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UPSC GK Questions 2026

Static general knowledge is the larger part of every UPSC general studies paper. The notices name the same areas again and again: the history of India and the national movement, Indian and world geography, polity and the Constitution, the economy and social development, and general science with environment and ecology. The balance shifts from exam to exam. NDA puts about half of its General Knowledge part on Physics, Chemistry and General Science. CSE favours polity, modern history, environment and the economy. CAPF adds security and human rights, and CDS spreads its questions across polity, history, geography, the economy and school science.

GK24's GK notes are written topic by topic in English and Hindi, as short, fact-first chapters that are easy to revise. They cover Indian Polity, Indian History, Geography, Indian Economy, General Science, Environment and Ecology, Art and Culture, Computer, and the fact lists of awards, sports, books and days. A new chapter is added in each subject as the series grows. Each note carries practice questions, and those that have appeared in an exam say which exam and year. Start with Polity and modern history, then Geography, the Economy and Science. Read a note, take its topic quiz, and come back to it in your monthly revision.

UPSC GK Questions with Answers

Q3241.GeographyAsked in: NDA · NDA-II 2026, GATHard

Consider the following statements : I. At the equator, the Coriolis force is zero and here the winds blow perpendicular to the isobars. II. The Coriolis force is directly proportional to the angle of latitude. III. The Coriolis force and the resultant wind do not blow parallel to the isobars at higher latitudes. Which of the statements given above are correct?

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

Statements I and II describe the Coriolis force correctly; statement III is wrong, because away from the equator the wind ends up blowing parallel to the isobars.

Q3242.GeographyAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2019, GATMedium

Consider the following statements relating to Richter scale : 1. It was devised in 1935 by Charles F. Richter 2. It describes the quantity of energy released by a single earthquake 3. Richter Scale has no upper limit Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

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

All three statements about the Richter scale are correct. Statement 1 is correct: the American seismologist Charles F. Richter devised the scale in 1935 at the California Institute of Technology, working with Beno Gutenberg.

Q3246.GeographyAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2022, GATEasy

While watching news, you hear about a place, of which you had never heard of earlier. You want to know more about the place and you want to locate it on the map. Which of the following is/are required for you to be able to locate the place on the map?

  1. A.Only latitude of the place
  2. B.Only longitude of the place
  3. C.Both longitude and latitude of the place
  4. D.Latitude, longitude and altitude of the place
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Both longitude and latitude of the place

A point on a map is fixed where its line of latitude crosses its line of longitude, so both values are needed and enough.

Q3247.GeographyAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2024, GATMedium

Identify the Iron and Steel Plant on the basis of the given characteristics : 1. It receives coal from Jharia and iron-ore from Sundargarh and Kendujhar. 2. Power for the electric furnaces is procured from Hirakund. 3. Water is obtained from Koel and Sankh rivers. Select the correct Iron and Steel Plant from the options given below :

  1. A.Bhilai Steel Plant
  2. B.Durgapur Steel Plant
  3. C.Rourkela Steel Plant
  4. D.Bokaro Steel Plant
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Rourkela Steel Plant

Rourkela in Sundargarh district of Odisha matches all three clues: Jharia coal, Sundargarh and Kendujhar iron ore, Hirakud power and water from the Koel and Sankh.

Q3248.GeographyAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2026, GATMedium

As per the land-use categories in the Land Revenue Records of India, "a cultivable land which is left uncultivated for more than a year but less than 5 years" is called

  1. A.current fallow
  2. B.fallow, other than current fallow
  3. C.barren land
  4. D.culturable wasteland
Show answer
Correct answer: B. fallow, other than current fallow

Land left uncultivated for more than one year but less than five years falls in this category of the land revenue records.

Q3249.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2019, GKMedium

Which one of the following statements with regard to economic models is not correct ?

  1. A.They involve simplification of complex processes.
  2. B.They represent the whole or a part of a theory.
  3. C.They can be expressed only through equations.
  4. D.They help in gaining an insight into cause and effect.
Show answer
Correct answer: C. They can be expressed only through equations.

This is false: an economic model can be stated in words, shown in diagrams or graphs, or written as equations.

Q3252.Indian PolityAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2021, GKMedium

Which of the following statements with regard to the creation of a new state or alteration of boundaries of states is/are correct ?

1. An amendment has to be moved in the Parliament under Article 368 of the Constitution of India.

2. Ratification by one half of the states is necessary after the amendment is made by the Parliament.

3. The legislation can be passed by a simple majority of both Houses of Parliament.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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

A new state is created, or a state's boundaries changed, by an ordinary law of Parliament under Article 3, passed by a simple majority.

Q3253.Indian PolityAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2021, GKMedium

Which one of the following is not correct in respect of Directorate of Enforcement ?

  1. A.It is a specialized financial investigation agency under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance.
  2. B.It enforces the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999.
  3. C.It enforces the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.
  4. D.It enforces the Prohibition of Benami Property Transaction Act, 1988.
Show answer
Correct answer: D. It enforces the Prohibition of Benami Property Transaction Act, 1988.

This statement is wrong: the Benami law is enforced by the Income Tax Department, not the ED. The Directorate of Enforcement, set up in 1956, is a specialised financial investigation agency under the Department of Revenue in the Ministry of Finance, with its headquarters in New Delhi.

Q3254.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2022, GKMedium

Consider the following statements:

1. In the 19th century, peasants in various parts of India rose in revolt against moneylenders and grain dealers.

2. In May 1875, at village Supa in Poona District in the Bombay Deccan, peasants attacked shopkeepers, burnt the bahi khatas (account books), looted grain shops and set fire to the houses of Sahukars.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  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

Peasant risings against moneylenders were common in the 19th century, and the Deccan Riots began at Supa in May 1875.

Q3255.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2023, GKMedium

Which one of the following indicators is included in the National Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)?

  1. A.Years of schooling
  2. B.Literacy rate
  3. C.Life expectancy
  4. D.Per capita income
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Years of schooling

It is one of the two education indicators in NITI Aayog's National Multidimensional Poverty Index. The national MPI measures deprivation, not income, across three equally weighted dimensions: health, education and standard of living.

Q3256.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2023, GKMedium

Consider the following statements regarding poverty in India :

1. While determining poverty line in India, a minimum level of food requirement, clothing, footwear, fuel and light, educational and medical requirements, etc. are determined for subsistence.

2. The accepted average calorie requirement in India is 2400 calories per person per day in rural areas and 2100 calories per person per day in urban areas.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

  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

Both statements describe the standard method used to draw India's poverty line. A poverty line is the income or spending needed to meet basic needs.

Q3257.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2024, GKEasy

From which among the following are blood clotting factors released?

  1. A.RBCs
  2. B.Eosinophils
  3. C.Platelets
  4. D.Monocytes
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Platelets

Platelets, or thrombocytes, release the factors that start blood clotting at a wound. Platelets are tiny cell fragments made from large cells called megakaryocytes in the bone marrow; a healthy adult has about 1.5 to 4.5 lakh of them per cubic millimetre of blood.

Q3258.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2024, GKEasy

Consider the following statements with reference to Census in India :

1. The first All India Census was attempted in 1872.

2. From 1881, decennial censuses became a regular feature.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

  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 first all-India census was attempted in 1872, and from 1881 a census has been held every ten years. The 1872 count, under Viceroy Lord Mayo, was taken in different regions at different times and did not cover the whole country, so it is called the first, non-synchronous attempt.

Q3259.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2026, GKMedium

Which one among the following statements regarding igneous rock is correct ?

  1. A.When magma cools deep in the Earth's interior, it results in the formation of fine-grained igneous rocks.
  2. B.Basalt is a type of intrusive igneous rock.
  3. C.Most of the minerals of igneous rocks are silicates.
  4. D.Extrusive igneous rocks often undergo lithification.
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Most of the minerals of igneous rocks are silicates.

Magma is mostly molten silicate, so the minerals that crystallise from it, such as feldspar, quartz, mica, pyroxene and olivine, are silicates.

GK Questions for sub-exams