Skip to content
GK24

UPSC Civil Services GK Questions 2026

Static general knowledge is six of the seven lines of the General Studies Paper-I syllabus in the UPSC CSE notice: History of India and the Indian National Movement; Indian and World Geography; Indian Polity and Governance; Economic and Social Development; Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change; and General Science. The Commission tests understanding rather than recall, through statements to be judged correct or incorrect, pairs to be matched and assertion-reason items, and it likes the edges of a topic: a lesser-known provision of the Constitution, a river's tributary, a species' conservation status, the mandate of a statutory body. This page holds GK24's topic-wise GK notes for UPSC, written as short facts and tables, in English and Hindi, with each note linked to the current affairs and previous-year questions on the same topic. Start with Polity and Modern History, which carry the most questions, then Geography, the Economy, Environment, Ancient and Medieval culture and Science. Read a note, solve its PYQs, take its quiz, and come back to it in your monthly revision. A candidate who knows these notes and reads the daily current affairs has covered the syllabus the notice prescribes for Paper-I.

UPSC Civil Services GK Questions with Answers

Q2301.GeographyAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2022, GATMedium

Which of the following statements in respect of landslides are correct? 1. These occur only on gentle slopes during rain. 2. They generally occur in clay-rich soil. 3. Earthquakes trigger landslides. 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: C. 2 and 3 only

Statement 1 is false because landslides happen mostly on steep slopes, and not only during rain. A landslide is the rapid downslope movement of rock, soil and debris under gravity.

Q2305.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2024, GATMedium

Domingo Paes describes a king in these words: 'Of medium height, and of fair complexion and good figure, rather fat than thin; he has on his face signs of smallpox'. Identify the king from the options given below.

  1. A.Krishnadeva Raya
  2. B.Ram Raya
  3. C.Devaraya II
  4. D.Devaraya I
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Krishnadeva Raya

The Portuguese traveller Domingo Paes visited Vijayanagara during Krishnadeva Raya's reign and left this well-known description of him. Paes came to the city around 1520 and wrote a detailed account of its markets, palaces, festivals and army.

Q2306.Art & CultureAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2025, GATEasy

Which dance form of India has been inscribed into UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity?

  1. A.Kathakali
  2. B.Garba
  3. C.Bhangra
  4. D.Odissi
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Garba

Garba of Gujarat was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2023. Garba is a devotional circle dance performed around a lamp or an image of the goddess, mainly during the nine nights of Navratri.

Q2307.GeographyAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2025, GATHard

Which of the following are the factors that cause variation in the amount of insolation on the Earth ? 1. Rotation of the earth on its axis 2. Length of the day 3. Distribution of land and water on the earth Select the answer using the code given below:

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

The rotation of the Earth and the length of the day change how much sunlight a place receives, while the spread of land and water changes only how that energy heats the surface.

Q2308.GeographyAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2026, GATMedium

Consider the following pairs : Layers of Atmosphere — Characteristics I. Troposphere — Absorbs ultraviolet radiation II. Stratosphere — Changes in weather and climate III. Mesosphere — Reflects radio waves back to the Earth How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

  1. A.None
  2. B.One
  3. C.Two
  4. D.All the three
Show answer
Correct answer: A. None

Each characteristic in the list belongs to a different layer from the one it is paired with. Ultraviolet radiation is absorbed by the ozone layer, which lies in the stratosphere, roughly 15 to 35 km above the Earth.

Q2309.GeographyAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2026, GATMedium

Consider the following : I. Abrasion II. Attrition III. Hydraulic action IV. Solution Which of the above are the main types of river erosion ?

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

All four are recognised processes by which a river wears away its bed and banks. Hydraulic action is the sheer force of moving water that loosens rock and forces air into cracks.

Q2312.Madhya PradeshHard

Shankar Laxman, the goalkeeper of the Indian hockey teams that won Olympic gold in 1956 and 1964, belonged to which town of Madhya Pradesh?

  1. A.Mhow
  2. B.Gwalior
  3. C.Jabalpur
  4. D.Khandwa
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Mhow

Shankar Laxman of Mhow, the cantonment town near Indore, kept goal for India in the Olympic Games of 1956 and 1964, both won, and of 1960, when India took the silver, and he received the Arjuna Award and the Padma Shri, a rare honour for a goalkeeper of that time.

Q2313.Madhya PradeshMedium

At which ground was the first double century in one day international cricket scored?

  1. A.Holkar Stadium, Indore
  2. B.Captain Roop Singh Stadium, Gwalior
  3. C.Nehru Stadium, Indore
  4. D.Tatya Tope Stadium, Bhopal
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Captain Roop Singh Stadium, Gwalior

Sachin Tendulkar scored two hundred not out against South Africa there on 24 February 2010, the first double century in the history of one day international cricket, and the ground is named after Captain Roop Singh, the hockey player of Gwalior who won Olympic gold with India in 1932 and…

Q2315.Madhya PradeshHard

The Tansen Samman of Madhya Pradesh is given in which field, and at which place?

  1. A.Light music, at Khandwa
  2. B.Hindustani classical music, at Gwalior
  3. C.Folk dance, at Maihar
  4. D.Theatre, at Ujjain
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Hindustani classical music, at Gwalior

The Tansen Samman is presented at the Tansen Samaroh held every year at Gwalior, near the tomb of Tansen, the singer of Akbar’s court who came from that region, and it honours work in Hindustani classical music.

Q2316.Madhya PradeshMedium

The Kalidas Samman, instituted by the Madhya Pradesh government in 1980, is given by rotation in which fields?

  1. A.Science, mathematics, medicine and engineering
  2. B.Classical music, classical dance, theatre and plastic arts
  3. C.Hindi, Urdu, Sanskrit and tribal literature
  4. D.Journalism, cinema, photography and advertising
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Classical music, classical dance, theatre and plastic arts

The Kalidas Samman, instituted in 1980, moves between these four fields from year to year, the plastic arts covering painting and sculpture, and it belongs with the Kalidas Samaroh held at Ujjain, the city connected with the poet Kalidas.

Q2317.Madhya PradeshEasy

The Vishwamitra Award of the Madhya Pradesh government is given to which group?

  1. A.Sports coaches
  2. B.Para athletes
  3. C.School sports teachers only
  4. D.Sports administrators of federations
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Sports coaches

The Vishwamitra Award honours coaches of Madhya Pradesh whose trainees have won medals at the national or international level, and the name is taken from Vishwamitra, the teacher of Rama, which fits an award for teaching rather than for playing.

Q2318.Madhya PradeshMedium

The Eklavya Award of Madhya Pradesh is given to sportspersons of which group?

  1. A.Players below the age of nineteen
  2. B.Coaches of national teams
  3. C.Players who have retired from sport
  4. D.Sports journalists of the state
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Players below the age of nineteen

The Eklavya Award is the junior sports honour of Madhya Pradesh and is given each year to young sportspersons under nineteen who have done well at the national level, the name recalling the young archer of the Mahabharata who taught himself.