Skip to content
GK24

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

Q581.Books & AuthorsAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2018, GATEasy

Who among the following was the author of Humayun Nama ?

  1. A.Roshanara Begum
  2. B.Ruquaiya Sultan Begum
  3. C.Gulbadan Begum
  4. D.Gauhara Begum
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Gulbadan Begum

Gulbadan Begum, a daughter of Babur, wrote the Humayun Nama, an account of the life of her half-brother Humayun. Gulbadan Begum wrote the book in Persian at the request of her nephew Akbar, who wanted material for the official history of his reign, the Akbarnama of Abul Fazl.

Q582.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2019, GATMedium

Which one of the following pairs of travellers and their nationality is not correctly matched ?

  1. A.Ibn Battuta - Moroccan
  2. B.Duarte Barbosa - Portuguese
  3. C.Jean Baptiste Tavernier - Dutch
  4. D.Niccolao Manucci - Venetian
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Jean Baptiste Tavernier - Dutch

Tavernier was a French gem merchant, not Dutch, so this pair is wrong. Jean Baptiste Tavernier travelled to India six times between about 1640 and 1667, during the reigns of Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb.

Q583.General ScienceAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2020, GATEasy

A lens has a power of +2.0 Dioptre. Which one of the following statements about the lens is true ?

  1. A.The lens is concave and has a focal length of 0.5 metre
  2. B.The lens is convex and has a focal length of 2.0 metre
  3. C.The lens is convex and has a focal length of 0.5 metre
  4. D.The lens is concave and has a focal length of 2.0 metre
Show answer
Correct answer: C. The lens is convex and has a focal length of 0.5 metre

A positive power means a converging (convex) lens, and f = 1/P = 1/2 = 0.5 m. The power of a lens is the reciprocal of its focal length in metres: P = 1/f. Its SI unit is the dioptre (D), and 1 D is the power of a lens…

Q584.Indian PolityAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2021, GATMedium

Which one of the following is not a power of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha ?

  1. A.Speaker shall preside over the House of the People.
  2. B.Speaker will cast vote in the first instance in the House.
  3. C.Speaker will have power to maintain order within the House of the People.
  4. D.Speaker can adjourn the House or suspend the meeting till there is a quorum.
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Speaker will cast vote in the first instance in the House.

The Speaker does not vote in the first instance; under Article 100 the Speaker has only a casting vote when there is a tie.

Q586.General ScienceAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2022, GATEasy

SONAR is a device that is used to measure the distance of underwater objects by a ship. Which of the following types of waves does it use for this purpose?

  1. A.Infrasonic waves
  2. B.Sound waves in audible range for human beings
  3. C.Ultrasonic waves
  4. D.All of the above
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Ultrasonic waves

SONAR sends out ultrasonic pulses and times their echo from underwater objects. SONAR stands for Sound Navigation and Ranging.

Q587.General ScienceAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2023, GATEasy

Which one of the following statements is true ?

  1. A.The force of gravity of the Earth on the Moon is greater than the force of gravity of the Moon on the Earth.
  2. B.The force of gravity of the Moon on the Earth is greater than the force of gravity of the Earth on the Moon.
  3. C.The force of gravity of the Earth on the Moon and of the Moon on the Earth are equal in magnitude and are in the same direction.
  4. D.The force of gravity of the Earth on the Moon and of the Moon on the Earth are equal in magnitude but are in opposite directions.
Show answer
Correct answer: D. The force of gravity of the Earth on the Moon and of the Moon on the Earth are equal in magnitude but are in opposite directions.

This follows from Newton's third law and his law of gravitation. Newton's law of gravitation gives the force between two bodies as F = Gm₁m₂/r².

Q589.Indian PolityAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2026, GATEasy

As per Article 324 of the Constitution of India, the Chief Election Commissioner shall not be removed from his office except in like manner and on the like grounds as

  1. A.a Judge of the Supreme Court
  2. B.a Judge of a High Court
  3. C.the Speaker of the Lok Sabha
  4. D.the Governor of a State
Show answer
Correct answer: A. a Judge of the Supreme Court

Article 324(5) gives the Chief Election Commissioner the same protection against removal as a Supreme Court judge.

Q591.Environment & EcologyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2016, GKEasy

Which one of the following is correct?

  1. A.Guindy National Park is known for tiger reserve.
  2. B.Namdapha National Park is meant for lion conservation.
  3. C.Jaldapara is a biosphere reserve.
  4. D.Rann of Kutch is a Wild Ass Sanctuary.
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Rann of Kutch is a Wild Ass Sanctuary.

. The Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary, set up in 1973 in the Little Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, is the last home of the Indian wild ass, or khur, a fast and hardy animal adapted to the salt desert.

Q592.Science & TechnologyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2017, GKEasy

Which one of the following planets was explored by Cassini Mission launched by NASA, which ended in September 2017?

  1. A.Sun
  2. B.Neptune
  3. C.Saturn
  4. D.Jupiter
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Saturn

The Cassini-Huygens mission was a joint project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. Launched in October 1997, it reached Saturn in 2004 and studied the planet, its rings and its moons for thirteen years.

Q594.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2019, GKHard

Which one of the following statements is not correct?

  1. A.Fischer projection represents the molecule in an eclipsed conformation.
  2. B.Newman projection can be represented in eclipsed, staggered and skew conformations.
  3. C.Fischer projection of the molecule is its most stable conformation.
  4. D.In Sawhorse projections, the lines are inclined at an angle of 120° to each other.
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Fischer projection of the molecule is its most stable conformation.

. A Fischer projection draws a molecule as a cross: the horizontal bonds point towards the viewer and the vertical bonds point away.

Q596.Science & TechnologyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2021, GKMedium

What is the range capability of Agni-P Ballistic Missile?

  1. A.1,000 - 2,000 km
  2. B.2,000 - 3,000 km
  3. C.3,000 - 4,000 km
  4. D.4,000 - 5,000 km
Show answer
Correct answer: A. 1,000 - 2,000 km

Agni-P, or Agni Prime, is a new-generation nuclear-capable ballistic missile of the Agni family developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), with a range capability of 1,000 to 2,000 km.

Q597.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2022, GKHard

Which one of the following statements on the issue of ownership, according to Smriti literature, is not correct?

  1. A.The paternal estate was to be divided equally amongst sons.
  2. B.Women were allowed to retain the gifts they received on the occasion of their marriage.
  3. C.The gifts to women on the occasion of their marriage were known as Stridhana.
  4. D.Stridhana was not inherited by the children without the permission of the husband.
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Stridhana was not inherited by the children without the permission of the husband.

. According to the Manusmriti and other Dharmashastras, the paternal estate was to be divided equally among the sons after the death of the parents, with a special share for the eldest, while women could not claim a share of it.

Q600.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2025, GKEasy

Who among the following was responsible for demarcating the borders between India and Pakistan during the partition in 1947?

  1. A.Cyril Radcliffe
  2. B.Mortimer Durand
  3. C.Henry McMahon
  4. D.Arthur Balfour
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Cyril Radcliffe

Sir Cyril Radcliffe, a British lawyer who had never been to India before, chaired the two Boundary Commissions, one for Punjab and one for Bengal, set up under the Indian Independence Act of 1947.