UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : International Relations MCQs on port of Duqm, regions affected by pirates attacks and more (Week 151)

3. It is located in the Strait of Hormuz.

4. It is part of Qatar.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

Relevance: Strategic ports in West Asia are important for India’s maritime security, energy routes, and Indo-Pacific strategy. Locations near critical sea lanes in the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf are recurring themes in Prelims under Geography and IR.

Explanation

— A US sanctioned oil tanker, which was Palau-flagged, was hit on Sunday while it was off the Oman’s Musandam peninsula and led to four people getting injured, Oman’s maritime security centre said but refrained to provide specific details of what actually hit the vessel.

— The 20-person crew of Skylight tanker was evacuated after the attack which had 15 Indian and five Iranian citizens, the country’s maritime security centre informed in a post on X. The incident occurred 5 nautical miles north of Musandam’s Khasab Port, on the strategic Strait of ‌Hormuz.

— The attack on the vessel follows drone strikes at other places in the Gulf nation, including attack on commercial port of Duqm on the Arabian Sea. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— The port of Duqm serves as the gateway to the Middle East’s largest Special Economic Zone (SEZD). Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— The Port of Duqm, which faces the Arabian Sea and is located outside the Strait of Hormuz, is ideal for serving the major Eastern and Western commerce corridors. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

— The port is part of Oman. Hence, statement 4 is not correct.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 2

Consider the following statements:

1. This country holds the world’s third-largest oil reserves and second largest gas reserves.

2. The oil from this nation is of good quality and can be produced using conventional techniques at low cost as compared to Venezuelan oil.

3. Azadegan oilfield is located in this country.

The above mentioned statements refer to:

(a) Saudi Arabia

(b) Qatar

(c) Yemen

(d) Iran

Relevance: West Asia remains central to global energy security, making countries like Iran strategically important for India’s oil and gas imports. Static knowledge of major oil and gas reserve holders, along with key fields like Azadegan oilfield, is important for eliminating options in factual MCQs.

Explanation

— The US is using the threat of force to coerce Iran into a fundamental change of direction. Spot oil and gas prices will remain sensitive as the possibility of war still very much exists. If a conflict breaks out, Iran may attempt a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which would stop the flow of around 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) from various Persian Gulf countries. If that happens, prices would spike to much higher levels, as that sort of volume cannot be replaced at short notice.

— Iran is of much greater consequence. It holds the world’s third-largest oil reserves, located strategically vis-à-vis Asian and European markets. Iranian oil is of good quality and can be produced using conventional techniques at low cost. Most Venezuelan oil, on the other hand, is a highly viscous sludge that requires expensive underground heating to flow.

— Iran has many highly productive “super-giant” oilfields containing many billions of barrels, with multiple reservoirs stacked above each other. Some, such as the Azadegan oilfield, stretch across the border into Iraq.

— Of even greater importance are Iran’s gas reserves, the second largest in the world. The South Pars field, which Iran shares with Qatar, is the largest gas field in the world, and holds over a thousand trillion cubic feet of gas.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 3

In recent years, which of the following regions have seen attacks by pirates?

1. Horn of Africa

2. Gulf of Aden

3. Palk Strait

4. Strait of Malacca

5. West coast of Africa

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1, 2 and 4 only

(b) 4 and 5 only

(c) 1, 2, 4 and 5

(d) 2, 3 and 5

Relevance: Maritime security in the Indian Ocean region is crucial for global trade, energy supply chains, and India’s strategic interests. Mapping-based questions on vulnerable maritime regions are common in Prelims under Geography and International Relations.

Explanation

— Piracy is as old as seafaring itself, and has existed for centuries in various forms. In recent years, waters off the west coast of Africa, Gulf of Aden, Horn of Africa, Bangladesh, and the Strait of Malacca have seen attacks by pirates.

— These sea areas are poorly policed. The coastal countries have weak maritime forces, or none at all. These areas normally have concentrations of shipping traffic, being either choke points in shipping routes where ships are forced to converge or slow down by geography, or anchorages where ships remain stationary for days before entering port. Poor governance or turmoil on land close to these areas leads to unemployment, poverty and consequently, crime.

— These areas are mostly international waters, international straits, or archipelagic waters which are long stretches of sea that fall within the maritime jurisdiction of several countries. This leads to legal complexities and difficulties in coordination.

— The Palk Strait is mainly related to fishing disputes.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 4

The Durand Line is the demarcation of the international border between:

(a) India-Afghanistan

(b) India-Myanmar

(c) Afghanistan-Pakistan

(d) India-Pakistan

Relevance: Understanding historical boundary agreements is important for analysing regional security and diplomatic tensions. Map-based questions on disputed or sensitive frontiers remain a recurring UPSC theme.

Explanation

— Pakistan bombed Kabul and two other Afghan provinces, hours after Afghanistan launched a cross-border attack on Pakistani troops. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif described the situation as an “open war” with Afghanistan’s Taliban government.

— 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.

— The 2,640-km Durand Line is a historical wound. It derives its name from Sir Mortimer Durand, Foreign Secretary of British India, who compelled Afghan ruler Amir Abdul Rehman Khan to accept a division of his territories in 1893.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 5

The Gulag History Museum was recently in the news. It is located in:

(a) Russia

(b) China

(c) Japan

(d) Myanmar

Relevance: Questions on important museums and memorials are linked to themes of political history and human rights in international affairs. UPSC Prelims frequently tests awareness of places in news along with their geographical location.

Explanation

— Russia is seemingly trying to rewrite a piece of its history, arguably one of its darkest parts — the gulags. Founded in 2001, Moscow’s Gulag History Museum, the last major institution in Russia devoted to documenting the legacy of Joseph Stalin’s forced labour camps, is now set to be replaced with a new state museum centred on Nazi crimes.

— According to a report in The New York Times, officials said the museum would now highlight the “genocide of the Soviet people”. The museum had stopped visitor entry in November 2024, officially citing unspecified fire safety violations. Its website was taken down and replaced with a short notice from the city’s Culture Department confirming the transition.

— Gulag stands for Glavnoye Upravleniye Ispravitelno-Trudovykh Lagerey — the Main Directorate of Corrective Labour Camps. Established under Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in the 1920s and formalised by a decree in 1930, the system expanded rapidly into a vast network of forced labour camps spread across the Soviet Union, from Siberia’s tundra to the deserts of Central Asia.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 146)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 151)

Daily subject-wise quiz —  Science and Technology (Week 151)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 151)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment and Geography (Week 151)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 150)

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