International (Current Affairs – UPSC) (Part-I)

Total Questions: 50

1. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer from the codes given below the lists: [1995]

List-I	List-II
A. Ernesto Zedillo	1. Uruguay
B. Alberto Fujimori	2. Brazil
C. Julio Maria Sanguinetti	3. Mexico
D. Fermando H. Cardoso	4. Bolivia
	5. Peru

Codes:

	A	B	C	D
(a)	3	5	1	2
(b)	4	5	3	1
(c)	3	4	4	2
(d)	5	3	1	4

Correct Answer: (a)

Solution:Ernesto Zedillo was the President of Mexico from 1994 to 2000. Alberto Fujimori was the President of Peru from 1990 to 2000. Julio Maria Sanguinetti is a Uruguayan politician, lawyer and journalist and former President of Uruguay from 1985-1990 and again, from 1995-2000. Fernando H Cardoso was the President of Brazil from 1995-2003.

2. Which one of the following countries had in 1994 voted against joining the European Union? [1995]

(a) Norway
(b) Sweden
(c) Finland
(d) Austria

Correct Answer: (a) Norway

Solution:In 1994, Norway voted against joining the European Union while Sweden, Austria and Finland were in favour of joining the European Union.

3. Comet shoemaker-Levy 9 hit the planet: [1995]

(a) Pluto
(b) Mars
(c) Jupiter
(d) Saturn

Correct Answer: (c) Jupiter

Solution:Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 was discovered by Keroshil Shoemaker and David Levy on 24th March 1994. This comet was roaming for 4 billion years and it came under the gravitational impact of Jupiter and collided with it in 1994.

4. The signatories to the treaty banning chemical weapons include: [1995]

(a) USA Russia, India, Iran and Israel
(b) Iraq, Libya, India, Russia and China
(c) Brazil, Angola, North Korea, Pakistan and USA
(d) Syria, Sri Lanka, Japan, Singapore and France

Correct Answer: (a) USA Russia, India, Iran and Israel

Solution:The treaty banning chemical weapon was signed on Jan 13, 1993. The treaty entered into force on April 29, 1997. There were 160 countries including U.S.A, Russia, India, Iran and Israel who signed the treaty.

5. The Prime Minister of which one of the following countries is chosen by the ruling prince from a state of three candidates put up to him by the President of France? [1997]

(a) San Marius
(b) Liechtenstein
(c) Malta
(d) Monaco

Correct Answer: (d) Monaco

Solution:The Minister of State is the head of the government of Monaco, being appointed by and subordinate to the Prince or Princess of Monaco. The office was created in 1911 with the adoption of Monaco's constitution.

Until the revision of the constitution of 2002, he had to be a French citizen, selected from several senior civil servants proposed by the French government. Since 2002, the Minister of State can be either French or Monegasque and is chosen and appointed by the prince, after consultation with the French government.

6. The world's fastest computer has been able to perform (as of Dec. 1996): [1997]

(a) 106 operations per second
(b) 109 operations per second
(c) 1012 operations per second
(d) 1015 operations per second

Correct Answer: (c) 1012 operations per second

Solution:As of 1996, the world's fastest computer has been able to perform 1012 operations per second.

7. The Basque separatist organization is active in: [1997]

(a) Russia
(b) Cyprus
(c) Portugal
(d) Spain

Correct Answer: (d) Spain

Solution:The Basque separatist movement is active in Spain. The group was founded in 1959.

8. The film 'The Making of the Mahatama' has been directed by: [1997]

(a) Peter Ustinov
(b) Richard Attenborough
(c) Shyam Benegal
(d) Mira Nair

Correct Answer: (c) Shyam Benegal

Solution:Shyam Benegal is the director of the film "The making of Mahatma" starring Rajit Kapoor as Mahatma Gandhi.

9. A major health mission carried out in 1996 was: [1997]

(a) war against leprosy
(b) small-pox eradication
(c) pulse polio immunization
(d) popularisation of oral rehydration theraphy

Correct Answer: (c) pulse polio immunization

Solution:The pulse polio immunization was a major health mission carried out in 1996 to make India polio free. The programme is still being carried out.

10. Consider the following graphs: [1997]

The behaviour of a fictitious stock market index [comprising a weight average of the market prices of a selected list of companies including some multinational corporation (MNC's)] over a 15 day period is shown in the graph.

The behaviour of the MNC's in the same period is also shown in the second graph.

Which one of the following is a valid conclusion?

(a) MNC's fell steeper in the period depicted
(b) Share prices of every non-MNC company soared by over 5% on the 12th day
(c) Government announced a policy disfavouring MNC's on the 11th day
(d) Whatever be the reason favouring market revival on the 12th day, it appears to be relevant only to non-MNC companies

Correct Answer: (d) Whatever be the reason favouring market revival on the 12th day, it appears to be relevant only to non-MNC companies

Solution:The combined Index favoured market revival on the 12th day but it favoured only to MNC's on the 11th day.

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