UPSC Essentials brings to you its initiative of subject-wise quizzes. These quizzes are designed to help you revise some of the most important topics from the static part of the syllabus. Each day, we cover one new subject. Attempt today’s subject quiz on International Relations to check your progress. Come back tomorrow to solve the MCQs on Weekly Current Affairs. Don’t miss checking the answers and explanations at the end of the quiz.

Russia has captured five cities in Ukraine namely:

1. Avdiivka

2. Kreminna

3. Marinka

4. Robotyne

5. Bakhmut

What is the correct chronological order of these places from west to east?

(a) 4— 3— 1— 5— 2

(b) 1— 2— 3— 4— 5

(c) 3— 1— 2— 4— 5

(d) 2— 1— 3— 5— 4

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was recently in the news. The power plant is located in:

(a) South Korea

(b) Russia

(c) Japan

(d) China

Consider the following countries:

1. Djibouti

2. Sudan

3. Yemen

4. Oman

5. Egypt

How many of the above countries share boundaries with the Red Sea?

(a) Only two

(b) Only three

(c) Only four

(d) All five

Southern Border was in the news. It separates:

(a) United States— Canada

(b) United States— Mexico

(c) China— Mongolia

(d) Egypt— Sudan

Recently, India held a comprehensive and productive discussion on areas like critical and emerging technologies, semiconductors and green hydrogen with:

(a) Russia

(b) United States

(c) Germany

(d) South Korea

FYI:

— Russian forces captured the longtime Ukrainian stronghold of Avdiivka. Moscow’s first major battlefield gain since it took Bakhmut last year.

— The now-destroyed city of Avdiivka covers only some 12 square miles. It sits only a few miles from the city of Donetsk, which Russia has occupied since 2014.

— With Marinka under control, the Russians are attacking Vuhledar from the north. They are currently advancing through the village of Novomykhailivka, which is about 13 miles to the northeast.

— The correct chronological order of these places from west to east is Robotyne, Marinka, Avdiivka, Bakhmut and Kreminna.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— As Japan prepares to mark the 13th anniversary of its worst-ever nuclear disaster, the man in charge of cleaning it up says his team is fighting to bring a sample out of the heart of the site’s radioactive debris.

— The remains of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is preparing to remove damaged fuel debris from the plant’s reactors.

— A magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, damaged the Fukushima Daiichi plant’s cooling systems, causing three of its reactors to meltdown, releasing radiation and driving thousands of residents from their homes.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— Red Sea, one of the most significant shipping routes in the world, is seeing tensions rise as a spillover of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

— The nearly 2,000-kilometer Red Sea connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean via the narrow Suez Canal. Prior to the Suez Canal’s construction in 1869, ships had to travel around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa to travel between Europe and Asia; the Suez Canal significantly reduced the time and resources required to cover that distance by providing a direct route.

— The Red Sea share its border with Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Egypt, Eritrea, Yemen and Djibouti.

— The Houthis have been embroiled in a civil war with the Yemen government for almost a decade. They are in power in northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa. The official government now operates out of Aden.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— There has been a spike in the number of migrants entering the US through its Mexico border in recent year.

— In November 2023 alone, there were nearly 250,000 illegal crossings along the southern border, and a majority of them were released into the country with pending claims for protection.

— The international boundary that separates the United States and Mexico runs from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has met South Korea’s top leadership and called for expanding India’s strategic partnership in new areas like critical and emerging technologies, semiconductors and green hydrogen to make the bilateral ties more contemporary.

— He said the two sides held a comprehensive and productive discussion on cooperation in the fields of defence, science and technology and trade.

— The conversations covered the expanded bilateral ties, cooperation in the field of defence, science and technology, business and trade, people-to-people exchange and cultural cooperation.

— They exchanged views on the developments in the Indo-Pacific, our convergences to challenges in the region and regional & global issues of mutual interest.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 48)

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 48)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 48)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 48)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 47)

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