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CDS Previous Year GK Questions

Previous-year questions are the most reliable guide to the CDS General Knowledge paper, because the syllabus in the notice is one paragraph long and the paper is not. UPSC uploads the question papers of every CDS on upsc.gov.in the day after the exam, so a full record of what was asked exists for each cycle. Reading them shows the weight of each area, the depth UPSC expects in Polity, History, Geography, Economy and Science, and the question forms it prefers: statements with "which of the above are correct", "how many of the following pairs are correctly matched", match the lists, and arrange in chronological order. Many topics return: writs and constitutional bodies, dynasties and reform movements, Ramsar sites and World Heritage sites, budget and balance-of-payments terms, and school science applied to everyday situations. This page collects CDS previous-year General Knowledge questions in English and Hindi, each with the correct answer, an explanation and the topic it belongs to, so that a question leads you to the GK note that covers it. Use them in three passes: untimed to learn, timed to build speed, and a week later to revisit your wrong answers.

Previous Year Questions

Q241.Art & CultureAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2024, GKMedium

Renowned classical singer Prabha Atre, who passed away recently, was an exponent of which one of the following Gharanas?

  1. A.Kirana Gharana
  2. B.Patiala Gharana
  3. C.Gwalior Gharana
  4. D.Agra Gharana
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Kirana Gharana

Prabha Atre was trained in and sang in the Kirana style of Hindustani classical music. Prabha Atre (1932-2024) of Pune learned from Sureshbabu Mane and Hirabai Barodekar, both disciples of Abdul Karim Khan, the founder of the Kirana gharana.

Q242.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2025, GKHard

"Nirbhaya Fund", a non-lapsable corpus fund, which is to be utilized for the projects specifically designed to improve the safety and security of women is administered by :

  1. A.The Ministry of Women & Child Development
  2. B.The Ministry of Home Affairs
  3. C.The Ministry of Finance
  4. D.The Ministry of Education
Show answer
Correct answer: C. The Ministry of Finance

The Nirbhaya Fund is a non-lapsable corpus administered by the Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance. The fund was announced in the Union Budget of 2013-14 with an initial corpus of 1,000 crore rupees, after the December 2012 Delhi gang-rape case that shocked the country.

Q244.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2026, GKMedium

Which of the following is associated to Schizophrenia ?

  1. A.Multiple personalities
  2. B.Neurodegeneration
  3. C.Not subjected to environmental influence
  4. D.Hallucination
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Hallucination

Hallucinations, most often hearing voices that others cannot hear, are a core symptom of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder in which a person loses touch with reality.

Q245.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2017, GKHard

Which of the following statements with regard to the speech of Mahatma Gandhi at the opening of the Banaras Hindu University are correct? 1. He charged the Indian elite with a lack of concern for the labouring poor. 2. He asserted that our salvation can come only through the farmers. 3. He highlighted the plight of the untouchables. 4. He promised to take up the cause of the mill owners of Ahmedabad. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

At the opening of Banaras Hindu University in February 1916, Gandhi criticised the elite for ignoring the poor and said India's salvation lay with its farmers.

Q247.Science & TechnologyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2018, GKEasy

'Tejas' is the name of which one of the following?

  1. A.Main battle tank
  2. B.Nuclear submarine
  3. C.Light combat aircraft
  4. D.Aircraft carrier
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Light combat aircraft

Tejas is India's indigenous single-engine light combat aircraft built for the Indian Air Force. The Light Combat Aircraft programme was started in the 1980s to replace the ageing MiG-21 fleet.

Q250.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2020, GKEasy

Which one of the following statements about phloem is correct?

  1. A.Phloem transports water and minerals.
  2. B.Phloem transports photosynthetic products.
  3. C.Phloem is a simple tissue.
  4. D.Phloem gives support to the plant.
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Phloem transports photosynthetic products.

Phloem carries the sugars made in the leaves to every part of the plant that needs food. Phloem is a complex permanent tissue made of four kinds of cells: sieve tubes, companion cells, phloem parenchyma and phloem fibres.

Q253.Art & CultureAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2025, GKMedium

Which one among the following educational institutions established under the Union Ministry of Culture is promoting to preserve, protect and promote Lord Buddha's teaching and value of love, compassion and non-violence for developing good moral values and practices ?

  1. A.Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla
  2. B.National Council of Educational Research & Training, New Delhi
  3. C.Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Nalanda
  4. D.IGNOU, New Delhi
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Nalanda

It is a deemed university under the Union Ministry of Culture devoted to Pali language and Buddhist studies.

Q256.Indian PolityAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2016, GKMedium

Which of the following statements regarding the Constituent Assembly of India is/are correct? 1. The Assembly was elected indirectly by the members of the Provincial Legislative Assemblies. 2. The elections were held on the basis of Universal Adult Franchise. 3. The scheme of election was laid down by the Cabinet Delegation. 4. The distribution of seats was done on the basis of the Mountbatten Plan. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

The Constituent Assembly was chosen indirectly by the provincial assemblies under a scheme drawn up by the Cabinet Mission of 1946.

Q257.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2017, GKHard

Which of the following statements about the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) are correct? 1. It began as the political wing of the Singh Sabhas in the late 19th century. 2. It was formed in 1920 as part of the upcoming Akali movement. 3. It was founded to reclaim control of the Sikh shrines from the government manipulated loyalist committees. 4. It formed the Akali Dal to coordinate groups (Jathas) to reclaim control of the shrines. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

The SGPC was born in 1920 out of the Gurdwara reform (Akali) movement, not out of the Singh Sabhas of the nineteenth century.

Q258.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2018, GKMedium

Around twelfth century, Sufi Silsilas began to crystallize in different parts of the Islamic world to signify 1. continuous link between the master and disciple 2. unbroken spiritual genealogy to the Prophet Muhammad 3. the transmission of spiritual power and blessings to devotees Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

A silsila stood for all three ideas: the master-disciple link, the chain back to the Prophet and the flow of blessings to followers.

Q260.Indian PolityAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2020, GKHard

Which one of the following is the correct sequence of formation of the Commissions starting from the earliest?

  1. A.Finance Commission, Planning Commission, Investment Commission, Election Commission
  2. B.Election Commission, Planning Commission, Finance Commission, Investment Commission
  3. C.Planning Commission, Election Commission, Finance Commission, Investment Commission
  4. D.Investment Commission, Finance Commission, Planning Commission, Election Commission
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Election Commission, Planning Commission, Finance Commission, Investment Commission

The four bodies were set up in 1950, 1950, 1951 and 2004 in that order. The Election Commission was established on 25 January 1950, a day before the Constitution came into force, under Article 324.

All Defence previous year questions