UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : International Relations MCQs on Chakma ethnic minority group, Baltic Sea and more (Week 129)

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Explanation

— Tribals staged protests with road blockades using burning tyres over an alleged gang rape of a young student in a hill district in southeastern Bangladesh, prompting authorities to restrict movement and deploy paramilitary forces.

About Chakmas community

— The Chakmas are one of the Buddhist communities in the Indian sub-continent. They have their own age old culture, language and scripts. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— They practice shifting cultivation called JUM. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— They primarily live in the Chittagong Hills Tracts of Bangladesh, Chin and Arakan provinces of Myanmar (Burma), in the North-Eastern Indian states of Mizoram (along the international boundary with Bangladesh), in the northern and southern districts of Tripura, in the Tirap, Changlang, Subansuri and Lohit districts of Arunachal Pradesh, in the Langsilet area of Karbi-Anglang and north Cachar Hills districts and Cachar districts of Assam and a few families in West Bengal. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

— Prior to British rule in India, the Chakmas had an independent kingdom that included the current Chittagong Hills Tracts, a stretch of Bangladesh’s Chittagong district up to Dhaka Trunk Road (Nizampur Road), and some territories bordering southern Mizoram.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

(Other Source: http://www.cadc.gov.in)

QUESTION 2

Which of the following countries shares a border with the Baltic Sea?

1. Denmark

2. Finland

3. Belarus

4. Czech Republic

5. Russia

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2, 3 and 4

(c) 3, 4 and 5

(d) 1, 2 and 5

Explanation

— NATO has said that it will upgrade its mission in the Baltic Sea with an air defence frigate and other assets after Denmark said that unidentified drones were spotted near the country’s military installations overnight after several incursions of its national airspace at airports in Copenhagen and other cities.

— The Baltic Sea is bordered by the following 9 countries: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, and Sweden.

— Belarus is a landlocked country, located near the Baltic Sea, but it has no direct coastline on the Baltic. In contrast, the Czech Republic, although historically connected to Baltic trade routes, does not have a Baltic coast.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 3

With reference to Greenland, consider the following statements:

1. It was a Spanish colony between the 18th century and 1953.

2. At present, it has its own local government, but has two representatives in the parliament.

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

— Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen formally apologised for the role of past Danish governments in the forced sterilisation of thousands of young Inuit women and girls in Greenland.

— Greenland was a Danish colony between the 18th century and 1953, after which its status changed to that of a province. However, Greenland would attain autonomy from Denmark only in 1979. In 2009, the province was given extensive self-rule powers. Today, it has its own local government, but has two representatives in the Danish parliament. Hence, statement 1 is not correct and statement 2 is correct.

— Greenland also has a vast repository of rare earth minerals, extensively used in mobile phones, electric vehicles and other consumer electronics, as well as in bombs and other weapons. China is currently the leading supplier of these minerals. In 2021, Greenland passed a law banning uranium mining.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 4

The Global Tax Evasion Report 2024 is published by:

(a) EU Tax Observatory

(b) International Monetary Fund (IMF)

(c) Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

(d) World Bank

Explanation

— The Global Tax Evasion Report 2024, published by the EU Tax Observatory, highlights that ultra-high-net-worth individuals currently pay relatively less in tax relative to their income when compared to other income groups.

— Billionaire CEO Bernard Arnault, who heads luxury goods group LVMH and was previously the richest man in the world, criticised the proposed 2% tax on billionaires, calling it an assault on France’s economy.

— Zucman, a professor at the École Normale Supérieure, Paris, and the University of California, Berkeley, challenged Arnault’s contention, saying seven Nobel Prize winners in Economics supported his 2% tax proposal. Zucman contends that the ultra-rich tend to restructure their wealth effectively to ensure they do not pay any tax.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 5

The “snapback” sanctions are imposed by:

(a) United States

(b) European Union

(c) United Nations

(d) Russia

Explanation

— The United Nations has reimposed sanctions, including arms embargo on Iran over its nuclear program, following a process brought in by key European countries as Tehran warned that sanctions would be met with a harsh response.

— The sanctions on Iran have been reimposed via a mechanism known as “snapback” which was included in the 2015 nuclear deal signed between Iran and the world powers. These sanctions come as Iran’s economy is already struggling. France, the UK and Germany triggered the re-imposition of sanctions on Iran at the UN Security Council.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 124)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 129)

Daily subject-wise quiz —  Science and Technology (Week 129)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 129)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment and Geography (Week 129)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 128)

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