UPSC Essentials brings to you its initiative of subject-wise quizzes. These quizzes are designed to help you revise some of the most important topics from the static part of the syllabus. Each day, we cover one new subject. Attempt today’s subject quiz on International Relations to check your progress. Come back tomorrow to solve the MCQs on Weekly Current Affairs. Don’t miss checking the answers and explanations at the end of the quiz. QUESTION 1 Vaca Muerta oil and gas field was in the news due to poor infrastructure to handle the oil and gas nears capacity. The oil field is located in: (a) Peru (b) Argentina (c) Brazil (d) Bolivia QUESTION 2 Consider the following pairs: (Place) (Country) 1. Quito Guatemala 2. Orkney Islands Scotland 3. Aswan Afghanistan How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched? (a) Only one (b) Only two (c) All three (d) None QUESTION 3 With reference to the Good Friday Agreement, consider the following statements: 1. It was signed between factions of Northern Denmark and the governments of Britain and Denmark. 2. Its purpose was to end decades of violence in Britain. Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 QUESTION 4 With reference to the European Sky Shield Initiative, consider the following statements: 1. It aims to create a European air and missile defence system through the common acquisition of air defence equipment and missiles by European nations. 2. All the European Countries are part of this initiative. 3. The initiative was pioneered by France. How many of the statement(s) given above is/are correct? (a) Only one (b) Only two (c) All three (d) None QUESTION 5 Which of the following countries is not part of the Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC)? (a) Vanuatu (b) Papua New Guinea (c) Solomon Islands (d) New Zealand ANSWERS TO THE MCQs 1. (b) FYI: — Poor countries with heavy debts have been forced to continue to rely on fossil fuels for generating revenue to return the loans taken from richer countries and private lenders. — These countries, mostly in the global south, may find it impossible to phase out fossil fuels and transition to renewable energy as revenues from fossil fuel projects. — According to "The Debt-Fossil Fuel Trap", published by the anti-debt campaigners Debt Justice and partners in affected countries, the global south — a term used for developing, less developing and underdeveloped countries, located in Africa, Latin America, and Asia — countries are increasingly being burdened by enormous debts in recent years. — The situation is worsened by extreme weather events, which force these countries to borrow more money as they lack adequate finances and resources for adaptation, mitigation and tackling loss and damage. — To deal with the mounting debts, these countries have turned to extracting more fossil fuels. Example, Argentina, which has been supporting fracking projects in the Vaca Muerta oil and gas field in Northern Patagonia to generate revenues to ease the country’s debt crisis. Notably, the IMF has also backed these projects. Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer. 2. (a) FYI: Place Country Quito Ecuador Orkney Islands Scotland Aswan Egypt Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer. 3. (d) FYI: — The Good Friday Agreement was signed on April 10, 1998, between factions of Northern Ireland, and the governments of Britain and Ireland. Hence, statement 1 is not correct. — Its purpose was to end decades of violence in Northern Ireland among those who wished to remain with the United Kingdom (UK) and those who wanted to join Ireland. Hence, statement 2 is not correct. — The negotiators included then British Prime Minister Tony Blair, then Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, George Mitchell, a former Democratic senator who acted as the envoy of then US President Bill Clinton, and eight parties from Northern Ireland. Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer. 4. (a) FYI: — The Defence Ministers from 14 NATO Allies and Finland came together in Brussels to sign a Letter of Intent for the development of a “European Sky Shield Initiative”. — Germany pioneered the project, which intends to establish a European air and missile defence system through the joint procurement of air defence systems and missiles by European states. Hence, statement 3 is not correct and statement 1 is correct. — The new assets, fully interoperable and seamlessly integrated within the NATO air and missile defence, would significantly enhance our ability to defend the Alliance from all air and missile threats. — The initiative will allow all participating nations to jointly develop an air and missile defence system using interoperable, off-the-shelf solutions. This multinational and multifaceted approach offers a flexible and scalable way for nations to strengthen their deterrence and defence in an efficient and cost-effective way. — The 14 NATO allies included: Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, the United Kingdom. Hence, statement 2 is not correct. Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer. (Source: www.nato.int) 5. (d) FYI: — The Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) was launched during PM Modi’s visit to Fiji in November 2014. — FIPIC includes 14 island countries – Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu – that are located in the Pacific Ocean, to the northeast of Australia. — According to the group’s website, despite their relatively small size and considerable distance from India, many of these islands have large exclusive economic zones (EEZs). EEZs is the distance up to which a coastal nation has jurisdiction over the ocean, including both living and non-living resources. — FIPIC-I, in 2014, took place at Suva, Fiji’s capital city. India announced various development assistance initiatives and other cooperation projects in areas of climate change, trade, economy, telemedicine and teleeducation, IT, grants for community development projects, etc. — At FIPIC-II in 2015 in Jaipur, India again announced similar initiatives. India also approached the event from a large diplomatic perspective, calling for a “dedicated seat for Small Island Developing States in an expanded and reformed UN Security Council in both categories”. — The third FIPIC summit was to be held in early 2020 but was postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. During his concluding remarks, the prime minister announced initiatives such as: (i) Establishment of a super-specialty cardiology hospital in Fiji. The Indian government will bear the full cost of this mega greenfield project. (ii) Sea ambulances will be provided to all the 14 Pacific island countries. (iii) To provide desalination units for the people of every Pacific Island country. Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer. Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 22) Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 22) Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 22) Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 22) Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 21) Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week.
