Question 1

Consider the following statements regarding World Toilet Organization:
1. It is one of the agencies of the United Nations.
2. World Toilet Summit, World Toilet Day and World Toilet College are the initiatives of this organization, to inspire action to tackle the global sanitation crisis.
3. The main focus of its function is to grant funds to the least developed countries and developing countries to achieve the end of open defecation.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

2 only. * Statement 1 is incorrect: The World Toilet Organization (WTO), founded in 2001, is an independent global non-profit non-governmental organization, not an official agency of the United Nations (though it achieved UN ECOSOC consultative status in 2013). * Statement 2 is correct: To raise public health awareness, the WTO created and coordinates major global awareness initiatives, including the World Toilet Summit, World Toilet Day, and the World Toilet College. * Statement 3 is incorrect: The primary focus of the organization is capacity building, public health advocacy, and local marketplace training, rather than acting as a direct financial aid or fund-granting body for developing nations.

Question 2

Consider the following statements:
1. India is a member of the International Grains Council.
2. A country needs to be a member of the International Grains Council for exporting or importing rice and wheat.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

1 only. * Statement 1 is correct: India is a formal signatory to the International Grains Agreement, 1995, and functions as an active exporting member country within the International Grains Council (IGC). * Statement 2 is incorrect: Membership in the International Grains Council is a voluntary intergovernmental forum for information sharing and market analysis; it is not a mandatory legal prerequisite for any nation to engage in the global import or export trade of wheat and rice.

Question 3

Who of the following is the author of the books "The India Way" and "Why Bharat Matters"?

Accepted Answer

Shashi Tharoor. * (d) Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is correct: Both "The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World" and "Why Bharat Matters" (published in 2024) are non-fictional works authored by Dr. S. Jaishankar. Writing from his vantage perspective as a career diplomat and the incumbent Minister of External Affairs, he analyzes India's contemporary foreign policy, critiquing historical strategies while emphasizing India's growing potential as a global superpower.

Question 4

Consider the following pairs:
Country : Reason for being in the news
1. Argentina : Worst economic crisis
2. Sudan : War between the country's regular army and paramilitary forces
3. Turkey : Rescinded its membership of NATO

How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

Accepted Answer

Only one pair. * Pair 1 is correctly matched: Argentina has faced a severe, historical economic crisis characterized by hyperinflation, forcing the government to multiply the face value of its largest bank note in circulation. * Pair 2 is correctly matched: Sudan is gripped by a major humanitarian crisis and internal war driven by intense fighting between its regular army (led by Gen. Burhan) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF led by Dagalo). * Pair 3 is incorrectly matched: Turkey remains a member of NATO. No mechanism exists inside the North Atlantic Treaty framework to forcefully expel a wayward member, and Turkey has not voluntarily rescinded its membership. * Therefore, exactly two pairs (1 and 2) are correctly matched.

Question 5

Consider the following statements:
Statement-I: There is instability and worsening security situation in the Sahel region.
Statement-II: There have been military takeovers/coups d'état in several countries of the Sahel region in the recent past.

Accepted Answer

Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I. * (a) is correct: The vast African Sahel strip faces severe geopolitical instability, humanitarian crises, and deteriorating security parameters. This validates Statement I. * The region has recently witnessed a succession of successful military coups d'état and unconstitutional takeovers, including multi-stage coups across Burkina Faso, Mali, and Chad since 2020. This validates Statement II. * Because the collapse of constitutional checks and the rise of armed military takeovers (Statement II) directly trigger the breakdown of public governance and exacerbate the chronic security crisis across the Sahel belt (Statement I), Statement II provides the correct explanation for Statement I.

Question 6

Consider the following statements:
Statement-I: The European Parliament approved The Net-Zero Industry Act recently.
Statement-II: The European Union intends to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 and therefore aims to develop all of its own clean technology by that time.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Accepted Answer

Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I. * Statement I is correct: The European Parliament formally adopted the Net-Zero Industry Act to bolster domestic industrial production capacities for green technologies essential to decarbonization targets. * Statement II is incorrect: Under its established European Climate Law, the European Union legally commits to achieving full climate neutrality (net-zero greenhouse gas emissions) by the year 2050, not 2040.

Question 7

Consider the following statements:
Statement-I: Recently, Venezuela has achieved a rapid recovery from its economic crisis and succeeded in preventing its people fleeing/emigrating to other countries.
Statement-II: Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Accepted Answer

Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect. * Statement I is incorrect: Venezuela continues to deal with a severe, deep economic crisis, political repression, and institutional decay. Far from stopping emigration, its hyperinflation and basic shortages have generated one of the largest displacement and refugee migration crises globally. * Statement II is correct: Venezuela holds the world's largest proven crude oil reserves, encompassing over 300 billion barrels and accounting for approximately 17% of the global total. Thus, option (d) is correct.

International Relations: 2024 PYQ.

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