Skip to content
GK24

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

Q7921.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2023, GKMedium

If the red blood cells (RBCs) of human blood are isolated and are diluted in normal saline (an isotonic solution to blood), what will happen to the RBCs?

  1. A.The RBCs will swell
  2. B.The RBCs will swell and burst
  3. C.The RBCs will shrink
  4. D.No change in the diameters of the RBCs
Show answer
Correct answer: D. No change in the diameters of the RBCs

In an isotonic solution the concentration outside the cell equals that inside, so there is no net movement of water.

Q7922.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2024, GKMedium

Which one among the following was not a part of the action programme of the Non-Cooperation Movement?

  1. A.The Congress organisation was to reach down to the village and the Mohalla level
  2. B.Boycott of government affiliated schools and colleges
  3. C.Taking control of the law and order machinery of the State by the Congress Working Committee
  4. D.Surrender of titles and honours given by the government
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Taking control of the law and order machinery of the State by the Congress Working Committee

The movement was a non-violent withdrawal of cooperation, not an attempt to seize the government's machinery. The Non-Cooperation Movement was approved at the Calcutta special session in September 1920 and confirmed at the Nagpur session in December 1920.

Q7923.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2024, GKEasy

Which one among the following is not a feature of Xerophytes ?

  1. A.Smaller leaves
  2. B.Large number of stomata
  3. C.Waxy cuticle
  4. D.Stomata in pits
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Large number of stomata

Xerophytes live where water is scarce, so they have few stomata to cut down water loss. Xerophytes are plants of deserts and dry habitats, such as cacti, Opuntia, Calotropis and Acacia.

Q7925.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2026, GKMedium

A researcher is studying different types of cells. In which cell type will he/she encounter the highest number of lysosomes ?

  1. A.Pancreatic cell
  2. B.Ovarian cell
  3. C.Muscle cell in the thigh of a runner
  4. D.White blood cell
Show answer
Correct answer: D. White blood cell

Many white blood cells destroy germs by swallowing them, and that digestion needs a large number of lysosomes. Lysosomes are small membrane-bound sacs packed with hydrolytic enzymes that break down proteins, fats, carbohydrates and nucleic acids.

Q7927.EnvironmentMedium

Which of the following was named by the Union Environment Minister as a citizen-engaging conservation initiative at the IFS training programme?

  1. A.Namami Gange Mission
  2. B.Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam
  3. C.Atal Bhujal Yojana
  4. D.Jal Jeevan Mission
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam

Speaking to the officers, the minister pointed to initiatives that draw citizens into conservation work, and named this tree-planting drive alongside MISHTI, the Aravalli Green Wall and Nagar Van Yojana while listing India's gains in forest and tree cover, carbon sequestration, woodland and wetland conservation and the restoration of landscapes.

Q7928.EnvironmentMedium

How many officers are attending the Mid-Career Training Phase-III programme, and from how many cadres do they come?

  1. A.48 officers from 12 cadres
  2. B.68 officers from 18 cadres
  3. C.86 officers from 21 cadres
  4. D.108 officers from 24 cadres
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 68 officers from 18 cadres

The course has that many participants, and the officers have come from eighteen different State cadres, which is why the ministry described the group as carrying a mix of field and policy experience ranging from wildlife conservation governance to climate-resilient forestry, habitat restoration and the working of environmental policy.

Q7929.EnvironmentMedium

The Mid-Career Training Phase-III programme for Indian Forest Service officers that began on 12 October 2026 is organised by which institution?

  1. A.Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration
  2. B.Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy
  3. C.Forest Research Institute
  4. D.Wildlife Institute of India
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy

The correct answer is the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, abbreviated as IGNFA, which is conducting the nineteenth Phase-III course from the twelfth of October to the sixth of November in 2026 for sixty-eight officers drawn from eighteen cadres.

Q7930.Government SchemesMedium

How many public representatives attended the Neighbourhood Youth Parliaments and Yuva Melas held on 10 October 2026?

  1. A.Four, all Members of Legislative Assemblies
  2. B.Six, one Member of Parliament and five MLAs
  3. C.Eight, two Members of Parliament and six MLAs
  4. D.Ten, five Members of Parliament and five MLAs
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Six, one Member of Parliament and five MLAs

The ministry recorded the presence of exactly six elected representatives at the programmes, and gave their break-up as a single Member of Parliament together with five Members of Legislative Assemblies.

Q7931.Government SchemesMedium

The Neighbourhood Youth Parliaments and Yuva Melas of October 2026 were held under which campaign?

  1. A.Fit India Movement
  2. B.Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Abhiyan
  3. C.Khelo India Yuva Abhiyan
  4. D.Swachh Bharat Yuva Abhiyan
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Abhiyan

The parliaments and the melas were organised as a part of this campaign, and specifically under the leg of it called the 100 Weeks Campaign, with the stated aim of turning young people into active workers against substance abuse in their own localities.

Q7933.Science & TechnologyMedium

In the VIGOR programme, the four AI-discovered drug candidates are to be advanced between which Technology Readiness Levels?

  1. A.TRL-1 to TRL-3
  2. B.TRL-4 to TRL-6
  3. C.TRL-6 to TRL-9
  4. D.TRL-2 to TRL-8
Show answer
Correct answer: B. TRL-4 to TRL-6

Every one of the four molecules, PEPR111 for neuromuscular disorders and oncology, PEPRX101 for alopecia, PEPR202 for neuropathy and PEPR112 for DMD, stands at Technology Readiness Level four today, and the stated purpose of the money is to carry each of them up to Technology Readiness Level six.

Q7934.Science & TechnologyMedium

What is the total cost of the VIGOR drug development project for which TDB has committed Rs 86 crore?

  1. A.Rs 108 crore
  2. B.Rs 145 crore
  3. C.Rs 172 crore
  4. D.Rs 250 crore
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Rs 172 crore

The project titled VIGOR: Advancing AI-Discovered Molecules from Bench to Clinic has been costed at that figure in full, and the Technology Development Board is carrying Rs 86 crore of it from the Research Development and Innovation Fund, which works out to exactly half the outlay.

Q7935.Science & TechnologyEasy

The Technology Development Board has extended Rs 86 crore of RDI Fund support to which company for the VIGOR programme?

  1. A.Biocon Limited, Bengaluru
  2. B.Peptris Technologies Private Limited, Bengaluru
  3. C.Bharat Biotech International, Hyderabad
  4. D.Serum Institute of India, Pune
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Peptris Technologies Private Limited, Bengaluru

The Technology Development Board, which works under the Department of Science and Technology, signed its agreement with this Bengaluru company in Karnataka and committed Rs 86 crore from the Research Development and Innovation Fund towards the VIGOR programme, whose full cost is Rs 172 crore.

Q7937.EconomyMedium

What was the average daily coal supply to the power sector in October 2026, and how did it compare with the supply plan?

  1. A.2.21 MT a day, below the plan
  2. B.2.37 MT a day, equal to the plan
  3. C.2.49 MT a day, above the plan
  4. D.2.65 MT a day, above the plan
Show answer
Correct answer: C. 2.49 MT a day, above the plan

Coal actually delivered to the power sector averaged 2.49 MT a day in October 2026 while the plan for the month provided for 2.37 MT a day, so supply ran ahead of the programme and bettered it on nine of the first ten days.

Q7940.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2024, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following information:

Region : Name of the mountain range : Type of mountain

1. Central Asia : Vosges : Fold mountain

2. Europe : Alps : Block mountain

3. North America : Appalachians : Fold mountain

4. South America : Andes : Fold mountain

In how many of the above rows is the given information correctly matched?

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

Rows 3 and 4 are correct; rows 1 and 2 have the wrong region or type. Fold mountains form when plates converge and layers of rock crumple.