(d) 3, 4 and 5 only
Relevance: This question is relevant for UPSC Prelims as it tests map-based knowledge and geographical classification of countries in Asia. It is useful for understanding regional groupings such as Central Asia and the Caucasus, which frequently feature in international affairs.
Explanation
— Prime Minister Narendra Modi is headed to Central Asia over the weekend. He will be in Uzbekistan from August 29 to 30 on a bilateral visit and in the Kyrgyz Republic for the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit from August 31 to September 1.
— India began its focused engagement with these five countries — Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan — only in 2012 when it framed the “Connect Central Asia” policy. The policy got a fillip when Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to travel to all five Central Asian countries in July 2015. Modi’s visit marks a continuation of this outreach.
— For India, engagement with the Central Asian countries is important for a variety of reasons — security cooperation in the wake of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, countering China’s influence, connectivity plans including the International North South Transit Corridor, energy needs (Kazakhstan has uranium reserves and Turkmenistan is part of the proposed Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline), old cultural links and potential for trade.
— Azerbaijan and Armenia are generally classified as South Caucasus countries.
Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.
QUESTION 2
With reference to the H-1B visa programme, consider the following statements:
1. It allows US employers to hire foreign workers with training in speciality fields.
2. There is no limit on the number of H-1B visas issued.
3. The H-1B visa is approved for one year at a time.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Relevance: This question is relevant for UPSC Prelims as it tests understanding of immigration policies and visa programmes in the context of current international affairs.
Explanation
— US President Donald Trump’s administration has proposed hiking the H-1B visa fee for highly skilled foreign workers to over $100,000 and making the charges permanent, escalating a controversial immigration measure that could have major implications for international staff, including Indians, even as US courts continue to hear the matter of whether the increased fee is legal or not.
— The H-1B visa programme allows US employers to hire foreign workers with training in speciality fields, offering 65,000 visas annually, along with another 20,000 visas for workers with advanced degrees. Hence, statement 1 is correct and statement 2 is not correct.
— The H-1B visa is approved for three to six years, Reuters reported. Before the Trump administration imposed the increased cost for the programme, the typical fees for the H-1B visas ranged between $2,000 and $5,000. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.
Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.
QUESTION 3
The Ring of Fire extends through:
1. Japan
2. Central America and the western coast of South America
3. Indonesia
4. New Zealand
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1, 2 and 3 only
(c) 2 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Relevance: The topic is also useful for linking map-based geographical knowledge with disaster management and current affairs. This question is relevant for UPSC Prelims under International Relations as it tests geographical awareness of countries and regions that are strategically important in the Indo-Pacific.
Explanation
— A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake off Indonesia’s Flores region on Saturday has brought fresh attention to the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, the vast zone around the Pacific Ocean where major tectonic plates meet, and earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are particularly common.
— The Ring of Fire extends through some of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries and territories, including Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, New Zealand, Alaska, the western United States, Mexico, Central America and the western coast of South America.
— The USGS says the belt stretches along the rim of the Pacific and contains the boundaries of several tectonic plates. That geography explains why major earthquakes can occur in countries separated by thousands of kilometres but still share a common tectonic setting.
— Japan, for example, sits at a complex meeting point of several plates and has experienced some of the world’s most destructive earthquakes, including the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.
— Alaska is another major seismic zone. The USGS notes that the 1964 Alaska earthquake, at magnitude 9.2, was one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded.
Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.
QUESTION 4
Consider the following:
1. This country has the world’s largest proven oil reserves, but produces and sells only about 1% of the crude the world is using.
2. Recently, the United States said it will gain majority control — or 20% of its proven oil reserves.
The above-mentioned statements refer to:
(a) Saudi Arabia
(b) Venezuela
(c) Iran
(d) Mexico
Relevance: This question is relevant for UPSC Prelims as it tests current-affairs-linked knowledge of major oil-producing countries and global energy geography. It helps connect natural resource distribution with geopolitics, international relations and energy security.
Explanation
— The US says it will gain majority control over more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil — or 20% of its proven oil reserves — under an agreement with the South American country. US President Donald Trump said this “biggest oil deal in world history” will be implemented through a partnership involving private companies “at no cost to the American taxpayer”.
— Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves, estimated at about 300 billion barrels, but produces and sells only about 1% of the crude the world is using. After the US captured Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro in January, Trump declared that Washington would take control of Caracas’s oil sector and that American majors would invest billions of dollars to revive the Venezuelan oil industry.
Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.
QUESTION 5
With reference to the places in news and the countries associated, consider the following pairs:
1. Flores region – Philippines
2. Nana-Mambere prefecture – South Korea
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Relevance: This question is relevant for UPSC Prelims as it tests mapping of places in news with their correct geographical locations. It helps assess awareness of current-affairs-linked world geography, particularly regions and administrative divisions that may appear in the news.
Explanation
Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.
Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz
Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 159)
Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 177)
Daily subject-wise quiz — Science and Technology (Week 177)
Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 177)
Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment and Geography (Week 177)
Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 176)
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Here is the image of PM Modi with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Check your progress and revise your topics through this quiz on International Relations. Find a question on the Central Asian countries in today's quiz. (Photo X/MEA) 
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