uplift of the land, it was left as the vast salt marsh seen today.

Q4534.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2024, GS Paper IMedium

With reference to the Himalayan rivers joining the Ganga downstream of Prayagraj from West to East, which one of the following sequences is correct ?

  1. A.Ghaghara - Gomati - Gandak - Kosi
  2. B.Gomati - Ghaghara - Gandak - Kosi
  3. C.Ghaghara - Gomati - Kosi - Gandak
  4. D.Gomati - Ghaghara - Kosi - Gandak
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Gomati - Ghaghara - Gandak - Kosi

Below Prayagraj the Ganga receives the Gomati first, then the Ghaghara, then the Gandak and finally the Kosi as it flows east.

Q4535.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2025, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements :

I. Capital receipts create a liability or cause a reduction in the assets of the Government.

II. Borrowings and disinvestment are capital receipts.

III. Interest received on loans creates a liability of the Government.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

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

Capital receipts either add to liabilities or reduce assets, and borrowings and disinvestment are typical examples; interest received is a revenue receipt.

Q4536.Art & CultureAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2026, GS Paper IHard

The Hallisalasya painting in the Bagh Caves represents :

  1. A.A joyous folk dance
  2. B.Buddha in a meditative pose
  3. C.The depiction of Shiva and Parvati on Kailasha
  4. D.Samudramanthan (Churning of the Ocean)
Show answer
Correct answer: A. A joyous folk dance

Hallisaka was a circular group dance, and the Bagh painting shows women dancing in a ring around a central figure to the music of drums and cymbals.

Q4537.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements in respect of Trade Related Analysis of Fauna and Flora in Commerce (TRAFFIC) :

1. TRAFFIC is a bureau under United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

2. The mission of TRAFFIC is to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature.

Which of the above statements 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: B. 2 only

TRAFFIC is a non-governmental wildlife trade monitoring network, not a UNEP bureau, and its mission is the one given in statement 2.

Q4538.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements :

1. The Parliament of India can place a particular law in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution of India.

2. The validity of a law placed in the Ninth Schedule cannot be examined by any court and no judgement can be made on it.

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: A. 1 only

Parliament can add a law to the Ninth Schedule by a constitutional amendment, but such a law is not beyond judicial review.

Q4539.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2019, GS Paper IEasy

With reference to Swadeshi Movement, consider the following statements :

1. It contributed to the revival of the indigenous artisan crafts and industries.

2. The National Council of Education was established as a part of Swadeshi Movement.

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: C. Both 1 and 2

The Swadeshi Movement against the Partition of Bengal both revived Indian crafts and industry and set up national education. The movement was formally launched on 7 August 1905 at the Calcutta Town Hall.

Q4540.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2020, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following pairs :

International agreement / set-up : Subject

1. Alma-Ata Declaration : Healthcare of the people

2. Hague Convention : Biological and chemical weapons

3. Talanoa Dialogue : Global climate change

4. Under2 Coalition : Child rights

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

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

The Alma-Ata Declaration is about primary healthcare and the Talanoa Dialogue is about climate change; the other two pairs are wrong.