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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

Q341.Science & TechnologyHard

Which institution designed and fabricated the VELC payload of Aditya-L1?

  1. A.Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad
  2. B.Indian Institute of Astrophysics
  3. C.Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
  4. D.Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Indian Institute of Astrophysics

The coronagraph was designed and fabricated at the institute's MGK Menon Lab for Space Sciences on the CREST campus at Hosakote, with substantial support from ISRO, and the scientists who carried out this study also belong to the IIA: the lead author is Saurabh Tripathi, a research student there, the…

Q342.Science & TechnologyMedium

What did the VELC observations reveal about the coronal mass ejection, for the first time?

  1. A.That it expanded as a perfectly symmetric bubble
  2. B.That it expanded non-uniformly and became asymmetric
  3. C.That it did not move towards the Earth at all
  4. D.That it carried no ionised iron
Show answer
Correct answer: B. That it expanded non-uniformly and became asymmetric

Until this study a coronal mass ejection was thought to swell outward from the Sun like a simple symmetric bubble; the VELC spectra, read together with imaging from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory and a three-dimensional model, showed that the expansion was uneven.

Q344.EconomyMedium

Where did Piyush Goyal deliver the keynote address in which he spoke of the USD 1 trillion export target?

  1. A.Young Leaders Discourse Forum, Kirori Mal College, New Delhi
  2. B.India International Trade Fair, New Delhi
  3. C.Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Kakinada
  4. D.World Economic Forum, Davos
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Young Leaders Discourse Forum, Kirori Mal College, New Delhi

The Minister addressed students there, calling on them to be ambitious and reminding them that they would be in their forties when India marks 100 years of independence, so their choices would shape the country's future.

Q346.EconomyEasy

What is India's export target for the current year?

  1. A.USD 900 billion
  2. B.USD 950 billion
  3. C.USD 1 trillion
  4. D.USD 1.2 trillion
Show answer
Correct answer: C. USD 1 trillion

The Minister said India had deliberately chosen an ambitious export target for the current year, amounting to growth of about 16 per cent over the record of USD 863 billion achieved in the previous year, and that he was confident the country would get there.

Q348.DefenceHard

Which new Indian Army platoons did the Raksha Mantri name as highly effective for current operational needs?

  1. A.Vajra, Prahar and Trishul
  2. B.Asani, Bhairav and Shaktiban
  3. C.Garuda, Rudra and Nag
  4. D.Agni, Akash and Nishant
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Asani, Bhairav and Shaktiban

Speaking on human capital, the Raksha Mantri said a military's strength is decided not merely by technology and financial resources but by the capability and preparedness of its personnel, and that all three Services have continuously refined their structures and formations.

Q349.DefenceHard

What is the capital outlay within the defence budget for the Financial Year 2026-27?

  1. A.Rs 1.78 lakh crore
  2. B.Rs 2.19 lakh crore
  3. C.Rs 3.50 lakh crore
  4. D.Rs 4.25 lakh crore
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Rs 2.19 lakh crore

The Raksha Mantri said the defence budget for the financial year 2026-27 was raised to a record Rs 7.85 lakh crore, within which a capital outlay of Rs 2.19 lakh crore has been earmarked for modernisation and capital procurement, the part of the budget that buys new platforms and weapon…

Q351.DefenceMedium

Where did Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh chair the Ministry of Defence Consultative Committee meeting on modernisation of the defence forces?

  1. A.Jodhpur, Rajasthan
  2. B.Jaisalmer, Rajasthan
  3. C.Pokhran, Rajasthan
  4. D.New Delhi
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Jaisalmer, Rajasthan

The Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Defence met there on the subject of Modernisation of Indian Defence Forces, with Members of Parliament from both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha taking part, and the deliberations covered emerging security challenges, changing warfare paradigms and the building of a technologically…

Q352.DefenceMedium

In which format is Exercise Tiger Triumph being conducted in 2026?

  1. A.A full field and amphibious deployment
  2. B.A Tabletop Exercise (TTX)
  3. C.A live-fire naval gunnery exercise
  4. D.A computer-only cyber defence drill
Show answer
Correct answer: B. A Tabletop Exercise (TTX)

The Ministry of Defence said this year's edition is being conducted in that form, which means officers of both countries talk through a disaster scenario around a planning table rather than moving ships, aircraft and troops into the field.

Q353.DefenceMedium

Which Indian agency is taking part in Exercise Tiger Triumph for the first time in its 5th edition?

  1. A.Indian Coast Guard
  2. B.Border Security Force
  3. C.National Disaster Response Force
  4. D.Central Industrial Security Force
Show answer
Correct answer: C. National Disaster Response Force

An NDRF team is joining Tiger Triumph for the first time in this 5th edition, which is significant because it brings the country's dedicated civil disaster-response agency into a military exercise built around Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief.

Q354.DefenceMedium

Where was the opening ceremony of Exercise Tiger Triumph 2026 held?

  1. A.Southern Naval Command, Kochi
  2. B.Maritime Warfare Centre, Visakhapatnam
  3. C.INS Hansa, Goa
  4. D.Naval War College, Mumbai
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Maritime Warfare Centre, Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam is the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command, and the officer who presided from the Indian side, Rear Admiral Vishal Bishnoi, is the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, which explains the choice of venue.

Q356.NationalMedium

Existing points of interconnection running on E1 or TDM links must be migrated to IP-based interconnection within what period?

  1. A.One year
  2. B.Two years
  3. C.Three years
  4. D.Five years
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Three years

The amendment regulations provide that every interconnection established after they come into force must be IP-based, and that points of interconnection still working on E1 or TDM technology have to be converted to IP-based interconnection in a phased manner within three years.

Q357.NationalHard

What is the ceiling on the interest rate for delayed payment of interconnection charges?

  1. A.RBI repo rate plus one percent
  2. B.SBI one-year MCLR plus two percent
  3. C.A flat rate of 18 percent a year
  4. D.Bank rate plus three percent
Show answer
Correct answer: B. SBI one-year MCLR plus two percent

A fresh provision now deals with late payment of interconnection charges and interconnection usage charges: the two service providers may settle the interest rate between themselves, but it cannot go above that benchmark.

Q358.NationalMedium

Under the amended rules, interconnection shifts to which level?

  1. A.Short Distance Charging Area (SDCA) level
  2. B.Long Distance Charging Area (LDCA) level
  3. C.Licensed Service Area (LSA) level
  4. D.District level
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Licensed Service Area (LSA) level

The amendment modernises the framework by moving handover and takeover of telecom traffic away from the older charging-area geography to the Licensed Service Area, and it lets the interconnection provider and seeker agree between themselves where traffic will change hands.

Q359.NationalEasy

From which date do the Telecommunication Interconnection (Third Amendment) Regulations, 2026 take effect?

  1. A.1 December 2026
  2. B.1 January 2027
  3. C.1 April 2027
  4. D.3 November 2026
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 1 January 2027

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India released these amendment regulations and stated that they would come into force from the first day of January 2027, which gives operators a window to prepare before the new interconnection duties begin.