Previous-year questions are the most reliable guide to UPSC CAPF, because the notice lists six broad areas for Paper-I but does not say how many questions each will carry. Solving the papers of recent years shows the balance between current events and static GK, the level of detail UPSC expects in polity, history, geography, economy and science, and how often questions touch security, defence and human rights, areas the syllabus names in both papers. The Commission puts up the question papers of each exam on its website; the 2026 papers of General Ability and Intelligence and of General Studies, Essay and Comprehension went up on 20 July 2026, the day after the exam. This page is where GK24 collects UPSC CAPF previous-year questions of Paper-I, in English and Hindi, each with the correct answer, an explanation and the topic it belongs to, so that one question leads you to the GK note that covers it. Use them in three rounds: first untimed to learn the pattern, then timed to build speed under negative marking, and finally as a revision of the questions you got wrong. For Paper-II, read the past essay, argument and report topics. They show the kind of issues UPSC sets, such as security, governance, technology and society, and make a good list to practise writing on.
Quartz is extensively used as a piezoelectric material. It contains
Quartz is silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ), so it contains silicon and oxygen. Quartz is one of the most common minerals in the Earth's crust and the main part of sand.
Read the full explanation →Which one among the following statements is not correct?
At full employment the measured unemployment rate is not negative; it stays at a small positive level called the natural rate of unemployment.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following is/are important markers for the archaeologists to identify an archaeological site as a 'center of craft production'? 1. Evidence of raw materials such as stone nodules, whole shells, etc. 2. Geographical expanse of the site 3. Evidence of unfinished objects, rejects and waste material 4. Evidence of variety of pottery Select the correct answer using the code given below :
Craft centres are recognised by raw material and by the leftovers of making things. Archaeologists studying Harappan sites look for raw materials such as stone nodules, whole shells and copper ore, for tools, and for unfinished objects, rejects and waste.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following statements about the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women are correct? 1. The Convention was the culmination of more than thirty years of work by the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. 2. The Convention devotes major attention to women's reproductive rights. 3. The implementation of the Convention is monitored by the Committee on Human Rights. Select the answer using the code given below.
CEDAW grew out of the Commission on the Status of Women and addresses reproductive rights, but it has its own monitoring committee.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following rivers is west-flowing?
The Periyar rises in the Western Ghats of Kerala and flows west into the Arabian Sea. The Periyar is the longest river of Kerala.
Read the full explanation →Epidermal cells of plant roots increase their absorption surface by having
Root hairs are thin outgrowths of the root's epidermal cells that greatly increase the area for absorbing water and minerals.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following pairs of books and their authors is not correctly matched?
'Indian Unrest' (1910) was written by the British journalist Valentine Chirol, not by Annie Besant. Chirol, a writer for The Times, collected his articles on the rise of Indian nationalism into this book and called Bal Gangadhar Tilak the 'father of Indian unrest'.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following are a part of the 'basic features' of the Constitution of India as drawn from various decisions of the Supreme Court? 1. Effective access to justice 2. Rule of Law 3. Limitations upon the amending power under Article 368 Select the correct answer using the code given below.
The Supreme Court has counted all three among the basic features that Parliament cannot destroy. The basic structure doctrine was laid down in Kesavananda Bharati (1973): Parliament can amend any part of the Constitution under Article 368 but cannot alter its basic structure.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
Marco Polo did describe the pearl fishery of the Tuticorin coast, so the statement that he did not is wrong.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following is not an igneous rock?
Gneiss is a metamorphic rock, formed when existing rocks are changed by great heat and pressure. Igneous rocks form when molten magma or lava cools and hardens.
Read the full explanation →Bending of shoot of a plant towards light can be referred to as
A shoot growing towards the light is moving in the direction of the stimulus, which makes it a positive tropism.
Read the full explanation →The Governor of a state may exercise discretionary powers when 1. he or she is not convinced by the advice of the Council of Ministers 2. the Constitution requires him/her to act in his/her discretion in certain matters 3. he or she is appointed as the administrator of an adjoining Union Territory Select the correct answer using the code given below :
The Governor acts in discretion only where the Constitution allows it, which includes running an adjoining Union Territory. Article 163 says the Council of Ministers headed by the Chief Minister aids and advises the Governor, except where the Constitution requires the Governor to act in discretion.
Read the full explanation →Who among the following was known as 'Lokhitwadi'?
He wrote under the pen name 'Lokhitwadi', meaning one who speaks for the welfare of the people. Gopal Hari Deshmukh (1823–1892) was a Maharashtrian social reformer and writer.
Read the full explanation →With reference to the history of India, the 'Katapayadi system', the 'Parahita system' and the 'Drigganita system' are associated with
All three come from the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics. Katapayadi is a way of writing numbers with letters, each consonant standing for a digit, so long astronomical tables could be memorised as verses.
Read the full explanation →In which one of the following buildings the first extant true arch is found?
The tomb in Mehrauli, Delhi, built in the late 13th century, has the earliest surviving true arch in India. A true arch is built from wedge-shaped stones (voussoirs) held in place by a keystone at the top, so it spreads weight sideways.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following organisms belongs to Coelenterata (Cnidaria)?
Both are cnidarians, simple aquatic animals with stinging cells. Members of phylum Coelenterata (Cnidaria) have radial symmetry, two body layers, a single opening that works as both mouth and anus, and stinging cells called cnidoblasts on their tentacles, used to catch prey and for defence.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. The Satavahanas ruled over parts of western India and the Deccan 2. The Satavahanas repaired and rebuilt Sudarshana Lake Select the correct answer using the code given below :
The Satavahanas ruled the Deccan and parts of western India, but the Sudarshana Lake was repaired by others.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following commissions was not associated with public services in India?
It dealt with university education, not with the public services. The University Education Commission was set up in 1948 under Dr S. Radhakrishnan, who later became the second President of India.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following statements in respect of the nature of the federal system in India is/are correct? 1. Since the States had an independent existence prior to the formation of the Federation, the Constitution of India provided for safeguards for protecting 'State rights', similar to the Constitution of the United States. 2. The residuary powers are reserved with the States under the Constitution of the United States, but these are with the Union under the Constitution of India. 3. The Constitution of India has followed the Irish Constitution in vesting the residuary powers. Select the answer using the code given below.
Only the statement about where residuary powers lie is correct. The American federation was formed by an agreement among states that already existed, so its Constitution guards 'State rights'.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following pairs of term and meaning is NOT correctly matched?
In Mughal times a mauza was a village, the basic unit of revenue records, not a rebellious territory. Mughal revenue records were kept village by village, and each village was called a mauza.
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