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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

Q1801.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2018, GATHard

Who among the following social reformer started a society for the encouragement of widow remarriage in 1866 in Maharashtra?

  1. A.Bal Gangadhar Tilak
  2. B.Jyotirao Phule
  3. C.Vishnushastri Pandit
  4. D.Pandita Ramabai
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Vishnushastri Pandit

Vishnushastri Pandit led the society formed in Maharashtra to encourage the remarriage of widows, the Vidhava Vivahottejak Mandal. In nineteenth-century Maharashtra, widow remarriage was one of the main causes of social reformers.

Q1803.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2021, GATMedium

At which of the following was the American Declaration of Independence adopted on 4 July, 1776?

  1. A.Washington Conference
  2. B.San Francisco Conference
  3. C.Second Continental Congress
  4. D.First Continental Congress
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Second Continental Congress

Meeting at Philadelphia, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on 4 July 1776. The Second Continental Congress met from May 1775, after fighting had begun at Lexington and Concord.

Q1804.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2019, GATEasy

Consider the following statements concerning the American War of Independence:

1. The Americans raised the slogan, "No taxation without representation".

2. The American merchants resorted to the boycott of the British products.

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

The colonists protested with the slogan "No taxation without representation" and backed it with a boycott of British goods.

Q1805.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2026, GATHard

Consider the following statements with regard to the types of land listed in the Amarakosha.

I. Devamatrika refers to land watered by rain.

II. Aprahata refers to fallow land.

III. Pankila refers to highly fertile land.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

Devamatrika is land watered by rain and aprahata is fallow land, but pankila means muddy land, not highly fertile land.

Q1807.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2026, GATMedium

Consider the following statements with regard to bead production in Harappan towns:

I. The materials used to make beads included carnelian, quartz and steatite.

II. The beads were cylindrical, barrel-shaped and disc-shaped.

III. Specialized stone drills were used for making holes through the beads.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

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

All three statements describe Harappan bead making correctly: the stones used, the shapes made and the drills used to bore them.

Q1808.Indian HistoryAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2026, GATMedium

Match List I with List II:

List I (Event): I. Passing of the Age of Consent Bill; II. Establishment of the Arya Samaj; III. Death of Dayanand Saraswati; IV. Foundation of the Nagari Pracharini Sabha

List II (Year): A. 1893; B. 1883; C. 1875; D. 1891

Select the answer using the code given below:

  1. A.I-D, II-C, III-B, IV-A
  2. B.I-C, II-D, III-A, IV-B
  3. C.I-D, II-C, III-A, IV-B
  4. D.I-C, II-D, III-B, IV-A
Show answer
Correct answer: A. I-D, II-C, III-B, IV-A

The Age of Consent Bill was passed in 1891, the Arya Samaj was founded in 1875, Dayanand Saraswati died in 1883 and the Nagari Pracharini Sabha was set up in 1893.

Q1810.Science & TechnologyHard

How did the total WHOQOL score change after the 60-day intervention in the first component of the AIIA project?

  1. A.From 292.0 to 326.3
  2. B.From 277.4 to 364.2
  3. C.From 326.3 to 364.2
  4. D.From 292.0 to 277.4
Show answer
Correct answer: A. From 292.0 to 326.3

In the first component of the project a sixty-day intervention raised the total score on the World Health Organization Quality of Life assessment by that margin, and improvements were also recorded in all six parameters used to assess Agnibala, along with a gain in bone mineral density.

Q1811.Science & TechnologyEasy

The All India Institute of Ayurveda is an autonomous institution under which Union Ministry?

  1. A.The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
  2. B.The Ministry of Ayush
  3. C.The Ministry of Science and Technology
  4. D.The Ministry of Education
Show answer
Correct answer: B. The Ministry of Ayush

The All India Institute of Ayurveda in New Delhi is an autonomous institution under this Ministry, and it works on Ayurveda through education, research, clinical services and public health initiatives.

Q1812.Science & TechnologyMedium

In which district did the All India Institute of Ayurveda conduct its community-based Ayurveda programme for elderly people?

  1. A.Gurugram, Haryana
  2. B.Faridabad, Haryana
  3. C.Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh
  4. D.Gautam Buddh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Faridabad, Haryana

The project was titled "Community-Based Ayurveda Intervention for Promotion of Physical and Mental Health in Elderly Population of Faridabad District, Haryana State", and under the institute’s Public Health Initiative it screened 5,594 people in the sixty to eighty year age group there over three months.

Q1813.Government SchemesEasy

How many PM Vishwakarma artisans took part in the Cultural Bazar at the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum, and from how many States?

  1. A.Six artisans from six States
  2. B.Eight artisans from eight States
  3. C.Ten artisans from eight States
  4. D.Twelve artisans from ten States
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Eight artisans from eight States

One artisan each came from Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Karnataka and Maharashtra, so the number of artisans and the number of States were the same.

Q1814.Government SchemesHard

Which craft displayed at the BRICS Cultural Bazar was described as carrying a Geographical Indication tag?

  1. A.Dokra metal craft
  2. B.Jabalpur Stone Craft
  3. C.Kolhapuri chappals
  4. D.Naga crochet dolls
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Jabalpur Stone Craft

Anurag Sahu of Madhya Pradesh practises this GI-tagged craft, carving marble statues, pooja articles, souvenirs and home decor items from New Bhedaghat Marble of Jabalpur, and under the scheme he was onboarded on two e-commerce platforms to take his products online.

Q1815.Government SchemesMedium

Channapatna toys and Kinhal toys, shown by an artisan at the Cultural Bazar, belong to the craft traditions of which State?

  1. A.Karnataka
  2. B.Jharkhand
  3. C.Nagaland
  4. D.Madhya Pradesh
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Karnataka

The artisan Deepu S from Karnataka specialises in traditional Channapatna toys and Kinhal toys, both of which reflect that State’s toy-making heritage; under the PM Vishwakarma Scheme he received a toolkit, completed skill training and was onboarded on an e-commerce platform.

Q1816.Government SchemesEasy

The PM Vishwakarma Scheme, whose artisans took part in the BRICS Cultural Bazar, is implemented by which ministry?

  1. A.The Ministry of Textiles
  2. B.The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
  3. C.The Ministry of Culture
  4. D.The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
Show answer
Correct answer: B. The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

The artisans and craftspeople who displayed their work at the Cultural Bazar are beneficiaries of the PM Vishwakarma Scheme of this ministry, and the stall at the Parliament House Complex was set up in the scheme’s name.

Q1817.Important DaysMedium

How many projects are to be taken up on Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas this year, and how many of them are ready for inauguration?

  1. A.Over 300 projects, of which 228 are ready for inauguration
  2. B.Over 300 projects, of which 74 are ready for inauguration
  3. C.Over 500 projects, of which 300 are ready for inauguration
  4. D.Over 160 projects, of which 73 are ready for inauguration
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Over 300 projects, of which 228 are ready for inauguration

More than 300 projects for tribal communities across States will be taken up on Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas, with 228 ready to be inaugurated and 74 awaiting foundation stones.

Q1819.Important DaysEasy

Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas marks the birth anniversary of which tribal leader?

  1. A.Rani Durgavati
  2. B.Tilka Manjhi
  3. C.Bhagwan Birsa Munda
  4. D.Alluri Sitarama Raju
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Bhagwan Birsa Munda

The Government designated 15 November as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas in 2021 to commemorate his birth anniversary, and his 150th birth anniversary was observed as Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh in 2024-25 with over 28 national events, more than 2 lakh activities and above 3.8 crore participants.