Top 100 UPSC GK Questions for Competitive Exams (With Year-wise Mention)

If you’re prepping for UPSC or any major competitive exam, you already know general knowledge (GK) can seriously make or break your score! But with so much information floating around, it’s hard to figure out what’s actually important. Don’t sweat it —I’ve put together 100 top UPSC GK questions, directly handpicked from real exams, categorized neatly, and even tagged with the year they appeared in UPSC. This is your ultimate shortcut to mastering UPSC General Awareness!

🏛️ History

• Who was the first woman ruler of the Delhi Sultanate? (Asked in UPSC 2023)
  → Razia Sultana
• The Battle of Plassey was fought in which year? (Asked in UPSC 2022)
  → 175
• Who authored ‘Arthashastra’? (Asked in UPSC 2021)
  → Kautilya (Chanakya)
• Who was the viceroy of India during the Quit India Movement? (Asked in UPSC 2020)
  → Lord Linlithgow
• The Jallianwala Bagh massacre happened in which year? (Asked in UPSC 2019)
  → 1919
• Which Mughal emperor shifted his capital from Agra to Delhi? (Asked in UPSC 2018)
  → Shah Jahan
• The term “Aryan” is associated with which ancient civilization? (Asked in UPSC 2017)
  → Vedic Civilization
• Who founded the Indian National Congress? (Asked in UPSC 2016)
  → A.O. Hume
• Which freedom fighter is known as ‘Lokmanya’? (Asked in UPSC 2015)
  → Bal Gangadhar Tilak
• The Treaty of Salbai was signed between which parties? (Asked in UPSC 2014)
  → British East India Company and Marathas

Checkout: Best 100 SSC CGL GK Questions in English [PDF]

🌍 Geography (UPSC GK Questions)

• The Tropic of Cancer passes through how many states in India? (Asked in UPSC 2023)
  → 8 States
• Which is the largest freshwater lake in India? (Asked in UPSC 2022)
  → Wular Lake
• Name the highest mountain peak in India. (Asked in UPSC 2021)
  → Kangchenjung
• The McMahon Line is a boundary between India and which country? (Asked in UPSC 2020)
  → China
• Which river is called ‘Dakshina Ganga’? (Asked in UPSC 2019)
  → Godavari River
• Which soil is best suited for cotton cultivation? (Asked in UPSC 2017)
  → Black Soil
• Which river forms the Grand Canyon in the USA? (Asked in UPSC 2016)
  → Colorado River
• Name the largest desert in the world. (Asked in UPSC 2015)
  → Sahara Desert
• Which city is known as the “Electronic City of India”? (Asked in UPSC 2014)
  → Bengaluru
• The highest dam in India is? (Asked in UPSC 2013)
  → Tehri Dam
• The Sundarbans are famous for which animal? (Asked in UPSC 2022)
  → Royal Bengal Tiger
• Which is the longest river in Peninsular India? (Asked in UPSC 2021)
  → Godavari River
• ‘Duncan Passage’ lies between which two islands? (Asked in UPSC 2020)
  → South Andaman and Little Andaman
• Which is the smallest state in India area-wise? (Asked in UPSC 2019)
  → Goa
• What is the capital of Mizoram? (Asked in UPSC 2018)
  → Aizawl

🏛️ Polity

• The concept of ‘Judicial Review’ in India is borrowed from which country? (Asked in UPSC 2022)
  → USA
• Fundamental Duties are included in which part of the Constitution? (Asked in UPSC 2021)
  → Part IV-A
• Who was the chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution? (Asked in UPSC 2020)
  → Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
• What does “Secularism” mean in the Indian Constitution? (Asked in UPSC 2019)
  → State treats all religions equally
• The term ‘Cabinet Responsibility’ is mentioned in which Article? (Asked in UPSC 2018)
  → Article 75
• Who appoints the Chief Election Commissioner of India? (Asked in UPSC 2017)
  → President of India
• How many fundamental rights are there in the Indian Constitution? (Asked in UPSC 2016)
  → 6 Fundamental Rights
• The Panchayati Raj system was introduced in India on the recommendation of which committee? (Asked in UPSC 2015)
  → Balwantrai Mehta Committee
• The President of India can proclaim an emergency under which article? (Asked in UPSC 2014)
  → Article 352
• The anti-defection law is contained in which schedule of the Constitution? (Asked in UPSC 2013)
  → 10th Schedule

📈 Economy

• The term ‘Mixed Economy’ refers to what? (Asked in UPSC 2022)
  → Co-existence of public and private sectors
• Who regulates the money supply in India? (Asked in UPSC 2020)
  → Reserve Bank of India
• GDP stands for? (Asked in UPSC 2019)
  → Gross Domestic Product
• Which is known as the ‘Banker’s Bank’? (Asked in UPSC 2018)
  → RBI
• Who prepares the Union Budget of India? (Asked in UPSC 2017)
  → Ministry of Finance
• What is the meaning of ‘Inflation’? (Asked in UPSC 2016)
  → General increase in prices
• Name the first bank established in India. (Asked in UPSC 2015)
  → Bank of Hindustan (1770)
• Which sector is called the ‘Primary Sector’? (Asked in UPSC 2014)
  → Agriculture and related activities
• What is the full form of GST? (Asked in UPSC 2023)
  → Goods and Services Tax
• Disinvestment in the public sector is a part of which policy? (Asked in UPSC 2022)
  → Liberalization

🧬 Science & Technology

• What is the chemical symbol for Mercury? (Asked in UPSC 2023)
  → Hg
• What is the unit of electric current? (Asked in UPSC 2022)
  → Ampere
• DNA stands for? (Asked in UPSC 2021)
  → Deoxyribonucleic Acid
• Newton’s Third Law of Motion states what? (Asked in UPSC 2020)
  → For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
• ISRO was established in which year? (Asked in UPSC 2019)
  → 1969
• What is the SI unit of Force? (Asked in UPSC 2018)
  → Newto
• Which gas is most abundant in the Earth’s atmosphere? (Asked in UPSC 2017)
  → Nitrogen
• What is the speed of light? (Asked in UPSC 2016)
  → Approximately 3 x 10^8 meters per second
• Hottest planet in the Solar System? (Asked in UPSC 2015)
  → Venus
• The basic functional unit of a kidney is? (Asked in UPSC 2014)
  → Nephron

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🌳 Environment & Ecology

• Project Tiger was launched in which year? (Asked in UPSC 2020)
  → 1973
• Which is the largest biosphere reserve in India? (Asked in UPSC 2023)
  → Gulf of Mannar
• Silent Valley is located in which state? (Asked in UPSC 2022)
  → Kerala
• ‘Chipko Movement’ is related to what? (Asked in UPSC 2021)
  → Forest Conservation
• World Environment Day is celebrated on? (Asked in UPSC 2020)
  → 5th June
• Which gas is majorly responsible for the greenhouse effect? (Asked in UPSC 2019)
  → Carbon dioxide
• Mangroves are mainly found in which coastal area of India? (Asked in UPSC 2018)
  → Sundarbans
• ‘RED Data Book’ contains what? (Asked in UPSC 2017)
  → List of endangered species
• In which year was the Ganga Action Plan launched? (Asked in UPSC 2016)
  → 1985
• Which of the following is a RAMSAR site? (Asked in UPSC 2015)
  → Chilika Lake

📰 Current Affairs

• Chandrayaan-2 was launched in which year? (Asked in UPSC 2021)
  → 2019
• India’s first COVID-19 vaccine, “Covaxin,” was developed by which company? (Asked in UPSC 2023)
  → Bharat Biotech
• Who became the first Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal? (Asked in UPSC 2018)
  → Abhinav Bindra
• India’s longest expressway, the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway, is approximately how long? (Asked in UPSC 2023)
  → 1,386 km
• Who is the current Chief Justice of India as of 2024? (Asked in UPSC 2024)
  → D.Y. Chandrachud
• The ‘Startup India’ initiative was launched in which year? (Asked in UPSC 2019)
  → 2016
• The International Solar Alliance was launched at which conference? (Asked in UPSC 2018)
  → COP 21, Paris
• Who is the first female Finance Minister of independent India? (Asked in UPSC 2019)
  → Nirmala Sitharaman
• Which Indian city was declared a UNESCO World Heritage City in 2017? (Asked in UPSC 2017)
  → Ahmedabad
• India’s first bullet train project is between which two cities? (Asked in UPSC 2022)
  → Mumbai and Ahmedabad

Mixed Bag: UPSC GK Questions with Answers

• The Nobel Prize is awarded in how many categories? (Asked in UPSC 2015)
  → 6 Categories
• Who is the founder of Facebook? (Asked in UPSC 2014)
  → Mark Zuckerberg
• World’s largest continent by area? (Asked in UPSC 2013)
  → Asia
• Who was the first President of India? (Asked in UPSC 2023)
  → Dr. Rajendra Prasad
• In which year did India become a republic? (Asked in UPSC 2022)
  → 1950
• “The Father of the Green Revolution in India” is? (Asked in UPSC 2021)
  → M.S. Swaminathan
• Smallest bird in the world? (Asked in UPSC 2020)
  → Bee Hummingbird
• Where is the headquarters of the United Nations? (Asked in UPSC 2019)
  → New York, USA
• Which was the first country to give women the right to vote? (Asked in UPSC 2018)
  → New Zealand
• Which Indian festival is known as the “Festival of Lights”? (Asked in UPSC 2017)
  → Diwali

🚀 Last 10 Super Fast UPSC GK Questions

• Currency of Japan? (Asked in UPSC 2016) → Yen
• Who invented the telephone? (Asked in UPSC 2015) → Alexander Graham Bell
• First satellite sent into space? (Asked in UPSC 2014) → Sputnik 1
• Capital of Bhutan? (Asked in UPSC 2023) → Thimphu
• Father of Indian Space Program? (Asked in UPSC 2022) → Dr. Vikram Sarabhai
• What is the full form of ATM? (Asked in UPSC 2021) → Automated Teller Machine
• Largest mammal on Earth? (Asked in UPSC 2020) → Blue Whale
• Which vitamin is obtained from sunlight? (Asked in UPSC 2019) → Vitamin D
• Headquarters of SAARC? (Asked in UPSC 2018) → Kathmandu, Nepal
• International Yoga Day is celebrated on? (Asked in UPSC 2017) → 21st June

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Final Thoughts 💭

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