International Relations: UPSC Previous Year Questions (International Relations and Current Affairs)
91 previous year UPSC Prelims questions on international relations appear here, from 2011 to 2025. UPSC asks which organisation issues which report, which countries belong to a grouping, what a treaty or initiative does and where a place in the news is. The explanations give the member list and purpose so that country-count questions can be settled.
Explanations state facts as of the year each question was asked; words like “recently” refer to that year.
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UPSC 2011International Relations and Current Affairs · International Relations
Q91. Between India and East Asia, the navigation time and distance can be greatly reduced by which of the following? 1. Deepening the Malacca straits between Malaysia and Indonesia. 2. Opening a new canal across the Kra isthmus between the Gulf of Siam and Andaman Sea. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
Statement 1 is incorrect: The Strait of Malacca is already a deep and navigable waterway between Malaysia and Indonesia and is one of the busiest maritime routes in the world. Deepening the Malacca Strait would not significantly reduce navigation time because ships already use this route effectively. The real challenge is congestion and piracy, not depth.
Statement 2 is correct: The Kra Canal (proposed) would create a shortcut through Thailand’s Kra Isthmus, connecting the Gulf of Thailand (Siam) with the Andaman Sea. This would allow ships to bypass the long detour through the Malacca Strait, reducing both travel time and distance between India and East Asia. However, the canal has not yet been constructed, though discussions and feasibility studies have taken place.
Answer key for these questions
Q
UPSC year
Correct answer
91
2011
(b) 2 only
What UPSC has tested in International Relations
The Global Competitiveness Report and Global Gender Gap Index are published by the World Economic Forum; the Global Financial Stability Report is prepared by the IMF.
The Global Economic Prospects report is issued by the World Bank; the Rule of Law Index is released by the World Justice Project.
The ILO Conventions 138 and 182 relate to child labour.
Iran is not a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a data protection law of the European Union.
Chabahar Port gives India access to Afghanistan and Central Asia without depending on Pakistan.
Frequently asked questions
How many previous year UPSC questions are there on International Relations?
This page covers 91 previous year UPSC Prelims GS Paper-I questions on International Relations (International Relations and Current Affairs), asked from 2011 to 2025. Each has the correct answer and an explanation.
Who publishes the Global Competitiveness Report?
The World Economic Forum. It also publishes the Global Gender Gap Index. Rankings from other bodies, such as the World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects and the IMF’s Global Financial Stability Report, are often asked together to test whether you can match the report to its publisher.
Which Gulf country is not a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council?
Iran. The GCC has six members: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman. Iran lies on the other side of the Gulf and has never been a member.
What are ILO Conventions 138 and 182?
Conventions on child labour. Convention 138 sets a minimum age for admission to employment, and Convention 182 calls for the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour. Both have been ratified by India.
Why is Chabahar Port important to India?
It lets India reach Afghanistan and Central Asia by sea and road through Iran, bypassing Pakistan. India is developing the port’s Shahid Beheshti terminal, and it links to the International North-South Transport Corridor.
