UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — As Trump covets Greenland, the Arctic island still holds hazardous U.S. waste
Q1. With reference to United States military installations in Greenland, consider the following statements comparing Camp Century and Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base):
1. Both installations trace their legal basis to the framework of the 1951 United States–Denmark Defence Agreement on Greenland.
2. Camp Century was constructed within tunnels cut into the Greenland Ice Sheet, whereas Pituffik Space Base is a surface installation on the Greenland coast.
3. Pituffik Space Base was decommissioned in 1967 along with Camp Century.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Both installations trace their legal basis to the framework of the 1951 United States–Denmark Defence Agreement on Greenland.
- Camp Century was constructed within tunnels cut into the Greenland Ice Sheet, whereas Pituffik Space Base is a surface installation on the Greenland coast.
- Pituffik Space Base was decommissioned in 1967 along with Camp Century.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q2. Which one of the following is the principal United States military installation currently operational in Greenland?
- A. Camp Century
- B. Pituffik Space Base
- C. Narsarsuaq Air Base
- D. Sondrestrom Air Base
Q3. Camp Century, the Cold-War-era sub-ice military base in northwestern Greenland recently back in news, was constructed by which one of the following agencies of the United States?
- A. United States Air Force
- B. United States Army Corps of Engineers
- C. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
- D. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Q4. With reference to materials abandoned at Camp Century after its decommissioning in 1966–67, consider the following items:
1. The portable nuclear reactor vessel that powered the base
2. Approximately 200,000 litres of diesel fuel
3. Around 24 million litres of biological waste
4. Roughly 1.2 billion Becquerels of radioactive material
Which of the above is/are NOT correctly identified as being left behind under the ice?
- The portable nuclear reactor vessel that powered the base
- Approximately 200,000 litres of diesel fuel
- Around 24 million litres of biological waste
- Roughly 1.2 billion Becquerels of radioactive material
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 4 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 4
Q5. The continued presence of United States military bases in Greenland is governed primarily by a bilateral defence agreement signed between the United States and Denmark in which one of the following years?
- A. 1949
- B. 1951
- C. 1958
- D. 1966