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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

Q13562.Indian HistoryAsked in: Rajasthan · 12th Sept 2024Hard

Which one of the following is not matched correctly?

  1. A.Shreshthi – Head of Guild
  2. B.Pattvaya - Washermen's Guild
  3. C.Puga - Association of Professions
  4. D.Sartha - Group of Traders
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Pattvaya - Washermen's Guild

The washermen had their own body, known as the rajaka guild. The famous Mandasor stone inscription of the time of Kumaragupta records a guild of silk weavers who migrated from Lata in Gujarat to Dasapura and built a temple of the Sun there, and it is the best known reference…

Q13563.Indian PolityAsked in: Rajasthan · RSMSSB PTI Physical Education 2013 OfficMedium

By which article of the Indian Constitution the State Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to State Legislature for its functions?

  1. A.Article 164
  2. B.Article 154(2)
  3. C.Article 161(2)
  4. D.Article 151(1)
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Article 164

Clause (2) of Article 164 says that the Council of Ministers shall be collectively responsible to the Legislative Assembly of the State, which is the rule of collective responsibility in a parliamentary system: the ministry stays in office only while it holds the confidence of the elected house, and a…

Q13564.Indian HistoryAsked in: Rajasthan · 24th Sept 2021Hard

Which of the following statements is not true?

  1. A.During the age of Kanishka, Kushan empire extended from valley of river Ganga in the East to the Malwa region in the South.
  2. B.Rabatak inscription related to Kanishka is found from western U.P.
  3. C.Buddhist scholars like Vasumitra, Ashvagosha were patronized by Kanishka.
  4. D.The coins of Kanishka incorporate Indian, Grecian and west Asian symbols of religious traditions.
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Rabatak inscription related to Kanishka is found from western U.P.

It came to light in 1993 at Rabatak in Baghlan province of northern Afghanistan, and it is written in the Bactrian language using the Greek script.

Q13565.Awards & HonoursAsked in: Rajasthan · RPSC RAS Prelims 2016 Official PaperMedium

Which country recently conferred its highest civilian honor 'Amir Amanullah Khan Award' to Prime Minister Narendra Modi?

  1. A.Saudi Arabia
  2. B.Uzbekistan
  3. C.Iran
  4. D.Afghanistan
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Afghanistan

The Amir Amanullah Khan Award is Afghanistan's highest civilian honour, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi received it in June 2016 at Herat, on the day he and President Ashraf Ghani opened the Afghan-India Friendship Dam, earlier called the Salma Dam, which India built on the Hari Rud.

Q13567.NationalEasy

Under the cleanliness campaign, what is a Swachhata Samvad intended to serve as?

  1. A.A platform for dialogue and discussion to widen participation in cleanliness work
  2. B.A competition ranking offices by the waste they dispose of
  3. C.An inspection by an external audit team
  4. D.A lecture series delivered by sanitation engineers
Show answer
Correct answer: A. A platform for dialogue and discussion to widen participation in cleanliness work

The action plan for the day envisages the Samvad in exactly these terms, so that awareness about hygiene and sustainable waste management spreads through conversation.

Q13568.NationalMedium

ICAR-CIRB, which organised a Swachhata Samvad in September 2026, conducts research on which animal, and where is it located?

  1. A.Goats, at Makhdoom
  2. B.Buffaloes, at Hisar
  3. C.Camels, at Bikaner
  4. D.Poultry, at Hyderabad
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Buffaloes, at Hisar

The abbreviation expands to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research - Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes, and the institute works under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

Q13569.NationalMedium

What is the theme of the Swachhata Hi Seva 2026 campaign?

  1. A.Swachhata Hi Seva, Seva Hi Dharma
  2. B.Swachhta Mein Sahbhag - Swachh Bharat, Viksit Bharat
  3. C.Sampoorna Swachhata for Sampoorna Bharat
  4. D.Ek Tareekh, Ek Ghanta, Ek Saath
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Swachhta Mein Sahbhag - Swachh Bharat, Viksit Bharat

The theme joins two ideas, participation in cleanliness and the goal of a developed India, and every activity held under the campaign is expected to reflect it.

Q13570.NationalMedium

What is the focus theme of the Special Campaign this year?

  1. A.Effective collection, segregation and disposal of e-waste
  2. B.Paperless offices and digital signatures
  3. C.Plastic free government premises
  4. D.Energy audit of public buildings
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Effective collection, segregation and disposal of e-waste

The campaign this year gives special weight to identifying and clearing e-waste in keeping with the E-Waste (Management) Rules of 2022, alongside the optimisation of office space, the disposal of scrap and redundant items, record management and the timely settlement of public grievances.

Q13571.NationalMedium

Which department is the nodal department for Special Campaign 6.0?

  1. A.Department of Expenditure
  2. B.Department of Personnel and Training
  3. C.Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances
  4. D.Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances

Its Secretary, Nivedita Shukla Verma, chaired the second meeting of nodal officers, where Additional Secretary Puneet Yadav presented the progress of the drive.

Q13573.InternationalMedium

How many vaccine doses did India supply during the COVID-19 pandemic, as cited at the meeting?

  1. A.150 million doses to about 60 countries
  2. B.300 million doses to about 100 countries and two UN entities
  3. C.500 million doses to about 120 countries
  4. D.700 million doses to about 90 countries
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 300 million doses to about 100 countries and two UN entities

India cited this supply, along with medical assistance to more than 150 countries, as proof of the principle of One Earth, One Health and of its commitment to the Global South.

Q13574.InternationalMedium

In the context of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, what does PABS stand for?

  1. A.Pandemic Alert and Biosecurity System
  2. B.Public Access to Biological Samples
  3. C.Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing
  4. D.Preparedness and Basic Surveillance
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing

India argued that the agreement will be judged by whether this system is fair, so that a country which shares pathogens or biological resources receives vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics and other technologies in return, within a reasonable time and with its sovereignty intact.

Q13575.InternationalEasy

Who represented India at the UN High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response?

  1. A.The Union Health Minister
  2. B.Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava
  3. C.The Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations
  4. D.The Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava

The correct answer is Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava, who spoke for India at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 25 September and reaffirmed the commitment of the country to global health security.

Q13576.Important DaysMedium

As per the Tourism Satellite Account estimates cited by the Ministry of Tourism, what share of India's GDP does tourism contribute?

  1. A.3.14%
  2. B.5.22%
  3. C.7.90%
  4. D.9.65%
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 5.22%

The weight of tourism in the economy is measured through the Tourism Satellite Account, the official accounting framework that captures both the direct and the indirect contribution of the sector, and by that measure tourism adds 5.22% of national GDP.

Q13578.Important DaysEasy

What is the theme of World Tourism Day 2026?

  1. A.Tourism and Green Investments
  2. B.Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism
  3. C.Rethinking Tourism for Rural Growth
  4. D.Tourism and Peace
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism

The day falls on 27 September and the theme chosen for this edition asks how digital innovation and artificial intelligence can change the way destinations are planned, promoted, managed and experienced by travellers.