UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : International Relations MCQs on Blue Line, Munduruku Indigenous group and more (Week 136)

QUESTION 1

With reference to the ‘Blue Line’, consider the following statements:

1. It is a UN-mapped line separating Lebanon from Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

2. It is an internationally recognised permanent border.

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

— Lebanon will file a complaint to the UN Security Council against Israel for constructing a concrete wall along Lebanon’s southern border that extends beyond the “Blue Line”, the Lebanese presidency said.

— The Blue Line is a UN-mapped line separating Lebanon from Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Israeli forces withdrew to the Blue Line when they left south Lebanon in 2000. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— An Israeli military spokesperson denied on Friday that the wall crossed the Blue Line. “The wall is part of a broader IDF plan whose construction began in 2022,” the spokesperson said, referring to the Israel Defence Forces.

— The Blue Line is not an internationally recognised permanent border; it is a UN-delineated withdrawal line to verify Israel’s pullout from Lebanon in 2000. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 2

Recently, the Senkaku Islands were in the news. It is located in:

(a) East China Sea

(b) South Atlantic Ocean

(c) North Mediterranean Sea

(d) Sea of Okhotsk

Explanation

— Days after comments from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi triggered a diplomatic row between Japan and China, a Chinese Coast Guard ship formation passed through the waters of the Senkaku Islands.

— The islands are referred to as the “Senkaku”, the “Diaoyu”, and the “Diaoyutai” by Japan, China and Taiwan, respectively, with Japan administering them. They are located in the East China Sea, close to China, Taiwan and Japan, and claimed by all three.

Senkaku Islands. (The New York Times)

— The importance lies in that they are believed to be sitting atop hydrocarbon resources, although they have yet to be extracted. Some attempts by the countries to engage in resource extraction around the region have sparked protests from the others, because, beyond the issue of resources, the claims are seen as a way of asserting sovereignty.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 3

The ‘Munduruku Indigenous group’ was in the news. The group resides in:

(a) Columbia

(b) Brazil

(c) Mexico

(d) Canada

Explanation

— Amazon rainforest highway protest: Around 100 people from Brazil’s Munduruku Indigenous group staged a protest, blocking the main entrance gate to the Blue Zone — the restricted area set aside for negotiators — at the ongoing COP30 in Belém.

— The protests have taken place largely in response to the Brazilian government’s plans to build infrastructure in the Amazon rainforest. For instance, after the Friday demonstration, the Munduruku Ipereg Ayu Movement, in a statement, said, “President Lula (Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva), we are here in front of COP because we want you to listen to us. We refuse to be sacrificed for agribusiness… Our forest is not for sale. We are the ones who protect the climate, and the Amazon cannot continue to be destroyed to enrich large corporations.”

— Brazil is in the process of building a highway through the forest. Besides, it has also granted a licence to the country’s state-run oil company Petrobras to explore for offshore oil 500 kilometres from the mouth of the Amazon River. Indigenous protesters have demanded that these projects be halted. They also want a rejection of deforestation carbon credits.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 4

Consider the following statements:

1. The core issue is the broader insecurity in the north and central parts of the country.

2. There have been terrorist insurgencies led by Boko Haram and ISWAP targeting civilians and security forces alike.

3. There have been communal clashes between herders (mainly Fulani) and farmers over land and water.

The above mentioned statements refer to which country?

(a) Nigeria

(b) Chad

(c) Botswana

(d) Tanzania

Explanation

— The core issue is the broader insecurity in north and central Nigeria. Three overlapping conflicts converge there: terrorist insurgencies led by Boko Haram and ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province) targeting civilians and security forces alike; communal clashes between herders (mainly Fulani) and farmers over land and water; and criminal banditry, including mass kidnappings and extortion.

— These drivers intertwine with poverty, weak governance, and environmental stress. Climate change has shrunk arable land, pushing herders southward and intensifying disputes. Arms proliferation and unemployment provide fertile ground for recruitment into militant groups.

— Nigeria’s turmoil also mirrors broader instability across the Sahel region of Africa, from Mali and Burkina Faso to Niger and Chad. There too, Islamist insurgencies exploit weak governance, ethnic grievances, and climate stress.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 5

The Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF) is a specialised UN climate fund, co-created by:

1. World Meteorological Organisation

2. UN Development Programme

3. World Bank

4. UN Environment Programme

5 International Monetary Fund

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1, 2 and 3

(b) 1, 3 and 5

(c) 2, 3, 4 and 5

(d) 1, 2 and 4

Explanation

— The Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF) provides grants for the collection of weather and climate data.

— The Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF) is a specialised UN climate fund established by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

— SOFF works with nations who have the most severe observation gaps, with a focus on Least Developed nations and Small Island Developing States. SOFF contributes to the worldwide public good by offering long-term financial and technical help.

— SOFF intends to promote and accelerate the ongoing collection and international exchange of the most important surface-based weather and climate observations in accordance with the globally agreed-upon Global Observing Basic Network.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

(Source: http://www.un-soff.org)

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 131)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 136)

Daily subject-wise quiz —  Science and Technology (Week 136)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 136)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment and Geography (Week 136)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 135)

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