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May 09, 2024 04:54
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IR questions in UPSC prelims are becoming important as visible in recent times. This article will help you to predict IR themes in a better way!
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.
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.
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.
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 :
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:
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)
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:
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
How many of the above statements are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Answer: (a)
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:
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)
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 |
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.
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 |
Based on the repeated themes, we have provided some sample IR questions in UPSC prelims from the past few years.
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:
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)
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)
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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