110 previous year UPSC Prelims questions on world general awareness are listed here, from 1996 to 2010. UPSC asked about international organisations and their headquarters, country groupings such as BRIC, books and authors, Nobel laureates and capitals. The explanations give the fact as it stood in the year the question was set.
Explanations state facts as of the year each question was asked; words like “recently” refer to that year.
Showing 101–110 of 110 questions
| List-I | List-II |
|---|---|
| A. Ringgit | 1. Indonesia |
| B. Baht | 2. South Korea |
| C. Rupiah | 3. Thailand |
| D. Won | 4. Malayasia |
List-I (Currency) List-II (Country) A. Ringgit 4. Malayasia B. Baht 3. Thailand C. Rupiah 1. Indonesia D. Won 2. South Korea
The satellite launched by Canada (RADARSAT-1 Satellite) has helped in the preparation of a complete and high resolution map of Antarctica. Data collected from six satellites over the course of 25 years was used to create the most accurate map of ice velocity in Antarctica, shedding light on the effects of climate change on glaciers for the continent.
The "Limits to Growth" is a famous report published in 1972 by Donella Meadows, Dennis Meadows, Jorgen Randers, and William Behrens for the Club of Rome. The report used computer simulations to predict the consequences of unchecked population growth, industrialization, pollution, food production, and resource depletion on Earth. Key Prediction by Meadows (1972):
If current trends in population growth, resource consumption, and pollution continue unchanged, the world would reach its limits to growth within the next 100 years. This would lead to economic decline, resource scarcity, environmental degradation, and possible societal collapse. The report recommended sustainable development and policy changes to avoid such a crisis.
The Hang Seng Index, or HSI, is a free-float market capitalization-weighted index of the largest companies that trade on the Hong Kong Exchange (HKEx). Dow Jones Industrial Average also called Dow Jones: New York (Wall Street). Dow Jones is a stock market index of 30 prominent companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States. The Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index, also called the FTSE 100 or, informally, the "Footsie" is a share index of the 100 companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. Indian Financial market Indexes:
Sensex is meant to denote the most popular market index of 30 companies listed under the Bombay Stock Exchange. Sensex was first introduced on January 1, 1986. NIFTY is a market index introduced by the National Stock Exchange. It showcases the top 50 equity stocks traded in the stock exchange. Nifty 50 Index has an inception date of November 3, 1995.
Mercosur (Southern Common Market) is an economic and political bloc of Latin America established in 1991 through the Treaty of Asuncion to promote economic integration and free trade among member countries. It includes Asunción, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia (approved in July 2024), with Venezuela currently suspended. The Common Market Council serves as the bloc’s highest decision-making body, and its official languages are Spanish and Portuguese. The headquarters is in Montevideo, Uruguay. India and Mercosur concluded negotiations on a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) in 2005 to strengthen economic ties.
Bolivia and Paraguay are the two- landlocked countries in South America. Few other trade Blocs in different continents: ECOWAS (Africa), ASEAN (Asia), European Union(Europe), RCEP (ASEAN countries + China, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea).
Amartya Sen, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, is renowned for his contributions to welfare economics, social choice theory, and economic justice. He also played a role in the WTO draft document.
Legalization of Euthanasia in the Northern Territory, Australia (1996):
The Northern Territory of Australia became the first place in the world to legalize euthanasia through the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act (1995), allowing voluntary euthanasia for terminally ill patients under strict conditions. The first legal euthanasia occurred in 1996, but the Australian Federal Parliament overturned the law in 1997, making it illegal again in the territory. Currently, Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) laws are in effect in all six Australian states--Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania, South Australia, Queensland, and New South Wales. Additionally, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) passed a VAD law on June 5, 2024, which will come into effect on November 3, 2025.
The World Trade Organization (WTO), established on January 1, 1995, succeeded GATT to regulate global trade. It promotes free trade by reducing barriers like tariffs and quotas, ensuring smooth resource flows. The WTO also protects intellectual property rights through the TRIPS agreement, safeguarding patents, copyrights, and trademarks from unauthorized use. The WTO does not manage trade balances, which depend on domestic policies and market forces. It ensures fair trade and dispute resolution. It also promotes global trade universally, not just between the former Eastern and Western blocs, as this is not a specific WTO objective.
Trading Blocs like NAFTA (now USMCA), ASEAN, EU, MERCOSUR, etc. are regional groups that promote economic cooperation and trade liberalization among member nations. The purpose of such blocs aligns with WTO’s (World Trade Organization) principles of reducing trade barriers and promoting free trade.
Option (a) is incorrect: While some critics see trading blocs as restricting global free trade, their main goal is to enhance trade among member nations. Unlike the WTO, which promotes global trade liberalization, blocs like NAFTA and ASEAN focus on regional trade. However, they still operate within WTO guidelines, ensuring they do not entirely hinder global trade.
Option (c) is incorrect: While some trade agreements facilitate technology transfer, it is not the primary function of trading blocs. Such transfers depend on separate agreements like TRIPS under the WTO rather than being a core objective of regional trade groups.
Option (d) is incorrect: While some trading blocs include agriculture, their primary aim is broader trade liberalization across multiple sectors. North-South trade is a wider economic concept, not exclusive to regional trade blocs, which generally align with WTO principles of reducing trade barriers and fostering economic cooperation.
APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) is a 21-member regional economic forum (est. 1989) focused on trade and economic integration through non-binding, consensus-based cooperation. It has been operating on the basis of non-binding commitments with decisions taken through commitments and consensus undertaken on a voluntary basis. The grouping’s current members are Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; People’s Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; Republic of Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; The Philippines; The Russian Federation; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; United States of America; and Vietnam. Secretariat: Singapore.
| Q | UPSC year | Correct answer |
|---|---|---|
| 101 | 1998 | (b) A-4; B-3; C-1; D-2 |
| 102 | 1998 | (a) Canada |
| 103 | 1998 | (b) 100 years |
| 104 | 1998 | (d) 1 and 3 |
| 105 | 1998 | (c) Latin America |
| 106 | 1998 | (a) A.K. Sen |
| 107 | 1996 | (b) Northern Territory in Australia |
| 108 | 1996 | (b) 1 and 2 |
| 109 | 1996 | (b) promote free trade on the lines laid down by the WTO |
| 110 | 1996 | (b) APEC |
This page covers 110 previous year UPSC Prelims GS Paper-I questions on General Awareness: World (General Knowledge), asked from 1996 to 2010. Each has the correct answer and an explanation.
Klaus Schwab, a German economist, founded it in 1971 as the European Management Forum. It is best known for its annual meeting at Davos, Switzerland, and for reports such as the Global Competitiveness Report.
In Pugwash, Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1957. It brought together scientists to discuss the dangers of nuclear weapons, and the movement later shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1995.
William Henry Bragg, who shared the 1915 prize with his son William Lawrence Bragg for their work on analysing crystal structure using X-rays. William Lawrence Bragg remains the youngest Nobel laureate in physics, at 25 years of age.
