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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

Q901.InternationalMedium

In the India-BLEU Joint Economic Commission, what does the abbreviation BLEU stand for?

  1. A.Baltic and Levant Economic Union
  2. B.Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union
  3. C.Belarus-Lithuania Economic Union
  4. D.Benelux Labour and Enterprise Union
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union

The union ties the two neighbouring countries into one economic arrangement, and India engages with them jointly through a Joint Economic Commission whose nineteenth session met in Luxembourg on 29 October 2026.

Q903.Government SchemesEasy

Which department conducts the nationwide Digital Life Certificate campaign for pensioners?

  1. A.Department of Posts
  2. B.Department of Financial Services
  3. C.Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare
  4. D.Department of Telecommunications
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare

It notified the guidelines for the drive in an office memorandum dated 13 August 2026 and it is running the fifth edition from 1 to 30 November 2026.

Q908.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2020, GKEasy

The valency of phosphorus is

  1. A.2, 3
  2. B.3, 4
  3. C.4, 5
  4. D.3, 5
Show answer
Correct answer: D. 3, 5

Phosphorus has five electrons in its outer shell and shows two common valencies, 3 and 5. Phosphorus, atomic number 15, has the electronic configuration 2, 8, 5.

Q909.Sports GKAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2024, GKMedium

Which of the following statements about the ICC under-19 Men's Cricket World Cup, 2024 is/are correct? 1. Australia won this title for the 4th time. 2. It was organised in South Africa. 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

Australia beat India in the final at Benoni, South Africa, in February 2024 to win their fourth Under-19 title. The 2024 tournament was first allotted to Sri Lanka but was moved to South Africa by the ICC.

Q910.Awards & HonoursAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2025, GKEasy

Who among the following were awarded the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2024? 1. Shri Gukesh D 2. Shri Harmanpreet Singh 3. Shri Praveen Kumar 4. Ms. Manu Bhaker Select the answer using the code given below :

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

All four athletes received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna for 2024, presented by the President in January 2025. The Khel Ratna is India's highest sporting honour.

Q911.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2026, GKMedium

Which one of the following statements is NOT correct ?

  1. A.Single celled eukaryotes belong to Kingdom Protista
  2. B.Yeast, a fungus is multicellular
  3. C.The fungi constitute a unique kingdom of heterotrophs
  4. D.Ascomycetes, a saprophytic fungi is multicellular or rarely unicellular
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Yeast, a fungus is multicellular

This statement is false, because yeast is one of the few fungi that are unicellular. In Whittaker's five-kingdom system, fungi form a separate kingdom.

Q913.Indian PolityAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2017, GKMedium

Which of the following statements with regard to Panchayats in India are correct? 1. Seats in a Panchayat are filled by direct election from the territorial constituencies in the Panchayat area. 2. The Gram Sabha is the body of persons registered in the electoral rolls relating to a village within the Panchayat area. 3. The Panchayats work on the principle of constitutional autonomy. 4. The State Legislature may by law endow the Panchayats with the power and authority to enable them to function. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

Statements 1, 2 and 4 restate Part IX of the Constitution, while statement 3 is not part of the scheme.

Q914.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2017, GKMedium

Desalination of seawater is done by using reverse osmosis. The pressure applied to the solution is

  1. A.larger than osmotic pressure
  2. B.smaller than osmotic pressure
  3. C.equal to osmotic pressure
  4. D.equal to atmospheric pressure
Show answer
Correct answer: A. larger than osmotic pressure

Only a pressure greater than the osmotic pressure of seawater can push pure water backwards through the membrane. In ordinary osmosis, water moves through a semipermeable membrane from the dilute side to the concentrated side.

Q915.Art & CultureAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2018, GKMedium

Which one of the following temples of India has won the 'UNESCO Asia Pacific Award of Merit, 2017' for cultural heritage conservation?

  1. A.Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati
  2. B.Sri Ranganathaswami Temple, Srirangam
  3. C.Meenakshi Temple, Madurai
  4. D.Kedarnath Temple, Kedarnath
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Sri Ranganathaswami Temple, Srirangam

Its careful restoration earned the Award of Merit in UNESCO's Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation, 2017. The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple stands on Srirangam, an island in the Kaveri near Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu.

Q918.Science & TechnologyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2025, GKMedium

"Million Minds Augmenting National Aspirations and Knowledge" (MANAK), a scheme under the flagship programme, Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE), caters to :

  1. A.The college students studying in the undergraduate programme in the age group of 19 - 25 years.
  2. B.The research scholars in recognized research laboratories of national importance.
  3. C.The college teachers of the country.
  4. D.The school children studying in classes 6 - 10 in the age group of 10 - 15 years.
Show answer
Correct answer: D. The school children studying in classes 6 - 10 in the age group of 10 - 15 years.

INSPIRE-MANAK is the school-level part of INSPIRE. INSPIRE is run by the Department of Science and Technology to draw young talent into science.

Q919.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2025, GKHard

Identify the climate type based on the given below characteristics : 1. The annual precipitation is low and is around 15 cm. 2. The development of pronounced winter anticyclones and their weakening in summer sets in monsoon-like reversal of wind in this region. 3. Polewards, summer temperatures are low. Select the answer from the options given below:

  1. A.Subtropical steppe
  2. B.Humid sub-tropical climate
  3. C.Cold climate with dry winters
  4. D.Tundra climate
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Cold climate with dry winters

All three features match the Dw type of Köppen's scheme, found mainly over north-eastern Asia. In the Dw climate, an intense high-pressure system, the Siberian anticyclone, builds up over the frozen land in winter and sends cold, dry winds outward.