Current Affairs › International Conflicts & Security – UPSC Prelims PYQs

41 questions · 1995–2026 · answers as per the UPSC key

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Consider the following statements about Mission Sudarshan Chakra of India :

  1. It aims to enhance India’s air defence, ballistic missile defence and aerial offensive capabilities.
  2. This Mission is being designed to enhance rapid, precise, and powerful defence responses, reinforcing India’s strategic autonomy.
  3. One of the aims of this Mission is to cover all public places of India by an expanded nationwide security shield by 2035.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1 only
Show answer
Answer: (a) 1, 2 and 3

Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched ? (Indian Army Corps) | (Headquarters)

(a) 3 Corps : Dimapur
(b) 4 Corps : Tezpur
(c) 14 Corps : Leh
(d) 33 Corps : Srinagar
Show answer
Answer: (d) 33 Corps : Srinagar

Operations undertaken by the Army towards upliftment of the local population in remote areas to include addressing of their basic needs is called :

(a) Operation Sankalp
(b) Operation Maitri
(c) Operation Sadbhavana
(d) Operation Madad
Show answer
Answer: (c) Operation Sadbhavana

Which of the following statements about 'Exercise Mitra Shakti-2023' are correct ?

  1. This was a joint military exercise between India and Bangladesh.
  2. It commenced in Aundh (Pune).
  3. Joint response during counter-terrorism operations was a goal of this operation.
  4. Indian Air Force was a part of this exercise.

Select the answer using the code given below :

(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 1, 2 and 4
(c) 1, 3 and 4
(d) 2, 3 and 4
Show answer
Answer: (d) 2, 3 and 4

Consider the following statements :

Statement-I : There is instability and worsening security situation in the Sahel region.

Statement-II : There have been military takeovers/coups d'état in several countries of the Sahel region in the recent past.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements ?

(a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
(b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
(c) Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
(d) Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct
Show answer
Answer: (a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I

Consider the following pairs : Area of conflict mentioned in news

  1. Donbas : Syria
  2. Kachin : Ethiopia
  3. Tigray : North Yemen

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Show answer
Answer: (d) None

In the recent years Chad, Guinea, Mali and Sudan caught the international attention for which one of the following reasons common to all of them?

(a) Discovery of rich deposits of rare earth elements
(b) Establishment of Chinese military bases
(c) Southward expansion of Sahara Desert
(d) Successful coups
Show answer
Answer: (d) Successful coups

Which one of the following statements best reflects the issue with Senkaku Islands, sometimes mentioned in the news ?

(a) It is generally believed that they are artificial islands made by a country around South China Sea.
(b) China and Japan engage in maritime disputes over these islands in East China Sea.
(c) A permanent American military base has been set up there to help Taiwan to increase its defence capabilities.
(d) Though International Court of Justice declared them as no man's land, some South-East Asian countries claim them.
Show answer
Answer: (b) China and Japan engage in maritime disputes over these islands in East China Sea.

Consider the following pairs : Country : Important reason for being in the news recently

  1. Chad — Setting up of permanent military base by China
  2. Guinea — Suspension of Constitution and Government by military
  3. Lebanon — Severe and prolonged economic depression
  4. Tunisia — Suspension of Parliament by President

How many pairs given above are correctly matched ?

(a) Only one pair
(b) Only two pairs
(c) Only three pairs
(d) All four pairs
Show answer
Answer: (c) Only three pairs

The term "two-state solution" is sometimes mentioned in the news in the context of the affairs of

(a) China
(b) Israel
(c) Iraq
(d) Yemen
Show answer
Answer: (b) Israel

Consider the following pairs : Regions sometimes mentioned in news — Country

  1. Catalonia — Spain
  2. Crimea — Hungary
  3. Mindanao — Philippines
  4. Oromia — Nigeria

Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched ?

(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 3 and 4 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 2 and 4 only
Show answer
Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only

Recently, a series of uprisings of people referred to as ‘Arab Spring’ originally started from

(a) Egypt
(b) Lebanon
(c) Syria
(d) Tunisia
Show answer
Answer: (d) Tunisia

Consider the following pairs : Region often in news

  1. Chechnya
  2. Darfur
  3. Swat Valley

Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: (a) 1 only

Elephant Pass, which is frequently in the news, is mentioned in the context of the affairs of which one of the following ?

(a) Bangladesh
(b) India
(c) Nepal
(d) Sri Lanka
Show answer
Answer: (d) Sri Lanka

From which one of the following did Kosovo declare its independence ?

(a) Bulgaria
(b) Croatia
(c) Macedonia
(d) Serbia
Show answer
Answer: (d) Serbia

Which one of the following pairs of countries fought wars over a region called Ogaden ?

(a) Eritrea and Sudan
(b) Ethiopia and Somalia
(c) Kenya and Somalia
(d) Ethiopia and Sudan
Show answer
Answer: (b) Ethiopia and Somalia

Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below the Lists:

  1. Israel
  2. Britain
  3. China
  4. Russia

List-I (Service/Agency) A. Foreign Intelligence Service B. Ministry of State Security C. Secret Intelligence Service D. The Mossad

List-II (Country)

Code:

(a) A B C D 4 1 2 3
(b) A B C D 2 3 4 1
(c) A B C D 4 3 2 1
(d) A B C D 2 1 4 3
Show answer
Answer: (c) A B C D 4 3 2 1

Yom Kippur War was fought between which sides/countries?

(a) Turkey and Greece
(b) Serbs and Croats
(c) Israel, and Arab countries led by Egypt and Syria
(d) Iran and Iraq
Show answer
Answer: (c) Israel, and Arab countries led by Egypt and Syria

‘Hand-in-Hand 2007’, a joint anti-terrorism military training was held by the officers of the Indian Army and officers of Army of which one of the following countries?

(a) China
(b) Japan
(c) Russia
(d) USA
Show answer
Answer: (a) China

Which of the following countries recently upgraded its defence agency to a full-fledged defence ministry?

(a) Italy
(b) Japan
(c) Switzerland
(d) Poland
Show answer
Answer: (b) Japan

In the latter half of the year 2006,

in which one of the following countries did a military coup take place?

(a) Cambodia
(b) Laos
(c) Thailand
(d) Vietnam
Show answer
Answer: (c) Thailand

Claims to the historical Macedonian territory have been a bone of contention between which of the following countries?

(a) Portugal and Spain
(b) Bulgaria and Greece
(c) Romania and Bulgaria
(d) Portugal and Greece
Show answer
Answer: (b) Bulgaria and Greece

Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched?

(a) Southern Air Command – Thiruvananthapuram
(b) Eastern Naval Command – Visakhapatnam
(c) Armoured Corps Centre and School – Jabalpur
(d) Army Medical Corps Centre and School – Lucknow
Show answer
Answer: (c) Armoured Corps Centre and School – Jabalpur

What was the reason for 5 lakh people of Hong Kong to make a demonstration around the middle of 2003?

(a) They were demanding tax relief
(b) They were against the Hong Kong Government's plan to impose an internal security law
(c) They were the members of Falun Gong group who were demanding religious freedom
(d) They were demanding more direct elections in Hong Kong
Show answer
Answer: (b) They were against the Hong Kong Government's plan to impose an internal security law

Liberia was in the international news in the recent times for

(a) Harbouring terrorists associated with religious fundamentalism
(b) Supplying raw uranium to North Korea
(c) Its long-running civil war killing or displacing thousands of people
(d) Cultivation of drug-yielding crops and smuggling of drugs
Show answer
Answer: (c) Its long-running civil war killing or displacing thousands of people

The reason for Chechnya to be in the news recently is

(a) Discovery of huge reserves of oil
(b) Separatist rebellious activities by the local people
(c) Continuous conflict between the Government troops and the narcotic mafia resulting in a great loss of human life
(d) Intense cold wave killing hundreds of people
Show answer
Answer: (b) Separatist rebellious activities by the local people

The Prime Minister

of which one of the following countries was assassinated in the year 2003?

(a) Czech Republic
(b) Romania
(c) Serbia
(d) Slovenia
Show answer
Answer: (c) Serbia

In which one of the following countries, did an ethnic violence between the communities of Hema and Lendu result in the death of hundreds of people?

(a) Democratic Republic of Congo
(b) Indonesia
(c) Nigeria
(d) Zambia
Show answer
Answer: (a) Democratic Republic of Congo

INS Trishul acquired by the Indian Navy in 2003 has been built by

(a) Israel
(b) USA
(c) Russia
(d) France
Show answer
Answer: (c) Russia

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 Macedonian 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?

(a) 1 and 2
(b) 1, 2 and 3
(c) 2, 3 and 4
(d) 1, 3 and 4
Show answer
Answer: (a) 1 and 2

Which one of the following statements is correct?

(a) East Timor was a British colony for four centuries
(b) The European colonial rulers handed over East Timor to Indonesia in 1975
(c) The United Nations took over East Timor in 1999 to prepare it for independence
(d) East Timor finally declared its independence in Dec. 2001
Show answer
Answer: (c) The United Nations took over East Timor in 1999 to prepare it for independence

Consider the following statements:

  1. In Macedonia, ethnic Albanians are a minority.
  2. In Kosovo, Serbians are a majority.

Which of these statements is/are correct?

(a) Only 1
(b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Answer: (a) Only 1

The main reason for unrest and violence in Zimbabwe in recent years is due to

(a) conflict between different native ethnic groups
(b) prolonged crisis over land reforms
(c) economic crisis due to continuous drought and famine
(d) power struggle between political groups of white European settlers and native black community
Show answer
Answer: (b) prolonged crisis over land reforms

Consider the following countries:

  1. Angola
  2. Colombia
  3. Congo
  4. Sudan

Which of these countries has/have been suffering from civil war?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Show answer
Answer: (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Recently, several hundred South Africa soldiers were sent to Burundi

(a) to side with the Tutsi tribe in the country’s civil war
(b) to side with the Hutu tribe in the ongoing ethnic conflict
(c) as a part of United Nations special force to keep control on the ethnic groups revolting against the government
(d) as South Africa’s protection force to help mediate and agreement between warring groups of civil war
Show answer
Answer: (d) as South Africa’s protection force to help mediate and agreement between warring groups of civil war

Consider the following statements regarding the Armed Forces: I. First batch of women pilots was commissioned in Indian Air Force in 1996. II. Officers’ Training Academy is located in Nagpur. III. Southern Command of Indian Navy has its Headquarters at Chennai. IV. One of the Regional Headquarters of Coast Guard is located at Port Blair.

Which of these statements are correct?

(a) I, II, III and IV
(b) II, III and IV
(c) III only
(d) IV only
Show answer
Answer: (d) IV only

Falun Gong is

(a) an ethnic minority in Eastern China
(b) an insurgency outfit in Western China
(c) a pro-democracy movement in China
(d) a spiritual movement in China
Show answer
Answer: (d) a spiritual movement in China

The given map shows locations of airports labelled as 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. What is the correct sequence of the airports in which the hijacked Indian Airlines plane IC-814 landed after its initial take-off from Kathmandu in December 1999? The original map is not available for this question.

(a) 3, 1, 2, 4
(b) 2, 4, 1, 3
(c) 5, 4, 2, 3
(d) 5, 1, 3, 2
Show answer
Answer: (c) 5, 4, 2, 3

Which one of the following was the venue for the preliminary talks between the Sri Lankan Government and representatives of Tamil United Liberation Front and other militant groups?

(a) New Delhi
(b) Colombo
(c) Zurich
(d) Chennai
Show answer
Answer: (c) Zurich

The Basque separatist organisation is active in

(a) Russia
(b) Cyprus
(c) Portugal
(d) Spain
Show answer
Answer: (d) Spain

Consider the map given below indicating four places frequently figuring in the news:

Which one of them is Chechenya?

Choose the correct answer from the codes given below:

(a) 1
(b) 2
(c) 3
(d) 4
Show answer
Answer: (c) 3
This question uses a table or figure from the original paper that is not reproduced here.