UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — data point

Q1. Under the 2009 Act on Greenland Self-Government, which one of the following best describes Greenland's status within the Kingdom of Denmark?

  • A. An autonomous territory that manages most of its own domestic affairs, while Denmark retains responsibility for foreign affairs and defence
  • B. A fully sovereign state in free association with Denmark, controlling its own defence and foreign policy
  • C. A Danish county with no legislative assembly of its own
  • D. An overseas department of Denmark that is also a full member state of the European Union

Q2. With reference to Greenland's status and geography, consider the following statements: 1. The 2009 Act on Greenland Self-Government succeeded the earlier 1979 Home Rule arrangement and transferred additional competencies to Greenland. 2. With an area of about 2.16 million sq km, Greenland is the largest island in the world. 3. Under the 2009 Act, Greenland assumed exclusive control over its own defence and foreign policy, leaving Denmark with no role in either. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The 2009 Act on Greenland Self-Government succeeded the earlier 1979 Home Rule arrangement and transferred additional competencies to Greenland.
  2. With an area of about 2.16 million sq km, Greenland is the largest island in the world.
  3. Under the 2009 Act, Greenland assumed exclusive control over its own defence and foreign policy, leaving Denmark with no role in either.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q3. Surveillance and anti-submarine monitoring of the GIUK gap in the North Atlantic has historically been operationalised primarily by which one of the following?

  • A. NATO's maritime forces (Allied Maritime Command)
  • B. The military secretariat of the Arctic Council
  • C. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
  • D. The European Union's border agency, Frontex

Q4. In the context of North Atlantic security, the term 'GIUK gap' refers to which one of the following?

  • A. A maritime choke point formed by the stretches of open ocean among Greenland, Iceland and the United Kingdom, funnelling naval movement between the Arctic and the North Atlantic
  • B. The disputed continental-shelf boundary between Greenland and Norway in the central Arctic Ocean
  • C. An ice-free land corridor across southern Greenland used to link NATO air bases
  • D. The submarine fibre-optic cable network connecting Iceland and the United Kingdom

Q5. Which one of the following is regarded as the European Union's most powerful ('biggest') instrument for retaliating against economic coercion by a third country, and was weighed for its first-ever use during the 2026 Greenland tariff standoff?

  • A. The Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI)
  • B. The Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP)
  • C. The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
  • D. The Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR)

Q6. The European Union's Anti-Coercion Instrument, which the EU considered deploying during the 2026 Greenland dispute, was formally adopted in which year?

  • A. 2023
  • B. 2016
  • C. 2020
  • D. 2025

Q7. With reference to the 2026 US–Greenland standoff, consider the following statements: 1. Trump threatened a 10% tariff on eight European countries effective 1 February 2026. 2. The tariff was to rise to 25% from 1 June 2026 unless Denmark agreed to sell Greenland. 3. The Greenlandic and Danish prime ministers publicly rejected any US takeover, stating Greenland is 'not for sale'. 4. Trump raised the idea of the US buying Greenland only in his second term in 2026, never having proposed it earlier. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. Trump threatened a 10% tariff on eight European countries effective 1 February 2026.
  2. The tariff was to rise to 25% from 1 June 2026 unless Denmark agreed to sell Greenland.
  3. The Greenlandic and Danish prime ministers publicly rejected any US takeover, stating Greenland is 'not for sale'.
  4. Trump raised the idea of the US buying Greenland only in his second term in 2026, never having proposed it earlier.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 3 and 4

Q8. Given Greenland's post-2009 constitutional status, any decision to transfer sovereignty over Greenland to the US would ultimately require the consent of which of the following?

  • A. The people and Government of Greenland (Naalakkersuisut), in whom the right to self-determination rests
  • B. The United States Senate acting alone
  • C. The European Commission
  • D. The North Atlantic Council of NATO

Q9. Trump's 2026 threat of a '10% tariff' on European goods expressed the levy as a percentage of the goods' value. Such a tariff is best described as which one of the following?

  • A. An ad valorem tariff — levied as a fixed percentage of the import's value
  • B. A specific tariff — a fixed charge per physical unit, regardless of value
  • C. A tariff-rate quota that always eliminates all imports above a set threshold
  • D. An export subsidy that invariably lowers the domestic price of the good

Q10. With reference to Operation Arctic Endurance, the 2026 Greenland military deployment, consider the following: 1. Denmark 2. France 3. Russia 4. Norway Which of the above is/are correctly identified as participants in the operation?

  1. Denmark
  2. France
  3. Russia
  4. Norway
  • A. 1 and 4 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q11. With reference to historical US interest in acquiring Greenland, consider the following statements: 1. In 1867, following the Alaska Purchase, the US State Department under William Seward showed interest in acquiring Greenland. 2. In 1946, President Harry Truman formally offered to purchase Greenland from Denmark, an offer Denmark rejected. 3. In 1917, the United States purchased Greenland from Denmark together with the Danish West Indies. 4. In 2019, during his first term, Donald Trump publicly proposed that the US buy Greenland. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. In 1867, following the Alaska Purchase, the US State Department under William Seward showed interest in acquiring Greenland.
  2. In 1946, President Harry Truman formally offered to purchase Greenland from Denmark, an offer Denmark rejected.
  3. In 1917, the United States purchased Greenland from Denmark together with the Danish West Indies.
  4. In 2019, during his first term, Donald Trump publicly proposed that the US buy Greenland.
  • A. 3 only
  • B. 1 and 3
  • C. 3 and 4
  • D. 2 only

Q12. In the 2026 dispute, which one of the following EU institutions was responsible for proposing and administering the bloc's ~€93 billion retaliatory tariff package and the deployment of the Anti-Coercion Instrument against the US?

  • A. The European Commission
  • B. The European Central Bank
  • C. The Court of Justice of the European Union
  • D. The European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs