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SSC CGL GK Questions 2026

Static GK decides the General Awareness score in SSC CGL. Of the 25 questions in Tier-I and the 25 in Tier-II Paper-I, most come from Indian Polity, History, Geography, the Economy and General Science, the areas the CGL 2026 notice lists as History, Culture, Geography, Economic Scene, General Policy and Scientific Research relating to India and its neighbouring countries. Polity questions ask about articles, parts and schedules of the Constitution, amendments, the President, Parliament, the Supreme Court and constitutional bodies. History covers the Indus Valley, the Mauryas and Guptas, the Delhi Sultanate and Mughals, and the freedom struggle from 1857 to 1947. Geography asks about rivers, soils, climate, national parks, minerals and world physical features. The Economy part asks about budget terms, the RBI, banking and basic concepts. General Science is school-level Physics, Chemistry and Biology. This page holds GK24's topic-wise GK notes for SSC CGL, written as short facts and tables so a topic can be revised in one sitting. Read a topic, then solve its previous-year questions and quiz on this site to check what you retained.

SSC CGL GK Questions with Answers

Q3841.General ScienceMedium

Albert Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for 1921 mainly for

  1. A.The special theory of relativity
  2. B.The general theory of relativity
  3. C.His explanation of the photoelectric effect
  4. D.The discovery of the photon rest mass
Show answer
Correct answer: C. His explanation of the photoelectric effect

The citation for the prize refers to his services to theoretical physics and especially to his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect, the equation in which the energy of a photon equals the work function plus the maximum kinetic energy of the emitted electron.

Q3842.General ScienceMedium

The photoelectric effect was first observed by which scientist?

  1. A.Albert Einstein
  2. B.Heinrich Hertz
  3. C.Max Planck
  4. D.Robert Millikan
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Heinrich Hertz

In 1887, while studying the sparks produced across a gap between two electrodes, Hertz noticed that the spark passed more easily when ultraviolet light fell on the electrodes, which was the first observation of the photoelectric effect; Hallwachs and Lenard then studied it systematically.

Q3843.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IMedium

Which one of the following is not a feature of Indian federalism ?

  1. A.There is an independent judiciary in India.
  2. B.Powers have been clearly divided between the Centre and the States.
  3. C.The federating units have been given unequal representation in the Rajya Sabha.
  4. D.It is the result of an agreement among the federating units.
Show answer
Correct answer: D. It is the result of an agreement among the federating units.

Indian federation was not formed by States coming together under an agreement, which is why the Constitution calls India a 'Union of States'.

Q3844.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IEasy

Out of the following statements, choose the one that brings out the principle underlying the Cabinet form of Government :

  1. A.An arrangement for minimizing the criticism against the Government whose responsibilities are complex and hard to carry out to the satisfaction of all.
  2. B.A mechanism for speeding up the activities of the Government whose responsibilities are increasing day by day.
  3. C.A mechanism of parliamentary democracy for ensuring collective responsibility of the Government to the people.
  4. D.A device for strengthening the hands of the head of the Government whose hold over the people is in a state of decline.
Show answer
Correct answer: C. A mechanism of parliamentary democracy for ensuring collective responsibility of the Government to the people.

The heart of Cabinet government is collective responsibility: the ministers stand or fall together before the elected House. Article 75(3) of the Constitution says the Council of Ministers shall be collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha, and Article 164(2) says the same for State ministers and the Legislative Assembly.

Q3846.Science & TechnologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2019, GS Paper IEasy

What is Cas9 protein that is often mentioned in news?

  1. A.A molecular scissors used in targeted gene editing
  2. B.A biosensor used in the accurate detection of pathogens in patients
  3. C.A gene that makes plants pest-resistant
  4. D.A herbicidal substance synthesized in genetically modified crops
Show answer
Correct answer: A. A molecular scissors used in targeted gene editing

Cas9 is the enzyme in the CRISPR-Cas9 system that cuts DNA at a chosen spot, which is why it is called molecular scissors.

Q3847.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IEasy

Which of the following are envisaged by the Right against Exploitation in the Constitution of India ?

1. Prohibition of traffic in human beings and forced labour

2. Abolition of untouchability

3. Protection of the interests of minorities

4. Prohibition of employment of children in factories and mines

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

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

The Right against Exploitation is made up of Articles 23 and 24, which cover exactly items 1 and 4. Article 23 prohibits traffic in human beings, begar and other similar forms of forced labour, and Parliament has backed it with laws such as the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976.

Q3848.Science & TechnologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IMedium

With reference to India's satellite launch vehicles, consider the following statements :

1. PSLVs launch the satellites useful for Earth resources monitoring whereas GSLVs are designed mainly to launch communication satellites.

2. Satellites launched by PSLV appear to remain permanently fixed in the same position in the sky, as viewed from a particular location on Earth.

3. GSLV Mk III is a four-staged launch vehicle with the first and third stages using solid rocket motors; and the second and fourth stages using liquid rocket engines.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

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

PSLV mainly carries Earth observation satellites to low orbits, GSLV was built for communication satellites, and the other two statements describe the rockets wrongly.

Q3849.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IMedium

Which of the following are not necessarily the consequences of the proclamation of the President's rule in a State ?

1. Dissolution of the State Legislative Assembly

2. Removal of the Council of Ministers in the State

3. Dissolution of the local bodies

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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

Under President's rule the State Council of Ministers must go, but the Assembly need not be dissolved and local bodies are not touched.

Q3851.Science & TechnologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2019, GS Paper IEasy

Recently, scientists observed the merger of giant 'blackholes' billions of light-years away from the Earth. What is the significance of this observation?

  1. A.'Higgs boson particles' were detected.
  2. B.'Gravitational waves' were detected.
  3. C.Possibility of inter-galactic space travel through 'wormhole' was confirmed.
  4. D.It enabled the scientists to understand 'singularity'.
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 'Gravitational waves' were detected.

The merger of two black holes sent out ripples in space-time, and catching those ripples was the first direct detection of gravitational waves.

Q3852.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2022, GS Paper IEasy

Consider the following :

1. Carbon monoxide

2. Nitrogen oxide

3. Ozone

4. Sulphur dioxide

Excess of which of the above in the environment is/are cause(s) of acid rain ?

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

Nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide are the two gases that turn rain acidic. When coal and oil burn in power plants, factories and vehicles, they release sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the air.

Q3853.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following :

1. Areca nut

2. Barley

3. Coffee

4. Finger millet

5. Groundnut

6. Sesamum

7. Turmeric

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has announced the Minimum Support Price for which of the above ?

  1. A.1, 2, 3 and 7 only
  2. B.2, 4, 5 and 6 only
  3. C.1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 only
  4. D.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 2, 4, 5 and 6 only

Barley, finger millet, groundnut and sesamum are among the crops covered by Minimum Support Price, while areca nut, coffee and turmeric are not.

Q3855.Awards & HonoursAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2020, GKEasy

Amitabh Bachchan was recently conferred with the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award. Who among the following was the first recipient of the award?

  1. A.Prithviraj Kapoor
  2. B.Devika Rani
  3. C.Sohrab Modi
  4. D.Naushad
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Devika Rani

Devika Rani received the first Dadasaheb Phalke Award, for 1969, the year the Government of India instituted it to mark the centenary of the birth of Dadasaheb Phalke, maker of Raja Harishchandra (1913), India's first full-length feature film.

Q3856.Indian PolityAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2020, GKHard

Which one of the following statements with regard to 'protective democracy' is not correct?

  1. A.It propounds that citizen participation is essential in democracies.
  2. B.Citizens must be able to protect themselves from governmental encroachments.
  3. C.It is compatible with laissez-faire capitalism.
  4. D.Political equality is understood in formal terms as equal voting rights.
Show answer
Correct answer: A. It propounds that citizen participation is essential in democracies.

Protective democracy does not hold that active citizen participation is essential; it values democracy only as a shield that lets citizens protect themselves from those who govern them.

Q3859.Indian PolityAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2022, GKMedium

According to the Constitution of India, which one of the following statements is not correct ?

  1. A.The executive powers of the Union shall be vested in the President of India.
  2. B.Parliament, by law, can confer functions on authorities other than the President of India.
  3. C.The President of India is elected by an electoral college consisting of all Members of Parliament and all Members of all State Legislatures.
  4. D.A person, having held office as the President, shall be eligible for election to that office for the second term.
Show answer
Correct answer: C. The President of India is elected by an electoral college consisting of all Members of Parliament and all Members of all State Legislatures.

Under Article 54, the President is elected only by the elected members of both Houses of Parliament and the elected members of the State Legislative Assemblies, so a college of all members of Parliament and all State Legislatures is wrong.

Q3860.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2022, GKMedium

The Bengal Famine of 1769-70 was worsened by

  1. A.Locust attacks
  2. B.Rat infestation
  3. C.High levels of taxation
  4. D.Smallpox epidemic
Show answer
Correct answer: C. High levels of taxation

The great Bengal famine of 1769–70 began with failed rains, but the East India Company's harsh revenue demand turned a crop failure into a catastrophe.