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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

Q12882.InternationalHard

The joint investment intent of US$ 11.5 billion noted at the meeting relates to an integrated aluminium complex in which Indian state?

  1. A.Gujarat
  2. B.Odisha
  3. C.Jharkhand
  4. D.Chhattisgarh
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Odisha

Gujarat is wrong, although the state does figure in the meeting in two other ways: a Food Park project was reviewed there, and an aviation and logistics hub at Dholera was explored, while Mashreq Bank, First Abu Dhabi Bank and the Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company have opened offices in…

Q12889.Science & TechnologyMedium

Which of the following satellites was built jointly by ISRO and the French space agency CNES?

  1. A.Megha-Tropiques
  2. B.Oceansat-3
  3. C.RISAT-2B
  4. D.EMISAT
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Megha-Tropiques

It is named, along with SARAL, as a satellite jointly built by ISRO and CNES, and both were cited as milestones of a partnership that goes back to sounding rocket experiments of the 1960s. Oceansat-3 is wrong because it is an Indian ocean observation satellite of the Oceansat series and…

Q12891.Environment & EcologyAsked in: CTET · 3rd Jan 2022Medium

Read the following and choose the correct methods of soil conservation. A. Overuse of chemical fertilizers B. Mulching C. Contour barriers D. Shelter belts

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

Mulching means covering the bare ground between plants with straw, dry leaves or crop waste, so that the soil holds moisture and raindrops cannot beat the topsoil loose.

Q12892.GeographyAsked in: CTET · Jan 2021, Paper 2 Social StudiesHard

Match List I with List II: a. Coniferous forests, b. Mediterranean vegetation, c. Tropical evergreen forests, d. Temperate evergreen forests; i. Eastern margin of the continents, ii. Hardwood trees, iii. Softwood evergreen trees, iv. West and south-west margins of the continents.

  1. A.a-iii, b-ii, c-iv, d-i
  2. B.a-i, b-iv, c-ii, d-iii
  3. C.a-i, b-ii, c-iii, d-iv
  4. D.a-iii, b-iv, c-ii, d-i
Show answer
Correct answer: D. a-iii, b-iv, c-ii, d-i

Coniferous forests grow in the cold northern belt of Asia, Europe and North America and are made of softwood evergreen trees such as pine, fir and spruce, whose light wood is used for paper and furniture.

Q12893.Indian HistoryAsked in: CTET · 21st Dec 2021Medium

Which of the following reasons would you give to discuss the decline of Indian iron and steel metallurgy under colonial India? A. Iron and steel was imported from England. B. New forest laws prohibited people from entering reserved forests to collect wood.

  1. A.Only A
  2. B.Only B
  3. C.Both A and B
  4. D.Neither A nor B
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Both A and B

India's village iron smelters were ruined by two pressures at once. Cheap iron and steel made in British factories was brought into India in large quantities from the middle of the nineteenth century, and local smiths could not match its price, so demand for their metal fell away.

Q12894.Indian PolityAsked in: CTET · Dec 2018, Paper 2 Social StudiesEasy

Which of the following deal with the matters in the Concurrent List of the Constitution of India?

  1. A.Union Government and State Governments
  2. B.State Governments and Local Government Bodies
  3. C.Union Territories
  4. D.Local Government Bodies
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Union Government and State Governments

The Seventh Schedule of the Constitution divides subjects into three lists. The Union List holds subjects only Parliament can legislate on, such as defence, foreign affairs, currency and railways.

Q12895.Indian HistoryAsked in: CTET · 21st Jan 2022Medium

The reason for the Mughals to recruit mansabdars from diverse backgrounds was to _______.

  1. A.ease the language barrier between the mansabs and the subjects.
  2. B.encompass services of nobles from different regions as the empire expanded.
  3. C.gather support and loyalty of people from diverse regions.
  4. D.promote the idea of inclusion and universal brotherhood.
Show answer
Correct answer: B. encompass services of nobles from different regions as the empire expanded.

A mansabdar was an officer who held a mansab, a rank that fixed his position at court, his pay and the number of horsemen he had to keep ready.

Q12897.NationalEasy

On which day does Swachhata Hi Seva 2026 culminate with a nationwide Shramdaan?

  1. A.15 September, observed as Swachhata Diwas
  2. B.17 September, observed as Sewa Diwas
  3. C.2 October, observed as Swachh Bharat Diwas
  4. D.31 October, observed as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas
Show answer
Correct answer: C. 2 October, observed as Swachh Bharat Diwas

The campaign began on 17 September 2026 and closes on 2 October 2026 with Shramdaan across the country, honouring the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and carrying forward the aim of making cleanliness a way of life.

Q12898.NationalMedium

Swachhata Hi Seva 2026 has been launched jointly by which two bodies?

  1. A.NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Rural Development
  2. B.MoHUA and the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation
  3. C.DARPG and the Department of Consumer Affairs
  4. D.The Ministry of Environment and the Bureau of Indian Standards
Show answer
Correct answer: B. MoHUA and the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation

The correct answer is the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, the urban and the rural arms of the sanitation effort respectively, which launched this edition together.

Q12899.NationalMedium

What is the theme of Swachhata Hi Seva 2026?

  1. A.Swachhata Mein Sahbhag; Swachh Bharat, Viksit Bharat
  2. B.Sampoorna Swachhata
  3. C.Swabhav Swachhata, Sanskaar Swachhata
  4. D.Waste to Wealth, Wealth to Nation
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Swachhata Mein Sahbhag; Swachh Bharat, Viksit Bharat

That is the theme of the 10th edition of Swachhata Hi Seva, which is being observed from 17 September to 2 October 2026 and was launched jointly by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation.