UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : International Relations MCQs on port city of Eilat, 1994 genocide and more (Week 110)

QUESTION 1

With reference to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), consider the following statements:

1. It is the successor of the erstwhile General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

2. It is the world’s largest intergovernmental trading body.

3. All the United Nations members are member countries of the WTO.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Explanation

— According to Article 1 of the 1994 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), every member country of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) is required to grant Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to all other members.

— According to WTO accords, nations having MFN status cannot discriminate against their trading partners or provide one country “a special favour” such as a lower customs charge on one of their products without also giving the same to other WTO members.

WTO

— The WTO is the successor of the erstwhile GATT, and is the world’s largest intergovernmental trading body. Hence, statements 1 and 2 are correct.

— It has 166 member nations, and represents 98% of the world’s trade. Its stated goal is to open trade for the benefit of all. The United Nations currently has 193 member states. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 2

Consider the following statements:

1. They were among the hundreds of thousands of Hutus who fled this country after the state-sponsored 1994 genocide.

2. Now, hundreds of refugees who were living in eastern Congo since 1994 have been repatriated to their country.

The country mentioned in the above statements refers to:

(a) South Sudan

(b) Somalia

(c) Tanzania

(d) Rwanda

Explanation

— Hundreds of Rwandan refugees who had been living in eastern Congo since the 1994 genocide were repatriated on Saturday, according to the UN refugee agency, after Rwandan-backed rebels took control of crucial areas of the region.

— The majority of the migrants were women and children, with 360 crossing the border in buses provided by Rwandan authorities and escorted by the UN High Commissioner for migrants and the relief group Save the Children, according to local officials. The UNHCR stated that the goal is to repatriate 2,000 persons.

— They were among hundreds of thousands of Hutus who fled Rwanda following the 1994 state-sponsored genocide, which killed up to a million minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus. When the Tutsi-led Rwandan army invaded Congo in 1996, the majority had already returned. However, Rwandan officials claimed that thousands of Hutu militiamen and ex-soldiers had lingered and joined Congo’s army to destabilise Rwanda.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 3

Which of the following countries has formally adopted a resolution honouring the Indian Constitution on the occasion of its 75th anniversary?

(a) Russia

(b) United Kingdom

(c) United States

(d) Nepal

Explanation

— The New York State Senate has formally adopted a resolution commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Indian Constitution, honouring it as a guiding framework for India’s continued evolution as a nation and celebrating the country’s democratic principles.

— The landmark resolution was sponsored by New York State Senator Jeremy Cooney, the only member of Indian heritage now serving in the New York State Senate, and was adopted during a ceremony.

— Binaya Pradhan, Consul General of India in New York, attended the event, as did important members of New York’s Indian-American community.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 4

Which of the following Indian states are bordered by Bangladesh?

1. Assam

2. Arunachal Pradesh

3. Meghalaya

4. Tripura

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1, 2 and 3

(b) 2, 3 and 4

(c) 1, 2 and 4

(d) 1, 3 and 4

Explanation

— India has decided to impose restrictions on Bangladeshi products exported to North-East India and beyond. This appeared to be a reciprocal measure, as Dhaka had imposed non-tariff impediments on Indian exports to Bangladesh.

— The Directorate General of Foreign Trade, part of the Ministry of Commerce, issued a notification. It stated that the limitations will not apply to the import of seafood, LPG, edible oil, and crushed stone into India from Bangladesh. The limitations will also not apply to Bangladesh exports to Nepal/Bhutan that pass through India, it stated.

— Bangladesh borders five Indian states: West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 5

The port city of Eilat was recently in the news. It is part of:

(a) Egypt

(b) Yemen

(c) Israel

(d) Iran

Explanation

— Yemen’s Houthi rebels are suspected of attacking a ship in the Gulf of Aden, while Iraqi militants affiliated with the rebels claimed responsibility for an attack on the southern Israeli port city of Eilat, according to police.

— The attacks follow the departure of the USS Dwight D Eisenhower from an eight-month deployment in which the aircraft carrier led the American response to the Houthi assaults. These strikes have significantly decreased shipping through the route critical to Asian, Middle Eastern, and European markets, in a campaign that the Houthis claim will continue as long as the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip rages.

— Meanwhile, amid a developing economic disagreement between the rebels and the country’s exiled leadership, the Houthis were accused of seizing commercial aircraft transporting pilgrims returning from the Hajj.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 109 and 110)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 110)

Daily subject-wise quiz —  Science and Technology (Week 110)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 110)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment and Geography (Week 110)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 109)

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