8 previous year UPSC Prelims questions on Contemporary Events: World (General Knowledge). Choose an option to see the answer and explanation.
Explanations state facts as of the year each question was asked; words like “recently” refer to that year.
Showing 1–8 of 8 questions
The Group of 15 (G-15) held its Seventh Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from October 28 to November 5, 1997. During this summit, Kenya was admitted as the 16th member of the group. Therefore, the summit was attended by 16 member countries.
The World Development Report (WDR) 1996, published by the World Bank, classified economies into different income groups based on their Gross National Product (GNP) per capita. According to this report, low-income economies were defined as those with a per capita GNP of $725 or less in 1994. The classification was based on World Bank estimates using the Atlas method, which adjusts for exchange rate fluctuations to provide a more stable measure of income across countries.
The historic treaty banning anti-personnel landmines, known as the Ottawa Treaty or Mine Ban Treaty, was opened for signature in Ottawa, Canada, on December 3, 1997. Representatives from over 120 countries attended this conference to sign the treaty.
In 1997, the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded jointly to Robert C. Merton and Myron S. Scholes for their development of a new method to determine the value of derivatives. Their work led to the formulation of the Black-Scholes-Merton model, a foundational tool in financial economics for pricing options and other derivative instruments.
The European Monetary Union (EMU) introduced the Euro () as its official currency. The decision to adopt a single currency was part of the Maastricht Treaty (1992), and the Euro was officially launched on January 1, 1999, for electronic transactions and accounting purposes. Physical Euro banknotes and coins entered circulation on January 1, 2002 in 12 European Union (EU) countries. Today, the Eurozone consists of 20 EU member states that use the Euro as their official currency.
Assertion (A) is true: USA has, in the past, pressured the World Trade Organization (WTO) to impose trade sanctions on developing countries for alleged violations of International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions, particularly concerning child labor and labor rights. This aligns with Assertion (A), making it true. Reason (R) is false because the USA itself has not ratified several key ILO conventions, including those related to freedom of association, collective bargaining, and forced labor. The USA has been selective in adopting ILO conventions, often opposing ILO-enforced labor standards through WTO trade measures.
The World Environment Conference to discuss global warming in 1997 was held in Kyoto, Japan. This conference led to the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol.
Option (b) is correct: China had the highest participation rate, exceeding 70%, primarily due to state policies emphasizing gender equality in employment and a high demand for labor in both agricultural and industrial sectors. The socialist economic model historically encouraged women to contribute to the workforce. Options (a) is incorrect: The United States (USA) had a participation rate of approximately 59%, reflecting a strong labor market with relatively high employment opportunities for women, particularly in the service sector. Options (c) is incorrect: Russia had around 57% female workforce participation. After the Soviet Union’s dissolution in 1991, many women remained active in the labor market, although economic instability led to job losses in certain sectors. Options (d) is incorrect: South Korea had the lowest rate among the given countries at approximately 47%, as traditional gender roles were still prevalent, and workforce participation among married women was relatively lower compared to Western economies.
| Q | UPSC year | Correct answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1998 | (c) 16 member countries |
| 2 | 1998 | (c) US $ 725 or less |
| 3 | 1998 | (a) Canada |
| 4 | 1998 | (b) Financial Economics |
| 5 | 1998 | (b) Euro |
| 6 | 1998 | (c) A is true both R is false |
| 7 | 1998 | (d) Kyoto |
| 8 | 1998 | (b) China |
This page covers 8 previous year UPSC Prelims GS Paper-I questions on Contemporary Events: World (General Knowledge), asked from 1996 to 2010. Each has the correct answer and an explanation.
Attempt each question first, then open the answer and read the explanation for every option. Repeat by chapter, and track which statements UPSC reuses across years. Previous year questions show the exam pattern and difficulty level.
Questions on Contemporary Events: World (General Knowledge) are available for 15 years, from 1996 to 2010. Use the Year filter to practise a single paper.
