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IR Questions in UPSC Prelims 2024, Check Details and Trends!

PWOnlyIAS June 20, 2024 05:15 5659 0

Get the International Relations (IR) questions in UPSC prelims 2024. IR questions in UPSC prelims 2024 will give an opportunity for aspirants to streamline their preparation.

IR Questions in UPSC Prelims 2024, Check Details and Trends!

IR questions in UPSC prelims usually involve India and its neighborhood relations. However, UPSC has been focusing on events taking place in isolated regions, away from India’s neighborhood. 

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Answer Key 2024 GS Paper (01) Answer Key 2024
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DetaIled Answer Key 2024 GS Paper (01) Answer Key 2024
CSAT Paper Answer Key 2024

IR questions in UPSC prelims are usually based on current affairs. The examiner is known to pick up information directly from newspapers. This is the reason why current affairs is gaining prominence. Apart from India’s neighborhood, IR questions in UPSC prelims are based on international groupings, places in news, organizations in news, reports and indices, etc. Awareness about current affairs is the key to answering IR questions in UPSC prelims.

Let us have a look at the IR Questions in UPSC Prelims 2024, along with the trends of the themes from the Previous years questions. The Trend Analysis of the previous  years IR Questions in UPSC Prelims is also given here.

IR Questions in UPSC Prelims 2024 with Answers

The table below contains the IR Questions in UPSC Prelims 2024 with Answers:

IR Questions in UPSC Prelims 2024 with Answers
S. No.  Question  Answer 
1. Consider the following countries:

  1. Italy
  2. Japan
  3. Nigeria
  4. South Korea
  5. South Africa

Which of the above countries are frequently mentioned in the media for their low birth rates, or ageing population or declining population?

(a)  1, 2 and 4

(b)  1, 3 and 5

(c)  2 and 4 only

(d)  3 and 5 only 

(a)  1, 2 and 4
2. Which of the following statements about ‘Exercise Mitra Shakti-2023’ are correct?

  1. This was a joint military exercise between India and Bangladesh.
  2. It commenced in Aundh (Pune).
  3. Joint response during counter-terrorism operations was a goal of this operation.
  4. Indian Air Force was a part of this exercise.

Select the answer using the code given below:

(a)  1, 2 and 3

(b)  1, and 4

(c)  1, 3 and 4

(d)  2, 3 and 4 

(d)  2, 3 and 4 
3. Consider the following pairs:

  Country Reason for being in the news
1. Argentina Worst economic crisis
2. Sudan War between the country’s regular army and paramilitary forces
3. Turkey Rescinded its membership of NATO

How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

(a)  Only one pair

(b)  Only two pairs

(c)  All three pairs

(d)  None of the pairs

(b)  Only two pairs
4. Consider the following statements:

Statement-I: Sumed pipeline is a strategic route for Persian Gulf oil and natural gas shipments to Europe.

Statement-II: Sumed pipeline connects the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

(a)  Both Statement-I and Statement-II are and Statement-II explains correct Statement-I.

(b)  Both Statement-I and Statement-II are, correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I.

(c)  Statement-I is correct, but Statement-I is incorrect.

(d)  Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct.

(a)  Both Statement-I and Statement-II are and Statement-II explains correct Statement-I.
5. Consider the following statements:

  1. India is a member of the International Grains Council.
  2. A country needs to be a member of the International Grains Council for exporting or importing rice and wheat.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a)  1 only

(b)  2 only

(c)  Both 1 and 2

(d)  Neither 1 nor 2

(a)  1 only
6. Which one of the following was the latest inclusion in the Intangible Cultural Heritage List of UNESCO?

(a)  Chhau dance

(b)  Durga puja

(c)  Garba dance

(d)  Kumbh mela

(c)  Garba dance
7. Consider the following statements:

Statement-1: There is instability and worsening security situation in the Sahel region.

Statement-II: There have been military takeovers/coups d’état in several countries of the Sahel region in the recent past.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

(a)  Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I.

(b)  Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I.

(c)  Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect.

(d)  Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct.

(a)  Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I.
8. Consider the following statements:

Statement-I: The European Parliament approved The Net-Zero Industry Act recently.

Statement-II: The European Union intends to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 and therefore aims to develop all of its own clean technology by that time.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

(a)  Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I.

(b)  Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I

(c)  Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect

(d)  Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

(c)  Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
9. Consider the following statements:

Statement-1: Recently, Venezuela has achieved a rapid recovery from its economic crisis and succeeded in preventing its people from fleeing/emigrating to other countries.

Statement-II: Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

(a)  Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I

(b)  Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I

(c)  Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect

(d)  Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

(d)  Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct
10. Consider the following statements regarding World Toilet Organization:

  1. It is one of the agencies of the United Nations.
  2. World Toilet Summit, World Toilet Day and World Toilet College are the initiatives of this organization, to inspire action to tackle the global sanitation crisis.
  3. The main focus of its function is to grant funds to the least developed countries and developing countries to achieve the end of open defecation.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a)  2 only

(b)  3 only

(c)  1 and 2

(d)  2 and 3

(a)  2 only
11. Which one of the following is the correct description of “100 Million Farmers”?

(a)  It is a platform for accelerating the transition towards food and water systems that are net-zero (carbon), nature-positive and that aims to increase farmer resilience.

(b)  It is an international alliance and a network of individuals and farming organisations interested in supporting and strengthening the development of the organic animal husbandry.

(c)  It is a digital platform fully integrated with service providers and built on blockchain that lets buyers, sellers and third parties trade fertilizers quickly and securely.

(d)  It is a platform with the mission of encouraging the farmers to form Farmer Product Organisations or Agribusiness Consortiums, thus facilitating the access to global open markets to sell their products.

(a)  It is a platform for accelerating the transition towards food and water systems that are net-zero (carbon), nature-positive and that aims to increase farmer resilience.

IR Questions in UPSC Prelims 2023

IR Questions in UPSC Prelims 2024 can be anticipated a little by seeing the IR Questions of UPSC Prelims 2023 and other previous years. In the last couple of years, UPSC has increased the number of  IR questions in UPSC prelims. In the 2023 prelims, following were the questions that were asked from IR topics.

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Q1. Consider the following pairs:

Area of conflict mentioned in news Country where it is located
Donbas Syria
Kachin Ethiopia
Tigray North Yemen

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Answer (d)

Q2. With reference to India’s projects on connectivity, consider the following statements :

  1. East-West Corridor under Golden Quadrilateral Project connects Dibrugarh and Surat.
  2. The Trilateral Highway connects Moreh in Manipur and Chiang Mai in Thailand via Myanmar.
  3. Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor connects Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh with Kunming in China.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Answer: (d)

Q3. Consider the following statements:

Statement-I: Israel has established diplomatic relations with some Arab States.

Statement-II: The ‘Arab Peace Initiative’ mediated by Saudi Arabia was signed by Israel and Arab League.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

(a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I

(b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I

(c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect

(d) Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct

Answer: (c)

Q4. In recent years Chad, Guinea, Mali and Sudan caught international attention for which one of the following reasons is common to all of them?

(a) Discovery of rich deposits of rare earth elements

(b) Establishment of Chinese military bases

(c) Southward expansion of Sahara Desert

(d) Successful coups

Answer: (d)

Q5. Consider the following statements about G-20:

  1. The G-20 group was originally established as a platform for the Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors to discuss international economic and financial issues.
  2. Digital public infrastructure is one of India’s G-20 priorities.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (c)

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Q6. Consider the following pairs:

Region often mentioned in news Reason for being in news
North Kivu and Ituri War between Armenia and Azerbaijan
Nagorno-Karabakh Insurgency in Mozambique
Kherson and Zaporizhzhia Dispute between Israel and Lebanon

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Answer: (d)

Q7. Consider the following statements:

  1. Recently, all the countries of the United Nations have adopted the first-ever compact for international migration, the ‘Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM)’.
  2. The objectives and commitments stated in the GCM are binding on the UN member countries.
  3. The GCM addresses internal migration or internally displaced people also in its objectives and commitments.

How many of the above statements are

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Answer: (d)

Q8. Consider the following statements:

Statement-I: Switzerland is one of the leading exporters of gold in terms of value.

Statement-II: Switzerland has the second largest gold reserves in the world.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

(a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I

(b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I

(c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect

(d) Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct

Answer: (c)

Q9. Consider the following statements:

Statements-I: Recently, the United States of America (USA) and the European Union (EU) have launched the ‘Trade and Technology Council’.

Statement-II: The USA and the EU claim that through this they are trying to bring technological progress and physical productivity under their control.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

(a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I

(b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I

(c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect

(d) Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct

Answer: (c)

Q10. Consider the following statements:

The ‘Stability and Growth Pact’ of the European Union is a treaty that

  1. limits the levels of the budgetary deficit of the countries of the European Union
  2. makes the countries of the European Union to share their infrastructure facilities
  3. enables the countries of the European Union to share their technologies

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Answer: (a)

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Q11. Which one of the following countries has been suffering from decades of civil strife and food shortages and was in news in the recent past for its very severe famine?

(a) Angola

(b) Costa Rica

(c) Ecuador

(d) Somalia

Answer: (d)

Q12. Consider the following countries:

  1. Bulgaria
  2. Czech Republic
  3. Hungary
  4. Latvia
  5. Lithuania
  6. Romania

How many of the above-mentioned countries share a land border with Ukraine?

(a) Only two

(b) Only three

(c) Only four

(d) Only five

Answer: (a)

IR Questions in UPSC Prelims in the Last Few Years

The trend of IR Questions in UPSC Prelims 2024 can be understood by analysing the IR Questions in UPSC Prelims from previous years. Looking at the trends from the past few years, it is clear that the examiner has been giving importance to IR questions in UPSC prelims. From single digit weightage in 2021, IR questions have reached double digit weightage in 2023. The following table contains a list of the number of IR questions in UPSC prelims.

Year Number of Questions
2023 12
2022 14
2021 4
2020 2
2019 4
2018 6
2017 5

IR questions in UPSC prelims

Also Read: International Relations for UPSC Prelims 2024

Preparation Strategy for IR Questions in UPSC Prelims

Every candidate needs to understand the IR Questions in UPSC Prelims in the previous years to prepare the IR Questions in UPSC Prelims 2024. Since  IR questions in UPSC prelims are mostly based on current affairs, candidates need to have a different strategy. Following are some tips to prepare for  IR questions in UPSC prelims.

  • Regular Reading of Newspapers: Candidates have to read newspapers daily and identify topics from IR that can be asked in the exam.
  • Make Notes: Just reading the newspaper is not enough. Candidates have to make short notes on the topics that can be asked in IR.
  • Study Using Atlas: The places mentioned in the newspaper have to be located on a map and analyzed in detail to understand the features of the location and associated information, such as rivers, mountains, borders, etc.
  • Special Focus on India: UPSC asks questions about topics associated with India. Hence, candidates have to focus on groupings and events associated with India.
  • Regular Revision: The news that appears multiple times has to be studied in detail. Candidates have to revise them multiple times before the exam.
  • PYQ Analysis: To understand how UPSC frames questions, candidates have to analyse PYQs. This will help them predict information that can be asked in the question.
  • Attempt Test Series: Candidates have to test their knowledge by attempting weekly quizzes and mock test series. This will help them recall topics they studied earlier.

Repeated Themes of IR Questions in UPSC Prelims

UPSC has not provided IR syllabus but for prelims but it gives prominence to certain topics. The most common themes of  IR questions in UPSC prelims are given below.

Themes Significance
Locations in News 1-3 questions based on conflict regions
Indices and Reports 1-2 questions
International Groupings 2-3 questions from international groupings
Global Conventions 1-2 questions
India’s Neighborhood 1-2 questions

Also Read: UPSC Prelims Questions

Sample IR Questions in UPSC Prelims

Based on the repeated themes, we have provided some sample  IR questions in UPSC prelims from the past few years.

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Indices and Reports

Q. The Global Competitiveness Report is published by the (2019)

(a) International Monetary Fund

(b) United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

(c) World Economic Forum

(d) World Bank

International Groupings

Q. With reference to the United Nations General Assembly, consider the following statements:

  1. The UN General Assembly can grant observer status to the non-member States.
  2. Inter-governmental organizations can seek observer status in the UN General Assembly.
  3. Permanent Observers in the UN General Assembly can maintain missions at the UN headquarters.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Locations in News

Q. Consider the following statements: (2022)

  1. Bidibidi is a large refugee settlement in north-western Kenya.
  2. Some people who fled from South Sudan civil war live in Bidibidi.
  3. Some people who fled from the civil war in Somalia live in the Dadaab refugee complex in Kenya.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2

(b) 2 only

(c) 2 and 3

(d) 3 only

Global Conventions and Treaties

Q. With reference to the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea, consider the following statements: (2022)

  1. A coastal state has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles, measured from baseline determined in accordance with the convention.
  2. Ships of all states, whether coastal or land-locked, enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea.
  3. The Exclusive Economic Zone shall not extend beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

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Srijan 2024

Must Read
UPSC Daily Editorials UPSC Daily Current Affairs
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Check Out Previous Years Papers From PW Store UPSC Test Series 2024
Daily Current Affairs Quiz Daily Main Answer Writing
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IR Questions in UPSC Prelims FAQs

The best source for IR topics is newspapers such as The Hindu and The Indian Express. Following these sources will help immensely in preparing for IR questions in UPSC prelims 2024.

UPSC can ask 8-15 questions from IR subject in UPSC prelims 2024. However, the number of IR questions in UPSC prelims may change from year to year depending upon the difficulty of the paper.

No. UPSC does not ask IR questions in UPSC prelims from NCERT books. Candidates have to read current affairs for IR subject to prepare for IR questions in UPSC prelims 2024.

Candidates can read magazines such as PW Udaan 500 to prepare for IR questions in UPSC prelims. Following the Current Affairs Magazines help to analyse the IR questions in UPSC prelims from previous years as well.

The Hindu and The Indian Express are the best newspapers to be read for IR subject.
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Quick Revise Now !
AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD SOON
UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध
Quick Revise Now !
UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध

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