UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Taiwan President pushes $6.6 billion military drone Bill

Q1. In the context of Taiwan's defence modernisation, the 'asymmetric' approach to warfare is best described as which one of the following?

  • A. Keeping a much smaller force agile enough to deliver a greater and more targeted punch, built around cheap, mobile, high-volume systems such as drones
  • B. Matching the adversary platform-for-platform by acquiring capital warships and advanced fighter aircraft in broadly comparable numbers
  • C. Confining one's own military to territorial policing while relying on a treaty ally's forces to conduct all offensive operations
  • D. Dispersing conventional forces across offshore island outposts so that any first strike inflicts unequal losses on the two sides

Q2. Under Taiwan's constitutional scheme, its cabinet is headed by which one of the following functionaries?

  • A. The Premier, who is appointed by the President and presides over the Executive Yuan
  • B. The President of the Legislative Yuan, who is chosen from among its members after each general election
  • C. The President of the Judicial Yuan, who is nominated by the Premier of the Executive Yuan
  • D. The President of the Control Yuan, who heads the branch supervising government administration

Q3. Consider the following descriptions of the branches provided for in Taiwan's constitution: 1. Control Yuan — a watchdog branch that oversees government administration, including guarding against corruption 2. Examination Yuan — functions in the nature of a civil-service commission 3. Legislative Yuan — a bicameral body whose members are elected for six-year terms 4. Executive Yuan — led by a premier appointed by the President, and competent to propose bills Which of the above are correctly identified?

  1. Control Yuan — a watchdog branch that oversees government administration, including guarding against corruption
  2. Examination Yuan — functions in the nature of a civil-service commission
  3. Legislative Yuan — a bicameral body whose members are elected for six-year terms
  4. Executive Yuan — led by a premier appointed by the President, and competent to propose bills
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 1, 2 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 3 and 4 only

Q4. With reference to the special defence budget passed by Taiwan's Legislative Yuan on 8 May 2026 and the drone-bill standoff that followed, consider the following statements: 1. The legislature cut the administration's request by 38 per cent, capping procurement at NT$780 billion. 2. The reduction was carried through amendments led by the Kuomintang, whose chairwoman is Cheng Li-wun. 3. The Legislative Yuan is controlled by the Democratic Progressive Party, which also holds the presidency. 4. The Opposition's rival proposal would cap drone spending at T$40 billion a year and route it through the annual budget rather than a special budget. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The legislature cut the administration's request by 38 per cent, capping procurement at NT$780 billion.
  2. The reduction was carried through amendments led by the Kuomintang, whose chairwoman is Cheng Li-wun.
  3. The Legislative Yuan is controlled by the Democratic Progressive Party, which also holds the presidency.
  4. The Opposition's rival proposal would cap drone spending at T$40 billion a year and route it through the annual budget rather than a special budget.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 3 and 4

Q5. Which one of the following is the leading party of the opposition majority that controls Taiwan's Legislative Yuan and drove the reduction of the special defence budget?

  • A. The Kuomintang, whose chairwoman is Cheng Li-wun
  • B. The Taiwan People's Party, the larger of the two partners in that majority
  • C. The Democratic Progressive Party, which won 51 of the 113 seats at the last legislative election
  • D. The New Power Party, which has led the legislature's defence committee amendments

Q6. In the present Taiwanese budget dispute, the 'special budget' sought for drone procurement is best understood as which one of the following?

  • A. A standalone multi-year appropriation enacted by separate legislation outside the regular annual budget cycle
  • B. A supplementary head within the annual defence budget that the defence ministry may re-allocate without fresh legislative approval
  • C. A reserve created out of the previous financial year's unspent defence allocations, requiring only the cabinet's assent to draw upon
  • D. A contingency appropriation that is triggered automatically once defence spending crosses three per cent of gross domestic product

Q7. Under the government's own proposal, the T$210 billion drone procurement programme would be operationalised through which one of the following?

  • A. The Ministry of National Defence, headed by Wellington Koo
  • B. The Ministry of Economic Affairs, working through the annual budget cycle
  • C. The National Security Council functioning directly under the President
  • D. The National Science and Technology Council under the Executive Yuan

Q8. Consider the following statements about the cross-strait setting of Taiwan's defence build-up: 1. The '1992 Consensus' denotes an understanding that both sides of the Taiwan Strait accept 'one China' while being free to define 'China' differently. 2. Beijing advances a 'one China' principle under which it maintains that it has authority over Taiwan. 3. Taiwan's defence spending for 2026 is planned at about 3.32 per cent of GDP, crossing the three per cent mark for the first time since 2009. 4. Taiwan's President has set the target of raising defence spending to three per cent of GDP by 2030. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The '1992 Consensus' denotes an understanding that both sides of the Taiwan Strait accept 'one China' while being free to define 'China' differently.
  2. Beijing advances a 'one China' principle under which it maintains that it has authority over Taiwan.
  3. Taiwan's defence spending for 2026 is planned at about 3.32 per cent of GDP, crossing the three per cent mark for the first time since 2009.
  4. Taiwan's President has set the target of raising defence spending to three per cent of GDP by 2030.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 3 and 4

Q9. 'T-Dome', which figures in Taiwan's 2026-2033 defence package, refers to which one of the following?

  • A. A layered island-wide air-defence system being fielded alongside missile and drone acquisitions
  • B. A programme of dome-roofed hardened shelters for dispersing combat aircraft to highway airstrips
  • C. An underground domed command-and-control complex for the defence ministry to use during a blockade
  • D. A network of sensor domes on the offshore islands to detect sabotage of undersea cables in the Strait