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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

Q5201.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2024, GS Paper IEasy

As per Article 368 of the Constitution of India, the Parliament may amend any provision of the Constitution by way of :

1. Addition

2. Variation

3. Repeal

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

  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

Article 368(1) says Parliament may amend 'by way of addition, variation or repeal' any provision of the Constitution. Article 368 in Part XX lays down both the power and the procedure of amendment.

Q5202.Science & TechnologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IMedium

With reference to agriculture in India, how can the technique of 'genome sequencing', often seen in the news, be used in the immediate future ?

1. Genome sequencing can be used to identify genetic markers for disease resistance and drought tolerance in various crop plants.

2. This technique helps in reducing the time required to develop new varieties of crop plants.

3. It can be used to decipher the host-pathogen relationships in crops.

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: D. 1, 2 and 3

Genome sequencing helps find useful genes, speeds up breeding and shows how pathogens attack crops. Genome sequencing reads the complete order of bases in an organism's DNA.

Q5203.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IEasy

Which of the following are regarded as the main features of the "Rule of Law"?

1. Limitation of powers

2. Equality before law

3. People's responsibility to the Government

4. Liberty and civil rights

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

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

The Rule of Law means that power is limited by law, everyone is equal before the law, and individual liberties are protected.

Q5204.Science & TechnologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2019, GS Paper IHard

In the context of proposals to the use of hydrogen-enriched CNG (H-CNG) as fuel for buses in public transport, consider the following statements :

1. The main advantage of the use of H-CNG is the elimination of carbon monoxide emissions.

2. H-CNG as fuel reduces carbon dioxide and hydrocarbon emissions.

3. Hydrogen up to one-fifth by volume can be blended with CNG as fuel for buses.

4. H-CNG makes the fuel less expensive than CNG.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

H-CNG lowers carbon dioxide and hydrocarbon emissions, and hydrogen up to about a fifth by volume can be mixed into CNG for buses.

Q5205.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2020, GS Paper IMedium

Which of the following factors/policies were affecting the price of rice in India in the recent past ?

1. Minimum Support Price

2. Government's trading

3. Government's stockpiling

4. Consumer subsidies

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

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

All four policies shape the market price of rice in India, because the government is the biggest buyer, holder and seller of the grain.

Q5206.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IMedium

How is permaculture farming different from conventional chemical farming?

1. Permaculture farming discourages monocultural practices but in conventional chemical farming, monoculture practices are predominant.

2. Conventional chemical farming can cause increase in soil salinity but the occurrence of such phenomenon is not observed in permaculture farming.

3. Conventional chemical farming is easily possible in semi-arid regions but permaculture farming is not so easily possible in such regions.

4. Practice of mulching is very important in permaculture farming but not necessarily so in conventional chemical farming.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

Permaculture avoids monoculture, does not build up salt in the soil and relies on mulching; only statement 3 is wrong.

Q5207.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2022, GS Paper IMedium

With reference to "Gucchi" sometimes mentioned in the news, consider the following statements:

1. It is a fungus.

2. It grows in some Himalayan forest areas.

3. It is commercially cultivated in the Himalayan foothills of north-eastern India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

Gucchi is the morel mushroom, a fungus that grows wild in Himalayan forests, but it is not commercially cultivated. Gucchi (Morchella esculenta) has a honeycomb-like cap and is one of the costliest mushrooms in the world, often selling for tens of thousands of rupees a kilogram.

Q5208.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2023, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following pairs :

Objects in space : Description

1. Cepheids : Giant clouds of dust and gas in space

2. Nebulae : Stars which brighten and dim periodically

3. Pulsars : Neutron stars that are formed when massive stars run out of fuel and collapse

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

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

Only pair 3 is right; the descriptions of Cepheids and nebulae have been swapped. Cepheid variables are pulsating stars that brighten and dim on a regular cycle.

Q5209.Art & CultureAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2024, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following properties included in the World Heritage List released by UNESCO :

1. Shantiniketan

2. Rani-ki-Vav

3. Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas

4. Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodhgaya

How many of the above properties were included in 2023?

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

Santiniketan and the Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas were inscribed in 2023; the other two were listed years earlier. Both were added at the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee at Riyadh in September 2023, taking India's total to 42 sites at the time.

Q5210.Science & TechnologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2025, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements :

Statement I : Of the two major ethanol producers in the world, i.e., Brazil and the United States of America, the former produces more ethanol than the latter.

Statement II : Unlike in the United States of America where corn is the principal feedstock for ethanol production, sugarcane is the principal feedstock for ethanol production in Brazil.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. A.Both Statement I and Statement II are correct and Statement II explains Statement I
  2. B.Both Statement I and Statement II are correct but Statement II does not explain Statement I
  3. C.Statement I is correct but Statement II is not correct
  4. D.Statement I is not correct but Statement II is correct
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Statement I is not correct but Statement II is correct

The United States, not Brazil, is the world's largest ethanol producer, while the feedstocks named in Statement II are right.

Q5211.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2026, GS Paper IHard

Consider the following statements about the Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes of the Parliament of India :

1. Although members of this Committee are elected from both Houses of Parliament, the Chairperson of this Committee is appointed by the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

2. Twenty members are elected by the Rajya Sabha and ten members by the Lok Sabha.

3. No Minister, except for the Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, is eligible to be a member of this Committee.

4. Members are elected for a fixed term of two years from the date they enter their office.

Which one of the following conclusions based on the above statements is correct ?

  1. A.There are four correct statements.
  2. B.There is only one correct statement, that is statement 2.
  3. C.There are two correct statements, that include statement 1.
  4. D.There is no correct statement.
Show answer
Correct answer: D. There is no correct statement.

Each of the four statements gets a basic feature of this committee wrong. The Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes has 30 members: 20 elected by the Lok Sabha and 10 by the Rajya Sabha, by proportional representation through the single transferable vote.

Q5212.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IEasy

The terms 'Event Horizon', 'Singularity', 'String Theory' and 'Standard Model' are sometimes seen in the news in the context of

  1. A.Observation and understanding of the Universe
  2. B.Study of the solar and the lunar eclipses
  3. C.Placing satellites in the orbit of the Earth
  4. D.Origin and evolution of living organisms on the Earth
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Observation and understanding of the Universe

All four terms come from physics and cosmology, the study of how the universe and its matter work. An event horizon is the boundary around a black hole beyond which nothing, not even light, can escape.

Q5213.Art & CultureAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IMedium

With reference to cultural history of India, consider the following statements :

1. Most of the Tyagaraja Kritis are devotional songs in praise of Lord Krishna.

2. Tyagaraja created several new ragas.

3. Annamacharya and Tyagaraja are contemporaries.

4. Annamacharya kirtanas are devotional songs in praise of Lord Venkateshwara.

Which of the statements given above are correct ?

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

Tyagaraja created several new ragas, and Annamacharya's kirtanas praise Lord Venkateswara of Tirumala. Tyagaraja (1767–1847) of Thiruvaiyaru in Tamil Nadu is one of the Trinity of Carnatic music, with Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri.

Q5214.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2019, GS Paper IMedium

What is common to the places known as Aliyar, Isapur and Kangsabati?

  1. A.Recently discovered uranium deposits
  2. B.Tropical rain forests
  3. C.Underground cave systems
  4. D.Water reservoirs
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Water reservoirs

Aliyar, Isapur and Kangsabati are all dams with reservoirs built for irrigation in different parts of India. The Aliyar dam stands on the Aliyar river near Pollachi in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu, at the foot of the Anamalai hills, and is part of the Parambikulam-Aliyar project.

Q5215.Important Days & DatesAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements :

1. 21st February is declared to be the International Mother Language Day by UNICEF.

2. The demand that Bangla has to be one of the national languages was raised in the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan.

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

International Mother Language Day was proclaimed by UNESCO, not UNICEF, while the demand for Bangla as a national language was indeed raised in Pakistan's Constituent Assembly.

Q5216.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2022, GS Paper IHard

In the context of WHO Air Quality Guidelines, consider the following statements:

1. The 24-hour mean of PM2.5 should not exceed 15 µg/m³ and annual mean of PM2.5 should not exceed 5 µg/m³.

2. In a year, the highest levels of ozone pollution occur during the periods of inclement weather.

3. PM10 can penetrate the lung barrier and enter the bloodstream.

4. Excessive ozone in the air can trigger asthma.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

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

The 2021 WHO guidelines set PM2.5 at 15 µg/m³ for a 24-hour mean and 5 µg/m³ for the annual mean, and ground-level ozone is a known trigger of asthma attacks.

Q5217.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2023, GS Paper IHard

With reference to the role of biofilters in Recirculating Aquaculture System, consider the following statements :

1. Biofilters provide waste treatment by removing uneaten fish feed.

2. Biofilters convert ammonia present in fish waste to nitrate.

3. Biofilters increase phosphorus as nutrient for fish in water.

How many of the statements given above 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 2 is correct: the biofilter's job in a Recirculating Aquaculture System is to turn toxic ammonia into much less harmful nitrate.

Q5218.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2025, GS Paper IEasy

India is one of the founding members of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a multimodal transportation corridor, which will connect

  1. A.India to Central Asia to Europe via Iran
  2. B.India to Central Asia via China
  3. C.India to South-East Asia through Bangladesh and Myanmar
  4. D.India to Europe through Azerbaijan
Show answer
Correct answer: A. India to Central Asia to Europe via Iran

The INSTC links Indian ports by sea to Iran and then by rail and road northwards to Central Asia, Russia and on to Europe.

Q5219.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2026, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements in respect of questions asked by the Members in the Parliament of India :

1. Unstarred questions are those to which a Member desires an oral answer in the House.

2. Starred questions are those to which a Member desires a written answer.

3. No supplementary question can be asked on an unstarred question.

Which one of the following conclusions based on the above statements is correct ?

  1. A.All the three statements are correct.
  2. B.There are two correct statements, that include statement 2.
  3. C.There is only one correct statement.
  4. D.There is no correct statement.
Show answer
Correct answer: C. There is only one correct statement.

Statements 1 and 2 swap the meanings of starred and unstarred questions; only statement 3 is right. A starred question, marked with an asterisk, is one to which the Member wants an oral answer on the floor of the House, and supplementary questions may follow it.