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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

Q422.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2026, GKMedium

The Sylhet Referendum was held in ?

  1. A.1947
  2. B.1948
  3. C.1949
  4. D.1950
Show answer
Correct answer: A. 1947

The Sylhet Referendum was held in early July 1947, just before Partition, to decide whether Sylhet district of Assam would stay with India or join East Bengal, which was going to Pakistan.

Q424.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2021, GKEasy

Who amongst the following is a pioneer in discovering the heating effect of electric current?

  1. A.Isaac Newton
  2. B.Galileo Galilei
  3. C.James P. Joule
  4. D.J.J. Thomson
Show answer
Correct answer: C. James P. Joule

The English physicist James Prescott Joule showed around 1841 that when a current flows through a conductor, the heat produced is proportional to the square of the current, the resistance of the conductor and the time for which the current flows.

Q426.Environment & EcologyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2022, GKHard

With reference to Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary, Sultanpur National Park, Thol Lake Wildlife Sanctuary and Wadhwana Wetland, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. All of them are Ramsar sites.

2. All of them are naturally formed wetlands.

3. All of them are birding sites.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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

Statement 1 is right: all four were declared Ramsar wetlands of international importance in 2021, Sultanpur and Bhindawas in Haryana, and Thol and Wadhwana in Gujarat.

Q428.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2023, GKEasy

Which one of the following Indian States has the longest coastline?

  1. A.Tamil Nadu
  2. B.Gujarat
  3. C.Maharashtra
  4. D.Andhra Pradesh
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Gujarat

Gujarat has the longest coastline of any Indian state. Its coast runs from the Rann of Kachchh in the north, around the Gulf of Kachchh and the Saurashtra (Kathiawar) peninsula, into the Gulf of Khambhat and down to the border with Maharashtra near Daman.

Q430.Art & CultureAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2024, GKHard

The royal portraits of Simhavishnu and Mahendravarman are found in which cave temple at Mamallapuram?

  1. A.Varaha Cave
  2. B.Ramanuja Cave
  3. C.Adivaraha Cave
  4. D.Trimurti Cave
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Adivaraha Cave

The Adivaraha cave temple at Mamallapuram has two rare royal portrait panels of the Pallava kings. One shows Simhavishnu seated between two queens, and the other shows his son Mahendravarman I standing with his two queens, with labels in the Pallava Grantha script naming them.

Q431.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2024, GKEasy

Which of the following is not included in the Capital Account of the Balance of Payments of a country?

  1. A.Foreign Direct Investment
  2. B.Commercial Borrowing
  3. C.Invisibles
  4. D.External Assistance
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Invisibles

Invisibles are part of the current account of the balance of payments, not the capital account. The balance of payments records all of a country's transactions with the rest of the world and has two main parts.

Q433.Static GKAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2025, GKMedium

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

1. Indian Institute of Advanced Study : Shimla

2. Indian Institute of Public Administration : New Delhi

3. Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service : Nainital

Select the answer using the code given below:

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

Pair 1 is right: the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, set up in 1965, works from the Rashtrapati Niwas in Shimla, the building that was once the Viceregal Lodge, where the Simla Conference of 1945 was held.

Q434.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2026, GKHard

With reference to the Shunga dynasty, Patanjali refers to the yavanas reaching up to Saketa and Madhyamika. The place Madhyamika is identified as located near

  1. A.Chittor
  2. B.Ujjain
  3. C.Kaushambi
  4. D.Pataliputra
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Chittor

Madhyamika is the ancient town now called Nagari, about 13 km north of Chittorgarh in Rajasthan. The grammarian Patanjali, who lived in the time of Pushyamitra Shunga in the second century BCE, wrote in his Mahabhashya the examples "the Yavana besieged Saketa" and "the Yavana besieged Madhyamika".

Q435.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2016, GKMedium

Which of the following statements regarding soil is/are correct?

1. Alluvial soils are rich in nitrogen content.

2. Black soils are rich in iron and lime but deficient in nitrogen.

3. Laterite soils are rich in iron and aluminium but deficient in nitrogen and potassium.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

Statement 1 is wrong: alluvial soils, the most widespread soils of India, are generally rich in potash and lime but poor in nitrogen and phosphorus, which is why farmers on the northern plains add nitrogen fertiliser.

Q436.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2017, GKMedium

The Gulf Stream is a poleward flowing current in the Atlantic Ocean. Which one of the following statements with regard to this is not correct?

  1. A.It is similar to the Kuroshio current in the North Pacific Ocean.
  2. B.It transports warm, tropical water towards polar region.
  3. C.This current is a major factor in weather along the east coast of the USA.
  4. D.The warm water of the Gulf Stream sustains the coral reefs of West Pacific Coast.
Show answer
Correct answer: D. The warm water of the Gulf Stream sustains the coral reefs of West Pacific Coast.

The Gulf Stream is a warm current of the North Atlantic. It starts in the Gulf of Mexico, passes through the Florida Strait, flows north along the east coast of the USA and then turns north-east across the Atlantic as the North Atlantic Drift, keeping the ports of north-western Europe…

Q438.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2018, GKMedium

Which one of the following statements about lymph is correct?

  1. A.Lymph is formed due to leakage of blood through capillaries.
  2. B.Lymph contains blood cells such as RBC.
  3. C.Lymph is also circulated by the blood circulating heart.
  4. D.Lymph only transports hormones.
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Lymph is formed due to leakage of blood through capillaries.

As blood flows through the thin-walled capillaries, part of its plasma, with small proteins and some white blood cells, leaks out into the spaces between cells.

Q440.Static GKAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2019, GKEasy

The 'Gujral Doctrine' relates to which one of the following issues?

  1. A.Build trust between India and its neighbours
  2. B.Initiate dialogue with all insurgent groups in India
  3. C.Undertake development activities in Naxal-dominated areas
  4. D.Ensure food security
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Build trust between India and its neighbours

The Gujral Doctrine is a set of principles for India's relations with its immediate neighbours, put forward by I.K. Gujral in 1996 as External Affairs Minister and followed by him as Prime Minister in 1997-98.

All Defence previous year questions