UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Poland halted border asylum claims, and now it wants the EU to follow suit

Q1. The Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees, which removed the dateline from the refugee definition, was adopted by the UN General Assembly in which year?

  • A. 1951
  • B. 1954
  • C. 1966
  • D. 1967

Q2. Consider the following statements about the relationship between the 1951 Refugee Convention and its Protocol: 1. The Protocol is an independent instrument, and a State may become a party to it without being a party to the 1951 Convention. 2. Under the Protocol, States parties undertake to apply Articles 2 to 34 of the Convention to refugees as if the dateline were omitted. 3. Unlike the Protocol, the 1951 Convention as adopted contained no option permitting a State to confine its obligations to refugees from events occurring in Europe. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Protocol is an independent instrument, and a State may become a party to it without being a party to the 1951 Convention.
  2. Under the Protocol, States parties undertake to apply Articles 2 to 34 of the Convention to refugees as if the dateline were omitted.
  3. Unlike the Protocol, the 1951 Convention as adopted contained no option permitting a State to confine its obligations to refugees from events occurring in Europe.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q3. The bar on returning a refugee to a territory where his or her life or freedom would be threatened is laid down in which provision of the 1951 Refugee Convention, and on what terms?

  • A. Article 31, which admits an exception where the refugee entered the country's territory irregularly
  • B. Article 33, which admits of no exception at all once refugee status has been recognised
  • C. Article 33, which admits an exception for a refugee regarded as a danger to the country's security
  • D. Article 35, which admits an exception where the refugee is also a stateless person

Q4. Consider the following statements comparing the non-refoulement rule in refugee law with that in the Convention against Torture: 1. Non-refoulement binds only those States that have ratified the 1951 Convention or its Protocol, and has no basis outside treaty law. 2. Article 3 of the Convention against Torture bars expulsion, return or extradition of a person to a State where there are substantial grounds for believing he would be in danger of being subjected to torture. 3. Unlike Article 33 of the Refugee Convention, the non-refoulement rule under the Convention against Torture carries no exclusion clause for persons regarded as a danger to security. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Non-refoulement binds only those States that have ratified the 1951 Convention or its Protocol, and has no basis outside treaty law.
  2. Article 3 of the Convention against Torture bars expulsion, return or extradition of a person to a State where there are substantial grounds for believing he would be in danger of being subjected to torture.
  3. Unlike Article 33 of the Refugee Convention, the non-refoulement rule under the Convention against Torture carries no exclusion clause for persons regarded as a danger to security.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q5. Poland's power to suspend temporarily the right to apply for asylum for irregular entrants on its eastern border rests on which of the following?

  • A. A Cabinet order of Prime Minister Donald Tusk permanently suspending asylum across the whole of Poland's territory
  • B. An Act passed by the Polish Parliament in March 2025 permitting suspension for up to 60 renewable days
  • C. A derogation issued to Poland by the European Commission under the Schengen Borders Code in 2026
  • D. A reservation entered by Poland to Article 33 of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees

Q6. Under Poland's 2025 asylum-suspension legislation, what is the maximum period for which the right to apply for asylum may be restricted at one time?

  • A. 60 days, renewable
  • B. 30 days, renewable
  • C. 90 days, renewable
  • D. Six months, not renewable

Q7. Consider the following statements about the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum as compared with the arrangement it succeeds: 1. The Council of the EU formally adopted the Pact in May 2024. 2. The Pact entered into application in June 2024, immediately upon its formal adoption by the Council. 3. The Pact replaces the Dublin Regulation's allocation arrangement, introducing a mandatory but more flexible needs-based solidarity mechanism. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Council of the EU formally adopted the Pact in May 2024.
  2. The Pact entered into application in June 2024, immediately upon its formal adoption by the Council.
  3. The Pact replaces the Dublin Regulation's allocation arrangement, introducing a mandatory but more flexible needs-based solidarity mechanism.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q8. As per UNHCR's global displacement findings for 2025, which EU member State hosted the largest refugee population?

  • A. France
  • B. Italy
  • C. Poland
  • D. Germany

Q9. With reference to instances of instrumentalised or 'weaponised' migration and the responses of the States affected, consider the following: 1. Lithuania declared a country-wide extreme situation in July 2021 on account of a mass influx of foreigners arriving via Belarus. 2. Finland closed the crossing points on its eastern border with Russia in December 2023, citing instrumentalised migration. 3. In 2020 Türkiye announced that it would no longer prevent migrants from trying to reach the EU, and tens of thousands then attempted to cross into Greece. 4. Latvia declined to adopt any emergency measures during the 2021 Belarus border crisis, relying solely on Frontex deployments. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Lithuania declared a country-wide extreme situation in July 2021 on account of a mass influx of foreigners arriving via Belarus.
  2. Finland closed the crossing points on its eastern border with Russia in December 2023, citing instrumentalised migration.
  3. In 2020 Türkiye announced that it would no longer prevent migrants from trying to reach the EU, and tens of thousands then attempted to cross into Greece.
  4. Latvia declined to adopt any emergency measures during the 2021 Belarus border crisis, relying solely on Frontex deployments.
  • A. 1 and 4 only
  • B. 2, 3 and 4
  • C. 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q10. In December 2023, how many crossing points on its border with the Russian Federation did Finland shut after a surge of irregular asylum arrivals?

  • A. Four
  • B. Six
  • C. Eight
  • D. Twelve

Q11. Which one of the following correctly describes the legal authority under which India deals with persons claiming refuge on its territory?

  • A. The Supreme Court has read Article 21 as conferring on every person in India an absolute right against deportation, whatever their nationality
  • B. India acceded to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees with a reservation to its non-refoulement clause
  • C. The Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 enacted a general refugee law conferring status on all persons fleeing persecution anywhere
  • D. India has no refugee-specific statute, and Section 3 of the Foreigners Act, 1946 empowers the Centre to deport illegal foreign nationals

Q12. Which one of the following correctly describes the Nobel Peace Prize record of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)?

  • A. It was awarded the Prize in 1954, the first UN entity to be so honoured, and again in 1981
  • B. It was awarded the Prize in 1954, the first UN entity to be so honoured, and has not received it since
  • C. It was awarded the Prize in 1981, and again in 2001 jointly with the UN Secretary-General
  • D. It was awarded the Prize in 1950, the year of its creation by the General Assembly, and again in 1967