UPSC CSE Prelims
International Relations Previous Year Questions (PYQs)
Solved Previous Year Questions (PYQs) for International Relations in UPSC CSE Prelims in English & Hindi Medium.
Chapter Breakdown: Scroll →
With reference to ‘Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC)’, Consider the following statements:
- It was established very recently in response to incidents of piracy and accidents of oil spills
- It is an alliance meant for maritime security only
Which of the following statements given above is/are correct?
Detailed Explanation:
❌ Statement 1 – Incorrect: IOR-ARC (Indian Ocean Rim Association) was established in March 1997 in Mauritius, not recently, to promote economic and technical cooperation among Indian Ocean rim countries, not in response to piracy or oil spills.
❌ Statement 2 – Incorrect: IOR-ARC is a multi-sectoral regional cooperation platform covering trade, investment, tourism, fisheries, and cultural cooperation, not limited to maritime security only.
Consider the following countries -
- China
- France
- India
- Israel
- Pakistan
Which among the above are Nuclear Weapons States as recognized by the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)?
Detailed Explanation:
✅ Statement 1 – Correct: China is recognized as a Nuclear Weapon State (NWS) under the NPT, having tested nuclear weapons before January 1, 1967.
✅ Statement 2 – Correct: France is recognized as a Nuclear Weapon State (NWS) under the NPT.
❌ Statement 3 – Incorrect: India has never signed the NPT and is not recognized as an NWS under the treaty, despite possessing nuclear weapons.
❌ Statement 4 – Incorrect: Israel has never signed the NPT and is not recognized as an NWS under the treaty.
❌ Statement 5 – Incorrect: Pakistan has never signed the NPT and is not recognized as an NWS under the treaty.
Only five states are recognized as NWS under the NPT: USA, Russia, UK, France, and China (the P5 members of the UN Security Council).
In the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation, an initiative of six countries, which of the following is/are not participant/ participants?
- Bangladesh
- Cambodia
- China
- Myanmar
- Thailand
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Detailed Explanation:
✅ Statement 2 – Correct: Cambodia is a founding member of the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) launched in 2000.
✅ Statement 4 – Correct: Myanmar is one of the five ASEAN countries participating in MGC alongside India.
✅ Statement 5 – Correct: Thailand is a member country of MGC representing the Mekong basin region.
❌ Statement 1 – Incorrect: Bangladesh is NOT a member of MGC; the initiative includes only India and five ASEAN nations (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam).
❌ Statement 3 – Incorrect: China is NOT a participant in MGC, despite the Mekong River originating in the Tibetan Plateau.
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Amnesty International is -
Detailed Explanation:
Amnesty International is a global human rights movement and non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in 1961 with over 7 million members worldwide.
It campaigns for the protection of human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, focusing on issues like freedom of expression, abolition of death penalty, refugee rights, and prevention of torture—it is not a UN agency nor specifically focused on poverty alleviation or medical emergencies.
The ‘Fortaleza Declaration’ recently in the news, is related to the affairs of:
Detailed Explanation:
The Fortaleza Declaration was adopted at the 6th BRICS Summit held in Fortaleza, Brazil in July 2014.
Key outcomes included the establishment of the New Development Bank (NDB) and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA), making it a landmark declaration for BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) cooperation in financial and economic matters.
Consider the following countries:
- Denmark
- Japan
- Russian Federation
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
Which of the above are the members of the ‘Arctic Council ‘?
Detailed Explanation:
✅ Denmark (1) – Correct: Member state of the Arctic Council representing the Kingdom of Denmark, which includes Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
❌ Japan (2) – Incorrect: Holds observer status in the Arctic Council, not a member state.
✅ Russian Federation (3) – Correct: Member state as one of the eight nations with sovereignty over lands within the Arctic Circle.
❌ United Kingdom (4) – Incorrect: Holds observer status, not a member state of the Arctic Council.
✅ United States (5) – Correct: Member state due to its Alaskan territory within the Arctic region.
The Arctic Council has eight member states: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russian Federation, Sweden, and United States.
Recently, a series of uprisings of people referred to as ‘Arab Spring’ originally started from
Detailed Explanation:
The Arab Spring uprisings originally started in Tunisia in December 2010 when street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in protest against police harassment and corruption.
This sparked widespread protests demanding political reforms, leading to the overthrow of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011, which then inspired similar uprisings across Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen and other Arab nations.
With reference to a grouping of countries known as BRICS, consider the following statements:
- The First Summit of BRICS was held in Rio de Janeiro in 2009.
- South Africa was the last to join the BRICS grouping.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Detailed Explanation:
❌ Statement 1 – Incorrect: The First BRIC Summit was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia in June 2009, not in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil hosted the Third BRICS Summit in 2011 after South Africa joined.
✅ Statement 2 – Correct: South Africa joined the group in December 2010 (formally participated in 2011 Summit), becoming the fifth and last member, transforming BRIC into BRICS. The original members were Brazil, Russia, India, and China.
Consider the following pairs
| Region often in news | Country |
|---|---|
| 1. Chechnya | Russian Federation |
| 2. Darfur | Mali |
| 3. Swat Valley | Iraq |
Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?
Detailed Explanation:
✅ Pair 1 – Correct: Chechnya is a republic in the North Caucasus region of the Russian Federation.
❌ Pair 2 – Incorrect: Darfur is a region in western Sudan, not Mali.
❌ Pair 3 – Incorrect: Swat Valley is in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, not Iraq.