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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

Q5501.Banking & FinanceEasy

During the parliamentary debate on which law was an amendment moved to restrict dilution of the Government's shareholding in IDBI?

  1. A.IDBI (Repeal) Act, 2003
  2. B.Banking Regulation Act, 1949
  3. C.State Bank of India Act, 1955
  4. D.Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934
Show answer
Correct answer: A. IDBI (Repeal) Act, 2003

The Finance Ministry's clarification records that while the Union Budget of 2003 was being discussed and Parliament was debating this repeal legislation, an amendment was moved that sought to limit any reduction of the Government's holding in IDBI.

Q5502.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2017, Paper IEasy

Which of the following diseases are caused by the consumption of water contaminated by mercury and nitrate ?

  1. A.Minamata disease and Osteoporosis
  2. B.Osteoporosis and Blue Baby Syndrome
  3. C.Minamata disease and Blue Baby Syndrome
  4. D.Osteoporosis and Minamata disease
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Minamata disease and Blue Baby Syndrome

Mercury in water causes Minamata disease, and excess nitrate causes blue baby syndrome.

Q5503.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2018, Paper IMedium

Which of the following statements about town planning in British India in early 19th century is/are correct? 1. The funds for town improvement were also raised through public lotteries. 2. The threats of epidemics gave an impetus to town planning in the early decades of 19th century. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  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

In early nineteenth-century Calcutta, lotteries paid for town improvement, and the fear of disease pushed the British towards planning. After Lord Wellesley's Minute of 1803 on the need for town planning in Calcutta, many committees were set up to improve the city.

Q5504.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2021, Paper IHard

Consider the following statements : 1. The early Sikh Gurus were religious preachers and did not interfere in politics but Guru Arjan extended his good wishes for the rebel prince Khusrau. 2. Guru Arjan attempted to organize the finances by introducing the system of more or less compulsory 'spiritual tribute' to be collected by his agents called Masands. 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

Guru Arjan blessed the rebel prince Khusrau and also organised the community's finances through the masands. The first Sikh Gurus, from Guru Nanak onwards, were spiritual teachers who kept away from politics, and Akbar was friendly towards them.

Q5505.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2024, Paper IMedium

Abdur Razzak, the traveler to Vijayanagar, had referred to the presence of a number of flower merchants in Vijayanagar and noted a particular flower that seemed as necessary as food to the people of that part. Which variety of flower was being referred to by Abdur Razzak ?

  1. A.Jasmine
  2. B.Lotus
  3. C.Hibiscus
  4. D.Rose
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Rose

Abdur Razzak wrote that roses were sold everywhere in Vijayanagara and that the people could not live without them. Abdur Razzak Samarqandi was an ambassador sent by the Timurid ruler Shah Rukh of Persia.

Q5506.Art & CultureAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2018, Paper IMedium

Statement I : Towards the beginning of the 20th century, a new hybrid architectural style developed which combined the Indian with the European. Statement II : By integrating Indian and European styles in public architecture, the British wanted to prove that they were legitimate rulers of India.

  1. A.Both the statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I
  2. B.Both the statements are individually true but Statement II is not the correct explanation of Statement I
  3. C.Statement I is true but Statement II is false
  4. D.Statement I is false but Statement II is true
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Both the statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I

The British blended Indian and European forms to present themselves as the rightful rulers of India. Towards the beginning of the twentieth century a mixed style called Indo-Saracenic took shape in colonial cities.

Q5507.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2021, Paper IMedium

Where is Asan Conservation Reserve located?

  1. A.Himachal Pradesh
  2. B.Uttarakhand
  3. C.Sikkim
  4. D.Arunachal Pradesh
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Uttarakhand

The Asan Conservation Reserve lies in Dehradun district of Uttarakhand. The reserve is a stretch of the Asan river near its meeting with the Yamuna, where a barrage built in 1967 created a wetland.

Q5508.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2023, Paper IMedium

Which one of the following is the largest component of revenue expenditure in the Union Budget 2022 - 23 ?

  1. A.Interest payments
  2. B.Defense expenditure
  3. C.Expenditure on healthcare
  4. D.Subsidies
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Interest payments

In the Union Budget 2022-23, interest on past borrowing was the single largest item of revenue expenditure. Revenue expenditure is spending that creates no assets, such as salaries, pensions, interest, subsidies and grants.

Q5510.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2018, Paper IMedium

Statement I : In India, a majority of the members of the Rajya Sabha are elected by the elected members of the State Legislatures. Statement II : Members of the Rajya Sabha elected by the State Legislative Assemblies need to have their domicile in the concerned State.

  1. A.Both the statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I
  2. B.Both the statements are individually true but Statement II is not the correct explanation of Statement I
  3. C.Statement I is true but Statement II is false
  4. D.Statement I is false but Statement II is true
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Statement I is true but Statement II is false

Most Rajya Sabha members are chosen by MLAs, but no domicile is needed. Under Article 80, the Rajya Sabha can have at most 250 members: 12 nominated by the President and up to 238 representatives of the States and Union Territories.

Q5511.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2019, Paper IMedium

Who coined the concept of "Paradox of Thrift" ?

  1. A.Adam Smith
  2. B.Alfred Marshall
  3. C.John Maynard Keynes
  4. D.Paul A. Samuelson
Show answer
Correct answer: C. John Maynard Keynes

Keynes made the paradox of thrift a central idea of his economics in the 1930s. The paradox says that what is wise for one household can hurt the whole economy.

Q5513.Madhya PradeshHard

Which Gond ruler of Garha-Katanga is said to have held fifty-two garhs or forts?

  1. A.Dalpat Shah
  2. B.Sangram Shah
  3. C.Bir Narayan
  4. D.Bakht Buland Shah
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Sangram Shah

Sangram Shah, also called Aman Das, was the Gond ruler of Garha-Katanga in the first half of the sixteenth century and is said in tradition to have brought fifty-two garhs, or forts, under his authority, which is why the kingdom is sometimes described as a kingdom of fifty-two forts.

Q5518.Madhya PradeshMedium

Which is the largest temple in the Khajuraho group?

  1. A.Lakshmana temple
  2. B.Vishvanatha temple
  3. C.Kandariya Mahadeva temple
  4. D.Chausath Yogini temple
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Kandariya Mahadeva temple

The Kandariya Mahadeva is the largest and the most fully developed temple at Khajuraho, dedicated to Shiva and generally attributed to the reign of Vidyadhara in the first half of the eleventh century.