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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

Q3881.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2023, GS Paper IHard

Consider the following statements : 1. In India, the Biodiversity Management Committees are key to the realization of the objectives of the Nagoya Protocol. 2. The Biodiversity Management Committees have important functions in determining access and benefit sharing, including the power to levy collection fees on the access of biological resources within its jurisdiction. 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

Both statements are correct, because Biodiversity Management Committees are the grassroots bodies through which India carries out access and benefit sharing.

Q3882.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2024, GS Paper IHard

With reference to the Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme, consider the following statements: 1. To implement the scheme, the Central Government provides 100% funding. 2. Under the Scheme, Cadastral Maps are digitised. 3. An initiative has been undertaken to transliterate the Records of Rights from local language to any of the languages recognized by the Constitution of India. 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 about the Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme are correct.

Q3883.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2026, GS Paper IHard

With reference to different Committees in India, consider the following details : (Committee — Objective — Organization under which it was formed) 1. R.N. Malhotra Committee — Comprehensive reforms of Insurance sector in India — Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India 2. L.C. Gupta Committee — Preparing a roadmap for introduction of derivatives trading in India — Securities and Exchange Board of India 3. Urjit R. Patel Committee — Preparing a roadmap for reforming bank lending to the Housing sector — Reserve Bank of India 4. Y.H. Malegam Committee — Preparing a roadmap for reforms in Microfinance sector in India — Reserve Bank of India In which of the above rows are all the details correctly matched ?

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

All details are right only in rows 2 and 4. The L.C.

Q3884.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2016, GS Paper IMedium

In which of the following regions of India are shale gas resources found? 1. Cambay Basin 2. Cauvery Basin 3. Krishna-Godavari Basin Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

Shale gas resources have been identified in all three basins: Cambay, Cauvery and Krishna-Godavari. Shale gas is natural gas, mostly methane, trapped in fine-grained sedimentary rock called shale, and it is extracted by horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing.

Q3885.Art & CultureAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following pairs : Traditions — Communities 1. Chaliha Sahib Festival — Sindhis 2. Nanda Raj Jaat Yatra — Gonds 3. Wari-Warkari — Santhals Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched ?

  1. A.1 only
  2. B.2 and 3 only
  3. C.1 and 3 only
  4. D.None of the above
Show answer
Correct answer: A. 1 only

Only the first pair is correct: Chaliha Sahib is a festival of the Sindhi community. During Chaliha, Sindhis observe forty days of fasting and prayer, usually in July and August, in honour of Jhulelal, the patron deity of Sindhis, ending with thanksgiving at a river or other water body.

Q3886.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IMedium

The staple commodities of export by the English East India Company from Bengal in the middle of the 18th century were

  1. A.Raw cotton, oil-seeds and opium
  2. B.Sugar, salt, zinc and lead
  3. C.Copper, silver, gold, spices and tea
  4. D.Cotton, silk, saltpetre and opium
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Cotton, silk, saltpetre and opium

In the mid-18th century the English East India Company's main exports from Bengal were cotton textiles, silk, saltpetre and opium.

Q3887.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2019, GS Paper IHard

Consider the following statements : 1. As per law, the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority exists at both National and State levels. 2. People's participation is mandatory in the compensatory afforestation programmes carried out under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016. 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: A. 1 only

Only statement 1 is correct: the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 creates CAMPA at both levels but does not make people's participation compulsory.

Q3888.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IEasy

Which one of the following is a reason why astronomical distances are measured in light-years?

  1. A.Distances among stellar bodies do not change.
  2. B.Gravity of stellar bodies does not change.
  3. C.Light always travels in straight line.
  4. D.Speed of light is always same.
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Speed of light is always same.

. A light-year works as a unit of distance only because light in a vacuum always travels at the same speed, so the distance it covers in a year is fixed.

Q3889.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2022, GS Paper IMedium

In India, which one of the following compiles information on industrial disputes, closures, retrenchments and lay-offs in factories employing workers ?

  1. A.Central Statistics Office
  2. B.Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade
  3. C.Labour Bureau
  4. D.National Technical Manpower Information System
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Labour Bureau

The Labour Bureau, an attached office of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, collects and publishes statistics on industrial disputes, closures, retrenchments and lay-offs.

Q3890.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2016, GS Paper IEasy

Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana is aimed at

  1. A.bringing the small entrepreneurs into formal financial system
  2. B.providing loans to poor farmers for cultivating particular crops
  3. C.providing pensions to old and destitute persons
  4. D.funding the voluntary organizations involved in the promotion of skill development and employment generation
Show answer
Correct answer: A. bringing the small entrepreneurs into formal financial system

Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana gives collateral-free loans to small and micro business owners so that they can borrow from banks instead of moneylenders.

Q3891.Static GKAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following in respect of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) : 1. Inaugural IONS was held in India in 2015 under the chairmanship of the Indian Navy. 2. IONS is a voluntary initiative that seeks to increase maritime co-operation among navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region. Which of the above statements 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: B. 2 only

Statement 2 is correct, but statement 1 is wrong because the first IONS was held in 2008, not 2015. The Indian Ocean Naval Symposium was conceived by the Indian Navy, and its inaugural edition took place in New Delhi in February 2008 with India as the first chair.

Q3892.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2019, GS Paper IMedium

Which of the following is issued by registered foreign portfolio investors to overseas investors who want to be part of the Indian stock market without registering themselves directly?

  1. A.Certificate of Deposit
  2. B.Commercial Paper
  3. C.Promissory Note
  4. D.Participatory Note
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Participatory Note

A Participatory Note, or P-Note, lets a foreign investor gain exposure to Indian shares through an FPI that is registered with SEBI, without registering in India itself.

Q3893.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IMedium

'Triclosan', considered harmful when exposed to high levels for a long time, is most likely present in which of the following?

  1. A.Food preservatives
  2. B.Fruit-ripening substances
  3. C.Reused plastic containers
  4. D.Toiletries
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Toiletries

Triclosan is an antibacterial and antifungal agent added mainly to personal-care products. It has been used in antibacterial soaps, hand washes, toothpastes, deodorants, shaving creams, mouthwashes and cosmetics, and sometimes in kitchen items and textiles to stop the growth of germs.

Q3894.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2022, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following pairs : Reservoirs — States 1. Ghataprabha — Telangana 2. Gandhi Sagar — Madhya Pradesh 3. Indira Sagar — Andhra Pradesh 4. Maithon — Chhattisgarh How many pairs given above are not correctly matched?

  1. A.Only one pair
  2. B.Only two pairs
  3. C.Only three pairs
  4. D.All four pairs
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Only three pairs

Only Gandhi Sagar is matched with its correct State, so three of the four pairs are wrong. Gandhi Sagar is the first of the Chambal valley dams, built in the Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh, so pair 2 is correct.

Q3895.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2023, GS Paper IHard

Consider the following statements : 1. According to the Constitution of India, the Central Government has a duty to protect States from internal disturbances. 2. The Constitution of India exempts the States from providing legal counsel to a person being held for preventive detention. 3. According to the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002, confession of the accused before the police cannot be used as evidence. 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 1 and 2 are correct, while statement 3 is wrong. Article 355 says it is the duty of the Union to protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance and to ensure that its government runs according to the Constitution, so statement 1 is correct.

Q3896.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2016, GS Paper IMedium

What is/are the purpose/purposes of Government's 'Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme' and 'Gold Monetization Scheme'? 1. To bring the idle gold lying with Indian households into the economy 2. To promote FDI in the gold and jewellery sector 3. To reduce India's dependence on gold imports Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

Both schemes, launched in November 2015, aimed to put idle household gold to work and to cut the demand for imported gold; neither was about foreign investment.

Q3898.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2019, GS Paper IMedium

Which one of the following suggested that the Governor should be an eminent person from outside the State and should be a detached figure without intense political links or should not have taken part in politics in the recent past?

  1. A.First Administrative Reforms Commission (1966)
  2. B.Rajamannar Committee (1969)
  3. C.Sarkaria Commission (1983)
  4. D.National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution (2000)
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Sarkaria Commission (1983)

The Sarkaria Commission on Centre-State relations laid down these qualities for choosing a Governor. The Commission was set up by the Union Government in 1983 under Justice R.S.

Q3899.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IMedium

Bisphenol A (BPA), a cause of concern, is a structural/key component in the manufacture of which of the following kinds of plastics?

  1. A.Low-density polyethylene
  2. B.Polycarbonate
  3. C.Polyethylene terephthalate
  4. D.Polyvinyl chloride
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Polycarbonate

Bisphenol A is the main building block from which polycarbonate plastic is made. Polycarbonate is a hard, clear and shatter-resistant plastic once widely used for reusable water bottles, baby feeding bottles, food containers, CDs and spectacle lenses.

Q3900.Science & TechnologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2022, GS Paper IMedium

With reference to Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), consider the following statements : 1. They enable the digital representation of physical assets. 2. They are unique cryptographic tokens that exist on a blockchain. 3. They can be traded or exchanged at equivalency and therefore can be used as a medium of commercial transactions. 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: A. 1 and 2 only

NFTs are unique blockchain tokens that can represent an asset, but being non-fungible they cannot be swapped one-for-one like money.