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.
What is the minimum age prescribed for a person to be appointed Governor of a state?
Article 157 lays down only two qualifications for the office of Governor: the person must be a citizen of India and must have completed thirty-five years of age.
Read the full explanation →Who appoints the Governor of Uttar Pradesh?
Article 155 says the Governor of a state shall be appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal, so the office is filled by appointment and never by election.
Read the full explanation →The singer and actor Kishore Kumar was born in which town of Madhya Pradesh?
Kishore Kumar was born there on 4 August 1929, sang for Hindi films across four decades and remains the name the state's general knowledge papers pair with the town.
Read the full explanation →Makhanlal Chaturvedi, the poet of Pushp ki Abhilasha, received which distinction?
Born at Babai in the Narmadapuram district, Makhanlal Chaturvedi received the award in 1955 for his collection Him Taringini, the first time the Akademi honoured a work in Hindi.
Read the full explanation →Which President of India was born at Bhopal?
He was born at Bhopal on 19 August 1918, headed the government of the former Bhopal state, later held Union office and the governorship of three states, served as Vice-President of India and was the ninth President of India from 1992 to 1997.
Read the full explanation →Who was the first Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh?
When the state of Madhya Pradesh was formed on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act, he took office as its first Chief Minister, having earlier headed the government of the Central Provinces and Berar.
Read the full explanation →Which ruler governed the Holkar territory of Malwa from Maheshwar on the Narmada?
She administered the Holkar territory from Maheshwar in the second half of the eighteenth century, was known for a careful and just administration, and built ghats, wells and temples from the Narmada to the Ganga, including the rebuilding of the Kashi Vishwanath temple at Varanasi in 1780.
Read the full explanation →Tansen, one of the nine jewels of Akbar's court, is associated with which city of Madhya Pradesh?
Tansen was born at Behat near Gwalior, learnt music in that tradition, served at the court of Raja Ramchandra of Rewa before joining Akbar, and his tomb stands at Gwalior.
Read the full explanation →Which Gond queen fought the army of Akbar's general Asaf Khan in 1564?
The queen of Garha-Katanga, the Gond kingdom around present-day Jabalpur, she ruled as regent for her young son, defended her territory against Asaf Khan in 1564 and chose death over surrender when the battle turned.
Read the full explanation →Chandra Shekhar Azad was born at Bhabhra, which lies in which present district of Madhya Pradesh?
Azad was born at Bhabhra on 23 July 1906 in what was then the Jhabua area; after the district was reorganised the village falls in Alirajpur district.
Read the full explanation →Bharat Ratna awardee Lata Mangeshkar was born in which city?
Lata Mangeshkar was born there on 28 September 1929, recorded in more than a dozen languages over a career of six decades and was conferred the Bharat Ratna in 2001, the same year as Ustad Bismillah Khan.
Read the full explanation →Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born in which city of Madhya Pradesh?
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born there on 25 December 1924, taught himself politics in the city's schools and colleges, served three terms as Prime Minister of India and was conferred the Bharat Ratna in 2015.
Read the full explanation →Dr B. R. Ambedkar was born at which place in Madhya Pradesh?
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was born in the military cantonment of Mhow on 14 April 1891, and the town has since been renamed Dr Ambedkar Nagar.
Read the full explanation →Pandit Lakhmi Chand of Sonipat district is remembered as
Pandit Lakhmi Chand of Jatti Kalan in Sonipat district wrote and performed the saang, the folk theatre of the region, in verse, and his plays are still staged by troupes across the state; the title Surya Kavi, the sun among poets, was given to him for that body of work.
Read the full explanation →Sushma Swaraj, who was born at Ambala Cantonment, holds which distinction?
Born on 14 February 1952 at Ambala Cantonment, she began in Haryana politics, became the youngest cabinet minister of that state, served as Chief Minister of Delhi in 1998 and later held the external affairs portfolio at the Centre.
Read the full explanation →Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidyalaya, the women's university of Haryana, is located at
The institution that Bhagat Phool Singh founded for the education of girls grew at Khanpur Kalan and was given the status of a university named after him, and it remains the state's university for women.
Read the full explanation →Manu Bhaker, who won two bronze medals in shooting at the Paris Olympics of 2024, belongs to which district?
Manu Bhaker comes from Goria village in Jhajjar district. At the Paris Olympics of 2024 she won a bronze in the women's 10 metre air pistol and a second bronze in the 10 metre air pistol mixed team event, becoming the first Indian to win two medals at a single…
Read the full explanation →Which wrestler from Haryana became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal in wrestling?
The wrestler from Mokhra in Rohtak district won the bronze medal in the 58 kilogram freestyle class at the Rio Olympics of 2016 and became the first Indian woman wrestler to win an Olympic medal.
Read the full explanation →Who was the first Indian boxer to win an Olympic medal?
The boxer from Kaluwas in Bhiwani district won a bronze medal in the middleweight class at the Beijing Olympics of 2008, the first Olympic medal in boxing for India.
Read the full explanation →Neeraj Chopra, who won India's first Olympic gold medal in athletics, belongs to which district of Haryana?
Neeraj Chopra was born on 24 December 1997 at Khandra village in Panipat district.
Read the full explanation →