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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

Q3261.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2016, GS Paper IMedium

With reference to the religious history of India, consider the following statements :

1. The concept of Bodhisattva is central to Hinayana sect of Buddhism.

2. Bodhisattva is a compassionate one on his way to enlightenment.

3. Bodhisattva delays achieving his own salvation to help all sentient beings on their path to it.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

Statement 1 is wrong because the Bodhisattva ideal is central to Mahayana Buddhism, not Hinayana. A Bodhisattva is a being moved by compassion who is on the path to Buddhahood but postpones his own nirvana so that he can help all living beings reach liberation.

Q3262.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IEasy

In the context of India, which one of the following is the correct relationship between Rights and Duties ?

  1. A.Rights are correlative with Duties.
  2. B.Rights are personal and hence independent of society and Duties.
  3. C.Rights, not Duties, are important for the advancement of the personality of the citizen.
  4. D.Duties, not Rights, are important for the stability of the State.
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Rights are correlative with Duties.

Every right a person enjoys places a matching duty on others, and on the right-holder, to respect it. The idea is that rights and duties are two sides of the same coin.

Q3263.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IMedium

If a commodity is provided free to the public by the Government, then

  1. A.the opportunity cost is zero.
  2. B.the opportunity cost is ignored.
  3. C.the opportunity cost is transferred from the consumers of the product to the tax-paying public.
  4. D.the opportunity cost is transferred from the consumers of the product to the Government.
Show answer
Correct answer: C. the opportunity cost is transferred from the consumers of the product to the tax-paying public.

A free good still uses up resources, and taxpayers pay for them. Opportunity cost is the value of the next best alternative given up when resources are used for something.

Q3264.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2019, GS Paper IMedium

The Ninth Schedule was introduced in the Constitution of India during the prime ministership of

  1. A.Jawaharlal Nehru
  2. B.Lal Bahadur Shastri
  3. C.Indira Gandhi
  4. D.Morarji Desai
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Jawaharlal Nehru

The Ninth Schedule was added by the First Constitutional Amendment Act of 1951, when Nehru was Prime Minister. The First Amendment inserted Articles 31A and 31B along with the Ninth Schedule.

Q3265.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2020, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements :

1. The weightage of food in Consumer Price Index (CPI) is higher than that in Wholesale Price Index (WPI).

2. The WPI does not capture changes in the prices of services, which CPI does.

3. Reserve Bank of India has now adopted WPI as its key measure of inflation and to decide on changing the key policy rates.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

Statement 3 is wrong because the RBI uses CPI, not WPI, as its main measure of inflation. Food has a much larger weight in the CPI, close to half of the basket, than in the WPI, where food articles and manufactured food together form roughly a quarter.

Q3267.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2022, GS Paper IEasy

Which of the following is not a bird ?

  1. A.Golden Mahseer
  2. B.Indian Nightjar
  3. C.Spoonbill
  4. D.White Ibis
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Golden Mahseer

The golden mahseer is a large freshwater fish, not a bird. The golden mahseer (Tor putitora) lives in fast-flowing rivers of the Himalayan foothills, from the Indus basin to the Brahmaputra.

Q3268.Science & TechnologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2023, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements :

1. Ballistic missiles are jet-propelled at subsonic speeds throughout their flights, while cruise missiles are rocket-powered only in the initial phase of flight.

2. Agni-V is a medium-range supersonic cruise missile, while BrahMos is a solid-fuelled intercontinental ballistic missile.

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: D. Neither 1 nor 2

Both statements swap the features of ballistic and cruise missiles. A ballistic missile is rocket-powered only in the first, boost phase; after that it follows a high, curved, mostly unpowered path, re-entering the atmosphere at very high speed.

Q3269.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2024, GS Paper IMedium

Which of the following statements are correct in respect of a Money Bill in the Parliament?

1. Article 109 mentions special procedure in respect of Money Bills.

2. A Money Bill shall not be introduced in the Council of States.

3. The Rajya Sabha can either approve the Bill or suggest changes but cannot reject it.

4. Amendments to a Money Bill suggested by the Rajya Sabha have to be accepted by the Lok Sabha.

Select the answer using the code given below :

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

Only statement 4 is wrong, because the Lok Sabha is free to accept or reject the Rajya Sabha's recommendations. Article 110 defines a Money Bill and Article 109 lays down the special procedure for it.

Q3270.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2025, GS Paper IHard

Which of the following statements with regard to recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission of India are correct?

I. It has recommended grants of ₹ 4,800 crores from the year 2022-23 to the year 2025-26 for incentivizing States to enhance educational outcomes.

II. 45% of the net proceeds of Union taxes are to be shared with States.

III. ₹ 45,000 crores are to be kept as performance-based incentive for all States for carrying out agricultural reforms.

IV. It reintroduced tax effort criteria to reward fiscal performance.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

Statement II is wrong because the 15th Finance Commission fixed the States' share at 41%, not 45%. The 15th Finance Commission, chaired by N. K. Singh, covered 2021-22 to 2025-26.

Q3271.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2017, Paper IMedium

The mass number of an element is NOT changed when it emits

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

Neither beta nor gamma emission changes the total number of protons and neutrons in a nucleus, so the mass number stays the same.

Q3272.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2018, Paper IMedium

Which of the following statements about Harappa Civilization is/are correct?

1. There is the extraordinary uniformity in artefacts as evident in pottery, seals, bricks and weights.

2. The late Harappa sites also maintained the same construction techniques as were used in mature Harappa sites.

Select the correct 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

The mature Harappan phase shows a striking uniformity in its artefacts, but that uniformity broke down in the late Harappan phase.

Q3274.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2020, Paper IEasy

SAUBHAGYA, a Central Government scheme, is related to

  1. A.providing cash money to women giving birth of single female child
  2. B.connecting kitchen of every household with piped cooking gas
  3. C.strengthening and augmenting infrastructure for piped water supply
  4. D.achieving universal household electrification in the country
Show answer
Correct answer: D. achieving universal household electrification in the country

SAUBHAGYA, the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana, aimed to give an electricity connection to every household. The scheme was launched by the Ministry of Power in September 2017 and was carried out mainly through the Rural Electrification Corporation.

Q3275.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2025, Paper IMedium

Which one among the following statements about facilitated transport in plants is correct?

  1. A.All passive transports are types of facilitated transport.
  2. B.Facilitated transport is an example of active transport.
  3. C.Water moves across plasma membrane by active transport.
  4. D.Facilitated transport requires assistance of carrier proteins.
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Facilitated transport requires assistance of carrier proteins.

In facilitated transport, molecules cross the membrane with the help of membrane proteins, while still moving down their concentration gradient.

Q3276.GeographyAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2026, Paper IEasy

Consider the following statements about a cloud form :

1. These are made up of ice crystals rather than droplets of water.

2. They are thin, stringy, white clouds that trail like feathers across the sky.

3. These clouds are formed at very high altitudes - normally between 6000 metres and 10000 metres.

Which one among the following cloud forms is described above?

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

Cirrus clouds are thin, feathery clouds made of ice crystals that form high in the troposphere. At heights of roughly 6,000 to 10,000 metres the air is far below freezing, so cirrus clouds hold ice crystals instead of water droplets.

Q3277.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2017, Paper IMedium

Who among the following has coined the term 'Quark', the fundamental particles that make up protons and neutrons in an atomic nucleus ?

  1. A.Richard Feynman
  2. B.Murray Gell-Mann
  3. C.Albert Einstein
  4. D.Niels Bohr
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Murray Gell-Mann

The American physicist Murray Gell-Mann proposed quarks in 1964 and gave them their name. Gell-Mann, and independently George Zweig, suggested that protons, neutrons and other such particles are built from smaller units.

Q3279.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2019, Paper IEasy

"To cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle for freedom" is a provision of which one of the following of the Constitution of India ?

  1. A.Directive principles of the state policy
  2. B.Fundamental duties
  3. C.Fundamental rights
  4. D.Preamble
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Fundamental duties

This is the second fundamental duty, listed in Article 51A(b) of the Constitution. Fundamental duties were added in Part IVA by the 42nd Amendment of 1976, on the recommendation of the Swaran Singh Committee, and drew on the constitution of the former USSR.

Q3280.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2020, Paper IEasy

Which of the following statement(s) regarding promulgation of ordinance is/are correct?

1. President can promulgate ordinances which are of temporary duration.

2. An ordinance promulgated by the President has to be ratified by Parliament within six weeks of its re-assembly.

Select the correct 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

Under Article 123 an ordinance is a temporary law, and it lapses unless Parliament approves it within six weeks of reassembling.

GK Questions for sub-exams