UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — ‘UN Convention on the Law of the Sea is still the constitution of oceans’

Q1. The Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea was steered in its final phase by a President who famously described the resulting 1982 text as 'a constitution for the oceans'. Which one of the following held that office?

  • A. Hamilton Shirley Amerasinghe of Sri Lanka, who had served as the Conference's first President
  • B. Arvid Pardo of Malta, whose 1967 address to the General Assembly launched the seabed debate
  • C. Tommy Koh of Singapore, who led over 150 nations to the adoption of the Convention in 1982
  • D. Satya Nandan of Fiji, who later became the first Secretary-General of the seabed body

Q2. Consider the following statements regarding the adoption and entry into force of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea: 1. The Convention was opened for signature at Montego Bay, Jamaica, on 10 December 1982. 2. It entered into force on 16 November 1994, twelve months after the deposit of the sixtieth instrument of ratification or accession. 3. Entry into force was governed by Article 287 of the Convention. 4. The Convention was the product of more than 14 years of work involving the participation of more than 150 countries. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. The Convention was opened for signature at Montego Bay, Jamaica, on 10 December 1982.
  2. It entered into force on 16 November 1994, twelve months after the deposit of the sixtieth instrument of ratification or accession.
  3. Entry into force was governed by Article 287 of the Convention.
  4. The Convention was the product of more than 14 years of work involving the participation of more than 150 countries.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2, 3 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 1 and 4 only

Q3. Multi-channel seismic data acquisition in the northern Western Offshore Region to support India's revised submission on the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles has been carried out under the aegis of which one of the following?

  • A. The Ministry of Earth Sciences, working with the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons and ONGC
  • B. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, working through the Directorate General of Shipping
  • C. The Ministry of External Affairs, working through its Legal and Treaties Division and Indian missions
  • D. The Ministry of Defence, working through the National Hydrographic Office at Dehradun

Q4. Under the Law of the Sea, the contiguous zone is best described as which one of the following?

  • A. A belt up to 12 nautical miles from the baselines in which sovereignty extends to the airspace, seabed and subsoil
  • B. A belt up to 24 nautical miles from the baselines in which control may be exercised to prevent and punish infringement of customs, fiscal, immigration and sanitary laws
  • C. A belt up to 200 nautical miles from the baselines in which sovereign rights exist over living and non-living resources
  • D. A belt up to 350 nautical miles from the baselines in which seabed and subsoil resources, but not superjacent waters, may be exploited

Q5. Consider the following statements about Part XI of the Convention and the deep seabed regime: 1. The Area and its resources are the common heritage of mankind. 2. The Agreement relating to the implementation of Part XI was adopted on 28 July 1994 and entered into force on 28 July 1996. 3. Under the 1994 Agreement, activities in the Area must be conducted exclusively by the Enterprise, State-sponsored and private contractors being permanently barred. 4. The Assembly of the International Seabed Authority is composed of all its member States, while its Council is a 36-member organ. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The Area and its resources are the common heritage of mankind.
  2. The Agreement relating to the implementation of Part XI was adopted on 28 July 1994 and entered into force on 28 July 1996.
  3. Under the 1994 Agreement, activities in the Area must be conducted exclusively by the Enterprise, State-sponsored and private contractors being permanently barred.
  4. The Assembly of the International Seabed Authority is composed of all its member States, while its Council is a 36-member organ.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 2 and 4
  • D. 3 and 4

Q6. Consider the following statements comparing the seabed regime as originally framed in 1982 with the regime after the 1994 Implementation Agreement: 1. Difficulties raised by industrialized States with the original seabed mining provisions led the UN Secretary-General to begin informal consultations in 1990, culminating in the 1994 Agreement. 2. The 1994 Agreement revised, among other matters, decision-making in the Authority, technology transfer and production policies, reorienting the regime towards market-oriented principles. 3. The 1994 Agreement was negotiated under the auspices of the International Seabed Authority, which had been functioning since 1982. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Difficulties raised by industrialized States with the original seabed mining provisions led the UN Secretary-General to begin informal consultations in 1990, culminating in the 1994 Agreement.
  2. The 1994 Agreement revised, among other matters, decision-making in the Authority, technology transfer and production policies, reorienting the regime towards market-oriented principles.
  3. The 1994 Agreement was negotiated under the auspices of the International Seabed Authority, which had been functioning since 1982.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q7. Under Article 287, a State may declare in writing its choice among the listed means for the settlement of disputes concerning the interpretation or application of the Convention. Consider the following as such listed means: 1. The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea 2. The International Court of Justice 3. An arbitral tribunal constituted in accordance with Annex VII 4. The Permanent Court of Arbitration, sitting as a standing court named in Article 287 Which of the above is/are NOT correctly identified?

  1. The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea
  2. The International Court of Justice
  3. An arbitral tribunal constituted in accordance with Annex VII
  4. The Permanent Court of Arbitration, sitting as a standing court named in Article 287
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 2 and 3
  • C. 3 and 4
  • D. 4 only

Q8. The specialised judicial body established by the Convention and inaugurated at Hamburg in October 1996 is composed of how many members, each elected for a nine-year term?

  • A. Fifteen
  • B. Eighteen
  • C. Twenty-one
  • D. Twenty-five

Q9. Consider the following statements about Tommy Koh: 1. Named among the 2026 Ramon Magsaysay Award laureates, with the awards ceremony to be held at Manila. 2. Served as the first Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority. 3. Has maintained that the transit passage regime binds even a State that is not a party to the Convention, as customary international law. 4. Has held that the Convention is now obsolete and must be replaced in its entirety by a wholly new treaty. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Named among the 2026 Ramon Magsaysay Award laureates, with the awards ceremony to be held at Manila.
  2. Served as the first Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority.
  3. Has maintained that the transit passage regime binds even a State that is not a party to the Convention, as customary international law.
  4. Has held that the Convention is now obsolete and must be replaced in its entirety by a wholly new treaty.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 3 and 4

Q10. Consider the following statements about the regime of transit passage: 1. It applies in straits used for international navigation connecting one part of the high seas or an exclusive economic zone with another such area. 2. There shall be no suspension of transit passage by the States bordering the strait. 3. It consists of the freedom of navigation and overflight solely for the purpose of continuous and expeditious transit. 4. Iran, a State bordering the Strait of Hormuz, ratified the Convention in 1982 and accepts the regime as binding treaty law. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. It applies in straits used for international navigation connecting one part of the high seas or an exclusive economic zone with another such area.
  2. There shall be no suspension of transit passage by the States bordering the strait.
  3. It consists of the freedom of navigation and overflight solely for the purpose of continuous and expeditious transit.
  4. Iran, a State bordering the Strait of Hormuz, ratified the Convention in 1982 and accepts the regime as binding treaty law.
  • A. 1 and 4
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 3 and 4 only

Q11. India holds an exploration contract with the International Seabed Authority covering 75,000 sq km of the Central Indian Ocean Basin for polymetallic nodules. These nodules are best described as which one of the following?

  • A. Concretions of manganese, nickel, cobalt and copper strewn over the sediment of the abyssal plains
  • B. Sulphide deposits precipitated from hot fluids venting along the axes of mid-oceanic ridge systems
  • C. Ferromanganese crusts rich in cobalt that encrust the exposed flanks of submerged seamounts
  • D. Ice-like solids of methane locked within a lattice of water molecules in continental slope sediments

Q12. The organ of the International Seabed Authority that functions alongside the Assembly as its executive organ consists of how many members?

  • A. Twenty-one
  • B. Twenty-four
  • C. Thirty-six
  • D. Forty-one