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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

Q1361.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2024, GKMedium

Which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. Most of India's reserves is held in the form of foreign currency. 2. There is no cost of holding foreign currency as reserves by a nation. 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: A. 1 only

Foreign currency assets make up the largest part of India's foreign exchange reserves, but holding them is never free, so statement 2 is false.

Q1362.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2024, GKHard

Consider the following statements regarding the rivers of India : 1. The Barak River, the head stream of the Meghna, rises in the hills of Meghalaya. 2. The Ghaggar River does not drain out to the sea and gets lost in the Rajasthan desert. 3. Puthimari and Manas are important tributaries of the Brahmaputra. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

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

The Barak rises in the hills of Manipur, not Meghalaya, so statement 1 is false, while the other two statements are true.

Q1365.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2026, GKMedium

Which of the following statements about the Black Soils of India is/are correct ? 1. Black Soils cover most of the Deccan Plateau. 2. Also known as 'Regur', they are generally clayey, deep and impermeable. 3. Since they are impermeable, rainfed crops do not grow well in Black Soils. Select the answer using the codes given below :

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

Black soil covers most of the Deccan Plateau, and its clay holds water so well that rainfed crops actually do well in it, so statement 3 is false.

Q1368.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2020, GATMedium

The principle that the framing of the new Constitution for independent India should be primarily (though not solely) the responsibility of Indians themselves, was for the first time conceded in the

  1. A.Government of India Act, 1935
  2. B.August Offer of Viceroy Linlithgow
  3. C.Cripps Proposals
  4. D.Cabinet Mission
Show answer
Correct answer: B. August Offer of Viceroy Linlithgow

Made on 8 August 1940, it was the first time the British government accepted that framing India's new constitution should be mainly the responsibility of Indians.

Q1369.GeographyAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2021, GATMedium

Which one of the following is not a minor plate ?

  1. A.Cocos Plate
  2. B.Nazca Plate
  3. C.Caroline Plate
  4. D.Antarctic Plate
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Antarctic Plate

The Antarctic Plate, carrying Antarctica and the ocean around it, is one of the seven major lithospheric plates. Plate tectonics divides the lithosphere into seven major plates and several minor ones.

Q1370.General ScienceAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2021, GATMedium

Weight and mass of an object are defined with Newton's laws of motion. Which among the following is true ?

  1. A.Weight is a constant of proportionality.
  2. B.Mass is a constant of proportionality.
  3. C.Mass is not a constant of proportionality.
  4. D.Weight is a universal constant.
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Mass is a constant of proportionality.

In Newton's second law, F = ma, the force on a body is proportional to its acceleration, and the constant linking the two is the body's mass.

Q1371.Indian PolityAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2022, GATEasy

Panchayati Raj Institutions are primarily the institutions of

  1. A.Popular Government
  2. B.Self-Government
  3. C.Federal Government
  4. D.Quasi-Government
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Self-Government

Panchayati Raj Institutions are bodies of rural local self-government, through which villagers manage their own local affairs. Article 40, a Directive Principle, asks the State to organise village panchayats and give them the powers needed to function as units of self-government.

Q1372.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2023, GATEasy

Who among the following was the author of the famous Sanskrit work 'Mrichchhakatika'?

  1. A.Kalidasa
  2. B.Bhasa
  3. C.Valmiki
  4. D.Shudraka
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Shudraka

Mrichchhakatika, meaning 'The Little Clay Cart', is a ten-act Sanskrit play attributed to King Shudraka. The play tells the love story of Charudatta, a generous Brahmin merchant of Ujjayini who has lost his wealth, and Vasantasena, a rich and noble courtesan.

Q1373.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2023, GATHard

Which of the following statements about the technological innovations during the Industrial Revolutions are correct ? 1. Mule was the nickname for a machine invented in 1779, that allowed the spinning of strong and fine yarn. 2. Water Frame, invented in 1769 by Richard Arkwright, made it possible to weave pure cotton clothes. 3. Power loom, invented by Edmund Cartwright in 1787, could be used to weave any kind of materials. Select the correct answer using the code given below :

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

All three statements correctly describe the spinning and weaving machines that drove the British cotton industry in the late eighteenth century.

Q1374.Environment & EcologyAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2024, GATMedium

Identify the land biome on the basis of the given characteristics : 1. Their climates are characterised by high rainfall and temperatures that vary from cold to mild. 2. These forests contain primarily deciduous trees - including maple, oak, hickory and beechwood. 3. Raccoons, opossums, bats and squirrels are found in the trees. Select the correct land biome from the options given below :

  1. A.Tropical forest
  2. B.Temperate forest
  3. C.Boreal forest
  4. D.Mediterranean forest
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Temperate forest

Mild to cold seasons, good rainfall, broad-leaved deciduous trees like maple and oak, and animals like raccoons and squirrels mark the temperate deciduous forest.

Q1375.General ScienceAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2025, GATEasy

Initial discovery of antibiotic penicillin was done by

  1. A.Francis Crick
  2. B.Maurice Wilkins
  3. C.Charles Darwin
  4. D.Alexander Fleming
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Alexander Fleming

The Scottish scientist discovered penicillin in 1928 at St Mary's Hospital in London. Fleming noticed that a mould, Penicillium notatum, had accidentally grown on a culture plate of Staphylococcus bacteria and had killed the bacteria around it.

Q1376.GeographyAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2025, GATHard

Which of the following statements with reference to shadow zones in an event of an earthquake is/are correct ? 1. Zone between 105° and 145° from epicentre was identified as the shadow zone for both P-waves and S-waves 2. The shadow zone of P-waves is much larger than that of the S-waves 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

The band between 105° and 145° from the epicentre receives neither P-waves nor S-waves, but it is the S-wave shadow zone that is much larger, so statement 2 is wrong.

Q1377.Environment & EcologyAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2026, GATHard

Consider the following critical minerals : I. Neodymium II. Tellurium III. Dysprosium IV. Gallium Which of the above minerals are not used for the production of photovoltaic cells used in solar panels?

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

Neodymium and dysprosium are rare earth elements used mainly in strong permanent magnets, not in solar cells, while tellurium and gallium are used in photovoltaic cells.

Q1378.General ScienceAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2017, GATMedium

Which one of the following statements is NOT correct ?

  1. A.In the conduction mode of transference of heat, the molecules of solid pass heat from one molecule to another without moving from their positions
  2. B.The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a substance is called its specific heat capacity
  3. C.The process of heat transfer in liquids and gases is through convection mode
  4. D.The process of heat transfer from a body at higher temperature to a body at lower temperature without heating the space between them is known as radiation
Show answer
Correct answer: B. The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a substance is called its specific heat capacity

Specific heat capacity is the heat needed to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by one degree, not simply the heat needed to raise its temperature.

Q1379.GeographyAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2018, GATEasy

Which of the following statements about Ring of Fire is/are correct ? 1. It is a zone of convergence plate boundaries 2. It is an active seismic and volcanic zone 3. It is associated with deep trench Select the correct answer using the code given below :

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

The Ring of Fire around the Pacific is a belt of convergent plate boundaries, full of active volcanoes and earthquakes and lined by deep ocean trenches.