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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

Q1261.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2026, GKHard

Which of the following statements relating to the Modern Periodic Table is/are correct ?

1. The atomic radius increases on moving from left to right across a period.

2. Germanium, Tellurium, and Copper are transition metals.

3. The two isotopes of Chlorine occupy the same position in the periodic table.

4. The metallic property of Ca, Ba, Be and Sr follows the order : Be < Ca < Sr < Ba.

Select the answer using the codes given below :

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

Only statements 3 and 4 are true; statements 1 and 2 are false. The modern periodic table arranges elements by atomic number.

Q1262.GeographyAsked in: CDS · 7 Feb 2021Medium

Which one of the following water bodies separates the Andaman Islands from the Nicobar Islands?

  1. A.Gulf of Mannar
  2. B.Ten Degree Channel
  3. C.Eleven Degree Channel
  4. D.Palk Strait
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Ten Degree Channel

The correct answer is B, the Ten Degree Channel, which lies roughly along the parallel of ten degrees north and separates the Andaman group in the north from the Nicobar group in the south; Little Andaman lies to its north and Car Nicobar to its south.

Q1263.Indian PolityAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2019, GKEasy

Which one of the following is not enumerated in the Constitution of India as a fundamental duty of citizens of India?

  1. A.To safeguard public property
  2. B.To protect and improve the natural environment
  3. C.To develop the scientific temper and spirit of inquiry
  4. D.To promote international peace and security
Show answer
Correct answer: D. To promote international peace and security

This is a Directive Principle of State Policy under Article 51, a duty of the State, not a fundamental duty of citizens.

Q1264.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2020, GKEasy

Which one of the following is the correct sequence of organs that occur in the path of urine flow in human body?

  1. A.Kidney, ureter, urinary bladder, urethra
  2. B.Kidney, urinary bladder, ureter, urethra
  3. C.Kidney, ureter, urethra, urinary bladder
  4. D.Urinary bladder, kidney, urethra, ureter
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Kidney, ureter, urinary bladder, urethra

Urine is made in the kidneys, carried down by the ureters, stored in the bladder and passed out through the urethra.

Q1265.Indian PolityAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2020, GKMedium

Which of the following Articles in the Constitution of India are exceptions to the Fundamental Rights enumerated in Article 14 and Article 19?

  1. A.Article 31A and Article 31C
  2. B.Article 31B and Article 31D
  3. C.Article 12 and Article 13
  4. D.Article 16 and Article 17
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Article 31A and Article 31C

Both articles protect certain laws from being struck down on the ground that they violate Article 14 or Article 19.

Q1266.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2021, GKMedium

Exchange rates state the value of one currency in terms of other currencies. Which one of the following statements with respect to the exchange rate of currency is correct ?

  1. A.Floating exchange rates are rates in which the Governments interfere by buying or selling their currencies.
  2. B.Fixed exchange rates are rates set by Government decisions and maintained by Government actions.
  3. C.Under the Bretton Woods System, the exchange rates are floated in terms of rise or fall in price of gold.
  4. D.Under the classical gold standard, the exchange rates are fixed in terms of price of dollar.
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Fixed exchange rates are rates set by Government decisions and maintained by Government actions.

Under a fixed exchange rate, the government or central bank decides the rate and keeps it there by buying and selling currency.

Q1267.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2021, GKMedium

Animals which are marine, bilaterally symmetrical, have a coelom and a notochord, but never form a vertebral column are placed under which one of the following groups?

  1. A.Chordata
  2. B.Protochordata
  3. C.Vertebrata
  4. D.Mammalia
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Protochordata

Protochordates are marine chordates that have a notochord at some stage but never develop a backbone. The phylum Chordata is split into protochordates and vertebrates.

Q1269.Indian PolityAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2022, GKHard

In India, which one of the following is responsible for the implementation of the Government of India's policy in all matters concerning telecommunications ?

  1. A.Digital Communications Commission
  2. B.Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
  3. C.Telecom Advisory Committee
  4. D.Telecommunications Consultants India Limited
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Digital Communications Commission

This body within the Department of Telecommunications is in charge of carrying out the Government's telecom policy. The Telecom Commission was set up in 1989 with administrative and financial powers to deal with all aspects of telecommunications, and in 2018 it was renamed the Digital Communications Commission.

Q1271.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2023, GKHard

Which of the following action(s) by the Government would lead to contraction of money supply in the economy? 1. Purchase of Treasury Bills by the central bank from public 2. Sale of Treasury Bills by the central bank to public 3. Sale of foreign exchange by the central bank 4. Purchase of foreign exchange by the central bank Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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

In both actions the central bank takes rupees from the public in exchange for an asset, so money in circulation falls.

Q1275.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2026, GKMedium

Consider the following statements : 1. The temporary hardness in water is due to the presence of bicarbonates of calcium. 2. The permanent hardness in water is due to the presence of soluble chlorides and sulphates of calcium and magnesium. 3. The permanent hardness in water is removed by adding Na₂CO₃ to water. Which of the statements given above are correct?

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

All three statements describe hard water correctly. Statement 1 is correct: temporary hardness comes from dissolved bicarbonates, chiefly calcium bicarbonate (magnesium bicarbonate too).

Q1276.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2026, GKHard

Which of the following statements relating to given weather phenomena in India is/are correct? 1. When maximum temperature of a station reaches ≥40°C for plains and ≥30°C for hilly regions, it is considered heat wave 2. When minimum temperature of a station is ≤10°C for plains and ≤0°C for hilly regions, it is considered cold wave Select the 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: C. Both 1 and 2

These are the threshold temperatures the India Meteorological Department (IMD) uses for declaring heat waves and cold waves.

Q1277.Environment & EcologyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2016, GKMedium

Excessive use of which of the following fertilizers may be responsible for the presence of a toxic substance in groundwater?

  1. A.Nitrogen
  2. B.Phosphate only
  3. C.Potassium only
  4. D.Phosphate and potassium
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Nitrogen

Excess nitrogen fertilizer turns into nitrate, which dissolves easily, seeps down through the soil and contaminates groundwater. Urea and other nitrogen fertilizers are converted by soil bacteria into nitrate ions.

Q1278.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2017, GKEasy

Which one of the following is a physical change?

  1. A.Burning of coal
  2. B.Burning of wood
  3. C.Heating of a platinum crucible
  4. D.Heating of potassium chlorate
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Heating of a platinum crucible

Platinum only gets hot and may glow; it does not react, and on cooling the crucible is exactly as it was, so the change is physical.

Q1280.Static GKAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2019, GKEasy

Paul Allen, who died in October 2018, was the co-founder of

  1. A.Oracle
  2. B.IBM
  3. C.Microsoft
  4. D.SAP
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Microsoft

Paul Allen founded Microsoft with his school friend Bill Gates in 1975. Allen and Gates started the company in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to write software for the early personal computer Altair 8800, and the name came from "microcomputer software".

All Defence previous year questions