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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

Q4221.Science & TechnologyHard

Why is the finding about Centaurus X-3 considered unusual?

  1. A.A high-mass X-ray binary usually captures stellar wind directly instead of forming a disk
  2. B.The pulsar was found to have no magnetic field at all
  3. C.The companion star was found to be smaller than the Sun
  4. D.The system was found to lie outside our galaxy
Show answer
Correct answer: A. A high-mass X-ray binary usually captures stellar wind directly instead of forming a disk

In such pairs the companion is a massive star that sheds a strong wind, and the pulsar ordinarily feeds on that wind as it passes, so an orderly disk of matter is not expected.

Q4222.Science & TechnologyMedium

Scientists of which institute found that the X-ray pulsar Centaurus X-3 accretes matter through an accretion disk?

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

The group examined four secondary emission lines from the system and concluded that the structure causing those lines to vary must be turning along with the pulsar, which pointed them to the accretion stream and therefore to a disk feeding it.

Q4223.SportsMedium

What made Rohit Kumar's bronze in the men's 100m breaststroke SB4 at the Asian Para Games 2026 particularly notable?

  1. A.It came with a new world record
  2. B.It was won on his first appearance at the Games
  3. C.It was India's first medal in para swimming
  4. D.He won it after swimming in a higher class
Show answer
Correct answer: B. It was won on his first appearance at the Games

Rohit Kumar swam the men's 100m breaststroke SB4 with an impressive timing and finished third, and the fact that a medal arrived on a debut is what was singled out in the congratulations sent to him.

Q4224.SportsMedium

Shailesh Kumar won a bronze medal at the Asian Para Games 2026 in which event, and with what mark?

  1. A.Men's long jump T42/T61/T63, with 5.57m
  2. B.Men's high jump T64, with 1.95m
  3. C.Men's triple jump T47, with 13.20m
  4. D.Men's shot put F46, with 15.10m
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Men's long jump T42/T61/T63, with 5.57m

Shailesh Kumar reached that distance in the final and finished third, and the event name carries three class codes because athletes from three classification groups were ranked together in one competition.

Q4226.EnvironmentHard

Which body takes the decision to invoke a stage of the Graded Response Action Plan in Delhi-NCR?

  1. A.The Central Pollution Control Board
  2. B.The CAQM Sub-Committee on GRAP
  3. C.The India Meteorological Department
  4. D.The Delhi Pollution Control Committee
Show answer
Correct answer: B. The CAQM Sub-Committee on GRAP

The Sub-Committee met on 21 October 2026, reviewed the air quality of Delhi and the region along with the forecasts placed before it, and decided to bring Stage-I of the plan into force with immediate effect.

Q4228.EnvironmentMedium

Stage-I of the Graded Response Action Plan is invoked when Delhi's air quality falls in which category?

  1. A.Moderate, an AQI of 101 to 200
  2. B.Poor, an AQI of 201 to 300
  3. C.Very Poor, an AQI of 301 to 400
  4. D.Severe, an AQI above 400
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Poor, an AQI of 201 to 300

Stage-I of the Graded Response Action Plan is the stage meant for poor air, and it was invoked across the National Capital Region after Delhi's daily average index was recorded at 244 at 2 PM and then at 245 by 4 PM, both of which sit inside that band.

Q4229.DefenceMedium

Which Indian Navy ship represented India in IBSAMAR IX 2026?

  1. A.INS Tarkash
  2. B.INS Vikrant
  3. C.INS Shivalik
  4. D.INS Sahyadri
Show answer
Correct answer: A. INS Tarkash

The ship took part in the ninth edition of the India-Brazil-South Africa Maritime Exercise, and its Commanding Officer spoke at the closing ceremony at Simon's Town, where he described such exercises as a platform that turns long-standing diplomatic ties into usable naval cooperation.

Q4231.DefenceEasy

The IBSAMAR naval exercise is conducted between which three countries?

  1. A.India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
  2. B.India, Brazil and South Africa
  3. C.India, Britain and Australia
  4. D.India, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia
Show answer
Correct answer: B. India, Brazil and South Africa

IBSAMAR stands for the India-Brazil-South Africa Maritime Exercise, and the ninth edition brought the navies of these three countries together before concluding at Simon's Town in South Africa.

Q4232.Summits & ConferencesHard

Which of these was released at the opening of the AgriVoltaics World Conference 2026?

  1. A.The National Solar Mission Report
  2. B.The AgriPV Policy Handbook of the MNRE
  3. C.The Annual Renewable Energy Survey
  4. D.The Global Food Security Index
Show answer
Correct answer: B. The AgriPV Policy Handbook of the MNRE

Three knowledge resources were formally brought out at the opening of the conference: a Decision-Making Tool developed by the India Agrivoltaics Alliance, a Book of Abstracts prepared by the International Water Management Institute, and the AgriPV Policy Handbook of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Q4233.Summits & ConferencesMedium

Which ministry hosted the AgriVoltaics World Conference 2026, and which country supported it?

  1. A.Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, supported by Japan
  2. B.Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, supported by Germany
  3. C.Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, supported by France
  4. D.Ministry of Power, supported by Denmark
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, supported by Germany

The conference was hosted by that ministry with support from Germany's Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, known by its initials BMUV, and was organised in partnership with Conexio-PSE.

Q4234.Summits & ConferencesMedium

What is the theme of the 7th AgriVoltaics World Conference 2026 held in New Delhi?

  1. A.Food for All, Power for All
  2. B.Powering the Global South
  3. C.From Power to Empower
  4. D.Climate Resilient Agriculture
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Powering the Global South

The seventh edition of the AgriVoltaics World Conference, which opened at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, was organised under that theme by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in partnership with Conexio-PSE.

Q4235.SportsHard

How many silver and bronze medals did India collect at the Asian Para Games 2026 on 21 October 2026?

  1. A.Five silver and six bronze
  2. B.Seven silver and four bronze
  3. C.Four silver and seven bronze
  4. D.Six silver and five bronze
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Seven silver and four bronze

The silver medallists were Manjeet in the men's javelin throw F12/F13, Bhagyashree Jadhav in the women's shot put F34, Mohd Yasser in the men's shot put F46, Banti in the men's high jump T64, Mohammad Basil M in the men's 100m T47, Preeti Pal in the women's 100m T35 and…

Q4237.SportsMedium

Kasthuri Rajamani won India's first-ever Asian Para Games medal in which category?

  1. A.Women's discus throw F55
  2. B.Women's -67kg para powerlifting
  3. C.Women's shot put F34
  4. D.Women's 100m T35
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Women's -67kg para powerlifting

Kasthuri Rajamani took the silver medal there with an impressive lift, and that silver was the first medal India had ever won in the class, a result described as a historic milestone for Indian para powerlifting.

Q4238.SportsMedium

In para athletics, what does the letter and number combination such as T47 in an event name indicate?

  1. A.The lane drawn by the athlete
  2. B.The classification group in which the athlete competes
  3. C.The number of athletes in the final
  4. D.The round of the competition
Show answer
Correct answer: B. The classification group in which the athlete competes

Para athletics places competitors in classes so that athletes with a comparable degree of impairment face one another, and an event is then named by the distance along with the class, which is why Dilip Gavit's gold is recorded as the Men's 100m T47 and not merely as the 100…