International Relations and Current Affairs: UPSC Previous Year Questions (Prelims)
182 previous year UPSC Prelims International Relations and Current Affairs questions are on this page, from 2011 to 2025, in 3 chapters. International Relations is the largest, covering groupings, treaties, reports and countries in the news. Current Affairs and Miscellaneous add national schemes, awards, sports and institutions. The set is recent, so the explanations state facts as of the year each question was asked.
Explanations state facts as of the year each question was asked; words like “recently” refer to that year.
Showing 111–120 of 182 questions
Browse International Relations and Current Affairs chaptersBrowse by year
UPSC 2017International Relations and Current Affairs · International Relations
Q111. Which of the following gives ‘Global Gender Gap Index’ ranking to the countries of the world?
Explanation
It (GGGI) is published annually by the World Economic Forum (WEF). Global Gender Gap Index was introduced in 2006 by the World Economic Forum (WEF). The Index ranks countries based on gender parity (0 = complete inequality, 1 = complete equality). It measures gender equality across four key areas:
Economic Participation and Opportunity Educational Attainment Health and Survival Political Empowerment
UPSC 2017International Relations and Current Affairs · Current Affairs
Q112. With reference to ‘National Investment and Infrastructure Fund’, which of the following statements is/ are correct? 1. It is an organ of NITI Aayog. 2. It has a corpus of ‘ 4,00,000 crore at present. Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Explanation
Statement 1 is incorrect: NIIF is not an organ of NITI Aayog. It is an independent investment fund set up by the Indian government under the Ministry of Finance. While NITI Aayog plays a role in policy-making, it is not directly involved in managing the NIIF.
Statement 2 is incorrect: NIIF does not have a corpus of ‘4,00,000 crore. The fund was initially set up with a corpus of ‘40,000 crore. The target corpus has been planned to increase over time, but it currently stands much lower than ‘4,00,000 crore.
UPSC 2017International Relations and Current Affairs · Miscellaneous
Q113. What is the aim of the programme ‘Unnat Bharat Abhiyan’?
Explanation
Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) is a flagship initiative launched by the Ministry of Education (MoE) to bridge the gap between higher educational institutions and rural India by addressing developmental challenges through technology-driven solutions. It aims to leverage knowledge from premier educational institutions like IITs, NITs, and universities to enhance rural development and focuses on sustainable devel-opment, water management, energy, and organic farming. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi is the nodal agency for implementing the program.
UPSC 2017International Relations and Current Affairs · Miscellaneous
Q114. What is the purpose of ‘Vidyanjali Yojana’? 1. To enable the famous foreign educational institutions to open their campuses in India. 2. To increase the quality of education provided in government schools by taking help from the private sector and the community. 3. To encourage voluntary monetary contributions from private individuals and organizations so as to improve the infrastructure facilities for primary and secondary schools. Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Explanation
The Vidyanjali Yojana was launched by the Ministry of Education (formerly MHRD) in 2016 as an initiative to enhance the quality of education in government schools through community and private-sector participation.
Statement 1 is incorrect: The scheme does not allow foreign universities to set up campuses in India. It is focused on improving public education at the school level through volunteer participation rather than international collaborations.
Statement 2 is correct: The scheme seeks to give quality education in government schools by engaging volunteers from various fields, including retired professionals, working professionals, and college students, to contribute their knowledge and skills to students through non-teaching activities such as reading, mentoring, and extracurricular programs.
Statement 3 is incorrect: While Vidyanjali 2.0, launched in 2021, allows for voluntary donation of resources, the original Vidyanjali Yojana did not focus on monetary contributions or infrastructure development. The primary goal was community engagement rather than financial donations.
UPSC 2017International Relations and Current Affairs · Miscellaneous
Q115. Consider the following statements: The nation-wide ‘Soil Health Card Scheme’ aims at: 1. Expanding the cultivable area under irrigation. 2. Enabling the banks to assess the quantum of loans to be granted to farmers on the basis of soil quality. 3. Checking the overuse of fertilizers in farmlands. Which of the above statements is/are correct?
Explanation
The Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme, launched in 2015 by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, aims to provide farmers with soil health assessments to ensure optimal fertilizer usage and sustainable farming practices.
Statement 1 is incorrect: The scheme does not focus on expanding the cultivable area under irrigation. Instead, it aims to enhance soil fertility and productivity through soil analysis.
Statement 2 is incorrect: The scheme does not facilitate bank loan assessments for farmers. It primarily provides information on soil health to guide proper fertilizer use.
Statement 3 is correct: A key objective of the scheme is to check the overuse of fertilizers and promote balanced nutrient management to improve crop productivity and reduce soil degradation.
UPSC 2017International Relations and Current Affairs · Miscellaneous
Q116. With reference to ‘National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF), which of the statements given below is/are correct? 1. Under NSQF, a learner can acquire the certification for competency only through formal learning. 2. An outcome expected from the implementation of NSQF is the mobility between vocational and general education. Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Explanation
Statement 1 is incorrect: NSQF allows certification through multiple pathways, including formal, non-formal, and informal learning, ensuring recognition of prior learning (RPL) for workers who acquire skills outside formal institutions.
Statement 2 is correct: One of the key goals of NSQF is to ensure mobility between vocational and general education, allowing students and workers to shift between academic and skill-based careers seamlessly.
Additional insight:
The National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) is a competency-based framework introduced in 2013 by the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) to standardize skill development, vocational education, and academic learning in India.
UPSC 2017International Relations and Current Affairs · Miscellaneous
Q117. Consider the following statements: 1. The Standard Mark of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is mandatory for automotive tyres and tubes. 2. AGMARK is a quality Certification Mark issued by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
Statement 1 is correct: The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) mandates certification for automotive tyres and tubes to ensure road safety and product quality. The BIS Standard Mark indicates compliance with ISI standards.
Statement 2 is incorrect: AGMARK is a certification issued by the Directorate of Marketing & Inspection (DMI), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India, and not by FAO. It ensures the quality of agricultural products like grains, pulses, and edible oils.
UPSC 2017International Relations and Current Affairs · Miscellaneous
Q118. Which of the following are the objectives of ‘National Nutrition Mission’? 1. To create awareness relating to malnutrition among pregnant women and lactating mothers. 2. To reduce the incidence of anaemia among young children, adolescent girls and women. 3. To promote the consumption of millets, coarse cereals and unpolished rice. 4. To promote the consumption of poultry eggs. Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Explanation
Statement 1 is correct: A key goal is raising awareness about malnutrition, particularly for vulnerable groups like pregnant women and lactating mothers.
Statement 2 is correct: The mission aims to reduce anemia prevalence among children, adolescent girls, and women through dietary diversification and micronutrient supplementation.
Statement 3 is correct: The program promotes nutrient-rich foods, including millets and unpolished rice, to enhance dietary diversity.
Statement 4 is incorrect: While eggs are recommended as a protein source, the mission does not specifically promote poultry eggs.
UPSC 2016International Relations and Current Affairs · International Relations
Q119. Consider the following statements: 1. The International Solar Alliance was launched at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2015. 2. The Alliance includes all the member countries of the United Nations. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
Statement 1 is correct: The International Solar Alliance (ISA) was launched on November 30, 2015, at the COP21 (United Nations Climate Change Conference) in Paris, France.
Statement 2 is incorrect: ISA does not include all UN member states. Initially, it was focused on solar-rich countries between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. However, in 2018, its membership was expanded to include all member states of the United Nations. While all UN member states are eligible to join, not all have done so.
UPSC 2016International Relations and Current Affairs · International Relations
Q120. Which of the following is not a member of ‘Gulf Cooperation Council’?
Explanation
GCC Member Countries are listed as under:
1. Saudi Arabia 2. United Arab Emirates (UAE)
3. Kuwait 4. Qatar
5. Bahrain 6. Oman Clearly, Iran is NOT a member of the GCC because it is a non-Arab country and has historical tensions with several GCC members.
Answer key for these questions
Q
UPSC year
Correct answer
111
2017
(a) World Economic Forum
112
2017
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
113
2017
(b) Connecting institutions of higher education with local communities to address development challenges through appropriate technologies.
114
2017
(a) 2 only
115
2017
(b) 3 only
116
2017
(b) 2 only
117
2017
(a) 1 only
118
2017
(b) 1, 2 and 3 only
119
2016
(a) 1 only
120
2016
(a) Iran
What UPSC has tested in International Relations and Current Affairs
Questions about reports and indices ask which organisation publishes them, such as the World Economic Forum, the IMF, the World Bank and the World Justice Project.
Country-grouping questions ask how many of the listed countries belong to a group, such as NATO, G20 or UPI payment partners.
Current-affairs items in recent papers include the AI Action Summit, the Kho Kho World Cup, the Chess Olympiad and the Gandhi Peace Prize jury.
Many items are one-line identifications: what a term means, who wrote a book, or which body issued a report.
Frequently asked questions
How many previous year UPSC questions are there on International Relations and Current Affairs?
This page covers 182 previous year UPSC Prelims GS Paper-I questions on International Relations and Current Affairs, asked from 2011 to 2025. Each has the correct answer and an explanation.
Which chapters does International Relations and Current Affairs have?
Three: International Relations with 91 questions, Current Affairs with 48 and Miscellaneous with 43. International Relations covers groupings, treaties and countries in the news, while the other two cover national schemes, institutions, sports and awards.
Which years do these questions cover?
They run from 2011 to 2025, so almost all are recent. This keeps the facts closer to today, although each explanation states the position as it stood in the year the question was asked.
Are the 2025 questions on BRICS, BIMSTEC and the AI Action Summit included?
Yes. The 2025 paper’s questions on BRICS, BIMSTEC, INSTC, the Minerals Security Partnership, NATO membership, the AI Action Summit, Kho Kho and the Gandhi Peace Prize jury are included with their explanations.
