CDS GK Important Topics span six subject areas: Geography, History, Current Affairs, Economy, Polity, and Science & Technology, tested across roughly 120 questions worth 100 marks in the General Knowledge paper. Geography (around 20 questions) carries the single heaviest weightage, followed closely by History and Current Affairs (18 each), Economy (15), Polity (14), and Science subjects combined (around 27 across Physics, Chemistry, and Biology). This guide breaks down the real weightage and topic list for every subject, then gives a 30-question practice set covering all six.
The CDS General Knowledge paper carries 100 marks across roughly 120 questions, for IMA, INA, AFA, and OTA candidates alike, with a 2-hour duration and a 20% qualifying cut-off.
Six subject areas make up nearly all of it, not just the four a typical search names. CDS GK Important Topics, in practice, means Geography, History, Polity, Economy, Science & Technology, and Current Affairs together.
This guide breaks down each subject's real weightage the way a recent paper (CDS 1, 2024) was actually structured, then gives 30 original practice questions spread across every subject.
CDS GK Paper Pattern: Subject-Wise Weightage
This breakdown reflects an actual recent CDS General Knowledge paper's subject split, the clearest available picture of what CDS GK Important Topics actually cover. The exact numbers shift slightly year to year, but the ranking between subjects stays fairly consistent.
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Subject
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Approximate questions
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Geography
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20
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History
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18
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Current Affairs
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18
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Economy
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15
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Polity
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14
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Science & Technology (Physics, Chemistry, Biology)
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27
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Static GK / General Awareness
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5
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Geography and History together account for nearly a third of the paper. Science & Technology looks small subject by subject, Physics around 7, Chemistry around 10, Biology around 10, but adds up to the second-largest block once combined.
CDS GK Important Topics by Subject
1. History (around 18 questions)
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Topic
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Focus area
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Ancient History
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Indus Valley Civilization, Vedic period, major dynasties up to early medieval India
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Medieval History
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Delhi Sultanate, Mughal Empire, regional kingdoms
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Modern History
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British colonization, 1857 revolt, socio-religious reform movements
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Freedom Movement
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Indian National Congress, Gandhian movements, key leaders and events up to 1947
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History questions lean toward the freedom movement and modern India more than ancient dynasties, since that's where most factual, date-based questions come from.
2. Geography (around 20 questions)
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Topic
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Focus area
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Physical Geography
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Landforms, world geography basics, latitude/longitude concepts
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Indian Geography
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States, capitals, borders, major cities
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Rivers & Mountains
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Major Indian and world rivers, mountain ranges, their significance
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Climate & Resources
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Monsoon patterns, natural resources, agriculture zones
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Geography is the single highest-weightage subject in CDS GK Important Topics, so Indian geography and rivers deserve first priority over world physical geography.
3. Polity (around 14 questions)
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Topic
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Focus area
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Constitution
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Preamble, key articles, amendments
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Fundamental Rights & Duties
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Rights, duties, and Directive Principles
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Parliament & Executive
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Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, President, Prime Minister, Council of Ministers
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Constitutional Bodies
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Election Commission, UPSC, CAG, and similar bodies
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4. Economy (around 15 questions)
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Topic
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Focus area
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Economic Structure
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Sectors of the economy, planning bodies, basic terms
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Budget & Policies
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Union Budget basics, fiscal and monetary policy terms
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Government Schemes
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Major central government schemes and their objectives
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5. Science & Technology (around 27 questions combined)
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Topic
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Focus area
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Physics (around 7)
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Basic mechanics, laws of motion, everyday physics concepts
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Chemistry (around 10)
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Elements, compounds, reactions at a school-level depth
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Biology (around 10)
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Human body systems, diseases, plant and animal basics
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Science questions in CDS GK Important Topics stay at a school-level depth rather than going into specialized detail, so a solid Class 10–12 NCERT-level revision covers most of it.
6. Current Affairs (around 18 questions)
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Topic
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Focus area
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Government Initiatives
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New policies, missions, and programs
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Current Events
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National and international news from the 6–8 months before the exam
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Awards & Honors
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National and international awards announced recently
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Defense & Science News
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Military exercises, new equipment inductions, space and defense-tech developments
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Current Affairs is the one subject in CDS GK Important Topics that can't be prepared months in advance the way History or Polity can; it needs to be built up close to the exam date.
CDS GK Important Topics: Practice Set Across All 6 Subjects
These 30 questions are written fresh for this guide, five per subject, not lifted from any specific past paper.
History
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#
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Question
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Answer
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Why
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1
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Who gave the slogan "Do or Die" during the Quit India Movement? Subhas Chandra Bose / Mahatma Gandhi / Bal Gangadhar Tilak / Jawaharlal Nehru
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Mahatma Gandhi
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Gandhi gave this call at the launch of the Quit India Movement in 1942.
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2
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The Indus Valley Civilization is also known as: Vedic Civilization / Harappan Civilization / Gupta Civilization / Maurya Civilization
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Harappan Civilization
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Named after Harappa, one of its first excavated sites.
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3
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Which Mughal emperor built the Red Fort? Akbar / Jahangir / Shah Jahan / Aurangzeb
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Shah Jahan
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Shah Jahan commissioned the Red Fort in Delhi in the 17th century.
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4
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The Indian National Congress was founded in which year? 1857 / 1885 / 1905 / 1919
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1885
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The INC was established in 1885 by A.O. Hume and others.
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5
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The 1857 revolt is also referred to as: The Partition of Bengal / The First War of Independence / The Non-Cooperation Movement / The Quit India Movement
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The First War of Independence
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This is the commonly used alternate name for the 1857 uprising.
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Geography
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#
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Question
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Answer
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Why
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6
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Which is the longest river in India? Ganga / Godavari / Yamuna / Brahmaputra
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Ganga
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The Ganga is India's longest river by length within the country.
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7
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The Tropic of Cancer passes through how many Indian states? 6 / 8 / 10 / 12
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8
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The Tropic of Cancer runs through 8 Indian states.
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8
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Which mountain range separates India from China? Aravalli / Vindhya / Himalayas / Western Ghats
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Himalayas
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The Himalayas form the natural northern boundary between India and China.
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9
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Which state has the longest coastline in India? Gujarat / Tamil Nadu / Andhra Pradesh / Kerala
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Gujarat
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Gujarat has India's longest coastline among all states.
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10
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The Deccan Plateau is primarily located in which part of India? North / South / East / West
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South
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The Deccan Plateau covers most of peninsular (southern) India.
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Polity
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#
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Question
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Answer
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Why
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11
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How many Fundamental Rights are guaranteed by the Indian Constitution? 5 / 6 / 7 / 8
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6
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The Constitution guarantees 6 Fundamental Rights after the Right to Property was removed.
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12
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Who is the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha? President / Prime Minister / Vice President / Speaker of Lok Sabha
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Vice President
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The Vice President of India chairs the Rajya Sabha by virtue of office.
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13
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The Directive Principles of State Policy are inspired by the constitution of which country? USA / UK / Ireland / Canada
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Ireland
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India's Directive Principles are modeled on the Irish Constitution.
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14
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Who appoints the Chief Election Commissioner of India? Parliament / President / Prime Minister / Supreme Court
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President
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The President appoints the Chief Election Commissioner.
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15
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The Indian Constitution came into effect on: 15 August 1947 / 26 January 1950 / 26 November 1949 / 2 October 1950
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26 January 1950
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The Constitution was adopted in November 1949 but came into force on 26 January 1950.
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Economy
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#
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Question
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Answer
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Why
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16
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Which body prepares the Union Budget of India? RBI / NITI Aayog / Ministry of Finance / Planning Commission
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Ministry of Finance
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The Union Budget is prepared and presented by the Ministry of Finance.
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17
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GDP stands for: Gross Domestic Product / General Domestic Policy / Government Development Program / Gross Development Plan
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Gross Domestic Product
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GDP measures the total value of goods and services produced in a country.
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18
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NITI Aayog replaced which earlier body? Finance Commission / Planning Commission / RBI / SEBI
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Planning Commission
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NITI Aayog was formed in 2015, replacing the Planning Commission.
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19
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Repo rate is set by: SEBI / RBI / Ministry of Finance / NITI Aayog
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RBI
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The Reserve Bank of India sets the repo rate as part of monetary policy.
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20
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Which sector contributes the most employment in India? Primary (agriculture) / Secondary (industry) / Tertiary (services) / None
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Primary (agriculture)
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Agriculture still employs the largest share of India's workforce, even though services contribute more to GDP.
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Science & Technology
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#
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Question
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Answer
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Why
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21
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Newton's First Law of Motion is also known as the law of: Gravity / Inertia / Momentum / Friction
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Inertia
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Newton's First Law describes an object's tendency to resist a change in motion, known as inertia.
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22
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The chemical symbol for sodium is: So / Na / Sd / S
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Na
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"Na" comes from the Latin word "natrium" for sodium.
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23
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Which organ in the human body produces insulin? Liver / Pancreas / Kidney / Stomach
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Pancreas
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The pancreas produces insulin to regulate blood sugar.
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24
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Which gas do plants absorb during photosynthesis? Oxygen / Carbon dioxide / Nitrogen / Hydrogen
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Carbon dioxide
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Plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen during photosynthesis.
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25
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The SI unit of force is: Joule / Newton / Watt / Pascal
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Newton
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Force is measured in Newtons in the SI system.
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Current Affairs
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#
|
Question
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Answer
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Why
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26
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India's mission to study the Sun is called: Chandrayaan / Gaganyaan / Aditya-L1 / Mangalyaan
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Aditya-L1
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Aditya-L1 is ISRO's dedicated solar observation mission.
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27
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The Khelo India scheme primarily promotes: Rural employment / Grassroots sports development / Digital literacy / Financial inclusion
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Grassroots sports development
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Khelo India focuses on building sports infrastructure and talent from the grassroots level.
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28
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Which ministry releases India's defense budget? Ministry of Defence / Ministry of Finance / Ministry of Home Affairs / NITI Aayog
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Ministry of Finance
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The defense budget is allocated as part of the Union Budget by the Ministry of Finance, though the Ministry of Defence manages its use.
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29
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The Jal Jeevan Mission aims to provide: Free housing / Piped drinking water to rural households / Digital IDs / Rural roads
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Piped drinking water to rural households
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Jal Jeevan Mission's goal is functional tap water connections for every rural household.
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30
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India's indigenous aircraft carrier commissioned in 2022 is named: INS Vikramaditya / INS Vikrant / INS Arihant / INS Kolkata
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INS Vikrant
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INS Vikrant is India's first indigenously built aircraft carrier, commissioned in 2022.
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How to Prepare Using This Weightage Data
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Start with Geography and History, since they carry the highest combined weightage and rely on stable, unchanging facts rather than shifting current events.
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Treat Science & Technology as three smaller subjects, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, rather than one large one, and revise each at a school textbook level.
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Build Current Affairs in the final 6–8 weeks, not from day one, since older current affairs notes go stale before the exam.
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Attempt all 30 CDS GK Important Topics practice questions above and log which subject you're weakest in, then weight your revision time to match the paper's actual weightage, not equal time per subject.
Want More CDS GK Practice Like This? Join the Defence Study community on WhatsApp, Telegram, or Instagram for more CDS GK topic breakdowns, current affairs updates, and practice sets as they're published. Stay Informed. Stay Prepared. Stay Ready.
Bringing It Together
CDS GK Important Topics cover six subjects, not four, Geography, History, Current Affairs, Economy, Polity, and Science & Technology, with Geography and History carrying the heaviest weightage and Science subjects adding up to a bigger block than they appear individually.
These 30 practice questions give you a working sample across every subject, so your revision time can follow the paper's real weightage instead of guesswork.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions are in the CDS GK paper? Around 120, carrying 100 marks, across a 2-hour paper for IMA, INA, AFA, and OTA candidates.
Which subject has the highest weightage in CDS GK Important Topics? Geography, with around 20 questions, followed closely by History and Current Affairs at around 18 each.
Is Science & Technology an important GK subject for the CDS exam? Yes. Physics, Chemistry, and Biology together add up to around 27 questions, making it the second-largest block after Geography once combined.
Does this guide include all 120 CDS GK questions? No. It has 30 original practice questions covering all six subjects, so you can test yourself proportionally across the areas that matter most, rather than reproducing an actual past paper.
How close to the exam should I start Current Affairs preparation? Around 6–8 months before the exam date, since that's the window most current affairs questions are drawn from, and notes made too early tend to go stale.
