99 previous year UPSC Prelims questions on contemporary world events appear here, from 1996 to 2010. They concern summits and conferences, treaties and military exercises, countries in the news and awards. Each explanation describes the event as it was reported at the time, so treat the facts as dated.
Explanations state facts as of the year each question was asked; words like “recently” refer to that year.
Showing 51–60 of 99 questions
Zoran Dinndic, Serbia’s sixth Prime Minister, was assassinated on March 12, 2003, in Belgrade. A sniper fatally shot him as he exited his vehicle near the back entrance of the Serbian government headquarters. In response, a state of emergency was declared, and during Operation Sabre authorities detained over 11,000 individuals linked to organized crime.
In May 2003, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted a grand celebration in Saint Petersburg, commemorating the city’s 300th anniversary. Over 40 world leaders, including Jacques Chirac, Gerhard Schroeder, Junichiro Koizumi, and George W. Bush, attended the event. The three-day celebration highlighted Saint Petersburg’s cultural heritage, featuring a gala at the Mariinsky Theater with performances by renowned artists like prima ballerina Uliana Lopatkina.
In 2003, Paul Lauterbur and Peter Mansfield were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their pioneering work in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), a technology that revolutionized medical diagnostics.
In 2003, Dame Alison Richard became the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, serving until 2010. She was the first woman to hold this position full-time in the university’s history. Committed to conservation, she has worked to protect Madagascar’s unique environment while supporting local communities.
George W. Bush, comes from American state of Texas.
G. Bush attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, and later earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Yale University in 1968. Following his undergraduate studies, he served in the Texas Air National Guard from 1968 to 1973. In 1975, he obtained a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
J.M. Coetzee a South African writer and scholar won the Booker Prize twice. He got his first Booker Prize in 1983 for his book "Life and times of Michael K" and got second Booker Prize in 1999 for his book "Disgrace" -a novel about life in post apartheid South Africa.
Shirin Ebadi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003, is from Iran. She is an Iranian lawyer, former judge, and human rights activist. Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her significant efforts in promoting democracy and human rights, particularly focusing on the rights of women and children in Iran. She is the first Iranian and the first Muslim woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 2003, among the given countries, India had the lowest GDP per capita. Here’s a comparison of estimated GDP per capita (in USD) around that time:
China - Higher due to rapid industrialization and economic reforms. Indonesia - Had a stronger economy than India, despite the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Sri Lanka - Had a smaller but more stable economy with a relatively higher GDP per capita than India. India - Despite economic growth, per capita income remained the lowest among these countries due to its large population and slower per capita income growth.
The Basque people primarily inhabit the Basque Country, which is located in northern Spain and southwestern France. However, their separatist movement has been more prominent in Spain, where the group ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna) historically fought for an independent Basque state. Though ETA officially disbanded in 2018, Basque nationalism remains an important political issue in Spain.
Argentina was plunged into a devastating economic crisis in December 2001/January 2002, when a partial deposit freeze, a partial default on public debt, and an abandonment of the fixed exchange rate led to a collapse in output, high levels of unemployment, and political and social turmoil. This also caused mass protests, social unrest, and frequent changes in government, bank freezes (Corralito), and a sharp decline in living standards, fueling widespread discontent.
| Q | UPSC year | Correct answer |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | 2004 | (c) Serbia |
| 52 | 2004 | (b) celebrate the tricentenary of the city of St. Petersburg |
| 53 | 2004 | (b) magnetic resonance imaging |
| 54 | 2004 | (b) Cambridge University |
| 55 | 2004 | (b) Texas |
| 56 | 2004 | (b) J.M. Coetzee |
| 57 | 2004 | (c) Iran |
| 58 | 2003 | (b) India |
| 59 | 2003 | (d) Spain |
| 60 | 2003 | (b) Economic crisis due to huge public debt |
This page covers 99 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.
The 1944 United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, which created the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. It set up the post-war system of fixed exchange rates.
A joint anti-terrorism military training between India and China, held in 2007 in China. It was the first such exercise between the two armies and marked a step in their defence cooperation.
At Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2002, ten years after the Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro. It reviewed progress on sustainable development and is formally called the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
