UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : International Relations MCQs on African Union, Khmer Kingdom and more (Week 121)

QUESTION 1

With reference to the African Union (AU), consider the following statements:

1. The AU’s secretariat, the African Union Commission, is based in Nairobi.

2. The official languages of the Union and all its institutions are only Arabic and French.

3. It was officially established in 2002 as the successor of the Organisation of African Unity.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Explanation

— The African Union (AU) is an intergovernmental organisation of the 55 member states located on the continent of Africa.

— It was officially established in 2002 as the successor of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU, 1963-1999). Hence, statement 3 is correct.

— The African Union Commission, the organization’s secretariat, is headquartered in Addis Ababa. The organisation has a combined GDP of $3 trillion and 1.4 billion people. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— However, its primary goal was to assist in the liberation of the continent’s colonial countries. To accomplish this, the OAU mobilised diplomatic support and gave logistical assistance to liberation movements throughout Africa.

— The official languages of the Union and its institutions will be Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Kiswahili, and any other African language. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

(Other Source: au.int)

QUESTION 2

With reference to the World Economic Outlook, consider the following statements:

1. It provides a comprehensive picture of the global economy as well as details of individual countries.

2. It is published by the World Bank once every two years.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

— The International Monetary Fund (IMF) released the latest update of its World Economic Outlook (WEO). The IMF has 191 member countries, and its overall goal is to strive for their “sustainable growth and prosperity”. It does so by fostering international trade, economic growth, and policies that encourage countries to cooperate, especially when it comes to monetary policy. The IMF releases the WEO twice every year, in April and October, apart from updating it twice — in January and July. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— The WEO is the IMF’s benchmark publication as it provides a comprehensive picture of the global economy as well as details of individual countries. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— The broader message is captured by the title of the update — “Global Economy: Tenuous Resilience amid Persistent Uncertainty”. There are two main takeaways for the state of the global economy.

— First, the global economy has proven to be resilient, albeit tenuous, and second, the outlook is plagued by persistent uncertainty.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 3

Consider the following statements:

1. Until July 20, this country was the 58th largest economy in the world. A day later, it rose three spots to the 55th rank, overtaking Ukraine, Qatar, and Hungary in the process as it added more than $50 billion, or roughly 30 per cent of its GDP, in 2024.

2. This is not the first time this country has seen such a huge increase in its GDP due to the base year revision. More than a decade ago, change in the base year from 1990 to 2010 had helped propel this nation to the position of Africa’s largest economy thanks to an even-larger 89 per cent increase in the GDP to $510 billion in 2014.

The above mentioned statements refer to:

(a) Sudan

(b) Nigeria

(c) Tanzania

(d) South Africa

Explanation

— On July 21, Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) published the results of its GDP rebasing exercise, which saw the base year of the indicator being updated to 2019 from 2010, among other changes. Nigeria’s GDP in 2024 is now estimated at $243 billion in nominal terms, up from $187 billion forecast by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

— Nigeria’s base-year revision exercise included other more meaningful changes in the manner in which the African nation calculates the GDP. This included increasing the scope of its methodology to include previously undercounted sectors such as digital services, pension fund operations, and e-commerce activities, among others.

— This is not the first time Nigeria has seen such a huge increase in its GDP due to the base year revision. More than a decade ago, change in the base year from 1990 to 2010 had helped propel Nigeria to the position of Africa’s largest economy thanks to an even-larger 89 per cent increase in the GDP to $510 billion in 2014.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 4

With reference to the places in news and the region associated, consider the following statements:

1. Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant – Iran

2. Sochi – Russia

3. Oaxaca region – Brazil

How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Explanation

— More than 120 firefighters were trying to extinguish a blaze at an oil depot in the Russian city of Sochi that was sparked by a Ukrainian drone attack, regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said.

— In the Krasnodar region on the Black Sea where Sochi is located, a fuel tank with a capacity of 2,000 cubic metres (70,000 cubic feet) was on fire, Russia’s RIA news agency reported, citing emergency officials.

— The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that its team at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) heard explosions and saw smoke coming from a nearby location.

— A 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) said.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 5

Which of the following organisations is known as the world’s “Atoms for Peace and Development”?

(a) International Energy Agency

(b) International Renewable Energy Agency

(c) World Energy Council

(d) International Atomic Energy Agency

Explanation

— The International Atomic Energy Agency is the world’s central intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical cooperation in the nuclear field.

— It promotes the safe, secure, and peaceful use of nuclear science and technology, therefore contributing to world peace and security and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

— The IAEA, often known as the “Atoms for Peace and Development” organisation within the United Nations family, is the international centre for nuclear cooperation.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

(Source: http://www.iaea.org)

QUESTION 6

The Khmer Kingdom, which reached its political peak in the 12th and 13th centuries, encompassed which of these countries or portions of present-day countries?

1. Cambodia

2. Thailand

3. Laos

4. Vietnam

5. Myanmar

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1, 2, 3, 4 only

(b) 2, 3, 4 and 5 only

(c) 1, 2 and 5 only

(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Explanation

— One of the conflicts drawing global attention in 2025 is the dispute between the Southeast Asian neighbours — Thailand and Cambodia. At its core lies a border. Stretching across 508 miles, this boundary was drawn when France occupied Cambodia in the late eighteenth century.

— Cambodia is situated in mainland Southeast Asia, with Thailand to the west and Vietnam to the east. It shares its northeastern border with Laos. The ethnic majority of Cambodia, the Khmers, reached their political peak in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, when the Khmer kingdom of Angkor encompassed portions of what are now Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar. Since the thirteenth century, however, this stronghold steadily weakened.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 7

Recently, Chin State was in the news due to a faceoff between two anti-military forces. Which country is this referring to?

(a) Cambodia

(b) Philippines

(c) Thailand

(d) Myanmar

Explanation

— Around 4,000 new refugees from Myanmar have entered Mizoram over the past few days following a renewed outbreak of fighting in the neighbouring country’s Chin State.

— The Chin State in Myanmar has been witnessing a faceoff between two anti-military junta forces – the Chin National Defence Force (CNDF) and the Chinland Defence Force (CDF) Hualnogram – since July 2. As a result, thousands of residents have streamed into Mizoram’s Champhai district.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 8

The “Two-State Solution,” often seen in news, refers to:

(a) Division of the Korean Peninsula into North Korea and South Korea as two sovereign nations.

(b) Creation of two independent states for Israelis and Palestinians living side-by-side in peace and security.

(c) Separation of Sudan and South Sudan into two independent republics following a UN-mediated referendum.

(d) Division of Cyprus into Greek and Turkish parts under a UN-brokered peace deal.

Explanation

— The Two-State Solution refers specifically to the proposal that Israel and Palestine should exist as two independent, sovereign states, coexisting peacefully within mutually agreed and secure borders.

— This solution is supported by the United Nations and most of the international community, including India, as reaffirmed at the UN high-level conference in July 2025.

— India stated that it’s time to move from paper solutions to practical implementation through diplomatic dialogue.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 119)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 121)

Daily subject-wise quiz —  Science and Technology (Week 121)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 121)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment and Geography (Week 121)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 120)

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