UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — West Asia war’s global energy crisis boosts China’s clean tech advantage
Q1. Approximately how many million barrels of petroleum and crude oil pass through the Strait of Hormuz per day?
- A. About 5 million barrels per day
- B. About 10 million barrels per day
- C. About 20 million barrels per day
- D. About 45 million barrels per day
Q2. In the geography of the Strait of Hormuz, the Musandam Peninsula — which forms the strait's southern shore facing Iran — is correctly described as:
- A. An exclave of Oman
- B. A federal emirate of the United Arab Emirates
- C. An Iranian island in the Persian Gulf
- D. A Qatari headland extending into the Gulf
Q3. Considering the five successive stages of the solar PV manufacturing chain — polysilicon, ingots, wafers, cells and modules — in how many of these stages does China hold a dominant (roughly 80% or higher) share of global capacity?
- A. Two of the five stages
- B. Three of the five stages
- C. Four of the five stages
- D. All five stages
Q4. In the solar PV value chain in which China is dominant, the term 'polysilicon' most precisely refers to:
- A. The high-purity refined silicon feedstock from which ingots and wafers are subsequently produced
- B. The finished glass-and-frame solar panel ready for rooftop installation
- C. The thin silicon slice already doped and printed to form a working solar cell
- D. The lithium-based chemistry used in the battery packs paired with solar systems
Q5. The World Bank's April 2026 assessment described the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz during the 2026 Iran war as having triggered the largest single event of which kind on record?
- A. The largest oil supply shock on record
- B. The largest natural-gas price collapse on record
- C. The largest LNG demand surge on record
- D. The largest fertilizer export boom on record
Q6. During the June 2025 conflict, after US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites the Iranian parliament voted to close the Strait of Hormuz. Under whose approval could such a closure actually be enacted, a requirement that meant it never took effect?
- A. Iran's Supreme National Security Council
- B. The Iranian parliament (Majlis) alone
- C. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval command
- D. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
Q7. According to announced capacity expansions, by 2025 approximately what share of all solar module components could be manufactured in China — a dominance that pushed war-hit energy importers toward Chinese clean tech?
- A. About 45%
- B. About 65%
- C. About 80%
- D. About 95%
Q8. With respect to China's position in clean-technology manufacturing and trade, consider the following statements:
1. China is the largest exporter of solar cells and modules.
2. China could account for roughly 80% of global offshore wind blade manufacturing capacity.
3. China's share of global solar polysilicon production is below one-third.
4. The European Union, Japan, Korea and India are major importers of Chinese solar PV products.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- China is the largest exporter of solar cells and modules.
- China could account for roughly 80% of global offshore wind blade manufacturing capacity.
- China's share of global solar polysilicon production is below one-third.
- The European Union, Japan, Korea and India are major importers of Chinese solar PV products.
- A. 1, 2 and 4
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2, 3 and 4
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q9. Even as India's solar module-making capacity is around 80 GW, its dependence on Chinese solar cells persists because its own solar cell-making capacity stands at only approximately:
- A. About 7 GW
- B. About 25 GW
- C. About 80 GW
- D. About 125 GW
Q10. Ranked by oil-trade volume, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is the busiest global oil chokepoint after how many other straits?
- A. None — it is the busiest
- B. One other strait
- C. Two other straits
- D. Four other straits
Q11. Which international body's June 2026 assessment warned that developing economies bear the brunt of the Middle East conflict, projecting their inflation to average 5.1% in 2026 and their growth to slow to 3.6%?
- A. The United Nations (Department of Economic and Social Affairs)
- B. The International Monetary Fund
- C. The World Trade Organization
- D. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Q12. As part of the 2025 US 'energy dominance' agenda, which department's Secretary was directed to undo the ban on future offshore oil and gas drilling on the East and West coasts?
- A. The Department of the Interior
- B. The Department of Energy
- C. The Environmental Protection Agency
- D. The Department of Commerce