UPSC 1998 General Knowledge Questions with Answers

Explanation

The United Nations recognizes six official languages:

Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. This multilingual approach facilitates communication and documentation across the organization’s global operations.

Explanation

List-I (Currency) List-II (Country) A. Ringgit 4. Malayasia B. Baht 3. Thailand C. Rupiah 1. Indonesia D. Won 2. South Korea

Explanation

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.

Explanation

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.

Explanation

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.

Explanation

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.

Explanation

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.

Explanation

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.

Explanation

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.

Explanation

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.