Places, Conflict Zones & Current Geopolitics UPSC PYQ — Regions in the News

Consider the following statements:

Statement-I: Israel has established diplomatic relations with some Arab States.
Statement-II: The ‘Arab Peace Initiative’ mediated by Saudi Arabia was signed by Israel and Arab League.

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

1. ABoth Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I
2. BBoth Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I
3. CStatement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect
4. DStatement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct

Consider the following statements:

Statement-I: There is instability and a worsening security situation in the Sahel region.
Statement-II: There have been military takeovers/coups d'état in several countries of the Sahel region in the recent past.

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

1. ABoth Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
2. BBoth Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
3. CStatement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect.
4. DStatement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct.

Consider the following pairs:

Country : Reason for being in the news
1. Argentina : Worst economic crisis
2. Sudan : War between the country's regular army and paramilitary forces
3. Turkey : Rescinded its membership of NATO

How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

1. AOnly one pair
2. BOnly two pairs
3. CAll three pairs
4. DNone of the pairs

Consider the following statements:

Statement-I: Sumed pipeline is a strategic route for Persian Gulf oil and natural gas shipments to Europe.
Statement-II: Sumed pipeline connects the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea.

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

1. ABoth Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
2. BBoth Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
3. CStatement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect.
4. DStatement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct.

Consider the following countries:

1. Italy
2. Japan
3. Nigeria
4. South Korea
5. South Africa

Which of the above countries are frequently mentioned in the media for their low birth rates, aging population or declining population?

1. A1, 2 and 4
2. B1, 3 and 5
3. C2 and 4 only
4. D3 and 5 only

Consider the following pairs:

Regions often mentioned in news : Reason for being in news
1. North Kivu and Ituri : War between Armenia and Azerbaijan
2. Nagorno-Karabakh : Insurgency in Mozambique
3. Kherson and Zaporizhzhia : Dispute between Israel and Lebanon

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

1. AOnly one
2. BOnly two
3. CAll three
4. DNone

Consider the following pairs:

Area of conflict mentioned in news : Country where it is located
1. Donbas : Syria
2. Kachin : Ethiopia
3. Tigray : North Yemen

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

1. AOnly one
2. BOnly two
3. CAll three
4. DNone

In the recent years Chad, Guinea, Mali and Sudan caught international attention for which one of the following reasons is common to all of them?

1. ADiscovery of rich deposits of rare earth elements
2. BEstablishment of Chinese military bases
3. CSouthward expansion of Sahara Desert
4. DSuccessful coups

Which one of the following statements best reflects the issue with Senkaku Islands, sometimes mentioned in the news?

1. AIt is generally believed that they are artificial islands made by a country around the South China Sea.
2. BChina and Japan engage in maritime disputes over these islands in the East China Sea.
3. CA permanent American military base has been set up there to help Taiwan to increase its defence capabilities.
4. DThough the International Court of Justice declared them as no man's land, some South-East Asian countries claim them.

Which one of the following statements best describes the 'Polar Code'?

1. AIt is the international code of safety for ships operating in polar waters.
2. BIt is the agreement of the countries around the North Pole regarding the demarcation of their territories in the polar region.
3. CIt is a set of norms to be followed by the countries whose scientists undertake research studies in the North Pole and South Pole.
4. DIt is a trade and security agreement of the member countries of the Arctic Council.

Consider the following pairs:

Country : Important reason for being in the news recently
1. Chad : Setting up of permanent military base by China
2. Guinea : Suspension of Constitution and Government by military
3. Lebanon : Severe and prolonged economic depression
4. Tunisia : Suspension of Parliament by President

How many pairs given above are correctly matched?

1. AOnly one pair
2. BOnly two pairs
3. COnly three pairs
4. DAll four pairs

Consider the following pairs:

Region often in news : Country
1. Chechnya : Russian Federation
2. Darfur : Mali
3. Swat Valley : Iraq

Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?

1. A1 only
2. B2 and 3 only
3. C1 and 3 only
4. D1, 2 and 3

Consider the following statements:

Statement-I: Recently, Venezuela has achieved a rapid recovery from its economic crisis and succeeded in preventing its people from fleeing/emigrating to other countries.
Statement-II: Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves.

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

1. ABoth Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
2. BBoth Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
3. CStatement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
4. DStatement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Consider the following statements in respect of the ICC World Test Championship:

1. The finalists were decided by the number of matches they won.
2. New Zealand was ranked ahead of England because it won more matches than England.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. A1 only
2. B2 only
3. CBoth 1 and 2
4. DNeither 1 nor 2

Consider the following pairs:

Country : Region often mentioned in the news
1. Anatolia : Turkey
2. Amhara : Ethiopia
3. Cabo Delgado : Spain
4. Catalonia : Italy

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

1. AOnly one pair
2. BOnly two pairs
3. COnly three pairs
4. DAll four pairs

The term ‘Levant’, often heard in the news, roughly corresponds to which of the following regions?

1. ARegion along the eastern Mediterranean shores
2. BRegion along North African shores stretching from Egypt to Morocco
3. CRegion along the Persian Gulf and Horn of Africa
4. DThe entire coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea

Which one of the following countries has been suffering from decades of civil strife and food shortages and was in news in the recent past for its very severe famine?

1. AAngola
2. BCosta Rica
3. CEcuador
4. DSomalia

The area known as ‘Golan Heights’ sometimes appears in the news in the context of the events related to:

1. ACentral Asia
2. BMiddle East
3. CSouth-East Asia
4. DCentral Africa

Among the following, which were frequently mentioned in the news for the outbreak of Ebola virus recently?

1. ASyria and Jordan
2. BGuinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia
3. CPhilippines and Papua New Guinea
4. DJamaica, Haiti and Surinam

Recently, a series of uprisings of people referred to as ‘Arab Spring’ originally started from:

1. AEgypt
2. BLebanon
3. CSyria
4. DTunisia

In which one of the following countries have lakhs of people either suffered from severe famine/acute malnutrition or died due to starvation caused by war/ethnic conflicts (very recently)?

1. AAngola and Zambia
2. BMorocco and Tunisia
3. CVenezuela and Colombia
4. DYemen and South Sudan

Consider the following statements:

1. Bidibidi is a large refugee settlement in north-western Kenya.
2. Some people who fled from South Sudan civil war live in Bidibidi.
3. Some people who fled from civil war in Somalia live in Dadaab refugee complex in Kenya.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. A1 and 2
2. B2 only
3. C2 and 3
4. D3 only