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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

Q7461.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IEasy

In India, the central bank's function as the 'lender of last resort' usually refers to which of the following?

1. Lending to trade and industry bodies when they fail to borrow from other sources

2. Providing liquidity to the banks having a temporary crisis

3. Lending to governments to finance budgetary deficits

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

As lender of last resort, the RBI provides liquidity to banks facing a temporary crisis, so only statement 2 fits.

Q7462.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2022, GS Paper IMedium

With reference to India, consider the following statements :

1. Government law officers and legal firms are recognised as advocates, but corporate lawyers and patent attorneys are excluded from recognition as advocates.

2. Bar Councils have the power to lay down the rules relating to legal education and recognition of law colleges.

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: B. 2 only

Only statement 2 is correct: the Bar Council of India regulates legal education and recognises law colleges. Under the Advocates Act, 1961, only an individual enrolled on a State Bar Council's roll is an advocate.

Q7463.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2023, GS Paper IEasy

Consider the following statements :

1. Some mushrooms have medicinal properties.

2. Some mushrooms have psycho-active properties.

3. Some mushrooms have insecticidal properties.

4. Some mushrooms have bioluminescent properties.

How many of the above statements are correct?

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

All four statements are correct; mushrooms show every one of these properties. Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of fungi.

Q7464.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2024, GS Paper IMedium

One of the following regions has the world's largest tropical peatland, which holds about three years worth of global carbon emissions from fossil fuels; and the possible destruction of which can exert detrimental effect on the global climate. Which one of the following denotes that region ?

  1. A.Amazon Basin
  2. B.Congo Basin
  3. C.Kikori Basin
  4. D.Rio de la Plata Basin
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Congo Basin

The Cuvette Centrale peatland of the Congo Basin is the world's largest tropical peatland. Scientists mapped this vast peat swamp only in 2017, spread across the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Q7465.Art & CultureAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2025, GS Paper IMedium

The first Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, a music training school, was set up in 1901 by Vishnu Digambar Paluskar in

  1. A.Delhi
  2. B.Gwalior
  3. C.Ujjain
  4. D.Lahore
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Lahore

Vishnu Digambar Paluskar founded the first Gandharva Mahavidyalaya at Lahore on 5 May 1901. Paluskar, a Hindustani vocalist trained in the Gwalior gharana, wanted to take classical music out of the closed world of court patronage and teach it openly to ordinary students.

Q7466.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IEasy

Who among the following was/were associated with the introduction of Ryotwari Settlement in India during the British rule ?

1. Lord Cornwallis

2. Alexander Read

3. Thomas Munro

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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

Alexander Read and Thomas Munro introduced the Ryotwari Settlement; Lord Cornwallis is linked to the Permanent Settlement. The Ryotwari system was first tried by Captain Alexander Read in the Baramahal district in 1792, with Thomas Munro working under him.

Q7467.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements :

1. Aadhaar card can be used as a proof of citizenship or domicile.

2. Once issued, Aadhaar number cannot be deactivated or omitted by the Issuing Authority.

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: D. Neither 1 nor 2

Both statements are wrong: Aadhaar proves identity, not citizenship, and it can be deactivated.

Q7469.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IMedium

With reference to 'WaterCredit', consider the following statements :

1. It puts microfinance tools to work in the water and sanitation sector.

2. It is a global initiative launched under the aegis of the World Health Organization and the World Bank.

3. It aims to enable the poor people to meet their water needs without depending on subsidies.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

  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: C. 1 and 3 only

Statements 1 and 3 are correct; WaterCredit is not a WHO or World Bank initiative. WaterCredit was created by Water.org, the non-profit co-founded by Gary White and Matt Damon.

Q7470.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2022, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements :

1. Pursuant to the report of H.N. Sanyal Committee, the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 was passed.

2. The Constitution of India empowers the Supreme Court and the High Courts to punish for contempt of themselves.

3. The Constitution of India defines Civil Contempt and Criminal Contempt.

4. In India, the Parliament is vested with the powers to make laws on Contempt of Court.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

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

Statements 1, 2 and 4 are correct; only statement 3 is wrong. The Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 was passed on the recommendations of the committee headed by H.N.

Q7472.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2025, GS Paper IMedium

With reference to ancient India (600-322 BC), consider the following pairs :

Territorial region : River flowing in the region

I. Asmaka : Godavari

II. Kamboja : Vipas

III. Avanti : Mahanadi

IV. Kosala : Sarayu

How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

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

Only pairs I (Asmaka: Godavari) and IV (Kosala: Sarayu) are correct. Asmaka was the only mahajanapada in the south, lying on the banks of the Godavari, with Potana (Paudanya) as its capital.

Q7473.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2026, GS Paper IMedium

Which of the following pairs of the king and his dynasty in early historical Tamilakam is/are not correctly matched?

1. Senguttuvan : Chera

2. Udiyanjeral : Chola

3. Nedunjeliyan : Pandya

Select the answer using the code given below :

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

Udiyanjeral was a Chera king, not a Chola, so pair 2 is the only wrong one. Sangam poems name three crowned dynasties of Tamilakam: the Cheras on the western (Kerala) coast, the Cholas in the Kaveri delta and the Pandyas around Madurai.

Q7479.Madhya PradeshHard

The Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal, set up in 1969, gave its award in which year?

  1. A.1972
  2. B.1975
  3. C.1979
  4. D.1987
Show answer
Correct answer: C. 1979

The tribunal was constituted in 1969 under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act to settle the sharing of the Narmada, and it delivered its award in 1979, dividing the river's water among Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan and fixing the height and the rehabilitation terms of the Sardar Sarovar.