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 epic, Silappadikaram refers to the
Silappadikaram was written by Ilango Adigal, a prince who became a Jaina monk, and Jaina ideas run through its story.
Read the full explanation →Who among the following is the author of the book, A Comparison between Women and Men?
She wrote Stri Purush Tulana, A Comparison between Women and Men, in Marathi in 1882. Tarabai Shinde was born in Buldhana in Berar and was associated with Jyotirao Phule's Satyashodhak Samaj.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following criteria got the highest weight for determination of shares of States in the formula given by the 14th Finance Commission?
In the 14th Finance Commission's formula for sharing central taxes among the States, income distance carried a weight of 50 percent, the highest of all the criteria.
Read the full explanation →The Economic historian, who has used the data collected by Buchanan-Hamilton to support the thesis of deindustrialization in the 19th century India, is
Bagchi used Francis Buchanan-Hamilton's survey figures for Gangetic Bihar to argue that India went through deindustrialization in the 19th century.
Read the full explanation →The Headquarters of the International Tropical Timber Organization is located at
The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) has its headquarters at Yokohama in Japan. ITTO is an intergovernmental body set up under the International Tropical Timber Agreement of 1983 and working since 1986.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following was the earlier name of Tokyo?
Tokyo was called Edo until 1868, when it was renamed Tokyo, which means eastern capital.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following statements about the social base of the Arya Samaj in British India is/are correct?
1. It was located mainly in Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh.
2. It mainly comprised the trading castes.
3. It was much more limited than that of the Brahmo Samaj.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
The Arya Samaj drew its strength mainly from Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh and from the trading castes, and its social base was wider, not narrower, than that of the Brahmo Samaj.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following became a part of China in 1997 following the principle of 'one country, two systems'?
Britain handed Hong Kong back to China on 1 July 1997, and it became a Special Administrative Region under the principle of one country, two systems.
Read the full explanation →The College of Fort William was established by which one of the following Governor-Generals?
Lord Wellesley founded the College of Fort William at Calcutta in 1800 to train young British civil servants of the East India Company.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following may be the true characteristic of cyclones?
Temperate cyclones are carried from west to east by the westerlies, while tropical cyclones generally move from east to west with the trade winds.
Read the full explanation →The 'four great needs' of the people as identified by the Guomindang were
These were the four great needs of the people that the Guomindang set out to meet, following the ideas of Sun Yat-sen.
Read the full explanation →In the elections to the provincial legislatures in 1937 in British India
1. only about 10 to 12 percent of the population had the right to vote
2. the untouchables had no right to vote
3. the Congress won an absolute majority in five out of eleven provinces
4. the Muslim League won more than 80 percent of the seats reserved for Muslims
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Voting in 1937 was limited by property and education, and the Congress won an absolute majority in five provinces, while statements 2 and 4 are false.
Read the full explanation →Under which one of the following Amendment Acts was Sikkim admitted into the Union of India?
The Constitution (Thirty-sixth Amendment) Act, 1975 made Sikkim a full State of the Indian Union. Sikkim had been an Indian protectorate since 1950.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following river valleys of India is under the influence of intensive gully erosion?
The Chambal valley is the best-known Indian example of land destroyed by intensive gully erosion, which has carved it into deep ravines.
Read the full explanation →The 'water frame' of Richard Arkwright was a device for
Richard Arkwright's water frame, patented in 1769, was a spinning machine driven by water power that spun strong cotton thread.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements about the Salt March : 1. The Salt March was deliberately ignored by the European media. 2. The Salt March was widely covered by the American and European press. 3. The Salt March was the first nationalist activity in which women participated in large numbers. 4. The Salt March impressed upon the British the urgent need to devolve more power to Indians. Which of the statements given above are correct?
The Salt March drew wide notice in the American and European press, brought women into the national movement in large numbers, and made the British see that they had to share more power with Indians.
Read the full explanation →Who was the editor of the journal Indian Social Reformer that was started in 1890?
Kamakshi Natarajan founded the weekly Indian Social Reformer at Madras in 1890 and edited it for decades, moving it to Bombay soon after.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following statements about Attorney General of India is/are not correct? 1. He is the first Law Officer of the Government of India. 2. He is entitled to the privileges of a Member of the Parliament. 3. He is a whole-time counsel for the Government. 4. He must have the same qualifications as are required to be a judge of the Supreme Court. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
The Attorney General is not a whole-time counsel of the Government; he is not barred from private legal practice, so statement 3 is the only incorrect one.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements is correct?
Liver cells turn the toxic ammonia released from the breakdown of amino acids into urea through the ornithine cycle, also called the urea cycle.
Read the full explanation →The term Upari refers to which one of the following?
In the Maratha villages of the Deccan, an upari was a tenant who cultivated land without any hereditary right to it.
Read the full explanation →