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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

Q1565.EnvironmentMedium

Under India's Green Hydrogen Standard, what is the maximum permitted emission for hydrogen to qualify as green?

  1. A.2 kg of CO2 equivalent per kg of hydrogen
  2. B.5 kg of CO2 equivalent per kg of hydrogen
  3. C.9 kg of CO2 equivalent per kg of hydrogen
  4. D.12 kg of CO2 equivalent per kg of hydrogen
Show answer
Correct answer: A. 2 kg of CO2 equivalent per kg of hydrogen

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy notified the Standard in August 2023, and the ceiling applies on a well-to-gate basis, measured as an average over twelve months; with it India became one of the first few countries to define green hydrogen formally.

Q1568.NationalMedium

Under which law are electronic cigarettes and all Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems prohibited in India?

  1. A.Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2019
  2. B.Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003
  3. C.Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985
  4. D.Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2019

This law bans the production, manufacture, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, storage and advertisement of electronic cigarettes and of every Electronic Nicotine Delivery System, and it was enacted in the interest of public health and to protect people from harm.

Q1569.NationalEasy

At which port did the DRI seize around 55,000 smuggled e-cigarettes in two operations?

  1. A.Jawaharlal Nehru Port
  2. B.Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata
  3. C.Deendayal Port, Kandla
  4. D.Paradip Port
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata

Officers of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence intercepted two containers of a Nepal-bound transshipment consignment there and recovered about 55,000 e-cigarettes, mis-declared as water glass and ceramic mugs, worth roughly Rs 13.50 crore.

Q1572.NationalEasy

Which body issued the advisory on the 'Protection of Human Rights of Female Inmates and their Children'?

  1. A.National Commission for Women
  2. B.National Human Rights Commission
  3. C.Bureau of Police Research and Development
  4. D.National Legal Services Authority
Show answer
Correct answer: B. National Human Rights Commission

The Commission addressed the advisory to nine Union Ministries, to the Chief Secretaries and Administrators of all States and Union Territories, and to their Directors General of Police, and it has asked them to report back on implementation.

Q1573.Government SchemesMedium

Which set of geospatial datasets does the Punah Bharan platform use to identify potential recharge areas?

  1. A.Rainfall, groundwater levels, groundwater yield, slope and drainage
  2. B.Population, literacy, cropping pattern and road density
  3. C.Wind speed, humidity, solar radiation and air quality
  4. D.Forest cover, mineral deposits and seismic zones
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Rainfall, groundwater levels, groundwater yield, slope and drainage

These are the geospatial layers the platform works on to mark out areas where water can usefully be sent back into the ground and to plan the right interventions there.

Q1574.Government SchemesEasy

Within what radial distance does the Punah Bharan application help users identify potential artificial recharge zones?

  1. A.Up to 1 km
  2. B.Up to 3 km
  3. C.Up to 5 km
  4. D.Up to 10 km
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Up to 3 km

The application allows a user to identify potential artificial recharge zones within a radial distance of up to three kilometres from a chosen point, and then to explore which recharge structures would suit the conditions prevailing there.

Q1575.Government SchemesMedium

The Punah Bharan Mobile Application, launched to support groundwater recharge planning, was developed by which agency?

  1. A.NRSC
  2. B.BISAG-N
  3. C.NIC
  4. D.Survey of India
Show answer
Correct answer: B. BISAG-N

The application was developed by BISAG-N in collaboration with the National Water Mission under the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation in the Ministry of Jal Shakti, and it was launched by the Union Jal Shakti Minister to support scientific groundwater recharge planning.

Q1576.InternationalMedium

Who led the Indian delegation during the signing of the Terms of Reference with Mexico?

  1. A.Foreign Secretary
  2. B.Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal
  3. C.Finance Secretary
  4. D.Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal

The discussions on bilateral relations and on widening trade and investment flows were held during his visit, and the Mexican side was represented by Luis Rosendo Gutierrez Romano, Undersecretary of Foreign Trade, who took part on behalf of Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon.

Q1577.InternationalMedium

At which summit did the leaders of India and Mexico reach the understanding that led to these trade negotiations?

  1. A.BRICS Summit in South Africa
  2. B.G7 Summit in Canada
  3. C.G20 Summit in Brazil
  4. D.APEC Summit in Peru
Show answer
Correct answer: B. G7 Summit in Canada

The Prime Minister of India and the President of Mexico met on the sidelines of that summit in June 2025 and agreed to strengthen and deepen the partnership between the two countries; the Terms of Reference signed later are the direct result of that understanding.

Q1579.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2018, GATHard

Which of the following is/are NOT historical biography/biographies?

1. Dipavamsa

2. Harshacharita

3. Vikramankadevacharita

4. Prithvirajavijaya

Select the correct answer from the code given below :

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

The Dipavamsa is a Pali chronicle of Sri Lanka, not the biography of a king, while the other three are historical biographies of rulers.

Q1580.Static GKAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2019, GATMedium

Consider the following description of the Samadhi of a former Prime Minister of India :

Central Samadhi platform comprises nine square black polished granite solid stone blocks, capped with a 'Diya' in the centre. The number nine holds significance and represents the navarasas, navaratras and navagrahas. Then placement of the nine-square Samadhi is in a circular lotus shaped pattern. The nine-square platform is accessed in four cardinal directions by pathways made in white composite tiles so that the floor does not get heated.

Identify the Samadhi :

  1. A.Shakti Sthal
  2. B.Shantivan
  3. C.Sadaiv Atal
  4. D.Veer Bhumi
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Sadaiv Atal

The nine-square black granite platform with a diya at the centre, set in a lotus pattern, describes Sadaiv Atal, the memorial of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in New Delhi.