UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz — International Relations (Week 9)

QUESTION 1

In which of the following state of the United States, the Ravidassia Community is under-the-radar to advocate for making the state the first in the nation to outlaw caste bias?

(a) Colorado

(b) California

(c) Texas

(d) New York

QUESTION 2

Consider the following pairs:

    (Place in News)               (Country)

1. Kakhovka Dam                Ukraine

2. Bakhmut                            Russia

3. Darfur                                 Democratic Republic of Congo

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 3

Which of the following countries is not a member of the G-7 grouping?

(a) Canada

(b) France

(c) Russia

(d) Germany

QUESTION 4

With reference to the Arab League, consider the following statements:

1. It was established in 1945.

2. The membership of Syria has been reinstated.

3. The league does not have any members from African countries.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 5

Solomon Islands was recently in the news. It is located in

(a) South Pacific Ocean

(b) Indian Ocean

(c) South Atlantic Ocean

(d) North Atlantic Ocean

ANSWERS TO MCQs

1. (b)

FYI:

— In California, members of the Ravidassia community, a minority religious community are stepping into the public eye to advocate for making the state the first in the nation to outlaw caste bias.

— The Ravidassia are the followers of Ravidass, a 14th-century Indian guru who preached caste and class equality. There are about 20,000 members of the community in California, most of them in the Central Valley.

— Guru Ravidass belonged to the lowest rung of the caste system formerly considered untouchable and also known as Dalit, which means “broken” in Hindi.

— Ravidass was an Indian guru, mystic and poet who was one of the most renowned figures in the North Indian bhakti movement, which placed love and devotion to god above all and preached against the caste system.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

2. (a)

FYI:

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

3. (c)

FYI:

— The leaders of seven of the world’s most powerful democracies gathered for the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, the location of the world’s first atomic attack at the end of World War II.

— The Group of Seven is an informal group of leading industrialised nations. It consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

— This year is Japan’s turn to host, but the presidency of G-7 summits revolves among the seven members. Two representatives of the European Union also join.

— As is customary in recent years, leaders from some non-G-7 countries and international organizations will also participate in some sessions. The leaders discuss a wide range of issues, including economic policy, security, climate change, energy and gender.

— The first summit was in 1975 when France hosted what was then a Group of Six meeting to discuss tackling a recession that followed an Arab oil embargo. Canada became the seventh member a year later. Russia joined to form the G-8 in 1998 but was expelled after Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

4. (b)

FYI:

— The Arab League voted to reinstate Syria’s membership after its suspension more than 10 years ago, underlining the thawing relations between Damascus and other Arab countries.

— The decision was taken at a closed-door meeting, attended by foreign ministers from 13 out of 22 member states of the organisation, held in Cairo, Egypt.

— Syria was ousted from the Arab League in 2011 following President Bashar al-Assad’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests, which led to the ongoing civil war in the country.

— The Arab League, formally known as the League of Arab States, was established in 1945 with initially just six nations: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Currently, it has 22 member states, who have pledged to cooperate on economic and military affairs, among other issues.

— According to the Council on Foreign Relations, an American think tank, “The League makes decisions on a majority basis, but there is no mechanism to compel members to comply with resolutions.

— It has been criticised for its internal conflicts and collective inaction on important international issues.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

5. (a)

FYI:

— The United States opened an embassy in the Solomon Islands Thursday in its latest move to counter China’s push into the Pacific.
— The embassy in the capital, Honiara, is starting small, with a charged’ affaires, a couple of State Department staff and a handful of local employees.
— The US previously operated an embassy in the Solomon Islands for five years before closing it in 1993 as part of a global reduction in diplomatic posts after the end of the Cold War.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

New initiative for UPSC Mains

UPSC CSE Mains 2023 season has begun. Are you ready for it? UPSC Essentials brings to you its new initiative for the practice of Mains answer writing. Mains Answer Writing will cover essential topics of static and dynamic parts of the UPSC Civil Services syllabus covered under various GS papers. This answer-writing practice is designed to help you as a value addition to your UPSC CSE Mains. Try it out!

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 1)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 1)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 2)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 2)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 2)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 3)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 4 (Week 2)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 4 (Week 3)

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