UPSC 2023 Prelims Questions with Answers

Explanation

Pair 1 is incorrectly matched: North Kivu and Ituri are located in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In these two provinces a "State of Siege" was declared in response to escalating violence.

Pair 2 is incorrectly matched: Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked, mountainous region at the heart of a long-standing conflict between Azerbaijan and its predominantly Armenian population, which is backed by neighboring Armenia. Although internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, the region remains a source of ongoing dispute.

Pair 3 is incorrectly matched: Russia has disclosed voting results indicating significant backing from four Ukrainian provinces-- Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson to unite with Russia.

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: Israel has established diplomatic relations with several Arab states over the years. Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, followed by Jordan in 1994. The Abraham Accords of 2020 led to normalization agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco. These agreements marked significant milestones in Arab-Israeli relations.

Statement 2 is incorrect: The Arab Peace Initiative (API) was proposed by Saudi Arabia in 2002 and endorsed by the Arab League but it was not signed by Israel. The API offered normalization of relations between Arab states and Israel in exchange for Israel’s withdrawal from occupied territories, the establishment of a Palestinian state, and a "just solution" for Palestinian refugees.

Explanation

In recent years, several African nations have experienced military takeovers. In Chad, after President Idriss Déby’s death in 2021, his son led a military coup and established a Transitional Military Council. In Sudan, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan led a 2021 coup, dissolving the civilian government and sparking protests. Mali saw two military coups in 2020 and 2021, with Colonel As-simi Goita overthrowing President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta and later taking power himself. In Guinea, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya led a 2021 coup, ousting President Alpha Conde after his controversial bid for a third term.

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: The G-20 was established in 1999 in response to the financial crises of the late 1990s. It began as a forum for Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors from major economies to discuss international economic and financial issues. The primary aim was to bring together both developed and emerging economies to promote international financial stability.

Statement 2 is correct: During its G-20 presidency in 2023, India has prioritized digital public infrastructure (DPI) as a key agenda item. India has been a global leader in developing and implementing DPI such as the Aadhaar biometric identification system, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), and the DigiLocker platform. India aims to share its expertise and promote the adoption of DPI globally to foster inclusive growth and digital transformation.

Explanation

Statement-I is correct: The U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) was launched in June 2021 as a forum to strengthen transatlantic cooperation on trade, technology, and supply chain issues. The TTC aims to address shared challenges such as climate change, digital governance, and global trade standards and counter the influence of non-market economies like China. Statement-II is incorrect: The primary goal of the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council is not to bring technological progress and physical productivity "under their control." The TTC focuses on fostering collaboration in areas such as:

Setting global standards for emerging technologies (e.g., AI, semiconductors). Ensuring secure and resilient supply chains. Promoting democratic values in technology governance. Addressing unfair trade practices and economic coercion. The TTC emphasizes cooperation and shared governance, not unilateral control.

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: The Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) is an agreement among the member states of the European Union (EU) to facilitate and maintain the stability of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). It sets limits on the budgetary deficits and public debt of EU member states. It requires countries to keep their budget deficits below 3% of GDP and public debt below 60% of GDP or to be working towards these targets. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect:

The Stability and Growth Pact does not mandate or involve sharing infrastructure facilities among EU member states. It is purely focused on fiscal discipline and economic stability. The Stability and Growth Pact does not directly deal with technology sharing or cooperation in technological development.

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect: The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) was adopted by most UN member states in December 2018 but not all. Countries like the US, Hungary, Poland, Israel, and the Czech Republic did not endorse it. It is the first global framework on international migration.

Statement 2 is incorrect: The GCM is a non-binding agreement. It is a cooperative framework that provides guidelines and best practices for managing international migration but does not impose legally binding obligations on UN member states. It respects the sovereignty of states and is intended to foster inter-national cooperation.

Statement 3 is incorrect: The GCM specifically focuses on international migration and does not address internal migration or internally displaced people (IDPs). Internal displacement is covered by other frameworks such as the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement.

Explanation

Somalia, the Eastern African nation has endured decades of civil strife and political instability since its central government collapsed in 1991, leading to widespread violence and displacement. Recurring droughts exacerbated by climate change and conflict have caused severe food shortages and famine. In 2022 and 2023 Somalia faced one of its worst droughts resulting in a humanitarian crisis. Organizations like the United Nations and the World Food Programme have highlighted the dire situation, calling for urgent aid. The combination of prolonged conflict, economic challenges, and environmental factors has made Somalia a focal point of global attention for its severe famine conditions.

Explanation

Option (a) is incorrect: Though it is accurate that the equator receives greater direct sunlight in comparison to the poles, the disparity in insolation is not as substantial as tenfold. The variance in insolation between the equator and poles predominantly arises from the curvature of the Earth and the inclination of its axis, causing sunlight to strike different latitudes at varying angles. Instead of a tenfold difference, the actual variation is estimated to be around 2.5 times.

Option (b) is incorrect: Insolation denotes the entirety of solar radiation reaching the Earth’s surface, encompassing a wide range of electromagnetic radiation. Although infrared radiation constitutes a substantial portion (about 49 %) of solar radiation, it does not represent two-thirds of the insolation. Insolation comprises visible light, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and various other wavelengths along-side infrared radiation.

Option (c) is correct: The atmosphere warms up by absorbing longwave radiation emitted from the Earth’s surface, mainly in the form of infrared radiation. Water vapor is a strong absorber of infrared radiation. In the lower atmosphere, where its concentration is higher, it absorbs a significant portion of the Earth’s emitted infrared radiation.

Option (d) is incorrect: Infrared radiation is not part of the visible range, infrared radiation has wavelengths longer than those of visible light and is not perceptible to the human eye.

Explanation

Statement-I is incorrect: The tropical rainforest occurs near the equator and close to the tropics. Thus it receives heavy rainfall throughout the year. The heavy rain causes intense leaching of the soil which increases the acidity of the soil. Due to increased acidity, there is an issue of less nutrient absorption from the soil. Thus the claim that tropical rain forests are rich in nutrients is inappropriate.

Statement II is correct: As the tropical rainforest lies in a region of heavy rainfall and near to tropics, thus the climate here is hot and humid. This causes the rapid decomposition of the dead organic material present in the soil. Hence, Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct.