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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

Q983.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2023, GKMedium

Which one of the following is not true for anodizing process?

  1. A.It makes aluminium corrosion resistant.
  2. B.Metals like aluminium, titanium and magnesium can be anodized.
  3. C.Clean aluminium article is the anode and oxygen gas is evolved at the cathode.
  4. D.It is used in aircraft industry.
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Clean aluminium article is the anode and oxygen gas is evolved at the cathode.

In anodizing the clean aluminium article is indeed the anode, but oxygen is released at the anode, not at the cathode; hydrogen is released at the cathode.

Q984.Art & CultureAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2023, GKHard

Consider the following statements with reference to the Nataraj bronze sculpture of Chola period :

1. Shiva is shown balancing himself on his right leg representing tirobhava.

2. Shiva is shown raising his left leg in bhujangatrasita stance, representing kicking away the illusion from the devotee's mind.

3. The main right hand holds the damaru, Shiva's favourite musical instrument.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

In the Chola Nataraja it is the raised left leg, in the bhujangatrasita pose, that stands for tirobhava, kicking away the veil of illusion from the devotee's mind.

Q985.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2026, GKHard

With reference to the Junagadh inscription of Rudradaman, consider the following statements:

1. The script of this inscription is Kharosthi and the language is Prakrit.

2. The inscription records the restoration of a reservoir called Sudarshana Lake.

3. It is an undated inscription.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

The Junagadh rock inscription of the Shaka ruler Rudradaman I records how he restored the Sudarshana lake after a storm burst its dam.

Q986.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2016, GKMedium

Which one of the following statements is not correct?

  1. A.The response of the ear to sound of increasing intensity is approximately logarithmic.
  2. B.The sensitivity of the human ear does not vary with the frequency of the sound.
  3. C.When two or more waves traverse the same medium, the displacement of any element of the medium is the algebraic sum of the displacements due to each wave.
  4. D.Longitudinal waves can travel in all media—solids, liquids and gases.
Show answer
Correct answer: B. The sensitivity of the human ear does not vary with the frequency of the sound.

The statement that the sensitivity of the human ear does not vary with frequency is false, because the ear is far more sensitive to some frequencies than to others.

Q987.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2017, GKEasy

Kwashiorkor disease in children is caused by

  1. A.sufficient carbohydrates but less fats in diet
  2. B.sufficient carbohydrates and fats but deficient proteins in diet
  3. C.sufficient vitamins but deficient fats in diet
  4. D.sufficient fats but deficient vitamins in diet
Show answer
Correct answer: B. sufficient carbohydrates and fats but deficient proteins in diet

Kwashiorkor is a disease of protein deficiency in a child who still gets enough calories. It usually appears when a child is weaned from breast milk onto a starchy diet with little protein.

Q988.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2018, GKHard

Which one of the following is applicable to collision-coalescence process of precipitation?

  1. A.Clouds which do not extend beyond the freezing level
  2. B.Clouds which extend beyond the freezing level
  3. C.All types of clouds
  4. D.Cirrocumulus cloud
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Clouds which do not extend beyond the freezing level

Collision-coalescence is the way rain forms in warm clouds, whose tops stay below the level where water freezes. In such clouds all droplets are liquid.

Q990.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2020, GKEasy

Saubhagya, a Government of India Scheme, relates to which of the following areas?

  1. A.Achieving universal household electrification
  2. B.Providing clean cooking fuel to poor households
  3. C.Rationalizing subsidies on LPG
  4. D.Stopping female foeticide
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Achieving universal household electrification

Saubhagya, the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana, was launched in 2017 to give an electricity connection to every household in India.

Q991.Indian PolityAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2021, GKEasy

Which one of the following is the correct meaning of the term 'State', as defined in Article 12 of the Constitution of India ?

  1. A.It refers only to the Government of India.
  2. B.It refers only to the Government of India and the Parliament of India.
  3. C.It refers only to the Government of India, Parliament of India, and Governments and Legislatures of each State.
  4. D.It refers to the Government of India, Parliament of India, Governments and Legislatures of each State, and all local or other authorities within the territory of India.
Show answer
Correct answer: D. It refers to the Government of India, Parliament of India, Governments and Legislatures of each State, and all local or other authorities within the territory of India.

Article 12 defines the State to include the Government and Parliament of India, the Government and Legislature of each State, and all local or other authorities within India or under the control of the Government of India.

Q993.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2023, GKMedium

Which one of the following is the correct order of pH for the given substances?

  1. A.Coffee < Lemon juice < Milk of magnesia < Blood
  2. B.Milk of magnesia < Blood < Coffee < Lemon juice
  3. C.Lemon juice < Blood < Coffee < Milk of magnesia
  4. D.Lemon juice < Coffee < Blood < Milk of magnesia
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Lemon juice < Coffee < Blood < Milk of magnesia

Arranged from most acidic to most basic, the four substances fall in exactly this order. Lemon juice, rich in citric acid, has a pH of about 2 to 2.5.

Q994.Art & CultureAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2023, GKMedium

Where is the famous Gupta period Deogarh Temple situated ?

  1. A.Uttar Pradesh
  2. B.Madhya Pradesh
  3. C.Chhattisgarh
  4. D.Rajasthan
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Uttar Pradesh

The Dashavatara temple at Deogarh stands in Lalitpur district of Uttar Pradesh, on the bank of the Betwa river. Built around the early sixth century, it is one of the earliest Hindu temples in north India and is dedicated to Vishnu.

Q995.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2024, GKEasy

Identify the type of drainage pattern on the basis of the given characteristics :

1. It represents the most common pattern of streams and their tributaries

2. It occurs in areas of uniform rock type and regular slope

3. A map, or aerial photograph, shows a pattern like the veins on a leaf— smaller streams join the main stream at an acute angle

Select the correct answer.

  1. A.Dendritic
  2. B.Radial
  3. C.Trellis
  4. D.Centripetal
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Dendritic

A pattern that looks like the branches of a tree or the veins of a leaf, formed on uniform rock with a regular slope, is dendritic.

Q996.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2024, GKEasy

The Research Design and Standards Organization is the R&D wing of which one of the following organizations ?

  1. A.Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
  2. B.Indian Space Research Organization
  3. C.Indian Railways
  4. D.Defence Research and Development Organization
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Indian Railways

The Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) is the sole research and development wing of the Ministry of Railways. RDSO is headquartered at Lucknow.

Q997.Art & CultureAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2025, GKHard

Consider the following statements about the literary language Apabhramsha :

1. It appeared in recognizable forms by the sixth century.

2. It developed out of mixtures of regional vernaculars with the Prakrits and Sanskrit.

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

Apabhramsha was a literary language that took recognisable shape by about the sixth century, formed from regional speech mixed with the Prakrits and Sanskrit.

Q998.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2026, GKMedium

With reference to the Swadeshi Movement, consider the following statements :

1. The Swadeshi Movement had its genesis in the Anti-Partition movement, which was started to oppose the British decision to partition Bengal.

2. Aurobindo Ghosh was in favour of extending the movement to the rest of India and carrying it beyond the programme of just Swadeshi and Boycott to a full-fledged political mass struggle.

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

The Swadeshi Movement grew out of the protest against the partition of Bengal, and the Extremists, Aurobindo Ghosh among them, wanted to turn it into a nationwide mass struggle.

Q999.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2026, GKEasy

India's reliance on imported energy exposes it to geopolitical supply shocks. In this context, what is the most likely short-term impact of a major disruption in crude oil imports?

  1. A.Decrease in inflation
  2. B.Strengthening of the rupee
  3. C.Higher input costs and inflation pressure
  4. D.Increase in exports
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Higher input costs and inflation pressure

When crude supply is disrupted, oil prices rise, and almost every good in India becomes costlier to make and move.

Q1000.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2019, GKMedium

Which one of the following statements about the Government of India Act, 1919 is not correct?

  1. A.It extended the practice of communal representation.
  2. B.It made the Central Executive responsible to the Legislature.
  3. C.It is also known as the Montague-Chelmsford Reforms.
  4. D.It paved the way for federalism by clearly separating the responsibilities of the Centre and the Provinces.
Show answer
Correct answer: B. It made the Central Executive responsible to the Legislature.

. The Act of 1919 did not make the Central Executive responsible to the Legislature; the Governor-General and his Executive Council stayed answerable only to the British Parliament.

All Defence previous year questions