UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : International Relations MCQs on countries covered under Alps mountain range, IAEA and more (Week 112)

QUESTION 1

Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an NGO backed by:

1. The United States

2. Israel

3. Turkey

4. Syria

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2 and 4

Explanation

— An estimated 50 people were shot and injured in Rafah this week as thousands of Palestinians starving for food swarmed an aid distribution facility run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US and Israeli-backed NGO.

— Gaza had been under total embargo for nearly three months before last week. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has stated that it cannot collaborate with GHF. Jake Wood, GHF’s president, resigned on May 25, claiming that the organization’s activity did not adhere to “humanitarian principles”.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 2

With reference to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), consider the following statements:

1. It is the international centre for cooperation in the nuclear field.

2. The Agency works to promote the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies.

3. It is also known as “Atoms for Peace and Development”.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Explanation

— The conclusions of the “comprehensive” International Atomic Energy Agency assessment sought by the agency’s 35-nation Board of Governors in November open the way for a drive by the US, UK, France, and Germany for the board to declare Iran in breach of its non-proliferation responsibilities.

— A resolution will enrage Iran and could hamper nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington.

— Using the IAEA report’s conclusions, the four Western powers want to submit a draft resolution to the board for adoption at its next meeting in the week of June 9, diplomats believe. Iran would be placed in official noncompliance for the first time in nearly two decades.

About IAEA

— The IAEA, often known as the “Atoms for Peace and Development” organisation within the United Nations family, is the international centre for nuclear cooperation. Hence, statements 1 and 3 are correct.

— The Agency collaborates with its Member States and several global partners to promote the safe, secure, and peaceful use of nuclear technologies. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 3

The Alps mountain range stretches across:

1. Italy

2. Poland

3. Hungary

4. Switzerland

5. Austria

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1, 2 and 3 only

(b) 1, 4 and 5 only

(c) 2, 3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Explanation

— According to the BBC, almost nine million cubic metres of ice and boulders crashed on the Birch glacier and into the valley. The impact was significant enough to be detected by geological monitoring stations throughout Switzerland.

— Glacier specialist Matthias Huss of the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich described the calamity as the worst-case scenario. “I was speechless,” he told the BBC, adding that, while Blatten’s case is the most serious in recent years, it is not the only one. “We are seeing a lot,” he added. “A lot of these events in the last years in the Alps are linked to global warming.”

— The Alps mountain range spans various European countries, including France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Liechtenstein, and Monaco. While these are the countries most closely identified with the Alps, the range also extends into Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and Albania.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 4

Recently, which of the following countries has issued a ban on all imports of poultry and related products from Brazil over an avian influenza outbreak?

(a) United States

(b) Japan

(c) Russia

(d) China

Explanation

— China has issued a ban on all imports of poultry and related products from Brazil over an avian influenza outbreak, two weeks after suspending import applications from the country’s poultry farms.

— All direct and indirect Brazilian poultry imports are prohibited and would be returned or destroyed if delivered or mailed into the nation, according to a May 29 internet warning from China’s General Administration of Customs.

— It also said that all animal and plant waste from entering Brazilian ships must be processed under customs supervision and not thrown without approval.

— Brazil, the world’s top poultry exporter and China’s largest chicken meat supplier, announced a bird flu epidemic on a commercial poultry farm in the city of Montenegro in its southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul on May 16, prompting a flurry of international trade restrictions.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 5

Which of the following countries are part of the Arctic Council?

1. Canada

2. Finland

3. United States

4. Norway

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 2, 3 and 4

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 2 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Explanation

— The Arctic Council serves as the apex intergovernmental forum fostering regional cooperation and promoting governance in the Arctic region.

— The forum comprises eight permanent members – Canada, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, United States, and Denmark (including Greenland and the Faroe Islands).

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

Sorry for the inconvenience caused. All remaining questions and answers are correctly marked.

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 112)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 112)

Daily subject-wise quiz —  Science and Technology (Week 112)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 112)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment and Geography (Week 112)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 111)

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