UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Updates on Key Sectors in View of Developments in West Asia

Q1. With reference to the Strait of Hormuz, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. It connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman.
  2. It lies between Iran and Oman.
  3. About 20% of global petroleum liquids consumption transits through it.
  4. About half of the world's LNG trade passes through it.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 3 and 4
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 2 and 4

Q2. With reference to the Strait of Hormuz, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. At its narrowest point it is about 29 nautical miles wide.
  2. Qatar and the UAE together account for the entirety of the LNG exports transiting the strait.
  3. Very few alternative routes exist to move the oil out if the strait is closed.
  4. It is the sole maritime outlet for Caspian Sea oil exports.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2, 3 and 4
  • C. 1 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q3. India's strategic crude oil reserves at Visakhapatnam, Mangaluru and Padur are built and managed by which one of the following?

  • A. Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL), a special purpose vehicle under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
  • B. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)
  • C. Indian Oil Corporation (IOC)
  • D. Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB)

Q4. With reference to India's Strategic Petroleum Reserves, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The three existing SPR sites are at Visakhapatnam, Mangaluru and Padur.
  2. The reserves are stored exclusively in above-ground steel tanks.
  3. Phase II expansion includes a facility at Chandikhol in Odisha.
  4. ISPRL is a Special Purpose Vehicle of the Government of India.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 2 and 4
  • D. 3 only

Q5. Operation Sindhu, launched in 2025 to bring back Indian nationals from the Iran-Israel conflict zone, was led and operationalised by which one of the following?

  • A. Ministry of External Affairs
  • B. Ministry of Defence
  • C. Ministry of Home Affairs
  • D. Ministry of Civil Aviation

Q6. Under Operation Sindhu, from which one of the following was the largest number of Indian nationals evacuated?

  • A. Iran
  • B. Israel
  • C. Armenia
  • D. Turkmenistan

Q7. The 1990 airlift of Indians following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait — the largest civil evacuation of its kind — was carried out primarily by which one of the following?

  • A. Air India
  • B. Indian Air Force
  • C. Indian Navy
  • D. Shipping Corporation of India

Q8. How many Indian citizens were evacuated under Operation Ganga (2022) from Ukraine?

  • A. 18,282
  • B. 4,097
  • C. 4,415
  • D. 22,500

Q9. The announcement that India expanded its crude oil sourcing from 27 suppliers to over 40 countries, adding Argentina as a new supplier, was made by the Union Minister heading which one of the following ministries?

  • A. Petroleum and Natural Gas
  • B. Commerce and Industry
  • C. External Affairs
  • D. Finance

Q10. With reference to the Inter-Ministerial Group (IGoM) on West Asia, consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. It is chaired by the Raksha Mantri (Defence Minister).
  2. Unlike the Cabinet Committee on Security, the IGoM on West Asia is chaired by the Prime Minister.
  3. At its 5th meeting it reported that India held 60 days of crude oil and 45 days of LPG rolling stock.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q11. The Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping), which coordinated the repatriation of Indian seafarers during the West Asia crisis, functions under which one of the following ministries?

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

Q12. With reference to the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. It is chaired by the Prime Minister.
  2. The Finance Minister and the External Affairs Minister are among its members.
  3. Only the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister are its members.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3