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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

Q1161.Art & CultureAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2025, GKEasy

Consider the following statements about Ellora:

1. This art-historical site is associated exclusively with Buddhism.

2. The Kailasa temple at Ellora has been built of dressed stone and kiln fired bricks.

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: D. Neither 1 nor 2

Ellora has Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves, and the Kailasa temple was carved out of a single rock, not built of stone blocks and bricks.

Q1162.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2026, GKHard

Consider the following statements related to river terraces:

1. They are surfaces marking old valley floor or floodplain levels.

2. They may be bedrock surfaces without any alluvial cover or alluvial terraces consisting of stream deposits.

3. They are basically products of deposition as they result due to vertical erosion by the stream into its own depositional floodplain.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

River terraces mark old valley floors and may be of bedrock or alluvium, but they are products of erosion, not deposition, so statement 3 is wrong.

Q1168.Indian PolityAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2019, GKMedium

Which of the following statements relating to the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of India is not correct?

  1. A.It relates to the special provision for administration of certain areas in the States other than Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
  2. B.Tribal advisory councils are to be constituted to give advice under the Fifth Schedule.
  3. C.The Governor is not authorized to make regulations to prohibit or restrict the transfer of land by, or among members of the Scheduled Tribes.
  4. D.The Governors of the States in which there are scheduled areas have to submit reports to the President regarding the administration of such areas.
Show answer
Correct answer: C. The Governor is not authorized to make regulations to prohibit or restrict the transfer of land by, or among members of the Scheduled Tribes.

The Fifth Schedule expressly gives the Governor this power. Under the Fifth Schedule, the Governor of a State with Scheduled Areas may make regulations for the peace and good government of those areas.

Q1172.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2021, GKMedium

Consider the following statements with respect to the adolescent population (age group of 10 to 19 years) of India, according to the 2011 Census:

1. Adolescent population comprises half the population of the country.

2. The group is regarded as youthful population with high potential.

3. In this group there are greater number of females than males.

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.2 and 3 only
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 2 only

Adolescents are seen as a youthful population with high potential, but in 2011 they were about one-fifth of India's people, and males outnumbered females among them.

Q1173.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2022, GKEasy

Manikaran in Himachal Pradesh is known for:

  1. A.Solar energy.
  2. B.Geothermal energy.
  3. C.Bioenergy.
  4. D.Wind energy.
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Geothermal energy.

Manikaran in the Parvati valley of Kullu district has natural hot springs, and India set up an experimental geothermal project there.

Q1174.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2022, GKMedium

The Tolkappiyam is

  1. A.A work of grammar.
  2. B.A Tamil poem in praise of Rajendra Chola.
  3. C.An ancient didactic work in Tamil.
  4. D.A drama composed by a Chera King.
Show answer
Correct answer: A. A work of grammar.

The Tolkappiyam, written by Tolkappiyar, is the oldest surviving work of Tamil grammar. The Tolkappiyam belongs to the early Sangam tradition.

Q1178.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2025, GKMedium

With reference to the "Amara-Nayaka system", which one of the following statements is not correct?

  1. A.It was a major political innovation of the Vijayanagara Empire.
  2. B.They were military commanders, who were given territories to govern and collect taxes and other dues from peasants, craftspersons and traders in the area.
  3. C.They retained part of the revenue for personal use and to maintain a stipulated contingent of horses and elephants.
  4. D.They were not allowed to use their share of revenue for the maintenance of temples.
Show answer
Correct answer: D. They were not allowed to use their share of revenue for the maintenance of temples.

The amara-nayakas were in fact expected to spend part of their revenue on temples and irrigation works. The amara-nayaka system was a key political innovation of the Vijayanagara Empire, and it drew on the iqta system of the Delhi Sultanate.

Q1179.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2026, GKMedium

Consider the following statements related to water vapours:

1. It is a variable gas in the atmosphere, which decreases with altitude.

2. In the dry and cold areas of desert and polar regions, it may be less than one per cent of the air.

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

Water vapour is a variable gas whose share of the air changes from place to place and falls with height, and it is scarce in cold and dry regions.

All Defence previous year questions