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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

Q3681.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IMedium

The term 'M-STrIPES' is sometimes seen in the news in the context of

  1. A.Captive breeding of Wild Fauna
  2. B.Maintenance of Tiger Reserves
  3. C.Indigenous Satellite Navigation System
  4. D.Security of National Highways
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Maintenance of Tiger Reserves

M-STrIPES stands for Monitoring System for Tigers: Intensive Protection and Ecological Status. It was introduced by the National Tiger Conservation Authority around 2010, with technical support from the Wildlife Institute of India, for use in tiger reserves.

Q3682.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IMedium

With reference to Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, consider the following statements : 1. It is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Labour and Employment. 2. It, among other things, will also impart training in soft skills, entrepreneurship, financial and digital literacy. 3. It aims to align the competencies of the unregulated workforce of the country to the National Skill Qualification Framework. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

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

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, launched in 2015, is the flagship skill training scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, not of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

Q3683.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2019, GS Paper IMedium

The economic cost of food grains to the Food Corporation of India is Minimum Support Price and bonus (if any) paid to the farmers plus

  1. A.transportation cost only
  2. B.interest cost only
  3. C.procurement incidentals and distribution cost
  4. D.procurement incidentals and charges for godowns
Show answer
Correct answer: C. procurement incidentals and distribution cost

The economic cost is the full cost the Food Corporation of India bears on each quintal of wheat or rice it handles.

Q3684.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IMedium

Which one of the following factors constitutes the best safeguard of liberty in a liberal democracy?

  1. A.A committed judiciary
  2. B.Centralization of powers
  3. C.Elected government
  4. D.Separation of powers
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Separation of powers

In a liberal democracy the surest protection of individual liberty is to divide state power among the legislature, the executive and the judiciary so that no single body can make, carry out and judge the law all at once.

Q3685.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2022, GS Paper IMedium

With reference to the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea, consider the following statements : 1. A coastal state has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles, measured from baseline determined in accordance with the convention. 2. Ships of all states, whether coastal or land-locked, enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea. 3. The Exclusive Economic Zone shall not extend beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured. Which of the statements given above are correct ?

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

All three statements repeat the words of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, adopted in 1982 and in force since 1994.

Q3686.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2023, GS Paper IHard

With reference to Home Guards, consider the following statements: 1. Home Guards are raised under the Home Guards Act and Rules of the Central Government. 2. The role of the Home Guards is to serve as an auxiliary force to the police in maintenance of internal security. 3. To prevent infiltration on the international border/coastal areas, the Border Wing Home Guards Battalions have been raised in some States. How many of the above statements are correct?

  1. A.Only one
  2. B.Only two
  3. C.All three
  4. D.None
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Only two

Statements 2 and 3 are correct, statement 1 is not. Home Guards are a voluntary force first raised in Bombay in 1946.

Q3687.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2016, GS Paper IMedium

With reference to the economic history of medieval India, the term 'Araghatta' refers to

  1. A.bonded labour
  2. B.land grants made to military officers
  3. C.waterwheel used in the irrigation of land
  4. D.wasteland converted to cultivated land
Show answer
Correct answer: C. waterwheel used in the irrigation of land

Araghatta was the name for a water-lifting wheel used to irrigate fields in early medieval India.

Q3688.Banking & Financial AwarenessAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IEasy

Consider the following statements : 1. National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) helps in promoting the financial inclusion in the country. 2. NPCI has launched RuPay, a card payment scheme. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

  1. A.1 only
  2. B.2 only
  3. C.Both 1 and 2
  4. D.Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Both 1 and 2

The National Payments Corporation of India was set up in 2008 as the umbrella body for retail payments in the country, on the initiative of the Reserve Bank of India and the Indian Banks' Association, under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.

Q3689.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IMedium

Which one of the following is an artificial lake?

  1. A.Kodaikanal (Tamil Nadu)
  2. B.Kolleru (Andhra Pradesh)
  3. C.Nainital (Uttarakhand)
  4. D.Renuka (Himachal Pradesh)
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Kodaikanal (Tamil Nadu)

The star-shaped lake at the heart of the Kodaikanal hill station in the Palani Hills was made by people, not by nature.

Q3690.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2019, GS Paper IMedium

In India, 'extended producer responsibility' was introduced as an important feature in which of the following?

  1. A.The Bio-medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998
  2. B.The Recycled Plastic (Manufacturing and Usage) Rules, 1999
  3. C.The e-Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011
  4. D.The Food Safety and Standard Regulations, 2011
Show answer
Correct answer: C. The e-Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011

These rules, notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and in force from May 2012, made extended producer responsibility, or EPR, their central feature.

Q3691.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IHard

With reference to Indian judiciary, consider the following statements : 1. Any retired judge of the Supreme Court of India can be called back to sit and act as a Supreme Court judge by the Chief Justice of India with prior permission of the President of India. 2. A High Court in India has the power to review its own judgement as the Supreme Court does. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A.1 only
  2. B.2 only
  3. C.Both 1 and 2
  4. D.Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Both 1 and 2

Article 128 of the Constitution lets the Chief Justice of India, with the previous consent of the President, request any person who has held office as a Supreme Court judge to sit and act as a judge of the Supreme Court.

Q3692.Science & TechnologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IEasy

What is the application of Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Technology ?

  1. A.Production of biolarvicides
  2. B.Manufacture of biodegradable plastics
  3. C.Reproductive cloning of animals
  4. D.Production of organisms free of diseases
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Reproductive cloning of animals

Somatic cell nuclear transfer, or SCNT, is the technique used to clone an animal. Scientists take an egg cell and remove its nucleus.

Q3693.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IMedium

Which of the following led to the introduction of English Education in India ? 1. Charter Act of 1813 2. General Committee of Public Instruction, 1823 3. Orientalist and Anglicist Controversy Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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

All three were steps on the road to English education in India.

Q3694.Static GKAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2022, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following countries: 1. Armenia 2. Azerbaijan 3. Croatia 4. Romania 5. Uzbekistan Which of the above are members of the Organization of Turkic States ?

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

The Organization of Turkic States brings together countries whose main languages belong to the Turkic family. It began in 2009 as the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States, often called the Turkic Council, under the Nakhchivan Agreement, and took its present name in 2021.

Q3695.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2023, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements : The 'Stability and Growth Pact' of the European Union is a treaty that 1. limits the levels of the budgetary deficit of the countries of the European Union 2. makes the countries of the European Union to share their infrastructure facilities 3. enables the countries of the European Union to share their technologies How many of the above statements are correct?

  1. A.Only one
  2. B.Only two
  3. C.All three
  4. D.None
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Only one

Only statement 1 is correct. The Stability and Growth Pact, agreed in 1997, is the European Union's set of fiscal rules meant to keep public finances sound so that a shared currency is not weakened by one member's overspending.

Q3696.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IMedium

Which of the following has/have occurred in India after its liberalization of economic policies in 1991? 1. Share of agriculture in GDP increased enormously. 2. Share of India's exports in world trade increased. 3. FDI inflows increased. 4. India's foreign exchange reserves increased enormously. Select the correct answer using the codes given below :

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

The reforms of 1991, launched during a balance of payments crisis, opened India to trade and foreign investment, and three of the listed changes followed.

Q3697.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IHard

Which one of the following statements does not apply to the system of Subsidiary Alliance introduced by Lord Wellesley?

  1. A.To maintain a large standing army at other's expense
  2. B.To keep India safe from Napoleonic danger
  3. C.To secure a fixed income for the Company
  4. D.To establish British paramountcy over the Indian States
Show answer
Correct answer: C. To secure a fixed income for the Company

Earning a steady income was not the purpose of the Subsidiary Alliance. Lord Wellesley, Governor-General from 1798 to 1805, used the system to bring Indian states under British control without fighting a war for each.

Q3698.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2019, GS Paper IHard

Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017? 1. Pregnant women are entitled for three months pre-delivery and three months post-delivery paid leave. 2. Enterprises with crèches must allow the mother minimum six crèche visits daily. 3. Women with two children get reduced entitlements. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

The 2017 amendment raised paid maternity leave from 12 to 26 weeks, but not in the split the question gives.

Q3699.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IMedium

A legislation which confers on the executive or administrative authority an unguided and uncontrolled discretionary power in the matter of application of law violates which one of the following Articles of the Constitution of India?

  1. A.Article 14
  2. B.Article 28
  3. C.Article 32
  4. D.Article 44
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Article 14

Article 14 guarantees equality before the law and the equal protection of the laws.

Q3700.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2016, GS Paper IMedium

'European Stability Mechanism', sometimes seen in the news, is an

  1. A.agency created by EU to deal with the impact of millions of refugees arriving from Middle East
  2. B.agency of EU that provides financial assistance to eurozone countries
  3. C.agency of EU to deal with all the bilateral and multilateral agreements on trade
  4. D.agency of EU to deal with the conflicts arising among the member countries
Show answer
Correct answer: B. agency of EU that provides financial assistance to eurozone countries

The European Stability Mechanism is a permanent rescue fund for the countries that use the euro. It was set up by a treaty among the eurozone members and began work in 2012, taking over from the temporary European Financial Stability Facility created during the sovereign debt crisis.