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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

Q7761.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2025, GKEasy

Identify the cloud on the basis of the following characteristics relating to it : I. They look like cotton wool. II. They exist in patches and have flat base. III. They are generally formed at a height of 4 to 7 km. Select the answer using the code given below :

  1. A.Cirrus
  2. B.Cumulus
  3. C.Nimbus
  4. D.Stratus
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Cumulus

Cumulus clouds look like heaps of cotton wool, appear in scattered patches with a flat base, and generally form at a height of 4 to 7 km.

Q7762.Awards & HonoursAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2025, GKEasy

Which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. C. Rajagopalachari was the first recipient of the Bharat Ratna. 2. Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya initiated the concept of 'Integral Humanism'. Select the 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

C. Rajagopalachari is listed first among the first Bharat Ratna awardees of 1954, and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya gave the philosophy of Integral Humanism.

Q7764.Indian PolityAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2026, GKMedium

Which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. In First-Past-the-Post system of representation, candidate who wins the election may not get majority votes 2. In Proportional Representation system of representation, candidate who wins the election gets majority of votes Select the 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: A. 1 only

Under First-Past-the-Post a candidate needs only more votes than any rival, not a majority, while Proportional Representation does not require a winner to secure a majority either.

Q7766.InternationalMedium

Which bilateral mechanism’s outcomes were reviewed during the Finance Minister’s talks with the Singapore leadership?

  1. A.2nd India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable
  2. B.3rd India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable
  3. C.4th India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable
  4. D.6th India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable
Show answer
Correct answer: C. 4th India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable

The engagements in Singapore gave the two sides an opportunity to review progress in advancing the outcomes of that roundtable and to explore avenues for deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and Singapore.

Q7768.InternationalEasy

Who is the President of Singapore, on whom the Union Finance Minister called during her October 2026 visit?

  1. A.Lawrence Wong
  2. B.Tharman Shanmugaratnam
  3. C.Gan Kim Yong
  4. D.Vivian Balakrishnan
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Tharman Shanmugaratnam

Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman called on him during her visit from 8 to 11 October 2026 and also attended a luncheon he hosted along with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund.

Q7769.Government SchemesMedium

Under the new agreement, candidates for RSETI training will be registered through which platform?

  1. A.Kaushal Panjee
  2. B.Udyam Panjee
  3. C.Skill Setu
  4. D.Gram Kaushal Portal
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Kaushal Panjee

A key aim of the partnership is better candidate registration through this platform, together with Aadhaar-based face authentication under the Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System, so that enrolment and attendance at the institutes are both verifiable.

Q7770.Government SchemesEasy

With which body did the Ministry of Rural Development exchange an MoU in October 2026 to strengthen the Rural Self Employment Training Institutes?

  1. A.National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
  2. B.National Academy of RUDSETI
  3. C.National Skill Development Corporation
  4. D.National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj
Show answer
Correct answer: B. National Academy of RUDSETI

The agreement signed on 12 October 2026 covers uniform training standards, quality administration and systematic capacity building at the Rural Self Employment Training Institutes, and extends to the settlement of trained candidates, their credit linkage and the monitoring of both.

Q7772.State NewsMedium

The railway line that brought Mizoram onto India’s railway map connects Bairabi with which station, and how long is it?

  1. A.Sairang, 51.38 kilometres
  2. B.Silchar, 74 kilometres
  3. C.Sairang, 21 kilometres
  4. D.Zemabawk, 32.70 kilometres
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Sairang, 51.38 kilometres

The Bairabi-Sairang railway line of that length was called a historic milestone that placed Mizoram on the railway map of the country and changed the state’s access to major economic centres.

Q7776.Science & TechnologyMedium

Who chaired the Pre-Cyclone Exercise Meeting for the post-monsoon season of 2026, at which the new Decision Support System was launched?

  1. A.The Union Minister of Earth Sciences
  2. B.The Director General of Meteorology, IMD
  3. C.The Chairperson of the National Disaster Management Authority
  4. D.The Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs
Show answer
Correct answer: B. The Director General of Meteorology, IMD

The bi-annual Pre-Cyclone Exercise Meeting for the post-monsoon season, covering October to December 2026, was held under the chairmanship of Dr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of Meteorology at the India Meteorological Department, who is also the 3rd Vice President of the World Meteorological Organisation.

Q7777.Science & TechnologyEasy

Which organisation dedicated the Cyclone Warning and Marine Weather Services Decision Support System to the nation in October 2026?

  1. A.National Disaster Management Authority
  2. B.India Meteorological Department
  3. C.Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services
  4. D.National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting
Show answer
Correct answer: B. India Meteorological Department

The IMD, which works under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, dedicated the Cyclone Warning and Marine Weather Services Decision Support System to the nation on 12 October 2026.

Q7778.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2024, GS Paper IEasy

With reference to "Coriolis force", which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. It increases with increase in wind velocity. 2. It is maximum at the poles and is absent at the equator. Select the 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

The Coriolis force grows with the speed of the wind and with latitude, so it is strongest at the poles and zero at the equator.

Q7779.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2025, GS Paper IEasy

Who among the following led a successful military campaign against the kingdom of Srivijaya, the powerful maritime State, which ruled the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java and the neighbouring islands?

  1. A.Amoghavarsha (Rashtrakuta)
  2. B.Prataparudra (Kakatiya)
  3. C.Rajendra I (Chola)
  4. D.Vishnuvardhana (Hoysala)
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Rajendra I (Chola)

Around 1025 CE Rajendra Chola I sent a naval expedition that raided Kadaram (Kedah) and other ports of the Srivijaya kingdom.

Q7780.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2016, GS Paper IMedium

What is/are the importance/importances of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification? 1. It aims to promote effective action through innovative national programmes and supportive international partnerships. 2. It has a special/particular focus on South Asia and North Africa regions, and its Secretariat facilitates the allocation of major portion of financial resources to these regions. 3. It is committed to bottom-up approach, encouraging the participation of local people in combating the desertification. 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: C. 1 and 3 only

The UNCCD works through national action programmes, international partnership and local participation, but its special focus is Africa, not South Asia and North Africa.