UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Is India tailing the U.S. in its West Asia policy?
Q1. With reference to the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), consider the following countries as founding signatories of the Memorandum of Understanding announced at the G20 New Delhi Summit:
1. Saudi Arabia
2. Egypt
3. Italy
4. Turkey
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- Saudi Arabia
- Egypt
- Italy
- Turkey
- A. 1 and 3
- B. 2 and 4
- C. 1, 2 and 4
- D. 3 only
Q2. With reference to changes in India's crude-oil sourcing profile after the 2025 West Asia conflict (as compared with the position before the crisis), consider the following statements:
1. The share of India's crude imports routed outside the Strait of Hormuz has risen from about 55% to about 70%.
2. India now sources crude from about 40 countries, up from 27 in 2006-07.
3. India's strategic petroleum reserve has been reduced from about 6.5 MMT to about 5.3 MMT to release supplies into the domestic market.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The share of India's crude imports routed outside the Strait of Hormuz has risen from about 55% to about 70%.
- India now sources crude from about 40 countries, up from 27 in 2006-07.
- India's strategic petroleum reserve has been reduced from about 6.5 MMT to about 5.3 MMT to release supplies into the domestic market.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q3. The 5th Inter-Ministerial Group (IGoM) on West Asia, constituted in 2025 to review India's petroleum stockpiles and contingency measures during the Israel-Iran conflict, was chaired by which one of the following?
- A. Minister of External Affairs
- B. Raksha Mantri (Minister of Defence)
- C. Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas
- D. National Security Adviser
Q4. As reported by the 5th Inter-Ministerial Group (IGoM) on West Asia in 2025, India's rolling stock of crude oil was assessed at approximately how many days of consumption?
- A. 30 days
- B. 45 days
- C. 60 days
- D. 90 days