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.
An electric bulb is connected to a 110 V generator. The current is 0.2 A. What is the power of the bulb?
Electric power is voltage multiplied by current, and 110 V × 0.2 A = 22 W. Power is the rate at which electrical energy is used.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements is correct about the cell membrane?
The cell membrane is flexible, and this lets a cell fold it around food and other material and take it in.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements about the process of photosynthesis is correct?
Chlorophyll absorbs light energy, which is used to split water and then to reduce carbon dioxide to sugar. In the light reactions, energy trapped by chlorophyll splits water molecules (photolysis), releasing oxygen, hydrogen ions and electrons and producing ATP and NADPH.
Read the full explanation →Where is the Vikramkhol Cave located?
Vikramkhol is a rock shelter near Belpahar in the Jharsuguda district of western Odisha. The shelter is known for a long panel of engraved and painted signs on its rock wall.
Read the full explanation →The surface of the concrete structure of a new construction is covered with straw/gunny bags by wetting. This is done to:
Wet straw or gunny bags keep the fresh concrete moist, so water does not evaporate before the cement has hydrated properly.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following metals is widely extracted by the electrolysis of its molten compound?
Sodium is so reactive that carbon cannot reduce its compounds, so it is obtained by passing electricity through molten sodium chloride.
Read the full explanation →Which one among the following statements regarding the electrical resistivity of a conducting wire is correct?
Resistivity is a property of the material itself, so it stays the same when the length of the wire is changed.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following statements with respect to the Ordinance promulgated under Article 213 of the Constitution of India is/are correct?
1. It shall be laid before the Legislative Assembly of the State, or where there is a Legislative Council in the State, before both the Houses
2. It shall cease to operate at the expiration of two months from the reassembly of the Legislature
3. It may be withdrawn at any time by the Governor
Select the answer using the code given below:
Article 213 requires a Governor's ordinance to be laid before the state legislature and lets the Governor withdraw it at any time, but its life after reassembly is six weeks, not two months.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements :
Statement-I : Giant stars live much longer than dwarf stars.
Statement-II : Compared to dwarf stars, giant stars have a greater rate of nuclear reactions.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
Massive giant stars burn their fuel so fast that they live much shorter lives than dwarf stars, so Statement I is false and Statement II is true.
Read the full explanation →Ships from which of the following countries have to cross the Strait of Hormuz to reach out to the Indian Ocean ?
1. Bahrain
2. Syria
3. Qatar
4. Egypt
Select the answer using the code given below :
Bahrain and Qatar have coasts only on the Persian Gulf, whose sole outlet to the Indian Ocean is the Strait of Hormuz.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following is/are tributary/tributaries of Brahmaputra?
1. Dibang
2. Kameng
3. Lohit
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Dibang, Kameng and Lohit all flow from Arunachal Pradesh into the Brahmaputra.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements :
1. The Factories Act, 1881 was passed with a view to fix the wages of industrial workers and to allow the workers to form trade unions.
2. N.M. Lokhande was a pioneer in organizing the labour movement in British India.
Which of the above statements is/are correct ?
Only statement 2 is right: Narayan Meghaji Lokhande is regarded as the father of the labour movement in India. Lokhande, an associate of Jyotirao Phule, organised the textile mill workers of Bombay and in 1890 founded the Bombay Mill Hands Association, often called India's first labour organisation.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements :
1. The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 replaced the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954.
2. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is under the charge of Director General of Health Services in the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
The 2006 Act did replace the 1954 Act, but FSSAI is an independent statutory authority, not an office under the Director General of Health Services.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements :
1. Asiatic lion is naturally found in India only.
2. Double-humped camel is naturally found in India only.
3. One-horned rhinoceros is naturally found in India only.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Only the Asiatic lion survives in the wild in India alone, in the Gir landscape of Gujarat. The Asiatic lion once ranged from West Asia to central India, but today its only wild population lives in and around Gir National Park and the nearby districts of Saurashtra in Gujarat.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following is a filter feeder?
The oyster feeds by drawing water over its gills and straining out plankton and organic particles, which is filter feeding.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following lakes of West Africa has become dry and turned into a desert ?
Lake Faguibine in northern Mali, once one of the largest lakes of West Africa, has dried up and turned into desert.
Read the full explanation →With reference to radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs), consider the following statements :
1. RTGs are miniature fission reactors.
2. RTGs are used for powering the onboard systems of spacecrafts.
3. RTGs can use Plutonium-238, which is a by-product of weapons development.
Which of the statements given above are correct ?
RTGs power spacecraft using heat from the natural decay of plutonium-238; they are not reactors and involve no fission. In an RTG, a radioactive isotope gives off heat as it decays on its own.
Read the full explanation →The FAO accords the status of 'Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS)' to traditional agricultural systems. What is the overall goal of this initiative?
1. To provide modern technology, training in modern farming methods and financial support to local communities of identified GIAHS so as to greatly enhance their agricultural productivity
2. To identify and safeguard eco-friendly traditional farm practices and their associated landscapes, agricultural biodiversity and knowledge systems of the local communities
3. To provide Geographical Indication status to all the varieties of agricultural produce in such identified GIAHS
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
GIAHS exists to identify and safeguard traditional farming systems together with their landscapes, agrobiodiversity and local knowledge. The Food and Agriculture Organization launched the GIAHS programme in 2002, at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following pairs :
Tradition — State
1. Chapchar Kut festival — Mizoram
2. Khongjom Parba ballad — Manipur
3. Thang-Ta dance — Sikkim
Which of the pairs given above is/are correct ?
Chapchar Kut belongs to Mizoram and Khongjom Parba to Manipur, but Thang-Ta is from Manipur, not Sikkim. Chapchar Kut is the spring festival of the Mizos, held in March after the bamboo and forest are cut and left to dry for jhum cultivation; Cheraw, the bamboo dance, is its highlight.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following groups of plants was domesticated in the 'New World' and introduced into the 'Old World'?
Tobacco, cocoa and rubber all come from the Americas and spread to Asia, Africa and Europe after Columbus. The exchange of plants and animals between the Americas (New World) and Afro-Eurasia (Old World) after 1492 is called the Columbian Exchange.
Read the full explanation →