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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

Q5321.GeographyAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2025, Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements with reference to neap tides:

1. Normally, there is a seven-day interval between two neap tides.

2. At this time, the Sun and the Moon are at right angles to each other.

3. The Moon's attraction is diminished by the counteracting force of the Sun's gravitational pull.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

Neap tides come when the Sun and the Moon pull at right angles to each other, so the Sun's pull partly cancels the Moon's; but two neap tides are about two weeks apart, not seven days.

Q5323.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2018, Paper IMedium

Which one of the following Committees of the Parliament has no Members from the Rajya Sabha?

  1. A.Public Accounts Committee
  2. B.Committee on Public Undertakings
  3. C.Estimates Committee
  4. D.Departmentally Related Standing Committee (DRSC) on Finance
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Estimates Committee

All 30 members of the Estimates Committee are elected by the Lok Sabha from among its own members; the Rajya Sabha has no place on it.

Q5325.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2024, Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements about Mahanavami dibba, a massive platform:

1. It is situated on one of the highest points in the city of Vijayanagara.

2. Virupaksha temple is located on it.

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: A. 1 only

The Mahanavami dibba stands on one of the highest points of Vijayanagara (Hampi), but the Virupaksha temple is not on it; the temple stands in the sacred centre of the city near the Tungabhadra.

Q5328.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2026, GS Paper IHard

Consider the following statements about the provisions pertaining to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in India :

1. Provisions regarding the administration of the Tribal Areas in the States of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram are given in the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of India.

2. Some tribes of India are entitled to exemption from paying Income Tax on certain incomes.

3. The Constitution of India provides for reservation of seats in Panchayats for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.

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

  1. A.There are two correct statements, that include statement 2.
  2. B.There are two correct statements, that are statements 1 and 3.
  3. C.There is only one correct statement.
  4. D.All three statements are correct.
Show answer
Correct answer: A. There are two correct statements, that include statement 2.

Statements 2 and 3 are correct, while statement 1 confuses the Fifth Schedule with the Sixth. The tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram are governed under the Sixth Schedule (Articles 244(2) and 275(1)), which sets up autonomous district councils.

Q5329.Science & TechnologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2016, GS Paper IMedium

Which one of the following is the best description of 'INS Astradharini', that was in the news recently?

  1. A.Amphibious warfare ship
  2. B.Nuclear-powered submarine
  3. C.Torpedo launch and recovery vessel
  4. D.Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Torpedo launch and recovery vessel

INS Astradharini is an Indian Navy ship built to launch torpedoes during trials and recover them afterwards. The vessel was commissioned at Visakhapatnam in 2015.

Q5330.Banking & Financial AwarenessAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IEasy

Which of the following is a most likely consequence of implementing the 'Unified Payments Interface (UPI)' ?

  1. A.Mobile wallets will not be necessary for online payments.
  2. B.Digital currency will totally replace the physical currency in about two decades.
  3. C.FDI inflows will drastically increase.
  4. D.Direct transfer of subsidies to poor people will become very effective.
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Mobile wallets will not be necessary for online payments.

UPI moves money straight from one bank account to another through a phone, so there is no need to load money into a separate wallet first.

Q5331.Science & TechnologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IEasy

What is "Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)", sometimes seen in the news ?

  1. A.An Israeli radar system
  2. B.India's indigenous anti-missile programme
  3. C.An American anti-missile system
  4. D.A defence collaboration between Japan and South Korea
Show answer
Correct answer: C. An American anti-missile system

THAAD is a United States ballistic missile defence system built to shoot down missiles in the last stage of their flight.

Q5332.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2019, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements :

1. Agricultural soils release nitrogen oxides into environment.

2. Cattle release ammonia into environment.

3. Poultry industry releases reactive nitrogen compounds into environment.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

Fertilised soils, cattle and poultry are all major sources of reactive nitrogen in the environment. Reactive nitrogen means nitrogen in forms other than the inert N₂ gas of the air, such as ammonia, nitrogen oxides, nitrous oxide and nitrate.

Q5333.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2020, GS Paper IHard

In India, which of the following can be considered as public investment in agriculture?

1. Fixing Minimum Support Price for agricultural produce of all crops

2. Computerization of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies

3. Social Capital development

4. Free electricity supply to farmers

5. Waiver of agricultural loans by the banking system

6. Setting up of cold storage facilities by the governments

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

  1. A.1, 2 and 5 only
  2. B.1, 3, 4 and 5 only
  3. C.2, 3 and 6 only
  4. D.1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6
Show answer
Correct answer: C. 2, 3 and 6 only

Public investment means government spending that creates lasting assets or capacity, while support prices, free power and loan waivers are subsidies or transfers.

Q5334.Art & CultureAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IMedium

Which one of the following statements is correct?

  1. A.Ajanta Caves lie in the gorge of Waghora river.
  2. B.Sanchi Stupa lies in the gorge of Chambal river.
  3. C.Pandu-lena Cave Shrines lie in the gorge of Narmada river.
  4. D.Amaravati Stupa lies in the gorge of Godavari river.
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Ajanta Caves lie in the gorge of Waghora river.

The Ajanta caves are cut into a horseshoe-shaped cliff above the Waghora river in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) district of Maharashtra.

Q5335.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2022, GS Paper IMedium

"If rainforests and tropical forests are the lungs of the Earth, then surely wetlands function as its kidneys." Which one of the following functions of wetlands best reflects the above statement ?

  1. A.The water cycle in wetlands involves surface runoff, subsoil percolation and evaporation.
  2. B.Algae form the nutrient base upon which fish, crustaceans, molluscs, birds, reptiles and mammals thrive.
  3. C.Wetlands play a vital role in maintaining sedimentation balance and soil stabilization.
  4. D.Aquatic plants absorb heavy metals and excess nutrients.
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Aquatic plants absorb heavy metals and excess nutrients.

Kidneys filter waste from the blood, and wetlands likewise filter pollutants out of the water that passes through them.

Q5336.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2023, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following actions :

1. Detection of car crash/collision which results in the deployment of airbags almost instantaneously

2. Detection of accidental free fall of a laptop towards the ground which results in the immediate turning off of the hard drive

3. Detection of the tilt of the smartphone which results in the rotation of display between portrait and landscape mode

In how many of the above actions is the function of accelerometer required?

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

An accelerometer measures acceleration, including the pull of gravity, and each of the three actions depends on reading it. An accelerometer is a small sensor, today usually a MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical system) chip, that senses changes in speed and the direction of gravity.

Q5337.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2024, GS Paper IMedium

With reference to the Government of India Act, 1935, consider the following statements :

1. It provided for the establishment of an All India Federation based on the union of the British Indian Provinces and Princely States.

2. Defence and Foreign Affairs were kept under the control of the federal legislature.

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

The Act of 1935 proposed an All India Federation of provinces and princely states, but kept defence and foreign affairs with the Governor-General, not the legislature.

Q5338.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2025, GS Paper IHard

Consider the following activities :

I. Production of crude oil

II. Refining, storage and distribution of petroleum

III. Marketing and sale of petroleum products

IV. Production of natural gas

How many of the above activities are regulated by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board in our country?

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

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board covers the downstream chain, refining to sale, but not the production of crude oil and natural gas.

Q5339.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IEasy

Democracy's superior virtue lies in the fact that it calls into activity

  1. A.the intelligence and character of ordinary men and women.
  2. B.the methods for strengthening executive leadership.
  3. C.a superior individual with dynamism and vision.
  4. D.a band of dedicated party workers.
Show answer
Correct answer: A. the intelligence and character of ordinary men and women.

Democracy rests on the idea that ordinary citizens are capable of judging public matters and taking part in their own government.

Q5340.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IEasy

Consider the following statements :

1. No criminal proceedings shall be instituted against the Governor of a State in any court during his term of office.

2. The emoluments and allowances of the Governor of a State shall not be diminished during his term of office.

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 361 shields the Governor from criminal proceedings during the term, and Article 158 protects the Governor's pay from being cut during it.