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UPSC CDS (Combined Defence Services) General Knowledge: General Science (Paper II) Flashcards
50 question-and-answer cards covering General Knowledge: General Science (Paper II) as it is examined in UPSC CDS (Combined Defence Services). 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: General Science (Paper II) deck
Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.
Define atomic number and mass number.
Atomic number is the number of protons in an atom; mass number is the total number of protons plus neutrons.
What are isotopes?
Atoms of the same element having the same atomic number (protons) but different mass numbers (different numbers of neutrons).
Who gave the modern periodic law and what is it based on?
Henry Moseley. The modern periodic law states that the properties of elements are a periodic function of their atomic numbers.
What are the rows and columns of the periodic table called?
Horizontal rows are called periods and vertical columns are called groups.
Define an acid and a base according to the Arrhenius concept.
An acid produces hydrogen ions (H+) in aqueous solution; a base produces hydroxide ions (OH-) in aqueous solution.
What does the pH scale measure, and what value is neutral?
The pH scale measures the acidity or alkalinity of a solution from 0 to 14. A pH of 7 is neutral; below 7 is acidic and above 7 is basic.
What is a neutralization reaction?
The reaction between an acid and a base to produce a salt and water (Acid + Base gives Salt + Water).
Name the common indicator colours of litmus in acids and bases.
Acids turn blue litmus red; bases turn red litmus blue.
What gas is usually released when a metal reacts with a dilute acid?
Hydrogen gas.
What is the difference between metals and non-metals in terms of electrical conductivity and malleability?
Metals are good conductors of electricity and are malleable and ductile; non-metals are generally poor conductors (insulators) and are brittle (except graphite, which conducts).
What is rusting, and what is its chemical name?
Rusting is the corrosion of iron in the presence of moisture and oxygen, forming hydrated iron(III) oxide (Fe2O3.xH2O).
Name the most reactive metal and the least reactive (noble) metals from the reactivity series examples.
Potassium (and sodium) are among the most reactive; gold and platinum are among the least reactive (noble) metals.
What is the chemical name and formula of common table salt and baking soda?
Table salt is sodium chloride (NaCl); baking soda is sodium bicarbonate / sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO3).
What is the chemical name of bleaching powder, and what is washing soda?
Bleaching powder is calcium oxychloride / calcium hypochlorite (CaOCl2); washing soda is sodium carbonate decahydrate (Na2CO3.10H2O).
What is an alloy? Give the composition of brass and bronze.
An alloy is a homogeneous mixture of a metal with other metals or non-metals. Brass = copper + zinc; bronze = copper + tin.
Who is regarded as the founder of cell theory, and who first observed cells?
Schleiden and Schwann proposed the cell theory; Robert Hooke first observed (and named) cells in cork.
What is the main difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells?
Prokaryotic cells lack a true (membrane-bound) nucleus and membrane-bound organelles; eukaryotic cells have a true nucleus and membrane-bound organelles.
What is the function of the mitochondria, and why is it called so?
Mitochondria carry out cellular respiration and produce energy (ATP); they are called the powerhouse of the cell.
State the difference between a plant cell and an animal cell.
A plant cell has a cell wall, chloroplasts, and a large central vacuole; an animal cell lacks a cell wall and chloroplasts and has smaller vacuoles.
Name the five kingdoms of classification (Whittaker's system).
Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia.
Name the organs of the human digestive system in order from mouth to anus.
Mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and anus (with liver and pancreas as accessory glands).
Name the deficiency diseases caused by lack of Vitamin C and Vitamin D.
Lack of Vitamin C causes scurvy; lack of Vitamin D causes rickets (in children).
What is the function of red blood cells and white blood cells?
Red blood cells carry oxygen (via haemoglobin); white blood cells defend the body against infection (immunity).
Write the overall equation of photosynthesis and state where it occurs.
6CO2 + 6H2O gives, in sunlight and chlorophyll, C6H12O6 + 6O2. It occurs in the chloroplasts of green plant cells.
What this deck covers
The General Knowledge: General Science (Paper II) deck follows the UPSC CDS (Combined Defence Services) General Knowledge: General Science (Paper II) syllabus — 4 chapters and 18 topics — so questions land on material that is genuinely examinable rather than trivia around it. That works out to roughly 12.5 cards per chapter.
Answers are written to be recallable, not just readable — averaging about 109 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: General Science (Paper II) flashcards FAQ
How many General Knowledge: General Science (Paper II) flashcards are in this UPSC CDS (Combined Defence Services) 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 UPSC CDS (Combined Defence Services) 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: General Science (Paper II) cards cover?
They follow the UPSC CDS (Combined Defence Services) General Knowledge: General Science (Paper II) syllabus — 4 chapters and 18 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.