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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

Q1521.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2025, GKEasy

Identify the cloud on the basis of the following characteristics relating to it : I. They look like cotton wool. II. They exist in patches and have flat base. III. They are generally formed at a height of 4 to 7 km. Select the answer using the code given below :

  1. A.Cirrus
  2. B.Cumulus
  3. C.Nimbus
  4. D.Stratus
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Cumulus

Cumulus clouds look like heaps of cotton wool, appear in scattered patches with a flat base, and generally form at a height of 4 to 7 km.

Q1522.Awards & HonoursAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2025, GKEasy

Which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. C. Rajagopalachari was the first recipient of the Bharat Ratna. 2. Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya initiated the concept of 'Integral Humanism'. 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

C. Rajagopalachari is listed first among the first Bharat Ratna awardees of 1954, and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya gave the philosophy of Integral Humanism.

Q1524.Indian PolityAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2026, GKMedium

Which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. In First-Past-the-Post system of representation, candidate who wins the election may not get majority votes 2. In Proportional Representation system of representation, candidate who wins the election gets majority of votes 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: A. 1 only

Under First-Past-the-Post a candidate needs only more votes than any rival, not a majority, while Proportional Representation does not require a winner to secure a majority either.

Q1529.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2023, GKMedium

Which one of the following statements regarding bile secreted by liver is not correct?

  1. A.Bile contains enzymes for digestion of lipids.
  2. B.Bile facilitates emulsification of fats.
  3. C.Bile neutralizes the acidic pH of the food coming from stomach.
  4. D.Bile makes the pH of the food alkaline and facilitates action of pancreatic enzymes.
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Bile contains enzymes for digestion of lipids.

Bile has no digestive enzymes at all; it only prepares fats for digestion by other enzymes. Bile is made by the liver, stored and concentrated in the gall bladder, and poured into the duodenum through the bile duct.

Q1532.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2025, GKMedium

Which of the following statements with reference to Surface inversion of temperature is/are correct ? 1. It causes instability in the lower layers of the atmosphere. 2. This inversion commonly lasts for a few hours until the Sun comes up. 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: B. 2 only

A surface inversion makes the lower air stable, not unstable, and it usually breaks up a few hours after sunrise.

Q1534.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2026, GKHard

Which one of the following is not a function of the pigment carotenoid ?

  1. A.Responsible for yellow-orange hues of autumnal leaves
  2. B.Protecting chlorophyll from photo-oxidation
  3. C.Photoprotective role in our eyes
  4. D.Reaction centre in the pigment system
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Reaction centre in the pigment system

The reaction centre of a photosystem is a special chlorophyll a molecule, not a carotenoid. In photosynthesis, pigments are grouped into photosystems.

Q1535.Indian PolityAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2026, GKMedium

Which of the following statements about National Human Rights Commission, India is/are correct ? 1. It can intervene in court proceedings involving human rights violations with the approval of the court 2. It can undertake research in the field of human rights 3. It cannot investigate human rights violation on its own initiative Select the answer using the code given below :

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

The NHRC can join court cases on human rights with the court's approval and can promote research, but statement 3 is wrong because it can act on its own.

Q1540.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2019, GKMedium

The Damin-i-Koh was created by the British Government to settle which one of the following communities?

  1. A.Santals
  2. B.Mundas
  3. C.Oraons
  4. D.Saoras
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Santals

Damin-i-koh was the tract in the Rajmahal hills that the British marked out in 1832 for settling the Santals. The Santals had moved into the Rajmahal hills area in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, clearing forests and taking up settled farming.

All Defence previous year questions