World Panorama (UPSC) Part-IV

Total Questions: 29

1. With reference to the 'Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture (GACSA)', which of the following statements is/are correct? [2018-I]

1. GACSA is an outcome of the Climate Summit held in Paris in 2015.

2. Membership of GACSA does not create any binding obligations.

3. India was instrumental in the creation of GACS(A)

Select the correct answer using the code given

Correct Answer: (b) 2 only
Solution:• GACSA is an inclusive, voluntary and action-oriented multi-stakeholder platform on Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA). "Voluntary" means doesn't create any biding obligation. #2 is right.
• India is neither in memberlist nor in observer list of this entity. So #3 is wrong. By elimination we get answer B: only 2.

2. Consider the following pairs Town sometime mentioned in news: Country: [2018-I]

1. Aleppo : Syria

2. Kirkuk : Yemen

3. Mosul : Palestine

4. Mazar-i-Sharif : Afghanistan

Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

Correct Answer: (b) 1 and 4
Solution:Aleppo = Syria, in news due to Syrian conflict. So, #1 is right. Mazar-i-Sharif is in Afghanistan. Last year PM Modi condemned a terror attack which killed 140 soldiers here. Ref: IndianExpress 2017- April] So, B: 1 and 4 are correctly paire (d) Kirkuk-Incorrect. It is in Iraq. Been in news due to ISIS controlled territory

3. Consider the following statements [2018-I]

1. Most of the world's coral reefs are in tropical waters.

2. More than one-third of the world's coral reefs are located in the territories of Australia, Indonesia and Philippines.

3. Coral reefs host far more number of animal phyla than those hosted by tropical rainforests.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
Solution:Coral reefs are found in tropical and subtropical regions. Most of them are located between Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer, so yes #1 is indeed right.
According to UNEP,% of world area covered by each region: Indonesia 18%, Australia: 17% and Philippines: 9% so collectively that'll be more than 33%. Hence #2 is right.
Coral reefs include a wide range of diversity with 32 of the 34 animal phyla present, in contrast to only 9 phyla represented in tropical rainforest. So, #3 is also right. Thus, answer is D: 1, 2 and 3

4. What is/are the consequence/consequences of a country becoming the member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group'? [2018-I]

1. It will have access to the latest and most efficient nuclear technologies.

2. It automatically becomes a member of "The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)".

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: (a) 1 only
Solution:• By joining NSG, we'll have access to sophisticated nuclear technology, so #1 is right.
• India wishes to be a part of the NSG. However, as India is not a member of NPT, China and Pakistan have objections to its enrolment. So, #2 is wrong.

5. The Global Competitiveness Report is published by the [2019-I]

Correct Answer: (c) World Economic Forum
Solution:Global Competitiveness Report is prepared by World Economic Forum. 2018 ranking: 1) USA, 2) Singapore, 3) Germany.... 28) China, 58) India... 140) Chad the last.
About World Economic Forum (WEF):
• Established in: The WEF was founded in 1971 as the European Management Forum, later renamed the World Economic Forum in 1987.
• Headquarters: The WEF is headquartered in Cologny, Switzerland.
• Established by: German economist Klaus Schwab, who introduced the concept of “stakeholder capitalism”.
• Aim:
o To improve the state of the world by fostering public-private cooperation.
o To address global economic, social, and environmental challenges through collaboration among stakeholders.
• 2025 Theme: “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age”

6. With reference to Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), consider the following statements: [2019-I]

1. AIIB has more than 80 member nations.

2. India is the largest shareholder in AIIB.

3. AIIB does not have any members from outside Asia.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: (a) 1 only
Solution:AIIB: China, India, UK, Switzerland are among the members. And, based on share capital provided. China ~27%, India ~7%. Asian countries control about 75% voting. So, #2 and #3 are wrong. We are left with answer (a).
• The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a multilateral development bank that provides financing for infrastructure projects in Asia.
• Unlike most other multilateral development banks set up by advanced economies, AIIB is the first major multilateral development bank where principal contributors are the borrowing members.
• Chinese President Xi Jinping first mentioned the concept of a China-led multilateral financial institution in 2013 at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Indonesia.

7. Which one of the following is not a sub-index of the World Bank's 'Ease of Doing Business Index? [2019-I]

Correct Answer: (a) Maintenance of law and order
Solution:World Bank's Ease of Doing Biz based on simple average
(equally weighted) of 10 parameters viz.

1. Starting a Business

2. Construction Permits

3. Getting Electricity

4. Registering Property

5. Getting Credit (loan)

6. Protecting Minority Investors

7. Paying Taxes

8. Trading across Borders

9. Enforcing Contracts

10. Resolving Insolvency

So, (a) is the answer.

8. Consider the following statements: [2019-I]

1. The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) has a "protocol against the smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air".

2. The UNCAC is the ever-first legally binding global anti. corruption instrument.

3. A highlight of the United Nations Convention against Transnational organized Crime (UNTOC) is the inclusion of a specific chapter aimed at returning assets to their rightful owners from whom they had been taken illicitly.

4. The United Nations office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is mandated by its member states to assist in the implementation of both UNCAC and UNTOC,

Which of the following statements given above are correct?

Correct Answer: (c) 2 and 4 only
Solution:• United Nations Convention against Corruption is the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument. So, #2 is right, this eliminates A. Upon checking the official webpages of UNTOC and UNCAC, it's evident that #3 is
not related with UNTOC but UNCAC. So, #3 is wrong. So, by elimination, we are left with answer C.

9. "Gold Tranche" (Reserve Tranche) refers to [2020-I]

Correct Answer: (d) A credit system granted by IMF to its members
Solution:

• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is funded through its members and their quota contributions.

• The “Gold Tranche” (Reserve Tranche) is basically an emergency account that IMF members can access at any time without agreeing to conditions or paying a service fee. In other words, it is a portion of a member country’s quota that can be withdrawn free of charge at its own discretion. The size of the gold tranche of an IMF member country’s quota that is accessible without fees or economic reform conditions.

• Initially, member nations’ reserve tranches are 25% of their quota, but this position can change according to any lending that the IMF does with its holdings of the member’s currency.

• The reserve tranches that countries hold with the IMF are considered their facilities of first resort. It mean that the country will tap into them before seeking a formal credit tranche that charges interest.

10. Consider the following pairs: [2020-I]

1. Alma-Ata Declaration  : Healthcare of the people

2. Hague Convention :  Biological and chemical weapons

3. Talanoa Dialogue : Global climate change

4. Under2 Coalition : Child rights

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

Correct Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only
Solution:• Alma-Ata Declaration → Healthcare of the People
• Hague Convention → International Child Abduction
• Talanoa Dialogue → Global Climate Change
• Under 2 Coalition → Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emission