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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

Q661.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2024, GKMedium

Which of the following are included in M1 definition of money for the Indian economy? 1. Reserves 2. Currency 3. Time deposits 4. Demand deposits Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

M1, called narrow money, is the most liquid measure of money supply in India. It is made up of currency with the public, demand deposits with banks, and other deposits with the Reserve Bank of India.

Q664.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2026, GKMedium

Consider the following statements about the Sargasso Sea : 1. It is the only sea without a land boundary. 2. The Sargasso Sea records the lowest salinity in the Atlantic Ocean. 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: A. 1 only

The Sargasso Sea lies in the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Bermuda, and it is the only sea in the world with no land coast.

Q666.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2017, GKMedium

Tropical evergreen rain forest biome provides optimum environmental conditions for the growth of plants and animals. Which one among the following statements regarding this is not correct?

  1. A.It has heavy rainfall and high temperature throughout the year.
  2. B.This biome is also called mega-thermal biome.
  3. C.The evergreen rain forest biome extends between 10° N and 10° S latitudes.
  4. D.The maximum development of this biome has taken place in central and southern California, and north-western coastal lands of Africa.
Show answer
Correct answer: D. The maximum development of this biome has taken place in central and southern California, and north-western coastal lands of Africa.

Those areas have a Mediterranean climate with dry summers and winter rain, and their vegetation is evergreen scrub such as chaparral and maquis, not rain forest.

Q667.Static GKAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2018, GKHard

Which of the following statements about the National Water Academy (NWA) is/are correct? 1. The primary objective of the NWA is to function as Centre of Excellence in training for in-service engineers from Central and State organizations on various aspects of water resource planning. 2. The NWA is located in New Delhi. 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

The National Water Academy is the training wing of the Central Water Commission, which works under the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Q668.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2018, GKMedium

Which one of the following statements explains higher mutation rate and faster evolution found in RNA virus?

  1. A.RNA is relatively unstable compared to DNA.
  2. B.Virus can multiply only within the living cell of a host.
  3. C.Metabolic processes are absent in virus.
  4. D.Virus can remain latent for a long period.
Show answer
Correct answer: A. RNA is relatively unstable compared to DNA.

RNA is usually single-stranded and its sugar, ribose, carries an extra hydroxyl group, which makes the molecule more reactive and easier to break or alter than double-stranded DNA.

Q669.Indian PolityAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2019, GKHard

Which one of the following is not correct about Administrative Tribunals?

  1. A.The Parliament may by law constitute Administrative Tribunals both at the Union and State levels.
  2. B.Tribunals may look into disputes and complaints with respect to recruitment and conditions of service of persons appointed to public services.
  3. C.Tribunals established by a law of the Parliament can exclude the jurisdiction of all Courts to allow for special leave to appeal.
  4. D.The law establishing the Tribunals may provide for procedures including rules of evidence to be followed.
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Tribunals established by a law of the Parliament can exclude the jurisdiction of all Courts to allow for special leave to appeal.

Article 323A, added by the 42nd Amendment in 1976, lets Parliament by law set up administrative tribunals for the Union and for each state or group of states to decide disputes on recruitment and service conditions of public servants.

Q671.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2020, GKMedium

Consider the following statements : The Azamgarh Proclamation refers to 1. the declaration by the rebels of 1857 2. the statement by the leader of the underground movement in the Revolt of 1942 Which of the statements given above is/are not 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: B. 2 only

The question asks which statement is not correct. The Azamgarh Proclamation was issued in August 1857 in the name of the rebels, and is usually linked with Firoz Shah, a prince of the Mughal family.

Q674.Indian PolityAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2022, GKEasy

Which one of the following methods is followed in electing the President of India ?

  1. A.Proportional Representation only
  2. B.First-Past-the-Post System only
  3. C.Proportional Representation and the Single Transferable Vote System
  4. D.Proportional Representation and the First-Past-the-Post System
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Proportional Representation and the Single Transferable Vote System

Article 55(3) of the Constitution says the President is elected in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote, and the voting is by secret ballot.

Q675.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2022, GKEasy

The acceleration due to gravity at the Earth's surface depends on

  1. A.its mass only.
  2. B.its radius only.
  3. C.both its mass and radius.
  4. D.either its mass or its radius.
Show answer
Correct answer: C. both its mass and radius.

By Newton's law of gravitation, the acceleration due to gravity at the surface is g = GM/R², where G is the universal gravitational constant, M is the mass of the Earth and R is its radius.

Q676.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2023, GKHard

Which member of the Servants of India Society founded the Seva Samiti at Allahabad in 1914?

  1. A.Shri Ram Bajpai
  2. B.Hriday Nath Kunzru
  3. C.S. G. Vaze
  4. D.Srinivas Shastri
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Hriday Nath Kunzru

Kunzru, a member of the Servants of India Society, founded the Seva Samiti at Allahabad in 1914 to organise social service: relief during famines, floods and epidemics, help to pilgrims at melas, and the spread of education and sanitation.

Q677.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2023, GKEasy

Which one of the following statements about plantation agriculture is not correct ?

  1. A.Plantation farm estates are scientifically managed.
  2. B.Plantation farming requires heavy capital outlay.
  3. C.Plantation farm lands have mainly foreign ownership and local labour.
  4. D.Plantation farmers rear the animals for sale.
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Plantation farmers rear the animals for sale.

Plantation agriculture is the large-scale growing of a single cash crop such as tea, coffee, rubber, sugarcane, cocoa or bananas, mainly for export.

Q678.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2024, GKMedium

Level of per capita GDP depends upon which of the following? 1. Proportion of population in the working age 2. Work participation rate 3. Per worker productivity Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

Per capita GDP is total output divided by total population, and it can be broken into three parts that multiply together.

Q679.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2024, GKMedium

Eratosthenes, a Greek philosopher measured the Earth's circumference based on the angle of Sun rays at two different points. Which cities were they ?

  1. A.Alexandria and Syene
  2. B.Syene and Troy
  3. C.Alexandria and Troy
  4. D.Alexandria and Thebes
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Alexandria and Syene

Around 240 BC Eratosthenes, the librarian of Alexandria in Egypt, learnt that at noon on the summer solstice the Sun shone straight down a well at Syene (modern Aswan), so it was directly overhead there.

All Defence previous year questions