UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : International Relations (Week 37)

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QUESTION 1

With reference to the Voice of Global South Summit (VOGSS), consider the following statements:

1. This summit focuses on sharing the key outcomes achieved in various G20 meetings with other countries of the Global South.

2. India will host the 2nd Voice of Global South Summit.

3. The theme for the inaugural Leaders’ Session is “Global South: Together for One Future”.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 2

Consider the following countries:

1. Egypt

2. Sudan

3. Kuwait

4. Oman

5. Jordan

How many of the above countries share boundaries with the Red Sea?

(a) Only two

(b) Only three

(c) Only four

(d) All five

QUESTION 3

With reference to the ASEAN grouping, consider the following statements:

1. They don’t have a separate flag.

2. India is part of the ASEAN grouping.

3. The 10th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting – Plus (ADMM-Plus) was held in Singapore.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 4

Consider the following pairs:

 (Place)                      (Location)

1. Cairns                   New Zealand

2. Gansu                   Mongolia

3. Sanaa                    Yemen

How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 5

Which of the following states do not share its boundary with Myanmar?

(a) Mizoram

(b) Manipur

(c) Assam

(d) Nagaland

ANSWERS TO THE MCQs

1. (b)

FYI:

— India will host the 2nd Voice of the Global South Summit in a virtual format, for the second time since January of this year. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— This unique initiative brought together 125 countries of the Global South to share their perspectives and priorities on a common platform.

— India has “worked to ensure that the concerns of the Global South receive due cognisance and that the priorities of the Global South were duly factored in finding solutions to the most pressing global challenges”.

— The 2nd summit would focus on sharing with countries of the Global South the key outcomes achieved in various G20 meetings over the course of India’s Presidency. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— According to MEA, the 2nd summit will be structured into 10 sessions, the inaugural and concluding sessions would be at Head of State / Government level, and hosted by PM Modi.

— The theme of the Inaugural Leaders’ Session is “Together, for Everyone’s Growth, with Everyone’s Trust” and that of the Concluding Leaders’ Session is “Global South: Together for One Future”. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

2. (a)

FYI:

— Red Sea, one of the most significant shipping routes in the world, is seeing tensions rise as a spillover of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

— The nearly 2,000-kilometer Red Sea connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean via the narrow Suez Canal. Prior to the Suez Canal’s construction in 1869, ships had to travel around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa to travel between Europe and Asia; the Suez Canal significantly reduced the time and resources required to cover that distance by providing a direct route.

— According to the US Energy Information Administration, the Suez Canal accounted for 9.2 million barrels per day of total oil flows in the first half of 2023.

— The Houthis say they have been attacking vessels in the Red Sea with links to Israel.

— The Red Sea share its border with Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Egypt, Eritrea, Yemen and Djibouti.

— The Houthis have been embroiled in a civil war with the Yemen government for almost a decade. They are in power in northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa. The official government now operates out of Aden.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb. (Source: US Energy Information Administration)

3. (d)

FYI:

— In his address at a meeting of 10th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting – Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Jakarta, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh underlined the importance of dialogue and diplomacy to ensure enduring peace and global stability. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

— India is committed to freedom of navigation, overflight and unimpeded lawful commerce in international waters in accordance with international laws.

— According to the ASEAN website, five leaders – the Foreign Ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand – met in Bangkok on August 8, 1967.

— Over the next few decades, five other countries joined them – Brunei Darussalam, Lao PDR, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam.

— ASEAN countries have an anthem, a flag and biannual summits (twice a year) with a rotating chairmanship. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— ASEAN is central to India’s Act East policy, which focuses on the extended neighbourhood in the Asia-Pacific region.

— Although India is not a member of ASEAN, it is a member of the ASEAN Plus Six grouping, which also includes China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, and Australia. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

4. (a)

FYI:

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

5. (c)

FYI:

— According to a U.N. agency report, Myanmar, which is already wracked by a brutal civil war, has reclaimed the unenviable title of the world’s largest opium producer.

— The Southeast Asian country’s opium output has surpassed that of Afghanistan, where the ruling Taliban banned its production, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s “Southeast Asia Opium Survey 2023.”

— The border between India and Myanmar runs for 1,643 km in the four states of Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh.

— Free Movement Regime (FMR) is a mutually agreed arrangement between the two countries that allows tribes living along the border on either side to travel up to 16 km inside the other country without a visa.

— The border between India and Myanmar was demarcated by the British in 1826, without seeking the opinion of the people living in the region. The border effectively divided people of the same ethnicity and culture into two nations without their consent.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 37)

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 37)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 37)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 37)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 36)

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