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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

Q1383.General ScienceAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2021, GATEasy

Buoyancy is a/an

  1. A.upward pressure
  2. B.downward pressure
  3. C.downward force
  4. D.upward force
Show answer
Correct answer: D. upward force

Buoyancy, or upthrust, is the upward force a fluid exerts on any object immersed in it. A fluid presses on an object from all sides, but the pressure grows with depth, so the push on the lower surface is greater than the push on the upper surface.

Q1385.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2023, GATHard

Which one of the following statements about Rabatak inscription is not correct ?

  1. A.It throws important light on Kushana genealogy.
  2. B.It refers to Kanishka as 'a king of kings and a son of God'.
  3. C.The 23-line inscription is written in Gandhari language.
  4. D.It mentions names of States which were part of Kanishka's empire.
Show answer
Correct answer: C. The 23-line inscription is written in Gandhari language.

The Rabatak inscription is written in the Bactrian language using the Greek script, not in Gandhari. The inscription was found in 1993 at Rabatak in northern Afghanistan.

Q1386.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2023, GATHard

Consider the following statements : 1. Terracotta models of the plough have been found at sites in Cholistan and at Banawali (Haryana). 2. There is evidence of a ploughed field at Kalibangan associated with the mature phase of the Harappan civilization. 3. The ploughed field at Kalibangan had two sets of furrows crossing at right angles to each other suggesting two different crops were grown together in it. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. A.1, 2 and 3
  2. B.2 and 3 only
  3. C.1 and 3 only
  4. D.None of the above
Show answer
Correct answer: C. 1 and 3 only

The ploughed field at Kalibangan belongs to the Early Harappan levels, not the mature phase, so statement 2 is wrong.

Q1387.GeographyAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2024, GATMedium

Which of the following statements regarding tropical cyclones is/are correct ? 1. These storms develop during the summer and autumn in every tropical ocean except the South Atlantic and eastern South Pacific Oceans. 2. Tropical cyclones that occur in the North Atlantic and eastern North Pacific Oceans are known as typhoons. 3. Tropical cyclones that occur in the Indian and South Pacific Oceans are called cyclones. Select the answer using the code given below :

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

Tropical cyclones of the North Atlantic and eastern North Pacific are called hurricanes, not typhoons, so statement 2 is wrong.

Q1390.GeographyAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2025, GATEasy

Which of the following statements is/are correct ? 1. Oceanic trenches are very significant in the study of plate movements 2. Oceanic trenches are associated with active volcanoes and strong earthquakes 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

Oceanic trenches mark the places where one plate sinks beneath another, so they are key evidence for plate movement and are lined by volcanoes and earthquakes.

Q1391.GeographyAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2026, GATEasy

Consider the following statements regarding hypocentre : I. It is the point where the energy is released and is called the focus of an earthquake. II. It is the point where the earthquake starts and may be many kilometers deep within the Earth. 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

The hypocentre, also called the focus, is the point inside the Earth where the rupture begins and the stored energy is released.

Q1392.GeographyAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2026, GATMedium

Consider the following statements with regard to igneous rocks : I. These rocks cannot be changed into metamorphic rocks. II. When molten material is cooled slowly at great depths, mineral grains tend to be very small. III. These rocks are known as primary rocks. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

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

Igneous rocks are called primary rocks, but they can be changed into metamorphic rocks, and slow cooling gives large grains, not small ones.

Q1394.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2020, GKMedium

Which of the following are considered to be the four pillars of human development?

  1. A.Equity, inclusion, productivity and empowerment
  2. B.Equity, productivity, empowerment and sustainability
  3. C.Productivity, gender, inclusion and equity
  4. D.Labour, productivity, inclusion and equity
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Equity, productivity, empowerment and sustainability

These are the four pillars of human development set out by the economist Mahbub ul Haq, who led the team that prepared the first Human Development Report for the UNDP in 1990, working closely with Amartya Sen.

Q1397.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2024, GKMedium

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. A price index captures the change in the average price of a constant basket of commodities.

2. If the price index takes values 100, 110 and 121 in three consecutive years respectively, then the inflation rates in the 2nd and 3rd years are 10% and 21% respectively.

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

Statement 1 defines a price index correctly, but statement 2 gets the third year's inflation wrong. A price index such as the Consumer Price Index tracks the cost of a fixed basket of goods and services over time, compared with a base year whose value is set at 100.

Q1398.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2024, GKHard

Which of the following pairs of Himalayan Glaciers and their location is/are correctly matched?

1. Siachen - Nubra Valley Region

2. Chungphar - Kumaon-Garhwal Region

3. Zemu - Central Nepal Region

4. Gasherbrum - Pir Panjal Range

Select the answer using the code given below :

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

Only the Siachen pair is correct. The Siachen Glacier, about 76 km long, lies in the eastern Karakoram, and its meltwater gives rise to the Nubra river, which joins the Shyok; the Nubra Valley of Ladakh lies below its snout, so the glacier belongs to the Nubra Valley region.

Q1399.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2025, GKEasy

Indore city in Madhya Pradesh is situated in which one of the following regions ?

  1. A.Bundelkhand
  2. B.Mahakoshal
  3. C.Malwa Plateau
  4. D.Nimar Region
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Malwa Plateau

Indore stands on the Malwa Plateau in western Madhya Pradesh. Malwa is a volcanic upland of basalt rock, part of the Deccan Traps, lying north of the Vindhya Range; its black soil supports soybean, wheat and cotton, and the region also takes in Ujjain, Dewas, Ratlam and Mandsaur.

Q1400.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2016, GKHard

With regard to water transportation in India, which of the following statements are correct?

1. Headquarters of Central Inland Water Transport Corporation is located at Delhi.

2. Headquarters of Inland Waterways Authority of India is located at Noida.

3. National Inland Navigation Institute is located at Kolkata.

4. First National Inland Waterway was between Haldia and Allahabad.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

Statements 2 and 4 are correct, while statements 1 and 3 name the wrong city. The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), set up in 1986, has its headquarters at Noida in Uttar Pradesh and develops and regulates the national waterways.