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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

Q8501.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2021, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements :

The effect of devaluation of a currency is that it necessarily

1. improves the competitiveness of the domestic exports in the foreign markets

2. increases the foreign value of domestic currency

3. improves the trade balance

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

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

Devaluation makes domestic goods cheaper abroad, so export competitiveness improves, but it lowers the external value of the currency and does not necessarily improve the trade balance.

Q8502.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2023, GS Paper IHard

Which one of the following is the best example of repeated falls in sea level, giving rise to present-day extensive marshland?

  1. A.Bhitarkanika Mangroves
  2. B.Marakkanam Salt Pans
  3. C.Naupada Swamp
  4. D.Rann of Kutch
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Rann of Kutch

The Rann was once a shallow arm of the Arabian Sea, and as the sea withdrew from it, aided by the uplift of the land, it was left as the vast salt marsh seen today.

Q8503.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2024, GS Paper IMedium

With reference to the Himalayan rivers joining the Ganga downstream of Prayagraj from West to East, which one of the following sequences is correct ?

  1. A.Ghaghara - Gomati - Gandak - Kosi
  2. B.Gomati - Ghaghara - Gandak - Kosi
  3. C.Ghaghara - Gomati - Kosi - Gandak
  4. D.Gomati - Ghaghara - Kosi - Gandak
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Gomati - Ghaghara - Gandak - Kosi

Below Prayagraj the Ganga receives the Gomati first, then the Ghaghara, then the Gandak and finally the Kosi as it flows east.

Q8504.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2025, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements :

I. Capital receipts create a liability or cause a reduction in the assets of the Government.

II. Borrowings and disinvestment are capital receipts.

III. Interest received on loans creates a liability of the Government.

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: A. I and II only

Capital receipts either add to liabilities or reduce assets, and borrowings and disinvestment are typical examples; interest received is a revenue receipt.

Q8505.Art & CultureAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2026, GS Paper IHard

The Hallisalasya painting in the Bagh Caves represents :

  1. A.A joyous folk dance
  2. B.Buddha in a meditative pose
  3. C.The depiction of Shiva and Parvati on Kailasha
  4. D.Samudramanthan (Churning of the Ocean)
Show answer
Correct answer: A. A joyous folk dance

Hallisaka was a circular group dance, and the Bagh painting shows women dancing in a ring around a central figure to the music of drums and cymbals.

Q8506.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2017, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements in respect of Trade Related Analysis of Fauna and Flora in Commerce (TRAFFIC) :

1. TRAFFIC is a bureau under United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

2. The mission of TRAFFIC is to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature.

Which of the above statements 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: B. 2 only

TRAFFIC is a non-governmental wildlife trade monitoring network, not a UNEP bureau, and its mission is the one given in statement 2.

Q8507.Indian PolityAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2018, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements :

1. The Parliament of India can place a particular law in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution of India.

2. The validity of a law placed in the Ninth Schedule cannot be examined by any court and no judgement can be made on it.

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: A. 1 only

Parliament can add a law to the Ninth Schedule by a constitutional amendment, but such a law is not beyond judicial review.

Q8508.Indian HistoryAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2019, GS Paper IEasy

With reference to Swadeshi Movement, consider the following statements :

1. It contributed to the revival of the indigenous artisan crafts and industries.

2. The National Council of Education was established as a part of Swadeshi Movement.

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 Swadeshi Movement against the Partition of Bengal both revived Indian crafts and industry and set up national education. The movement was formally launched on 7 August 1905 at the Calcutta Town Hall.

Q8509.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2020, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following pairs :

International agreement / set-up : Subject

1. Alma-Ata Declaration : Healthcare of the people

2. Hague Convention : Biological and chemical weapons

3. Talanoa Dialogue : Global climate change

4. Under2 Coalition : Child rights

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

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

The Alma-Ata Declaration is about primary healthcare and the Talanoa Dialogue is about climate change; the other two pairs are wrong.

Q8510.Indian EconomyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2022, GS Paper IHard

With reference to the Indian economy, what are the advantages of "Inflation-Indexed Bonds (IIBs)"?

1. Government can reduce the coupon rates on its borrowing by way of IIBs.

2. IIBs provide protection to the investors from uncertainty regarding inflation.

3. The interest received as well as capital gains on IIBs are not taxable.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

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

IIBs protect investors from inflation, and because of that protection the government can borrow at a lower coupon; they carry no special tax exemption.

Q8511.GeographyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2024, GS Paper IEasy

Which of the following countries are well known as the two largest cocoa producers in the world ?

  1. A.Algeria and Morocco
  2. B.Botswana and Namibia
  3. C.Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana
  4. D.Madagascar and Mozambique
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana

These two neighbouring West African countries grow well over half of the world's cocoa. Cocoa is a tropical tree crop that needs heavy, well-spread rainfall, high humidity, temperatures of about 21 to 32 °C and shade, which is why it grows best within about 10 degrees of the Equator.

Q8512.Environment & EcologyAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2025, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements :

Statement I : Circular economy reduces the emissions of greenhouse gases.

Statement II : Circular economy reduces the use of raw materials as inputs.

Statement III : Circular economy reduces wastage in the production process.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. A.Both Statement II and Statement III are correct and both of them explain Statement I
  2. B.Both Statement II and Statement III are correct but only one of them explains Statement I
  3. C.Only one of the Statements II and III is correct and that explains Statement I
  4. D.Neither Statement II nor Statement III is correct
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Both Statement II and Statement III are correct and both of them explain Statement I

Both Statement II and Statement III are true, and each one is a reason why a circular economy cuts greenhouse gas emissions.

Q8514.Uttar PradeshEasy

The Ganga and the Yamuna meet at which city of Uttar Pradesh?

  1. A.Varanasi
  2. B.Kanpur
  3. C.Prayagraj
  4. D.Mirzapur
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Prayagraj

The Yamuna joins the Ganga at Prayagraj, and the meeting point is called the Sangam. The confluence marks the end of the Ganga-Yamuna Doab, the tract between the two rivers that forms the upper part of the Ganga plain and the most intensively irrigated land in the state.

Q8518.Uttar PradeshEasy

Which of the following is NOT one of the physical divisions of Uttar Pradesh?

  1. A.The Bhabhar and Terai belt
  2. B.The Ganga plain
  3. C.The southern plateau and hills
  4. D.The coastal plain
Show answer
Correct answer: D. The coastal plain

Uttar Pradesh is landlocked, so it can have no coastal plain at all. The state is divided into three physical regions only: the Bhabhar and Terai belt in the north, the Ganga plain in the middle and the southern plateau and hills beyond the Yamuna.

GK Questions for sub-exams