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Defence GK Questions 2026

Static GK carries most of the General Knowledge marks in the defence exams, and science carries the largest share of it. In NDA & NA, Physics, Chemistry and General Science are about half of the 400 marks of Part B, and History, the freedom movement and Geography are about 20% each, as per the notice. In the CDS (II) 2026 General Knowledge paper, GK24 counted about 37 science questions, about 20 each on Polity and History, about 15 on Geography and environment and about 10 on the Economy; this count is guidance, not an official break-up. The Army's Agniveer CEE gives 15 of its 50 General Duty questions to General Knowledge and 15 to General Science, which covers cells, the human body, plants and animals and common epidemics. Its GK list names history, culture and geography of India and its neighbours, the Constitution, inventions and discoveries, books and authors, and the Indian Armed Forces. This page holds GK24's topic-wise GK notes and GK questions tagged for NDA, CDS and Agniveer, in English and Hindi: General Science, Indian History, Art and Culture, Indian Polity, Geography, Indian Economy and Static GK. Read one topic at a sitting, then solve its questions and the previous-year questions of your exam to see what stayed with you.

Defence GK Questions with Answers

Q2341.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IMedium

The staple commodities of export by the English East India Company from Bengal in the middle of the 18th century were

  1. A.Raw cotton, oil-seeds and opium
  2. B.Sugar, salt, zinc and lead
  3. C.Copper, silver, gold, spices and tea
  4. D.Cotton, silk, saltpetre and opium
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Cotton, silk, saltpetre and opium

In the mid-18th century the English East India Company's main exports from Bengal were cotton textiles, silk, saltpetre and opium.

Q2342.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IEasy

Which one of the following is a reason why astronomical distances are measured in light-years?

  1. A.Distances among stellar bodies do not change.
  2. B.Gravity of stellar bodies does not change.
  3. C.Light always travels in straight line.
  4. D.Speed of light is always same.
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Speed of light is always same.

. A light-year works as a unit of distance only because light in a vacuum always travels at the same speed, so the distance it covers in a year is fixed.

Q2343.Static GKAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following in respect of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) : 1. Inaugural IONS was held in India in 2015 under the chairmanship of the Indian Navy. 2. IONS is a voluntary initiative that seeks to increase maritime co-operation among navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region. Which of the above statements 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: B. 2 only

Statement 2 is correct, but statement 1 is wrong because the first IONS was held in 2008, not 2015. The Indian Ocean Naval Symposium was conceived by the Indian Navy, and its inaugural edition took place in New Delhi in February 2008 with India as the first chair.

Q2344.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IMedium

'Triclosan', considered harmful when exposed to high levels for a long time, is most likely present in which of the following?

  1. A.Food preservatives
  2. B.Fruit-ripening substances
  3. C.Reused plastic containers
  4. D.Toiletries
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Toiletries

Triclosan is an antibacterial and antifungal agent added mainly to personal-care products. It has been used in antibacterial soaps, hand washes, toothpastes, deodorants, shaving creams, mouthwashes and cosmetics, and sometimes in kitchen items and textiles to stop the growth of germs.

Q2345.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2022, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following pairs : Reservoirs — States 1. Ghataprabha — Telangana 2. Gandhi Sagar — Madhya Pradesh 3. Indira Sagar — Andhra Pradesh 4. Maithon — Chhattisgarh How many pairs given above are not correctly matched?

  1. A.Only one pair
  2. B.Only two pairs
  3. C.Only three pairs
  4. D.All four pairs
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Only three pairs

Only Gandhi Sagar is matched with its correct State, so three of the four pairs are wrong. Gandhi Sagar is the first of the Chambal valley dams, built in the Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh, so pair 2 is correct.

Q2346.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2023, GS Paper IHard

Consider the following statements : 1. According to the Constitution of India, the Central Government has a duty to protect States from internal disturbances. 2. The Constitution of India exempts the States from providing legal counsel to a person being held for preventive detention. 3. According to the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002, confession of the accused before the police cannot be used as evidence. How many of the above statements are correct?

  1. A.Only one
  2. B.Only two
  3. C.All three
  4. D.None
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Only two

Statements 1 and 2 are correct, while statement 3 is wrong. Article 355 says it is the duty of the Union to protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance and to ensure that its government runs according to the Constitution, so statement 1 is correct.

Q2348.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2019, GS Paper IMedium

Which one of the following suggested that the Governor should be an eminent person from outside the State and should be a detached figure without intense political links or should not have taken part in politics in the recent past?

  1. A.First Administrative Reforms Commission (1966)
  2. B.Rajamannar Committee (1969)
  3. C.Sarkaria Commission (1983)
  4. D.National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution (2000)
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Sarkaria Commission (1983)

The Sarkaria Commission on Centre-State relations laid down these qualities for choosing a Governor. The Commission was set up by the Union Government in 1983 under Justice R.S.

Q2349.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IMedium

Bisphenol A (BPA), a cause of concern, is a structural/key component in the manufacture of which of the following kinds of plastics?

  1. A.Low-density polyethylene
  2. B.Polycarbonate
  3. C.Polyethylene terephthalate
  4. D.Polyvinyl chloride
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Polycarbonate

Bisphenol A is the main building block from which polycarbonate plastic is made. Polycarbonate is a hard, clear and shatter-resistant plastic once widely used for reusable water bottles, baby feeding bottles, food containers, CDs and spectacle lenses.

Q2351.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2018, Paper IEasy

Ashok Mehta Committee was constituted to make recommendations on which one of the following issues?

  1. A.Division of tax revenues between Centre and States
  2. B.Panchayati Raj System
  3. C.Appointment of Governors
  4. D.Presidential and Vice Presidential elections
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Panchayati Raj System

The Janata government set up the Ashok Mehta Committee in December 1977 to suggest how to revive the weakening Panchayati Raj institutions.

Q2354.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2025, Paper IMedium

Which one among the following is not a greenhouse gas?

  1. A.Sulphur dioxide
  2. B.Methane
  3. C.Nitrous oxide
  4. D.Fluorinated gas
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Sulphur dioxide

Sulphur dioxide is an air pollutant, not one of the greenhouse gases; in fact the sulphate particles it forms reflect sunlight and have a slight cooling effect.

Q2355.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2018, Paper IEasy

The Buddhist text Majjhima Nikaya is in

  1. A.Sanskrit
  2. B.Pali
  3. C.Prakrit
  4. D.Telugu
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Pali

The Majjhima Nikaya is part of the Pali Canon, the Tipitaka of Theravada Buddhism. The Tipitaka has three baskets: the Vinaya Pitaka on rules for monks and nuns, the Sutta Pitaka on the Buddha's discourses, and the Abhidhamma Pitaka on philosophy.

Q2356.Art & CultureAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2024, Paper IMedium

The National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), which is developing Science Centres/Museums/Innovation Hubs in India, works under

  1. A.the Ministry of Science and Technology
  2. B.the Ministry of Culture
  3. C.the Ministry of Education
  4. D.the Ministry of Earth Sciences
Show answer
Correct answer: B. the Ministry of Culture

The NCSM is an autonomous society of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It was formed in 1978 to take over the science museums then run by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, and its headquarters is in Kolkata.

Q2357.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2026, Paper IMedium

Which of the following statements regarding Carnot engine is/are correct?

1. It is an irreversible engine operating between two temperatures T1 (source) and T2 (sink).

2. Its efficiency is given by η = 1 − T2/T1, where T1 is the temperature of source and T2 is the temperature of sink.

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 Carnot engine is an ideal reversible engine, not an irreversible one, and its efficiency is 1 − T2/T1 with temperatures in kelvin.

Q2358.Books & AuthorsAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2018, Paper IEasy

Who among the following was the author of Hind Swaraj?

  1. A.Aurobindo Ghose
  2. B.C. R. Das
  3. C.Mahatma Gandhi
  4. D.Rajendra Prasad
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Mahatma Gandhi

Gandhi wrote Hind Swaraj, or Indian Home Rule, in Gujarati in 1909. He wrote it in about ten days on board the ship Kildonan Castle while returning from London to South Africa.

Q2360.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2018, Paper IMedium

Which one of the following concerns has found a place in both Fundamental Duties and Directive Principles of State Policy?

  1. A.Safeguard of public property
  2. B.Protection and improvement of environment, forests and wildlife
  3. C.Respect for the rich heritage of our composite culture
  4. D.Promotion of cooperative societies
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Protection and improvement of environment, forests and wildlife

Article 48A directs the State to protect it, and Article 51A(g) makes it a duty of every citizen. Both provisions were added by the 42nd Amendment of 1976.

GK Questions for sub-exams