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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

Q2661.Indian HistoryHard

Tolstoy Farm, set up by Gandhi in 1910, was established on land donated by which of his friends?

  1. A.Hermann Kallenbach
  2. B.Henry Polak
  3. C.C. F. Andrews
  4. D.Sonja Schlesin
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Hermann Kallenbach

Tolstoy Farm was founded in 1910 near Johannesburg on land given by Hermann Kallenbach, a German-born architect and close friend of Gandhi, and it housed the families of satyagrahis who had gone to jail, training them in manual labour and self-discipline.

Q2665.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2024, GS Paper IEasy

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which one of the following is the largest source of sulphur dioxide emissions?

  1. A.Locomotives using fossil fuels
  2. B.Ships using fossil fuels
  3. C.Extraction of metals from ores
  4. D.Power plants using fossil fuels
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Power plants using fossil fuels

The EPA names the burning of fossil fuels by power plants and other industrial facilities as the largest source of sulphur dioxide.

Q2667.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following phenomena : 1. Light is affected by gravity. 2. The Universe is constantly expanding. 3. Matter warps its surrounding space-time. Which of the above is/are the prediction/predictions of Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, often discussed in media ?

  1. A.1 and 2 only
  2. B.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 follow from Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, published in 1915. General relativity explains gravity not as a force but as the curving of space-time by mass and energy; in John Wheeler's words, matter tells space-time how to curve, and space-time tells matter how to move.

Q2668.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IEasy

Consider the following : 1. Bacteria 2. Fungi 3. Virus Which of the above can be cultured in artificial/synthetic medium?

  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: A. 1 and 2 only

Bacteria and fungi grow on artificial media, but viruses multiply only inside living cells. Bacteria and fungi are living cells with their own machinery for making energy and proteins, so they grow on nutrient agar, broth or synthetic media in a laboratory.

Q2670.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2025, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements : I. If any question arises as to whether a Member of the House of the People has become subject to disqualification under the 10th Schedule, the President's decision in accordance with the opinion of the Council of Union Ministers shall be final. II. There is no mention of the word 'political party' in the Constitution of India. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A.I only
  2. B.II only
  3. C.Both I and II
  4. D.Neither I nor II
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Neither I nor II

Defection cases are decided by the Speaker or Chairman, not the President, and the Tenth Schedule itself uses the term 'political party'.

Q2671.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IEasy

In the context of Indian history, the principle of Dyarchy (diarchy) refers to

  1. A.Division of the central legislature into two houses.
  2. B.Introduction of double government i.e., Central and State governments.
  3. C.Having two sets of rulers; one in London and another in Delhi.
  4. D.Division of the subjects delegated to the provinces into two categories.
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Division of the subjects delegated to the provinces into two categories.

Under dyarchy the provincial subjects were split into transferred and reserved subjects. Dyarchy was introduced in the provinces by the Government of India Act, 1919, based on the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms.

Q2672.Science & TechnologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IEasy

Bollgard I and Bollgard II technologies are mentioned in the context of

  1. A.clonal propagation of crop plants
  2. B.developing genetically modified crop plants
  3. C.production of plant growth substances
  4. D.production of biofertilizers
Show answer
Correct answer: B. developing genetically modified crop plants

Bollgard I and Bollgard II are Bt cotton technologies that make the cotton plant resistant to bollworms. Bt cotton carries genes taken from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, which make Cry proteins that are toxic to the larvae of bollworms.

Q2673.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2024, GS Paper IHard

Consider the following statements : Statement-I : Sumed pipeline is a strategic route for Persian Gulf oil and natural gas shipments to Europe. Statement-II : Sumed pipeline connects the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. A.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  2. B.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  3. C.Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  4. D.Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I

The pipeline is a strategic route to Europe precisely because it links the Red Sea with the Mediterranean.

Q2674.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2025, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements : I. On the dissolution of the House of the People, the Speaker shall not vacate his/her office until immediately before the first meeting of the House of the People after the dissolution. II. According to the provisions of the Constitution of India, a Member of the House of the People on being elected as Speaker shall resign his/her political party immediately. III. The Speaker of the House of the People may be removed from his/her office by a resolution of the House of the People passed by a majority of all the then Members of the House, provided that no resolution shall be moved unless at least fourteen days' notice has been given of the intention to move the resolution. Which of the statements given above are correct?

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

Both come word for word from Article 94, while the Constitution says nothing about the Speaker leaving his or her party.

Q2675.Art & CultureAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2016, GS Paper IEasy

What is/are common to the two historical places known as Ajanta and Mahabalipuram? 1. Both were built in the same period. 2. Both belong to the same religious denomination. 3. Both have rock-cut monuments. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  1. A.1 and 2 only
  2. B.3 only
  3. C.1 and 3 only
  4. D.None of the statements given above is correct
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 3 only

Ajanta and Mahabalipuram both have monuments cut out of living rock, but they were made in different periods and for different faiths.

Q2676.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IMedium

In the context of hereditary diseases, consider the following statements : 1. Passing on mitochondrial diseases from parent to child can be prevented by mitochondrial replacement therapy either before or after in vitro fertilization of egg. 2. A child inherits mitochondrial diseases entirely from mother and not from father. Which of the statements given above 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: C. Both 1 and 2

Mitochondrial DNA comes only from the mother, and mitochondrial replacement therapy can stop a mitochondrial disease from passing to the child.

Q2677.Science & TechnologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2023, GS Paper IMedium

'Microsatellite DNA' is used in the case of which one of the following?

  1. A.Studying the evolutionary relationships among various species of fauna
  2. B.Stimulating 'stem cells' to transform into diverse functional tissues
  3. C.Promoting clonal propagation of horticultural plants
  4. D.Assessing the efficacy of drugs by conducting series of drug trials in a population
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Studying the evolutionary relationships among various species of fauna

Microsatellites are genetic markers that show how closely related individuals, populations and species are. Microsatellites, also called short tandem repeats (STRs) or simple sequence repeats, are stretches of DNA in which a short motif of one to six bases, such as CA, is repeated many times.

Q2678.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2025, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements with regard to pardoning power of the President of India : I. The exercise of this power by the President can be subjected to limited judicial review. II. The President can exercise this power without the advice of the Central Government. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A.I only
  2. B.II only
  3. C.Both I and II
  4. D.Neither I nor II
Show answer
Correct answer: A. I only

Courts can review a pardon on limited grounds, but the President always acts on the advice of the Union Council of Ministers.

Q2679.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2017, Paper IEasy

Carborundum is used as an abrasive, because it

  1. A.has high thermal conductivity
  2. B.has low coefficient of expansion
  3. C.has high chemical stability
  4. D.is extremely hard
Show answer
Correct answer: D. is extremely hard

Carborundum, or silicon carbide (SiC), is one of the hardest substances known, so it can grind, cut and polish other materials, which is what an abrasive must do.

GK Questions for sub-exams