UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : International Relations MCQs on India-Mongolia relations, Durand Line and more (Week 132)

QUESTION 1

Which of the following were included in the recent pact signed between India and Mongolia?

1. Renovation of the Bogd Khan Palace

2. Free e-visas to Mongolian citizens

3. New capacity-building programme for Mongolia’s border security forces

4. Establishment of an India–Mongolia Free Trade Agreement

5. Launch of a joint lunar exploration mission between ISRO and Mongolia

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1, 2 and 3

(b) 2, 3, 4 and 5

(c) 3, 4 and 5

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

Explanation

— India decided to fund an oil refinery project, give training to Mongolian armed forces, give free e-visas to Mongolian citizens and have cultural ties between Ladakh and a province of the east Asian nation as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa met.

— After the bilateral meeting at Hyderabad House, PM Modi said the two countries had elevated their ties to a strategic partnership of about 10 years. They signed 10 pacts in the area of cultural exchange, immigration cooperation, promotion of cooperatives, humanitarian aid, geology and mineral resources, yoga and renovation of the Bogd Khan Palace.

— Defence and security cooperation is also gradually improving. They have initiated a number of new initiatives, including training sessions and the appointment of a Defence Attaché at the Embassy. India will also begin a new capacity-building initiative for Mongolia’s border security forces.

— India has been a steadfast and consistent partner in Mongolia’s development. The Oil Refinery Project, backed by India’s $1.7 billion credit line, will improve Mongolia’s energy security. It is India’s largest development cooperation project globally, with over 2,500 Indian specialists collaborating with Mongolian peers.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 2

The Durand Line is the international border between:

(a) India-Myanmar

(b) India-Afghanistan

(c) Afghanistan-Pakistan

(d) China-Pakistan

Explanation

— Pakistan-Afghanistan relations: Except for brief periods since 1947, Pakistan-Afghanistan ties have been marked by mutual distrust, rancour, recriminations, and hostility.

— This negativity between Pakistan and Afghanistan has continued during both civilian and direct military rule in the former, and fundamental system transformations, turmoil and two failed superpower interventions in the latter— by the Soviet Union (1979-1989) and the United States (2001-2021). During both, Pakistan has helped the Afghan resistance.

— The issues that divide Afghanistan and Pakistan range from Afghanistan’s refusal to recognise the Durand Line as the international border, to control over transit and trade, and social contradictions despite the bonds of Islamic faith.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 3

Which of the following countries borders the Gulf of Aden?

1. Yemen

2. Somalia

3. Egypt

4. Djibouti

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2, 3 and 4

(c) 3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2 and 4

Explanation

— A ship caught fire Saturday in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen after being struck by a projectile, the British military said, with one report suggesting its crew was preparing to abandon the vessel.

— The Gulf of Aden is a strategically important sea body that connects the Arabian Sea to the Red Sea via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

— Yemen, Somalia, Djibouti, and Eritrea border the Gulf of Aden. Yemen is located on the north coast, Somalia and Djibouti on the south coast, and Eritrea on the west coast.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 4

The Orenburg gas processing plant, the largest facility of its kind in the world, was recently in the news. It is located in:

(a) Russia

(b) Ukraine

(c) Kazakhstan

(d) Kyrgyzstan

Explanation

— The Orenburg gas processing plant, the largest facility of its kind in the world, located in Orenburg Oblast, Russia, has been forced to suspend its intake of gas from Kazakhstan after a Ukrainian drone attack, Kazakhstan’s energy ministry said.

— Orenburg regional governor Yevgeny Solntsev had said earlier on Sunday that the plant had been partially damaged and that the drone strike had caused a fire to break out at a workshop at the plant. The fire was later put out, Russian media outlet Kommersant reported, citing the operator.

— The facility, operated by Gazprom, has an annual processing capacity of 45 billion cubic metres and handles gas condensate from both the Orenburg oil and gas field and Kazakhstan’s Karachaganak field.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 5

A demilitarised zone (DMZ) is a region serving as a buffer zone is between:

(a) India and Pakistan

(b) United States of America and Mexico

(c) China and Russia

(d) North Korea and South Korea

Explanation

— A North Korean soldier has crossed the heavily guarded border into South Korea and asked to resettle, South Korea’s military said.

— The soldier crossed the middle part of the border, known as the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), and was apprehended by South Korean troops, according to a Joint Chiefs of Staff statement obtained by The Associated Press.

— The most well-known DMZ in the world is located between North and South Korea, roughly along the 38th parallel.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 127)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 132)

Daily subject-wise quiz —  Science and Technology (Week 132)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 132)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment and Geography (Week 132)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 131)

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