UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : International Relations MCQs on UNRWA, Red Sea, Hualien and more (Week 52)

1. It was founded to provide aid to Palestinians who were forced to leave their homes in what is now Israel during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

2. This agency of the United Nations operates only in Israel and Syria.

3. It is funded by voluntary contribution.

4. It does not get any subsidy from the United Nations.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

QUESTION 2

Consider the following countries:

1. UAE

2. South Sudan

3. Oman

4. Djibouti

How many of the above countries share a border with the Red Sea?

(a) Only one

(b) only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

QUESTION 3

The city of Hualien was recently in news due to a 7.2 magnitude earthquake. It is located in:

(a) China

(b) Japan

(c) Philippines

(d) Taiwan

QUESTION 4

The city of Vohémar was in news due to a tropical cyclone which led to the displacement of approximately 20000 people. It is located in:

(a) Fiji

(b) Indonesia

(c) Madagascar

(d) Malaysia

QUESTION 5

Which of the following countries has seen multiple volcano eruptions this year, prompting the declaration of a state of emergency?

(a) Japan

(b) Italy

(c) Peru

(d) Iceland

ANSWERS TO THE MCQs

1. (b)

FYI:

— UN officials urged countries to reconsider their decision to suspend the funding for the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

— The agency also highlighted that two million Palestinians in Gaza are dependent on UNRWA services that would be scaled back as soon as February if the funding is not restored.

— UNRWA stands for UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East.

— It was founded in 1949 to provide aid to about 700,000 Palestinians who were forced to leave their homes in what is now Israel during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— The UN agency operates in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, as well as Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan — countries where the refugees took shelter after their expulsion. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions by donor states like the US. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

— It also gets a limited subsidy from the UN, which is used only for administrative costs. Hence, statement 4 is not correct.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

2. (a)

FYI:

— Red Sea, one of the most significant shipping routes in the world, is seeing tensions rise as a spillover of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

— The nearly 2,000-kilometer Red Sea connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean via the narrow Suez Canal. Prior to the Suez Canal’s construction in 1869, ships had to travel around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa to travel between Europe and Asia; the Suez Canal significantly reduced the time and resources required to cover that distance by providing a direct route.

— The Houthis say they have been attacking vessels in the Red Sea with links to Israel.

— The Red Sea shares its border with Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Egypt, Eritrea, Yemen and Djibouti.

— The Houthis have been embroiled in a civil war with the Yemen government for almost a decade. They are in power in northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa. The official government now operates out of Aden.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

3. (d)

FYI:

— Nine people died and more than 1,000 were injured in Taiwan after the island was hit by its biggest earthquake in at least 25 years.

— The epicentre of the quake was located just 18 kilometres south-southwest of Hualien County, which is situated in eastern Taiwan.

— Taiwan is prone to earthquakes as it lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire” — where 90% of the world’s earthquakes take place.

— The island and its surrounding waters have registered about 2,000 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.0 or greater since 1980.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

4. (c)

FYI:

— A tropical cyclone that swept across the island of Madagascar killed at least 18 people and displaced thousands more.

— Tropical cyclone Gamane, which crossed the northeast of Madagascar displaced more than 20,000 people, the National Bureau of Risk and Disaster Management (BNGRC) said in a report.

— Gamane made landfall north of Vohémar in northeast Madagascar. Roads and bridges collapsed in the north of Madagascar.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

5. (d)

FYI:

— A volcano spewing out lava in the backdrop of Northern lights. Volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula, which has erupted several times this year, even leading to a state of emergency being declared in southern Iceland in March.

— The Northern Lights, also known as aurora borealis, is caused by the interaction of the solar wind — a stream of charged particles escaping the Sun — and Earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere.

— Iceland, a nation forged by fire and sitting atop a North Atlantic volcanic hotspot, is no stranger to eruptions. The island nation possesses vast experience in managing these natural events.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 52)

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 52)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 52)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 52)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 51)

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