UPSC Essentials: Daily subject-wise quiz — International Relations (Week 5)

QUESTION 1

Which of the following statements is not correct about World Trade Organisation (WTO)?

(a) Its aim is to promote free trade through trade agreements discussed and signed by the member states.

(b) All the decisions are taken through consensus and any member can exercise a veto.

(c) It was founded in the year 1995.

(d) The Ministerial Conference, the decision-making body of WTO meets every six months.

QUESTION 2

Global Gateway Project was recently in the news. It is associated with:

(a) North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

(b) European Union

(c) African Union

(d) Association of Southeast Asian Nations

QUESTION 3

Consider the following places:

1. Kyiv

2. Donetsk

3. Luhansk

4. Kharkiv

What is the correct chronological order of these places from west to east?

(a) 1 – 4 – 2 – 3

(b) 4 – 1 – 3 – 2

(c) 2 – 1 – 4 – 3

(d) 3 – 4 – 1 – 2

QUESTION 4

Consider the following:

1. Moldova

2. Bulgaria

3. Turkey

4. Greece

5. Georgia

Which of the above countries share borders with the Black Sea?

(a) 2, 3, 4 and 5 only

(b) 1, 3 and 5 only

(c) 2, 3 and 5 only

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

QUESTION 5

Consider the following statements about Asia Energy Transition Initiative:

1. India has announced the Initiative which includes a variety of support for realising energy transitions in Asia.

2. It will help to achieve both sustainable growth and carbon neutrality in Asia.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

QUESTION 6

With reference to the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), consider the following statements:

1. It is an initiative of the United States and India.

2. It will focus to bolster the supply chain of rare earth minerals only.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

QUESTION – 7

Consider the following pairs:

     Place                        Region

1. Transnistria         Romania

2. Wadi Halfi            Egypt

3. Snake Island        Black Sea

4. Mount Aso             Indonesia

How many pair(s) given above is/are correctly matched?

(a) Only one pair

(b) Only two pairs

(c) Only three pairs

(d) All four pairs

QUESTION 8

Which of the following countries have signed a bilateral Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET)?

1. India

2. United Kingdom

3. United States of America

4. Australia

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 4 only

(d) 1, 3 and 4 only

ANSWERS TO MCQs

1. (d)

FYI:

— The 12th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization on June 17, 2022, agreed to a series of deals relating to the temporary waivers on Covid-19 vaccines, a moratorium on e-commerce trade, food security, and setting limits on harmful fishing subsidies.

— The World Trade Organization is the only international organization that deals with the rules of trade between countries.

— It was founded in 1995, the WTO is run by its 164 members, and according to its rules, all decisions are taken through consensus and any member can exercise a veto.

— Its aim is to promote free trade, which is done through trade agreements that are discussed and signed by the member states.

— The WTO also provides a forum for countries to negotiate trade rules and settle economic disputes.

— The Ministerial Conference is the WTO’s top decision-making body and usually meets every two years.

— All members of the WTO are involved in the Ministerial Conference and they can take decisions on all matters covered under any multilateral trade agreements.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

2. (b)

FYI:

— The European Commission unveiled a plan to invest 300 billion euros ($340 billion) globally by 2027 in infrastructure, digital, and climate projects as a better alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

— The scheme, Global Gateway, is to strengthen Europe’s supply chains, boost EU trade, and help fight climate change, focusing on digitalisation, health, climate, and energy and transport sectors, as well as education and research.

— This will allow EU’s partners to develop their societies and economies but also create opportunities for the EU Member States’ private sector to invest and remain competitive, whilst ensuring the highest environmental and labour standards and sound financial management.

— The Global Gateway is the EU’s contribution to narrowing the global investment gap worldwide.

— The Global Gateway is also fully aligned with the UN’s Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the Paris Agreement.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

Other Source: (commission.europa.eu)

3. (a)

FYI:

— The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres sounded a grim prognosis about the prospects for ending the Russia-Ukraine war, which marked a year on February 24, 2023.

— The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which collates official civilian casualty numbers, said on February 13 that from February 24, 2022, to February 12, 2023, there were 18,955 civilian casualties in Ukraine: 7,199 killed and 11,756 injured. Of the fatalities, 2,888 were men, 1,941 women, 226 boys, 180 girls, 32 children, and 1,932 adults whose sex was undetermined.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

4. (c)

FYI:

— The Black Sea is bounded by Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Tukey, Bulgaria, and Romania.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

5. (b)

FYI:

— The Government of Japan announced the “Asia Energy Transition Initiative (AETI)”, which includes various support for realising energy transitions in Asia. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— It will help to achieve both sustainable growth and carbon neutrality in Asia, where energy demand will continue to grow, various and pragmatic energy transitions, that reflect different circumstances of each country, and utilise all energy sources and all technologies, are essential. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

Source:(http://www.meti.go.jp)

6. (d)

FYI:

— The United States and key partner countries have announced the establishment of the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), an ambitious new initiative to bolster critical mineral supply chains.

— The US and 10 partners — Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea (South Korea), Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the European Commission have come together to form the Minerals Security Partnership.

— The new grouping is aimed at catalysing investment from governments and the private sector to develop strategic opportunities.

— Demand for critical minerals, which are essential for clean energy and other technologies, is projected to expand significantly in the coming decades

— The new grouping will focus on the supply chains of minerals such as Cobalt, Nickel, Lithium, and also the 17 ‘rare earth’ minerals.

— The alliance is seen as primarily focused on evolving an alternative to China, which has created processing infrastructure in rare earth minerals and has acquired mines in Africa for elements such as Cobalt.

— The 17 rare earth elements (REE) include the 15 Lanthanides, Scandium (atomic number 21), and Yttrium (39).

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

7. (a)

FYI:

Places	Description
Transnistria	It is internationally recognised as a part of Moldova. Transnistria is outside the control of the Moldovan authorities due to widespread military activity in Ukraine, including in areas close to some Moldovan borders.
Wadi Halfi	It is situated in the northern state of Sudan near the border of Egypt.
Snake Island	Zmiinyi Island, also known as Snake or Serpent Island, is a small piece of rock less than 700 metres from end to end, that has been described as being “X-shaped”. It is located 35 km from the coast in the Black Sea, to the east of the mouth of the Danube and roughly southwest of the port city of Odessa
Mount Aso	Mount Aso is an active volcano in the center of Kyushu which most recently erupted in 2021 and 2016. In the center of the caldera stand the mountain’s active volcanic peaks, including Mount Nakadake, whose spectacular crater is accessible to tourists.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

Other Source: (http://www.gov.uk)

8. (b)

FYI:

— President Biden and Prime Minister Modi announced the U.S.-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) to elevate and expand our strategic technology partnership and defense industrial cooperation between the governments, businesses, and academic institutions of our two countries.

— The iCET involves collaboration in a range of areas including quantum computing, semiconductors, 5G and 6G wireless infrastructure, and civilian space projects such as lunar exploration.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

Other Source: (http://www.whitehouse.gov)

Previous Quizzes:

Polity and Governance (Week 2)

Polity and Governance (Week 3)

Polity and Governance (Week 4)

History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 2)

History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 3)

History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 4)

UPSC Weekly Quiz (Current Affairs)

UPSC Essentials: Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 2)

UPSC Essentials: Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 3)

UPSC Essentials: Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 4)

UPSC Essentials: Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 5)

Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 2)

Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 3)

Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 4)

International Relations (Week 2)

International Relations (Week 3)

International Relations (Week 4)

Tomorrow’s Quiz: Polity and Governance

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