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.
The Chevrons is the name of the cricket team of which one of the following countries?
'The Chevrons' is the nickname of the Zimbabwe national cricket team, taken from the chevron pattern linked with the stone walls of Great Zimbabwe.
Read the full explanation →In which one of the following cases do both physical and chemical changes take place?
When a candle burns, the wax first melts and turns to vapour, which is a physical change, and the vapour then burns in air, which is a chemical change.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements:
1. The Flag Code of India superseded the 'Flag Code-India'.
2. The state emblem of India is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The Flag Code of India, 2002 replaced the older 'Flag Code-India', and the State Emblem is taken from Ashoka's Lion Capital at Sarnath.
Read the full explanation →Which one among the following is used in a simple microscope?
A simple microscope is just a convex (converging) lens of short focal length, held close to the eye, which gives an enlarged image of a small object.
Read the full explanation →Chronologically arrange the formation of the following political associations, beginning from the earliest:
1. Poona Sarvajanik Sabha
2. Indian Association
3. Madras Mahajan Sabha
4. Bombay Presidency Association
Select the answer using the code given below:
The four bodies were founded in 1870, 1876, 1884 and 1885 respectively, which is the order of the question. The Poona Sarvajanik Sabha was set up in 1870, and Justice M.G.
Read the full explanation →In MP3 compression scheme, 60 minutes of music can be stored in about:
At the common MP3 bit rate of 128 kilobits per second, one hour of music takes roughly 55 to 60 megabytes, so about 50 MB is the closest figure.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following statements related to the stages of evolution of the present atmosphere are correct?
1. The first stage is marked by the loss of primordial atmosphere.
2. In the second stage, the hot interior of the earth contributed to the evolution of the atmosphere.
3. Finally, the composition of the atmosphere was modified by the living world through the process of photosynthesis.
Select the answer using the code given below:
All three statements describe, in the right order, the three stages through which the present atmosphere of the Earth evolved.
Read the full explanation →Indexation is a method whose use can be associated with which one of the following ?
Indexation links a payment to a price index so that its real value is protected when prices rise. Under indexation, wages, pensions or other payments are adjusted automatically in line with a price index.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following Acts reserved seats for women in Legislatures in accordance with the allocation of seats for different communities?
Following the Communal Award of 1932, this Act reserved seats for women in the legislatures and divided them among the communities.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements about the British Indian Medical Service (IMS) is not correct ?
This is false: Indians entered the service through its open examination from the 1850s. The medical service of the East India Company began in Bengal in 1764, and the separate presidency services were later joined into a single Indian Medical Service in 1896.
Read the full explanation →Where are the Bermuda Islands located ?
Bermuda is a small group of islands in the western North Atlantic, about 1,000 km east of the coast of North Carolina in the USA.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following languages was added to the Eighth Schedule by a Constitutional Amendment in 1967?
The 21st Constitutional Amendment Act of 1967 added Sindhi to the Eighth Schedule. The Eighth Schedule lists the official languages of India recognised by the Constitution.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following is an ethnic community of Assam?
The Ahoms are a community of Assam descended from the Tai people who founded the Ahom kingdom there.
Read the full explanation →A charged particle moves through a magnetic field B with a velocity v. Which one of the following statements is true for the force (F) experienced by the particle?
The magnetic force depends on the sine of the angle between velocity and field, and sin 90° is the largest value.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements regarding instruments of monetary policy :
1. Standing deposit facility (SDF) rate was introduced in April 2022.
2. SDF rate replaced fixed reverse repo rate as the floor of the LAF corridor.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The RBI brought in the Standing Deposit Facility in April 2022 and made its rate the new floor of the policy corridor.
Read the full explanation →In Sun-Earth system, the Sun, the Earth and the Lagrange point L4 form :
L4 lies on Earth's orbit 60° ahead of the Earth, so it is as far from the Sun as from the Earth.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following statements about the Ghadar Movement is/are correct ?
1. The Ghadar Movement began in 1913 in San Francisco.
2. The movement was founded by Sohan Singh Bhakna.
3. The Ghadar Movement took its name from the weekly Ghadar brought out in several Indian languages.
Select the answer using the code given below :
All three statements describe the Ghadar Movement correctly. The Ghadar Party was formed in 1913 on the Pacific coast of the USA by Indian immigrants, mostly Punjabi Sikh farmers and workers, with its headquarters, the Yugantar Ashram, in San Francisco.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements is not correct with regard to the UNIX operating system ?
UNIX was designed from the start as a time-sharing system, so this statement is false. UNIX was developed at Bell Labs from 1969 by Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie.
Read the full explanation →According to Census 2011, which one of the following is the correct sequence of States in decreasing order of their total size of population?
Kerala was narrowly ahead of Jharkhand in Census 2011, and Assam was clearly ahead of Punjab. Census 2011 counted about 3.34 crore people in Kerala, 3.30 crore in Jharkhand, 3.12 crore in Assam and 2.77 crore in Punjab.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following is the most characteristic property of an element?
The number of protons in the nucleus defines an element, and no two elements share it. The atomic number (Z) is the number of protons in an atom's nucleus, and in a neutral atom it also equals the number of electrons, which decide chemical behaviour.
Read the full explanation →