UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — The West Asia cauldron of conflict and its fallout

Q1. India's drive to secure crude supplies against a Strait of Hormuz disruption — building strategic petroleum reserves and diversifying import routes — is operationalised primarily by which Union ministry?

  • A. Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
  • B. Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
  • C. Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  • D. Ministry of External Affairs

Q2. The right of 'transit passage' for ships and aircraft through international straits such as the Strait of Hormuz is protected under which international legal instrument?

  • A. The 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
  • B. The 1958 Geneva Convention on the High Seas
  • C. The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS)
  • D. The 1936 Montreux Convention

Q3. According to the World Bank, approximately how much did India — the world's largest recipient of remittances — receive in 2024?

  • A. About US$129 billion
  • B. About US$68 billion
  • C. About US$48 billion
  • D. About US$40 billion

Q4. Which institution's estimates are the authoritative basis for ranking India as the world's single largest recipient of international remittances?

  • A. The World Bank
  • B. The Reserve Bank of India
  • C. The International Organization for Migration
  • D. The International Monetary Fund

Q5. In which year was the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) concluded between Iran and the P5+1?

  • A. 2015
  • B. 2013
  • C. 2016
  • D. 2018

Q6. Consider the following countries with respect to the JCPOA (2015). Which of them are correctly identified as parties (the P5+1) to the agreement?

  1. Germany
  2. Russia
  3. Japan
  4. China
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q7. With reference to the I2U2 grouping, which of the following are correctly identified as its member countries?

  1. India
  2. Israel
  3. United Arab Emirates
  4. Saudi Arabia
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1, 3 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2 and 4

Q8. India's policy of simultaneously maintaining ties with Israel, Iran, the Arab states and the United States — the practical conduct of its 'strategic autonomy' in West Asia — is led by which Union ministry?

  • A. Ministry of External Affairs
  • B. Ministry of Defence
  • C. Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  • D. NITI Aayog

Q9. Consider the following armed groups. Which of them are correctly identified as components of the Iran-backed 'Axis of Resistance'?

  1. Hezbollah (Lebanon)
  2. Houthi movement (Yemen)
  3. Taliban (Afghanistan)
  4. Hamas (Gaza)
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1, 2 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q10. Under which Chapter of the UN Charter may the Security Council determine a threat to the peace and authorise sanctions or the use of force?

  • A. Chapter VII
  • B. Chapter VI
  • C. Chapter VIII
  • D. Chapter IV

Q11. Which of the following best describes the 'Abraham Accords' (2020)?

  • A. US-brokered agreements normalising diplomatic relations between Israel and certain Arab states, including the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco
  • B. An Arab League peace initiative offering Israel recognition in return for full withdrawal to the 1967 lines
  • C. A ceasefire-and-prisoner-exchange framework between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip
  • D. A multilateral framework limiting Iran's uranium enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief