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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

Q1702.Science & TechnologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2019, GS Paper IEasy

Recently, scientists observed the merger of giant 'blackholes' billions of light-years away from the Earth. What is the significance of this observation?

  1. A.'Higgs boson particles' were detected.
  2. B.'Gravitational waves' were detected.
  3. C.Possibility of inter-galactic space travel through 'wormhole' was confirmed.
  4. D.It enabled the scientists to understand 'singularity'.
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 'Gravitational waves' were detected.

The merger of two black holes sent out ripples in space-time, and catching those ripples was the first direct detection of gravitational waves.

Q1703.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2022, GS Paper IEasy

Consider the following :

1. Carbon monoxide

2. Nitrogen oxide

3. Ozone

4. Sulphur dioxide

Excess of which of the above in the environment is/are cause(s) of acid rain ?

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

Nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide are the two gases that turn rain acidic. When coal and oil burn in power plants, factories and vehicles, they release sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the air.

Q1704.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following :

1. Areca nut

2. Barley

3. Coffee

4. Finger millet

5. Groundnut

6. Sesamum

7. Turmeric

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has announced the Minimum Support Price for which of the above ?

  1. A.1, 2, 3 and 7 only
  2. B.2, 4, 5 and 6 only
  3. C.1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 only
  4. D.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 2, 4, 5 and 6 only

Barley, finger millet, groundnut and sesamum are among the crops covered by Minimum Support Price, while areca nut, coffee and turmeric are not.

Q1705.Science & TechnologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2019, GS Paper IHard

RNA interference (RNAi) technology has gained popularity in the last few years. Why?

1. It is used in developing gene silencing therapies.

2. It can be used in developing therapies for the treatment of cancer.

3. It can be used to develop hormone replacement therapies.

4. It can be used to produce crop plants that are resistant to viral pathogens.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

RNA interference switches particular genes off, and every use in statements 1, 2 and 4 depends on switching a gene off.

Q1706.Science & TechnologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2022, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements :

DNA Barcoding can be a tool to :

1. assess the age of a plant or animal.

2. distinguish among species that look alike.

3. identify undesirable animal or plant materials in processed foods.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

DNA barcoding tells us which species a sample belongs to, not how old the organism is.

Q1708.Awards & HonoursAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2020, GKEasy

Amitabh Bachchan was recently conferred with the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award. Who among the following was the first recipient of the award?

  1. A.Prithviraj Kapoor
  2. B.Devika Rani
  3. C.Sohrab Modi
  4. D.Naushad
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Devika Rani

Devika Rani received the first Dadasaheb Phalke Award, for 1969, the year the Government of India instituted it to mark the centenary of the birth of Dadasaheb Phalke, maker of Raja Harishchandra (1913), India's first full-length feature film.

Q1709.Indian PolityAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2020, GKHard

Which one of the following statements with regard to 'protective democracy' is not correct?

  1. A.It propounds that citizen participation is essential in democracies.
  2. B.Citizens must be able to protect themselves from governmental encroachments.
  3. C.It is compatible with laissez-faire capitalism.
  4. D.Political equality is understood in formal terms as equal voting rights.
Show answer
Correct answer: A. It propounds that citizen participation is essential in democracies.

Protective democracy does not hold that active citizen participation is essential; it values democracy only as a shield that lets citizens protect themselves from those who govern them.

Q1712.Indian PolityAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2022, GKMedium

According to the Constitution of India, which one of the following statements is not correct ?

  1. A.The executive powers of the Union shall be vested in the President of India.
  2. B.Parliament, by law, can confer functions on authorities other than the President of India.
  3. C.The President of India is elected by an electoral college consisting of all Members of Parliament and all Members of all State Legislatures.
  4. D.A person, having held office as the President, shall be eligible for election to that office for the second term.
Show answer
Correct answer: C. The President of India is elected by an electoral college consisting of all Members of Parliament and all Members of all State Legislatures.

Under Article 54, the President is elected only by the elected members of both Houses of Parliament and the elected members of the State Legislative Assemblies, so a college of all members of Parliament and all State Legislatures is wrong.

Q1713.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2022, GKMedium

The Bengal Famine of 1769-70 was worsened by

  1. A.Locust attacks
  2. B.Rat infestation
  3. C.High levels of taxation
  4. D.Smallpox epidemic
Show answer
Correct answer: C. High levels of taxation

The great Bengal famine of 1769–70 began with failed rains, but the East India Company's harsh revenue demand turned a crop failure into a catastrophe.

Q1714.Awards & HonoursAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2023, GKMedium

Consider the following statements and identify the actress : She is a renowned film actress, director and producer, and an accomplished Indian classical dancer. She was conferred the Padma Shri in 1992 and has served as the Head of Central Board for Film Certification from 1998 to 2001. In recognition to her exemplary lifetime contribution to Indian Cinema, she was honoured with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

  1. A.Vyjayanthimala
  2. B.Waheeda Rehman
  3. C.Mala Sinha
  4. D.Asha Parekh
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Asha Parekh

Asha Parekh received the Padma Shri in 1992, chaired the Central Board of Film Certification from 1998 to 2001 as its first woman head, and was given the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2020.

Q1715.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2023, GKMedium

Consider the following statements about clouds : 1. Two major forms of clouds are stratiform and cumuliform. 2. According to the altitude, clouds are classified as high clouds, middle clouds and low clouds. 3. Stratus, nimbostratus and stratocumulus are types of high clouds. 4. Clouds having nimbo attached to their name produce precipitation. Which of the statements given above are correct ?

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

Only statement 3 is wrong, because stratus, nimbostratus and stratocumulus are low clouds, not high clouds. Statement 1 is correct: clouds take two basic forms, layered stratiform sheets formed by gentle lifting of air and heaped cumuliform clouds formed by rising convection currents.

Q1716.Art & CultureAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2024, GKMedium

Consider the following statements about the Ancient Hindu metal images in India : 1. The Chola period is well known for the aesthetic and technical finesse of its metal sculpture. 2. The iconography and style of Chola metal images were similar to those of their stone counterparts. 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

Chola bronzes are celebrated for their beauty and casting skill, and they follow the same iconographic rules and style as the stone sculpture of the period.

Q1720.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2016, GKEasy

'Altitude sickness' is caused at high altitude due to

  1. A.high partial pressure of oxygen
  2. B.low partial pressure of oxygen
  3. C.low level of haemoglobin
  4. D.high partial pressure of carbon dioxide
Show answer
Correct answer: B. low partial pressure of oxygen

As one climbs, air pressure falls, so each breath delivers oxygen at a lower partial pressure and less of it passes from the lungs into the blood.