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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

Q761.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2019, GKEasy

The Shompens are the vulnerable tribal group of

  1. A.Jharkhand
  2. B.Odisha
  3. C.West Bengal
  4. D.Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Andaman and Nicobar Islands

The Shompen are a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group who live in the forests of Great Nicobar Island. The Shompen are a semi-nomadic people who hunt, gather and grow a little food along the rivers of Great Nicobar's forested interior, and they have very little contact with outsiders.

Q762.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2016, GKMedium

Rakshasa type of marriage is

  1. A.marriage by purchase
  2. B.marriage by capture
  3. C.marriage by giving dowry
  4. D.marriage by seduction
Show answer
Correct answer: B. marriage by capture

The Rakshasa form, one of the eight forms of marriage described in the Dharmashastras, meant taking a bride away by force, often after defeating her relatives.

Q765.Environment & EcologyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2018, GKHard

Consider the following statements about National Wildlife Action Plan (NWAP) of India for 2017-2031:

1. This is the Third National Wildlife Action Plan.

2. The NWAP is unique as this is the first time India has recognized the concerns relating to climate change impact on wildlife.

3. The NWAP has ten components.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

The plan for 2017-2031 is India's third National Wildlife Action Plan and the first to deal with the impact of climate change on wildlife, but it has five components, not ten.

Q767.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2019, GKEasy

Atmospheric conditions are well-governed by humidity. Which one among the following may best define humidity?

  1. A.Form of suspended water droplets caused by condensation
  2. B.Deposition of atmospheric moisture
  3. C.Almost microscopically small drops of water condensed from and suspended in air
  4. D.The moisture content of the atmosphere at a particular time and place
Show answer
Correct answer: D. The moisture content of the atmosphere at a particular time and place

Humidity is the amount of water vapour present in the air. Air holds water as invisible vapour, and the amount it can hold rises with temperature.

Q768.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2016, GKMedium

The epic, Silappadikaram refers to the

  1. A.story of Rama
  2. B.Jaina elements in the storyline
  3. C.culture of Sri Lankan Buddhists
  4. D.cult of Shakti worship
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Jaina elements in the storyline

Silappadikaram was written by Ilango Adigal, a prince who became a Jaina monk, and Jaina ideas run through its story.

Q771.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2018, GKHard

The Economic historian, who has used the data collected by Buchanan-Hamilton to support the thesis of deindustrialization in the 19th century India, is

  1. A.Tirthankar Roy
  2. B.Amiya Kumar Bagchi
  3. C.Sabyasachi Bhattacharya
  4. D.Irfan Habib
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Amiya Kumar Bagchi

Bagchi used Francis Buchanan-Hamilton's survey figures for Gangetic Bihar to argue that India went through deindustrialization in the 19th century.

Q774.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2017, GKHard

Which of the following statements about the social base of the Arya Samaj in British India is/are correct?

1. It was located mainly in Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh.

2. It mainly comprised the trading castes.

3. It was much more limited than that of the Brahmo Samaj.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

The Arya Samaj drew its strength mainly from Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh and from the trading castes, and its social base was wider, not narrower, than that of the Brahmo Samaj.

Q777.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2019, GKMedium

Which one of the following may be the true characteristic of cyclones?

  1. A.Temperate cyclones move from west to east with westerlies whereas tropical cyclones follow trade winds.
  2. B.The front side of cyclone is known as the 'eye of cyclone'.
  3. C.Cyclones possess a centre of high pressure surrounded by closed isobars.
  4. D.Hurricanes are well-known tropical cyclones which develop over mid-latitudes.
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Temperate cyclones move from west to east with westerlies whereas tropical cyclones follow trade winds.

Temperate cyclones are carried from west to east by the westerlies, while tropical cyclones generally move from east to west with the trade winds.

Q778.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2016, GKHard

The 'four great needs' of the people as identified by the Guomindang were

  1. A.clothing, food, housing and transportation
  2. B.education, food, housing and health care
  3. C.food, housing, education and employment
  4. D.employment, housing, education and health care
Show answer
Correct answer: A. clothing, food, housing and transportation

These were the four great needs of the people that the Guomindang set out to meet, following the ideas of Sun Yat-sen.

Q779.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2017, GKHard

In the elections to the provincial legislatures in 1937 in British India

1. only about 10 to 12 percent of the population had the right to vote

2. the untouchables had no right to vote

3. the Congress won an absolute majority in five out of eleven provinces

4. the Muslim League won more than 80 percent of the seats reserved for Muslims

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

Voting in 1937 was limited by property and education, and the Congress won an absolute majority in five provinces, while statements 2 and 4 are false.