UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : International Relations MCQs on Mashco Piro tribe, Ramsar Convention and more (Week 67)

1. Finland

2. Germany

3. Norway

4. Russia

How many of the above countries have a border with the North Sea? (UPSC 2024)

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

Explanation

— Russia controls more than 53% of the Arctic Ocean’s coastline and is investing heavily in commercialising and extending trade channels along the Northern Sea Route, all while continuing to utilise and transport high-polluting heavy fuel oil across Arctic waters. Russian investments indicate a focus on short-term commercial exploitation rather than long-term climate preservation.

— The North Sea is one of many seas in the Atlantic Ocean and is part of the North-East Atlantic Region.

— The sea is one of the world’s most heavily used resources, with considerable fishing, commerce, power generation, recreation, and defence.

— The North Sea borders Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 2

Darfur region was recently in news because the region has been cut off due to heavy rains and is at risk of famine. The region lies in:

(a) Tunisia

(b) Nigeria

(c) Bolivia

(d) Sudan

Explanation

— A vital supply route into Sudan’s Darfur region, which experts say is at risk of famine, has been cut off by heavy rains, a World Food Programme (WFP) official said on Thursday, while another U.N. official said refugees had been forced to eat grass.

— WFP Country Director Eddie Rowe told Reuters that hundreds of tonnes of aid are stalled at the Tina border crossing in Chad, requiring the organisation to renew discussions with the army-aligned administration to establish an alternative, all-weather crossing further south called Adre.

— Sudan, according to the World Food Programme (WFP), is experiencing the world’s worst hunger crisis, with the western Darfur region being particularly vulnerable as Sudan’s 15-month civil war, which has uprooted millions and spurred ethnic bloodshed, continues.

— The war, sparked by a desire to combine the army and paramilitary forces in a transition to free elections, has resulted in waves of ethnically motivated bloodshed blamed primarily on the RSF.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 3

The Mashco Piro are possibly the largest uncontacted tribe in the world. These nomadic hunter-gatherers live in:

(a) Congo region

(b) Amazon region

(c) Sahara desert

(d) Gobi desert

Explanation

— Survival International, an indigenous rights NGO, has released rare images of the Mashco Piro tribespeople, one of the world’s 100-odd uncontacted tribes.

— The Mashco Piro, with a possible population of around 750, are thought to be the largest of such tribes.

— These nomadic hunters and gatherers reside in the Amazon jungles of Peru’s Madre de Dios Region, near the border with Brazil and Bolivia.

— Peru’s government has prohibited all contact with the Mashco Piro, fearing the spread of a sickness to which the populace is not immune. The tribe is quite secluded, only communicating with the natives on rare occasions, however they have contacted the Yine people.

— In 2002, the Peruvian government established the Madre de Dios Territorial Reserve to protect the Mashco Piro territory.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 4

Consider the following statements about Ramsar Convention:

1. It is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetland.

2. It came into existence in 1981.

3. The secretariat of the Ramsar Convention is based in Gland, Switzerland.

4. India has the maximum number of Ramsar sites in the world.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1, 2 and 4 only

(b) 1, 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Explanation

— The Ramsar Convention is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. Hence, statement 1 is correct

— It came into existence in 1971. India signed the Ramsar Convention on 1 February 1982. Hence, statement 2 is not correct

— Currently, India has 82 Ramsar sites. The United Kingdom has the highest number of sites, at 175. Hence, statement 4 is not correct

— The Secretariat handles the day-to-day coordination of the Convention’s activities. It is headquartered at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Gland, Switzerland. Hence, statement 3 is correct

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 5

The Hannibal Directive was recently in news. It is associated with:

(a) Operational doctrine of Israel

(b) Environmental Organisation

(c) Iran’s directive to provide education for all

(d) Defence doctrine of United States

Explanation

— As Hamas raided southern Israel on October 7 last year, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) activated the “Hannibal Directive”, a purported operational doctrine of using maximum force to ensure no soldiers are captured, even if it means sacrificing military and civilian lives, a media investigation has found.

— The Hannibal Directive, also known as Hannibal Procedure and Hannibal Protocol, was used from the first hours of the attack in at least three military facilities that Hamas infiltrated.

— The full text of the alleged philosophy has never been released, despite the fact that its existence has long been known and discussed by troops and analysts. The command describes the procedures to be followed in the minutes and hours immediately following a probable abduction, stating: “In case of capture, the main mission becomes rescuing our soldiers from the captors, even at the cost of hitting or wounding our soldiers.”

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 67)

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 67)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 67)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 67)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 66)

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