General Awareness: World: UPSC Previous Year Questions (General Knowledge)
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 81–90 of 110 questions
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UPSC 2004General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q81. Consider the following statements: 1. Montenegro and Serbia agreed to a new structure for the Yugoslav Federation 2. Croatia remained under the Hungarian Administration until the end of First World War 3. Claims to Macedonia Territory have long been a source of contention between Belgium and Greece 4. In 1991, Slovenia declared independence from Czechoslovakia Which of the statements given above are correct?
Explanation
Statements (1) and (2) are correct: In 2003, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was renamed Serbia and Montenegro, forming a confederation before Montenegro’s independence in 2006. Croatia was part of the Habsburg Empire and under Hungarian rule within the Austro-Hungarian Empire until 1918, when the empire collapsed after World War I. Statements (3) and (4) are incorrect: The Macedonia dispute involved Greece, not Belgium. Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia, not Czechoslovakia, which peacefully split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993 (Velvet Divorce).
UPSC 2003General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q82. Which one of the following statements is correct?
Explanation
East Timor (Timor-Leste), a Southeast Asian nation with Dili as its capital, was a Portuguese colony for over 400 years before Indonesia occupied it in 1975. Following a UN-sponsored referendum in 1999, where the majority voted for independence, violent clashes erupted. The UN Transitional Administration (UNTAET) took control to restore peace and oversee governance, leading to East Timor’s full independence in 2002. Portugal did not "hand over" the territory to Indonesia in 1975 - instead, Indonesia invaded and annexed East Timor following a power vacuum created by the impending withdrawal of Portugal, leading to a civil war within East Timor between political factions. East Timor declared its independence on May 20, 2002.
UPSC 2003General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q83. In which one of the following countries is the rupee its currency?
Explanation
Seychelles is the country where Rupee is used as its currency. Bhutan uses the Ngulturn, Malaysia uses the Malaysian Ringgit and Maldives uses the Maldivian Rufiyaa.
UPSC 2003General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q84. Which one among the following languages has the largest number of speakers in the world?
Explanation
With respect to the year when this was asked, Bengali has largest number of speakers in the world i.e. 207 million, French - 79 million speakers, Japanese - 125 million speakers, Portuguese - 176 milion speakers.
UPSC 2003General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q85. Which among the following countries was the earliest to give women the right to vote?
Explanation
New Zealand was the first country in the world to grant women the right to vote in 1893. The USA gave women full voting rights at the federal level in 1920 with the 19th Amendment. India granted women voting rights in 1950 when India adopted its constitution. Iceland gave women full voting rights in 1915, though initially limited to women over 40.
UPSC 2002General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q86. Match List-I (Ethnic Community) with List-II (Country) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists:
List-I (Ethnic Community)
List-II (Country)
A. Apatani
1. China
B. Dyak
2. India
C. Dinka
3. Indonesia
D. Uighur
4. Sudan
Explanation
The Apatani are a tribal group of people who live in the Ziro valley of Arunachal Pradesh, India. The Dayak people are indigenous to the island of Borneo, which is divided among Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, and Malaysia. The Dinka people are a Nilotic ethnic group native to South Sudan. Uyghur refers to a Turkic-speaking people of inner Asia living mostly in the Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang in northwestern China.
UPSC 2002General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q87. Match List-I (Organisation) with List-II (Headquarters) and select the correct answer using the codes below the lists:
List-I (Organisation)
List-II (Headquarters)
A. International Atomic Energy Agency
1. Brussels
B. International Telecommunication Union
2. Geneva
C. Council of the European Union
3. Paris
D. Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
4. Vienna
Explanation
List-I (Organisation) List-II (Headquarters) A. International Atomic Energy Agency
4. Vienna B. International Telecommunication Union
2. Geneva C. Council of the European Union 1. Brussels D. Organisation for Ecnomic Cooperation and Development
3. Paris
UPSC 2002General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q88. "World Development Report" is an annual publication of:
Explanation
The World Development Report (WDR) is an annual flagship publication of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), which is part of the World Bank Group. It provides in-depth analysis of global economic trends, development challenges, and policy recommendations.
UPSC 2002General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q89. Consider the following statements: 1. The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) is a specialized agency of United Nations System of Organisations 2. WIPO has its headquarters at Rome 3. The Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement is binding on all WTO members 4. Least developed country members of WTO are not required years from the general date of application of the Agreement Which of these statements are correct?
Explanation
Statements 1 and 3 are correct: The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that promotes intellectual property (IP) rights globally. The TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Agreement is binding on all WTO members as part of their obligations. Statements 2 and 4 are incorrect: WIPO’s headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland, not Rome. Least Developed Countries (LDCs) were initially given a transition period of 10 years (extendable), but not 20 years from the general date of application. The deadline has been extended multiple times, with the current extension until July 1, 2034 for pharmaceutical patents.
UPSC 2001General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q90. Consider the following organisations: 1. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development 2. International Finance Corporation 3. International Fund for Agricultural Development 4. International Monetary Fund Which of these are agencies of the United Nations?
Explanation
Statements (3) and (4) are correct: The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) focused on rural poverty and agricultural development. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is also a specialized agency of the UN, responsible for global monetary cooperation and financial stability. Statements (2) is incorrect: The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is a part of the World Bank Group and not a UN agency. Note: If the option includes 1, 3, and 4, then it would be the correct answer because the World Bank (which consists of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA)) is a specialized agency of the United Nations. However, the World Bank Group, which consists of five institutions--IBRD, IDA, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)--is not a specialized agency of the UN. Among these, only IBRD and IDA are recognized as specialized agencies of the UN.
Answer key for these questions
Q
UPSC year
Correct answer
81
2004
(a) 1 and 2
82
2003
(c) The United Nations took over East Timor in 1999 to prepare it for independence
83
2003
(d) Seychelles
84
2003
(a) Bengali
85
2003
(c) New Zealand
86
2002
(a) A-2; B-3; C-4; D-1
87
2002
(d) A-4; B-2; C-1; D-3
88
2002
(b) International Bank of Reconstruction and Development
89
2002
(d) 1 and 3
90
2001
(c) 3 and 4
What UPSC has tested in General Awareness: World
Klaus Schwab is the founder of the World Economic Forum.
The headquarters of the Organization of the Islamic Conference are at Jeddah.
The first Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs was held at Nova Scotia, Canada.
William Henry Bragg shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with his son.
Barack Obama is the author of The Audacity of Hope.
BRIC stands for Brazil, Russia, India and China.
Frequently asked questions
How many previous year UPSC questions are there on General Awareness: World?
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.
Who founded the World Economic Forum?
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.
Where was the first Pugwash Conference held?
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.
Which scientist shared a Nobel Prize in Physics with his son?
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.
