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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

Q3881.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2019, GS Paper IMedium

Which of the following statements are correct about the deposits of 'methane hydrate'? 1. Global warming might trigger the release of methane gas from these deposits. 2. Large deposits of 'methane hydrate' are found in Arctic Tundra and under the seafloor. 3. Methane in atmosphere oxidizes to carbon dioxide after a decade or two. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  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: D. 1, 2 and 3

All three statements are correct. Methane hydrate, also called gas hydrate or "fire ice", is methane trapped inside a cage of frozen water molecules.

Q3883.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2023, GS Paper IHard

Which one of the following explains the practice of 'Vattakirutal' as mentioned in Sangam poems?

  1. A.Kings employing women bodyguards
  2. B.Learned persons assembling in royal courts to discuss religious and philosophical matters
  3. C.Young girls keeping watch over agricultural fields and driving away birds and animals
  4. D.A king defeated in a battle committing ritual suicide by starving himself to death
Show answer
Correct answer: D. A king defeated in a battle committing ritual suicide by starving himself to death

Vadakkiruttal, literally "sitting facing the north", was the Sangam practice in which a defeated or dishonoured king sat facing north and fasted until death.

Q3884.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2025, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements : I. No virus can survive in ocean waters. II. No virus can infect bacteria. III. No virus can change the cellular transcriptional activity in host cells. How many of the statements given above are correct?

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

Each statement says "no virus can", and each is disproved by well-known viruses.

Q3885.Science & TechnologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IHard

In the Indian context, what is the implication of ratifying the 'Additional Protocol' with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) ?

  1. A.The civilian nuclear reactors come under IAEA safeguards.
  2. B.The military nuclear installations come under the inspection of IAEA.
  3. C.The country will have the privilege to buy uranium from the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
  4. D.The country automatically becomes a member of the NSG.
Show answer
Correct answer: A. The civilian nuclear reactors come under IAEA safeguards.

For India, the Additional Protocol strengthens IAEA oversight of the civilian nuclear facilities India has chosen to place under safeguards; its military programme stays outside.

Q3886.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2019, GS Paper IMedium

For the measurement/estimation of which of the following are satellite images/remote sensing data used? 1. Chlorophyll content in the vegetation of a specific location 2. Greenhouse gas emissions from rice paddies of a specific location 3. Land surface temperatures of a specific location Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

Satellite sensors are used to estimate all three, because each leaves a signature in the light or heat a place gives off.

Q3887.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2020, GS Paper IMedium

Which of the following are the reasons/factors for exposure to benzene pollution ? 1. Automobile exhaust 2. Tobacco smoke 3. Wood burning 4. Using varnished wooden furniture 5. Using products made of polyurethane Select the correct answer using the code given below:

  1. A.1, 2 and 3 only
  2. B.2 and 4 only
  3. C.1, 3 and 4 only
  4. D.1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
Show answer
Correct answer: D. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

All five release benzene, either by burning carbon-based material or by giving off fumes from solvents and synthetic materials. Benzene is a volatile organic compound and a known human carcinogen linked to leukaemia.

Q3888.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IHard

With reference to the history of ancient India, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. Mitakshara was the civil law for upper castes and Dayabhaga was the civil law for lower castes. 2. In the Mitakshara system, the sons can claim right to the property during the lifetime of the father, whereas in the Dayabhaga system, it is only after the death of the father that the sons can claim right to the property. 3. The Mitakshara system deals with the matters related to the property held by male members only of a family, whereas the Dayabhaga system deals with the matters related to the property held by both male and female members of a family. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

The real difference between the two schools is when a son's right to ancestral property arises, not caste or the sex of the owner.

Q3889.Science & TechnologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2022, GS Paper IMedium

Which one of the following statements best reflects the idea behind the "Fractional Orbital Bombardment System" often talked about in media ?

  1. A.A hypersonic missile is launched into space to counter the asteroid approaching the Earth and explode it in space.
  2. B.A spacecraft lands on another planet after making several orbital motions.
  3. C.A missile is put into a stable orbit around the Earth and deorbits over a target on the Earth.
  4. D.A spacecraft moves along a comet with the same speed and places a probe on its surface.
Show answer
Correct answer: C. A missile is put into a stable orbit around the Earth and deorbits over a target on the Earth.

In a Fractional Orbital Bombardment System, a warhead is placed in a low orbit around the Earth and then brought down out of that orbit onto its target.

Q3891.General ScienceAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2018, GATEasy

Which one of the following is an organelle that is NOT found in prokaryotic cells?

  1. A.Cell wall
  2. B.Mitochondria
  3. C.Plasma membrane
  4. D.Ribosome
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Mitochondria

Prokaryotic cells such as bacteria have no membrane-bound organelles, so they lack mitochondria. Prokaryotes have no true nucleus: their DNA lies in a region called the nucleoid, and they have no mitochondria, chloroplasts, endoplasmic reticulum or Golgi body.

Q3892.Environment & EcologyAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2018, GATHard

Consider the following Wildlife Sanctuaries of India: 1. Shikari Devi 2. Bhadra 3. Simlipal 4. Pachmarhi Which one of the following is the correct order of the above Wildlife Sanctuaries in terms of their location from south to north?

  1. A.1-2-3-4
  2. B.2-4-3-1
  3. C.2-3-4-1
  4. D.3-1-2-4
Show answer
Correct answer: C. 2-3-4-1

From south to north the order is Bhadra (Karnataka), Simlipal (Odisha), Pachmarhi (Madhya Pradesh) and Shikari Devi (Himachal Pradesh). Bhadra lies in the Western Ghats of Chikkamagaluru district, Karnataka, at about 13.5°N, and is a tiger reserve.

Q3893.GeographyAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2019, GATHard

"Inversion of Rainfall" is associated with

  1. A.Orographic rainfall
  2. B.Convectional rainfall
  3. C.Cyclonic rainfall (Tropical)
  4. D.Cyclonic rainfall (Temperate)
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Orographic rainfall

On a mountain slope, rainfall increases with height only up to a certain level and then decreases above it; this is called the inversion of rainfall.

Q3894.General ScienceAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2020, GATEasy

Chalk and marble are different forms of

  1. A.Calcium hydrogen carbonate
  2. B.Calcium carbonate
  3. C.Calcium acetate
  4. D.Sodium carbonate
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Calcium carbonate

Chalk, limestone and marble are all forms of calcium carbonate, CaCO₃. Chalk is a soft, porous rock built from the tiny shells of marine plankton.

Q3899.General ScienceAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2023, GATEasy

Which of the hydrocarbons are arranged as per the increasing order of their boiling points?

  1. A.Methane, Butane, Propane, Heptane
  2. B.Propane, Butane, Pentane, Octane
  3. C.Propane, Butane, Heptane, Methane
  4. D.Octane, Ethane, Methane, Propane
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Propane, Butane, Pentane, Octane

In the alkane series the boiling point rises as the carbon chain gets longer, and this order goes from 3 to 4 to 5 to 8 carbons.

Q3900.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2023, GATHard

In which one of the following ways did the First World War Not impact Europe?

  1. A.From a continent of creditors it turned into a continent of debtors
  2. B.Soldiers came to be placed higher in social status than civilians
  3. C.Popular support decreased for conservative dictatorship which had come into being recently
  4. D.National honour occupied centre stage in the public sphere
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Popular support decreased for conservative dictatorship which had come into being recently

The war did not reduce support for conservative dictatorships; popular support for them actually grew after 1918. The First World War (1914–18) left Europe drained.

GK Questions for sub-exams