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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

Q4281.Environment & EcologyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2018, GKEasy

Which one of the following statements with regard to growth of coral reefs is not correct?

  1. A.Coral can grow abundantly in freshwater.
  2. B.It requires warm water between 23 °C-25 °C.
  3. C.It requires shallow saltwater, not deeper than 50 metres.
  4. D.It requires plenty of sunlight to aid photosynthesis.
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Coral can grow abundantly in freshwater.

Reef-building corals are marine animals and die in fresh water, so this statement is false. Corals are tiny polyps that build skeletons of calcium carbonate and live with algae called zooxanthellae inside their tissues.

Q4282.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2019, GKMedium

Which one of the following statements is not correct?

  1. A.When total utility is maximum, marginal utility is zero.
  2. B.When total utility is decreasing, marginal utility is negative.
  3. C.When total utility is increasing, marginal utility is positive.
  4. D.When total utility is maximum, marginal and average utility are equal to each other.
Show answer
Correct answer: D. When total utility is maximum, marginal and average utility are equal to each other.

At the point where total utility is highest, marginal utility is zero but average utility is still positive, so the two cannot be equal.

Q4283.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2019, GKEasy

Which one of the following regions is an important supplier of citrus fruits ?

  1. A.Equatorial region
  2. B.Mediterranean region
  3. C.Desert region
  4. D.Sub-humid region
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Mediterranean region

Lands with a Mediterranean climate are the world's great orchards of oranges, lemons, grapes and olives. The Mediterranean climate has hot, dry, sunny summers and mild, rainy winters, the rain coming from westerly winds.

Q4284.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2020, GKEasy

Which one of the following is not an objective of the MGNREGA?

  1. A.Providing up to 100 days of skilled labour in a financial year
  2. B.Creation of productive assets
  3. C.Enhancing livelihood security
  4. D.Ensuring empowerment to women
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Providing up to 100 days of skilled labour in a financial year

The Act guarantees at least 100 days of unskilled manual work, not skilled labour.

Q4285.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2021, GKHard

Chronologically arrange the following treaties/conventions signed between the Marathas and the British (starting with the earliest): 1. Treaty of Salbai 2. Treaty of Purandar 3. Convention of Wadgaon 4. Treaty of Surat Select the correct answer using the code given below :

  1. A.4-2-3-1
  2. B.4-3-2-1
  3. C.1-3-2-4
  4. D.1-2-3-4
Show answer
Correct answer: A. 4-2-3-1

All four belong to the First Anglo-Maratha War: Surat (1775), Purandar (1776), Wadgaon (1779) and Salbai (1782). In 1775 the Bombay government signed the Treaty of Surat with Raghunathrao, promising to put him in power as Peshwa in return for Salsette and Bassein.

Q4286.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2021, GKEasy

Which one of the following is the opportunity cost of a chosen activity ?

  1. A.Out of pocket cost
  2. B.Out of pocket cost plus cost incurred by the Government
  3. C.Value of all opportunities forgone
  4. D.Value of next best alternative that is given up
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Value of next best alternative that is given up

Opportunity cost is what you sacrifice by choosing one option, measured by the best option you did not take. Because resources such as time, money and land are scarce, choosing one use means giving up others.

Q4288.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2023, GKHard

Arrange the following events associated with Shivaji in chronological order : 1. Attack on Afzal Khan 2. Capture of Torna 3. Attack on Shaista Khan 4. Annexation of Javli Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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

Shivaji took Torna first, then Javli, then killed Afzal Khan, and later raided Shaista Khan's camp. In 1646, still a teenager, Shivaji captured the fort of Torna from the Bijapur Sultanate, his first major conquest.

Q4289.Environment & EcologyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2024, GKEasy

Which one of the following biosphere reserves is spread over three States in India?

  1. A.Nilgiri
  2. B.Achanakmar-Amarkantak
  3. C.Seshachalam
  4. D.Agasthyamalai
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Nilgiri

The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve spreads across Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. Set up in 1986, Nilgiri was India's first biosphere reserve, and in 2000 it became the first Indian reserve on UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

Q4290.Indian PolityAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2024, GKMedium

Which one of the following organizations challenged the constitutionality of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code in the Supreme Court of India?

  1. A.Naz Foundation (India) Trust
  2. B.Bachpan Bachao Andolan
  3. C.Sambhav Foundation India
  4. D.ActionAid India
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Naz Foundation (India) Trust

This Delhi-based NGO, working on HIV/AIDS, led the long legal fight against Section 377 of the IPC. Section 377 punished "carnal intercourse against the order of nature" and was used against consensual same-sex relations.

Q4291.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2026, GKEasy

Which one among the following statements correctly defines the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)?

  1. A.IMR is the average number of infants born to a woman over her lifetime.
  2. B.IMR is the average number of infants born in a year per 1000 deaths before attaining one year of age.
  3. C.IMR is the number of deaths of infants under one year old per 1000 live births in a year.
  4. D.IMR is the number of deaths of infants under one year of age per year.
Show answer
Correct answer: C. IMR is the number of deaths of infants under one year old per 1000 live births in a year.

IMR is a rate, so it compares infant deaths with live births in the same year. An infant is a child who has not yet completed one year of life.

Q4292.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2026, GKMedium

Which one of the following best explains the "crowding-in effect" observed in India ?

  1. A.Reduction in private sector borrowing
  2. B.Public investment leading to increase in private investment
  3. C.Decline in fiscal deficit
  4. D.Increase in imports due to higher demand
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Public investment leading to increase in private investment

Crowding-in means that government spending pulls private investment in rather than pushing it out. When the government builds roads, railways, ports and power lines, it lowers the cost of doing business and raises demand for cement, steel and machinery.

Q4293.Government SchemesMedium

Under which theme did ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, observe Swachh Bharat Diwas during the campaign?

  1. A.Swachhata Hi Seva
  2. B.Swachhta Mein Sahbhag - Swachh Bharat, Viksit Bharat
  3. C.Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam
  4. D.Waste to Wealth, Waste to Art
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Swachhta Mein Sahbhag - Swachh Bharat, Viksit Bharat

ICAR-IARI in New Delhi observed Swachh Bharat Diwas on 2 October 2026 on this theme, with a series of cleanliness activities across the institute and a call for sustained participation in keeping the campus clean and healthy.

Q4294.Government SchemesMedium

Who is the Secretary of the Department of Agricultural Research and Education and Director General of ICAR, who addressed the Swachh Bharat Diwas programme at ICAR-IARI?

  1. A.Dr. Mangi Lal Jat
  2. B.Shivraj Singh Chouhan
  3. C.Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra
  4. D.Pralhad Joshi
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Dr. Mangi Lal Jat

Speaking at the Swachh Bharat Diwas programme of ICAR-IARI in New Delhi, he appreciated the cleanliness drive, asked for Swachhata to be treated as a year-round and team-based activity, and said a better workplace environment supports the well-being of employees as well as the advancement of science.

Q4296.Government SchemesMedium

How many ICAR institutes are taking part in Swachhata Special Campaign 6.0 along with its Regional Centres, ATARIs and Krishi Vigyan Kendras?

  1. A.74
  2. B.96
  3. C.114
  4. D.150
Show answer
Correct answer: C. 114

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research is running the month-long campaign along with its 114 institutes, Regional Centres, Agricultural Technology Application Research Institutes and Krishi Vigyan Kendras, which makes the drive national in reach.

Q4298.Awards & HonoursHard

What is the full form of PRISM, the model used after a mine repurposing project is selected?

  1. A.Post-Mining Repurposing Implementation Strategy Model
  2. B.Progressive Reclamation and Integrated Site Management
  3. C.Planned Rehabilitation of Indian Surface Mines
  4. D.Public Resource Investment and Site Monitoring
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Post-Mining Repurposing Implementation Strategy Model

PRISM is the next step after SUVIKALP has helped identify a suitable project for land left over from mining.

Q4299.Awards & HonoursMedium

In which category was SUVIKALP given the SKOCH Gold Award 2026?

  1. A.Digital Operational Efficiency - Data Driven Decision Making
  2. B.Environment and Climate Action
  3. C.Corporate Social Responsibility
  4. D.Skill Development and Livelihoods
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Digital Operational Efficiency - Data Driven Decision Making

SUVIKALP received the SKOCH Gold Award 2026 under this category on 26 September 2026, and the choice of category fits the tool, which ranks mine repurposing options through a structured, data-driven process that weighs technical, environmental, social and economic criteria.

Q4300.Awards & HonoursMedium

SUVIKALP, the mine repurposing tool honoured with the SKOCH Gold Award 2026, has been developed by which body?

  1. A.Coal India Limited
  2. B.Coal Controller Organisation
  3. C.NITI Aayog
  4. D.Central Pollution Control Board
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Coal Controller Organisation

The CCO, which functions under the Ministry of Coal, developed SUVIKALP as an in-house Mine Repurposing Tool to help stakeholders select suitable projects for land left behind after mining, and it is the CCO that has been recognised with the SKOCH Gold Award 2026 in the category Digital Operational Efficiency…