UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — ‘India better placed than others to brave West Asia war impact’

Q1. Which one of the following countries is currently the single largest source of India's crude oil imports?

  • A. Iraq
  • B. Saudi Arabia
  • C. Russia
  • D. United Arab Emirates

Q2. India traditionally sourced the bulk of its LPG requirement from the Gulf region. Which of the following are correctly identified as such traditional Gulf sources of India's LPG?

  1. Qatar
  2. Kuwait
  3. Norway
  4. Saudi Arabia
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1, 3 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 2, 3 and 4

Q3. Directions issued to all refineries to maximise LPG yields and reserve the entire output of their C3 and C4 hydrocarbon streams for domestic cooking gas were issued under which one of the following?

  • A. The LPG (Regulation of Supply and Distribution) Control Order
  • B. The Petroleum Act, 1934
  • C. The Essential Services Maintenance Act
  • D. The Petroleum and Natural Gas Rules

Q4. With reference to India's Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPR), which one of the following best describes them?

  • A. Emergency stocks of crude oil stored in underground rock caverns, maintained to cushion short-term supply disruptions
  • B. Reserves of refined petroleum products always held exclusively at all major ports for daily commercial sale
  • C. Financial reserves set aside solely to subsidise domestic fuel prices during every price spike
  • D. Buffer stocks of natural gas alone maintained to meet peak winter demand

Q5. Which one of the following statements about the institutional and expansion framework of India's Strategic Petroleum Reserves is correct?

  • A. Phase II of the SPR programme, approved in 2021, adds facilities at Chandikhol (Odisha) and Padur (Karnataka) on a public-private partnership basis
  • B. The SPR facilities are managed entirely by the Ministry of External Affairs, with no role for the petroleum ministry
  • C. All SPR caverns are located only on India's eastern coast
  • D. The reserves are owned exclusively by private foreign national oil companies

Q6. The Inter-Group of Ministers (IGoM) constituted to review the West Asia situation and India's preparedness is chaired by which one of the following Union Ministers?

  • A. Minister of External Affairs
  • B. Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas
  • C. Minister of Defence (Raksha Mantri)
  • D. Minister of Home Affairs

Q7. Which of the following are correctly identified as constituent institutions of the World Bank Group?

  1. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)
  2. International Finance Corporation (IFC)
  3. International Monetary Fund (IMF)
  4. Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2, 3 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q8. The Parliamentary statement on measures to address global energy-supply disruptions arising from the West Asia conflict — including the re-routing of nearly 70% of India's crude imports away from the Strait of Hormuz — was made by the Union Minister heading which one of the following ministries?

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