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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

Q4101.Indian PolityAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2024, GKHard

As per Article 371G of the Constitution of India, special provisions have been made with respect to the state of Mizoram. Accordingly, no Act of Parliament shall apply on certain matters unless the Legislative Assembly of Mizoram so decides by a resolution. Which one of the following matters is not covered under this Article ?

  1. A.Religious or social practices of the Mizos
  2. B.Mizo customary law and procedure
  3. C.Administration of civil and criminal justice involving decisions according to Mizo customary law
  4. D.Ownership and transfer of natural resources
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Ownership and transfer of natural resources

Article 371G protects the ownership and transfer of land in Mizoram, not of natural resources in general. Article 371G was added by the 53rd Amendment Act, 1986, when Mizoram became a state after the Mizo Peace Accord.

Q4102.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2025, GKHard

Which one of the following statements about the grammarian Katyayana is correct ?

  1. A.He was a contemporary of Panini.
  2. B.He was a contemporary of Patanjali.
  3. C.He belonged to a period between Panini and Patanjali.
  4. D.He belonged to a period later than both Panini and Patanjali.
Show answer
Correct answer: C. He belonged to a period between Panini and Patanjali.

Katyayana commented on Panini's grammar, and Patanjali in turn commented on both Panini and Katyayana. Panini wrote the Ashtadhyayi, the foundational Sanskrit grammar of about 4,000 sutras, around the 5th or 4th century BCE.

Q4103.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2025, GKMedium

Which one among the following pairs of type of firm and feature is not correctly matched ?

  1. A.Oligopoly firm : Interdependence in decision-making
  2. B.Monopolistic competitive firm : Firm is a price setter
  3. C.Monopoly firm : Produces an efficient level of output
  4. D.Perfectly competitive firm : Produces socially optimum output
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Monopoly firm : Produces an efficient level of output

A monopolist restricts output and charges a higher price, so it does not produce the efficient level of output. A monopoly is a single seller of a product with no close substitutes and strong barriers to entry.

Q4105.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2017, GKMedium

Which one of the following is the correct sequence of occurrences of rivers from Chennai to Kolkata when travelled by road (shortest distance)?

  1. A.Krishna, Kaveri, Godavari, Mahanadi, Subarnarekha
  2. B.Krishna, Periyar, Godavari, Mahanadi, Subarnarekha
  3. C.Penneru, Krishna, Godavari, Mahanadi, Subarnarekha
  4. D.Penneru, Mahanadi, Subarnarekha, Godavari, Krishna
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Penneru, Krishna, Godavari, Mahanadi, Subarnarekha

Going north along the east coast from Chennai, these rivers are crossed in exactly this order. The shortest road from Chennai to Kolkata runs up the eastern coastal plain.

Q4106.Environment & EcologyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2018, GKEasy

Which one of the following statements with regard to growth of coral reefs is not correct?

  1. A.Coral can grow abundantly in freshwater.
  2. B.It requires warm water between 23 °C-25 °C.
  3. C.It requires shallow saltwater, not deeper than 50 metres.
  4. D.It requires plenty of sunlight to aid photosynthesis.
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Coral can grow abundantly in freshwater.

Reef-building corals are marine animals and die in fresh water, so this statement is false. Corals are tiny polyps that build skeletons of calcium carbonate and live with algae called zooxanthellae inside their tissues.

Q4107.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2019, GKMedium

Which one of the following statements is not correct?

  1. A.When total utility is maximum, marginal utility is zero.
  2. B.When total utility is decreasing, marginal utility is negative.
  3. C.When total utility is increasing, marginal utility is positive.
  4. D.When total utility is maximum, marginal and average utility are equal to each other.
Show answer
Correct answer: D. When total utility is maximum, marginal and average utility are equal to each other.

At the point where total utility is highest, marginal utility is zero but average utility is still positive, so the two cannot be equal.

Q4108.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2019, GKEasy

Which one of the following regions is an important supplier of citrus fruits ?

  1. A.Equatorial region
  2. B.Mediterranean region
  3. C.Desert region
  4. D.Sub-humid region
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Mediterranean region

Lands with a Mediterranean climate are the world's great orchards of oranges, lemons, grapes and olives. The Mediterranean climate has hot, dry, sunny summers and mild, rainy winters, the rain coming from westerly winds.

Q4109.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2020, GKEasy

Which one of the following is not an objective of the MGNREGA?

  1. A.Providing up to 100 days of skilled labour in a financial year
  2. B.Creation of productive assets
  3. C.Enhancing livelihood security
  4. D.Ensuring empowerment to women
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Providing up to 100 days of skilled labour in a financial year

The Act guarantees at least 100 days of unskilled manual work, not skilled labour.

Q4110.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2021, GKHard

Chronologically arrange the following treaties/conventions signed between the Marathas and the British (starting with the earliest): 1. Treaty of Salbai 2. Treaty of Purandar 3. Convention of Wadgaon 4. Treaty of Surat Select the correct answer using the code given below :

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

All four belong to the First Anglo-Maratha War: Surat (1775), Purandar (1776), Wadgaon (1779) and Salbai (1782). In 1775 the Bombay government signed the Treaty of Surat with Raghunathrao, promising to put him in power as Peshwa in return for Salsette and Bassein.

Q4111.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2021, GKEasy

Which one of the following is the opportunity cost of a chosen activity ?

  1. A.Out of pocket cost
  2. B.Out of pocket cost plus cost incurred by the Government
  3. C.Value of all opportunities forgone
  4. D.Value of next best alternative that is given up
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Value of next best alternative that is given up

Opportunity cost is what you sacrifice by choosing one option, measured by the best option you did not take. Because resources such as time, money and land are scarce, choosing one use means giving up others.

Q4113.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2023, GKHard

Arrange the following events associated with Shivaji in chronological order : 1. Attack on Afzal Khan 2. Capture of Torna 3. Attack on Shaista Khan 4. Annexation of Javli Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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

Shivaji took Torna first, then Javli, then killed Afzal Khan, and later raided Shaista Khan's camp. In 1646, still a teenager, Shivaji captured the fort of Torna from the Bijapur Sultanate, his first major conquest.

Q4114.Environment & EcologyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2024, GKEasy

Which one of the following biosphere reserves is spread over three States in India?

  1. A.Nilgiri
  2. B.Achanakmar-Amarkantak
  3. C.Seshachalam
  4. D.Agasthyamalai
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Nilgiri

The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve spreads across Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. Set up in 1986, Nilgiri was India's first biosphere reserve, and in 2000 it became the first Indian reserve on UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

Q4115.Indian PolityAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2024, GKMedium

Which one of the following organizations challenged the constitutionality of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code in the Supreme Court of India?

  1. A.Naz Foundation (India) Trust
  2. B.Bachpan Bachao Andolan
  3. C.Sambhav Foundation India
  4. D.ActionAid India
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Naz Foundation (India) Trust

This Delhi-based NGO, working on HIV/AIDS, led the long legal fight against Section 377 of the IPC. Section 377 punished "carnal intercourse against the order of nature" and was used against consensual same-sex relations.

Q4116.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2026, GKEasy

Which one among the following statements correctly defines the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)?

  1. A.IMR is the average number of infants born to a woman over her lifetime.
  2. B.IMR is the average number of infants born in a year per 1000 deaths before attaining one year of age.
  3. C.IMR is the number of deaths of infants under one year old per 1000 live births in a year.
  4. D.IMR is the number of deaths of infants under one year of age per year.
Show answer
Correct answer: C. IMR is the number of deaths of infants under one year old per 1000 live births in a year.

IMR is a rate, so it compares infant deaths with live births in the same year. An infant is a child who has not yet completed one year of life.

Q4117.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2026, GKMedium

Which one of the following best explains the "crowding-in effect" observed in India ?

  1. A.Reduction in private sector borrowing
  2. B.Public investment leading to increase in private investment
  3. C.Decline in fiscal deficit
  4. D.Increase in imports due to higher demand
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Public investment leading to increase in private investment

Crowding-in means that government spending pulls private investment in rather than pushing it out. When the government builds roads, railways, ports and power lines, it lowers the cost of doing business and raises demand for cement, steel and machinery.

Q4118.Government SchemesMedium

Under which theme did ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, observe Swachh Bharat Diwas during the campaign?

  1. A.Swachhata Hi Seva
  2. B.Swachhta Mein Sahbhag - Swachh Bharat, Viksit Bharat
  3. C.Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam
  4. D.Waste to Wealth, Waste to Art
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Swachhta Mein Sahbhag - Swachh Bharat, Viksit Bharat

ICAR-IARI in New Delhi observed Swachh Bharat Diwas on 2 October 2026 on this theme, with a series of cleanliness activities across the institute and a call for sustained participation in keeping the campus clean and healthy.

Q4119.Government SchemesMedium

Who is the Secretary of the Department of Agricultural Research and Education and Director General of ICAR, who addressed the Swachh Bharat Diwas programme at ICAR-IARI?

  1. A.Dr. Mangi Lal Jat
  2. B.Shivraj Singh Chouhan
  3. C.Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra
  4. D.Pralhad Joshi
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Dr. Mangi Lal Jat

Speaking at the Swachh Bharat Diwas programme of ICAR-IARI in New Delhi, he appreciated the cleanliness drive, asked for Swachhata to be treated as a year-round and team-based activity, and said a better workplace environment supports the well-being of employees as well as the advancement of science.

GK Questions for sub-exams