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🇮🇳 CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam · flashcards
CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam General Knowledge Flashcards
50 question-and-answer cards covering General Knowledge as it is examined in CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam. 24 of them are printed below, taken from across the deck — no signup, no paywall on the preview.
24 sample cards from the General Knowledge deck
Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.
What are the three layers of the Earth's interior from outside to inside?
Crust, Mantle, and Core (outer core liquid, inner core solid).
What causes the deflection of winds and currents known as the Coriolis effect?
The rotation of the Earth; it deflects moving objects to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.
Which is the longest river in the world and which is the largest by water volume?
The Nile is the longest; the Amazon is the largest by water discharge/volume.
What are the four types of rainfall based on cause?
Convectional, Orographic (relief), Cyclonic (frontal), and there is debate on a fourth; main three are convectional, orographic, and cyclonic rainfall.
Which mountain range is the youngest fold mountain in India and how was it formed?
The Himalayas; formed by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.
Which Indian river is known as the 'Sorrow of Bihar' and which as the 'Sorrow of Bengal'?
Kosi is the Sorrow of Bihar; Damodar is the Sorrow of Bengal.
What is the Tropic of Cancer's significance for India, and which line is the IST reference meridian?
The Tropic of Cancer (23.5°N) passes through the middle of India; Indian Standard Time is based on 82.5°E longitude (passing near Mirzapur).
Which Indian state is the largest producer of coal, and which mineral is India a leading producer of (used in steel)?
Jharkhand/Chhattisgarh region (Jharkhand traditionally largest); India is a major producer of iron ore.
What are 'black soils' in India best suited for, and where are they mainly found?
Black (regur) soil is ideal for cotton cultivation; mainly found in the Deccan plateau (Maharashtra, Gujarat, MP).
Which strait separates India from Sri Lanka, and which separates Asia from North America?
The Palk Strait separates India and Sri Lanka; the Bering Strait separates Asia (Russia) from North America (Alaska).
Define GDP and distinguish it from GNP.
GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is the total value of goods/services produced within a country's borders; GNP adds net income from abroad (GNP = GDP + net factor income from abroad).
What is the difference between inflation and deflation?
Inflation is a sustained rise in the general price level (fall in money's value); deflation is a sustained fall in the general price level.
Which institution is the central bank of India and what is its main tool to control inflation?
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI); it raises the repo rate (and uses CRR/SLR) to control inflation.
What were the Indian Five-Year Plans modeled on, and which body replaced the Planning Commission in 2015?
They were inspired by the Soviet model of planning; NITI Aayog replaced the Planning Commission in 2015.
What do the terms CRR and SLR mean in banking?
CRR (Cash Reserve Ratio) is the share of deposits banks must keep as cash with the RBI; SLR (Statutory Liquidity Ratio) is the share they must keep in liquid assets like gold/government securities.
What is the difference between the repo rate and the reverse repo rate?
Repo rate is the rate at which the RBI lends to commercial banks; reverse repo rate is the rate at which the RBI borrows from banks.
What does 'Balance of Payments' record, and what are its two main accounts?
It records all economic transactions between a country and the rest of the world; its two main accounts are the Current Account and the Capital Account.
What is the difference between a trade deficit and a fiscal deficit?
A trade deficit occurs when imports exceed exports; a fiscal deficit is when the government's total expenditure exceeds its total revenue (excluding borrowings).
Which three branches make up India's defence forces, and who is their Supreme Commander?
The Army, Navy, and Air Force; the President of India is the Supreme Commander.
What is the highest peacetime gallantry award in India and the highest wartime gallantry award?
Ashok Chakra is the highest peacetime gallantry award; Param Vir Chakra is the highest wartime gallantry award.
State Newton's Second Law of Motion and give its formula.
The rate of change of momentum is proportional to the applied force and occurs in the direction of the force; F = ma (force = mass × acceleration).
What is the chemical formula of common salt and of baking soda?
Common salt is NaCl (sodium chloride); baking soda is NaHCO3 (sodium bicarbonate).
Which vitamin deficiency causes scurvy, and which causes night blindness?
Vitamin C deficiency causes scurvy; Vitamin A deficiency causes night blindness.
What is the greenhouse gas most responsible for global warming, and which gas layer protects Earth from UV radiation?
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the major greenhouse gas; the ozone (O3) layer in the stratosphere protects Earth from ultraviolet radiation.
What this deck covers
The General Knowledge deck follows the CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam General Knowledge syllabus — 6 chapters and 25 topics — so questions land on material that is genuinely examinable rather than trivia around it. That works out to roughly 8.3 cards per chapter.
Answers are written to be recallable, not just readable — averaging about 118 characters, which is long enough to carry the reasoning and short enough to say out loud.
A deck like this earns its keep on the second and third pass. Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then use the cards to find the specific facts that have not stuck.
General Knowledge flashcards FAQ
How many General Knowledge flashcards are in this CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam deck?
50 cards. This page previews 24 of them, sampled evenly across the deck so you can judge the difficulty before installing anything.
Are these CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam flashcards free?
Yes. The preview here is free to read with no signup, and the full 50-card deck is free inside the Examius app.
What do the General Knowledge cards cover?
They follow the CDS (Combined Defence Services) Exam General Knowledge syllabus — 6 chapters and 25 topics — so the questions track what is actually examinable.
How should I use these flashcards?
Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then drill the deck. Examius schedules each card with spaced repetition, so cards you keep missing come back sooner and ones you know drift further apart.