International Relations and Current Affairs: previous-year questions
135 real UPSC Prelims questions (2011–2026) with the official answer and a clear explanation. 63 of them came in the last five papers.
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Questions per year, counted from the official papers.
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Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched ?
Answer (d) & explanation
The pair 33 Corps : Srinagar is wrong (d). 33 Corps (Trishakti Corps) has its headquarters at Sukna near Siliguri, guarding Sikkim and the Siliguri Corridor. Srinagar hosts 15 Corps (Chinar Corps). Option (a) is correct: 3 Corps (Spear Corps) is at Dimapur. Option (b) is correct: 4 Corps (Gajraj Corps) is at Tezpur. Option (c) is correct: 14 Corps (Fire and Fury) is at Leh, facing Ladakh and the Siachen glacier.
Notice the structure: the Army has seven operational Commands, plus a training command, divided into Corps. The Siliguri Corridor, the "Chicken's Neck", is only about 22 km wide, which is why Trishakti Corps is so vital.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements about Mission Sudarshan Chakra of India :
- 1. It aims to enhance India’s air defence, ballistic missile defence and aerial offensive capabilities.
- 2. This Mission is being designed to enhance rapid, precise, and powerful defence responses, reinforcing India’s strategic autonomy.
- 3. One of the aims of this Mission is to cover all public places of India by an expanded nationwide security shield by 2035.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Answer (a) & explanation
All three statements are correct (a). The Prime Minister announced Mission Sudarshan Chakra on 15 August 2025. Statement 1 is right: it aims to strengthen air defence, ballistic missile defence and offensive strike capability. Statement 2 is right: it is designed for rapid, precise and powerful responses, reinforcing strategic autonomy. Statement 3 is right: it aims to cover strategic and civilian sites, including public places, with a nationwide security shield by 2035. So options (b), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the name: it comes from Lord Krishna's discus, which both protects and strikes. The plan builds on systems like S-400, Akash and the indigenous air defence used in Operation Sindoor (May 2025). It is often compared to Israel's Iron Dome.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which of the following countries are members of the European Union ?
- 1. Belarus
- 2. Poland
- 3. Germany
- 4. Switzerland
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (c) & explanation
Poland and Germany are EU members (c). Item 2 is right: Poland joined in the big 2004 enlargement. Item 3 is right: Germany is a founder member from the 1957 Treaty of Rome. Item 1 is wrong: Belarus is close to Russia and not in the EU. Item 4 is wrong: Switzerland stays outside, linked through bilateral deals and the Schengen area. So options (a), (b) and (d) fail.
Notice the numbers: the EU has 27 members since the UK left (Brexit, 2020). Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are in the European Economic Area but not the EU. India and the EU concluded talks on their Free Trade Agreement in January 2026.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which of the following international conventions have not been ratified by India ?
- 1. Employment Policy Convention
- 2. Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
- 3. International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
- 4. Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War
- 5. Convention on Reduction of Statelessness
Select the answer using the code given below :
No official answer (question dropped) & notes
UPSC dropped this question from evaluation. Item 2 is ratified: India ratified the ILO Abolition of Forced Labour Convention (No. 105) in 2000. Item 4 is ratified: India ratified the Fourth Geneva Convention on civilians in war in 1950. Item 1 is ratified: India accepted the ILO Employment Policy Convention (No. 122) in 1998. Items 3 and 5 are not ratified: India has not joined the Migrant Workers Convention (1990) or the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. None of options (a) to (d) lists exactly items 3 and 5.
Notice India's wider stance: it has also not signed the 1951 Refugee Convention, preferring to handle refugees case by case. It has ratified six of the eight core ILO conventions.
UPSC did not evaluate this question, so no official answer exists. Use it for practice only.
UPSC dropped this question from evaluation; there is no official answer.
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists :
| List I (INTERPOL Notice) | List II (Description)
| A. Silver Notice | 1. To seek information on unidentified bodies
| B. Blue Notice | 2. To collect additional information about a person’s identity, location, or activities in relation to a criminal investigation
| C. Black Notice | 3. To provide warning about a person’s criminal activities, where the person is considered to be a possible threat to public safety
| D. Green Notice | 4. To identify and trace criminal assets
Code :
Answer (c) & explanation
The correct match is A-4, B-2, C-1, D-3 (c). The Silver Notice, first issued in January 2025 as a pilot, helps trace criminal assets (A-4). A Blue Notice collects more information about a person's identity, location or activities (B-2). A Black Notice seeks information on unidentified bodies (C-1). A Green Notice warns about a person's criminal activities when they may threaten public safety (D-3). Options (a), (b) and (d) mix these up.
Notice the best-known one: a Red Notice asks police worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition. A Yellow Notice helps find missing persons, and an Orange Notice warns of an imminent threat. In India, the CBI is the National Central Bureau for INTERPOL, which is headquartered in Lyon.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements with respect to the AI Impact Summit, 2026 held in New Delhi :
- 1. The Summit’s intellectual framework was based on three foundational Sutras : People, Planning, and Progress.
- 2. The Preamble of the Summit stresses Democratising AI Resources, which acknowledges the Charter for Democratic Diffusion of AI as a binding framework to support locally relevant innovation and strengthen resilient AI ecosystems while respecting national laws.
- 3. The New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact was structured around seven Chakras (Pillars), which included Access for Social Empowerment, AI for Science, and Secure and Trusted AI.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Answer (d) & explanation
Only statement 3 is correct (d). Statement 3 is right: the New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact was built around seven chakras (pillars), including access for social empowerment, AI for science and secure and trusted AI. Statement 1 is wrong: the three sutras were People, Planet and Progress, not "Planning". Statement 2 is wrong: the Charter for Democratic Diffusion of AI is voluntary, not binding. So options (a), (b) and (c) fail.
Notice the event: the AI Impact Summit was held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, in February 2026, the first global AI summit in the Global South. It followed the summits at Bletchley Park (2023), Seoul (2024) and Paris (2025). At home, the IndiaAI Mission (2024) funds shared GPU computing.
Statement 1 changes one word, Planet to Planning. Statement 2 changes voluntary to binding.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany visited India in January, 2026. Which of the following is/are not correct in terms of outcomes of this visit ?
- 1. Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the All India Institute of Ayurveda and the University of Hamburg
- 2. Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Youth Hockey Development between Hockey India and the German Hockey Federation
- 3. Establishment of a bilateral dialogue mechanism on the Indo-Pacific
- 4. Opening of an Honorary Consul of Germany in Lucknow
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (b) & explanation
Outcomes 1 and 4 are not correct (b). Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited India on 12–13 January 2026. Item 1 is wrong: the Ayurveda MoU was between the All India Institute of Ayurveda and Charité University, Berlin, not Hamburg. Item 4 is wrong: Germany's new Honorary Consul was opened in Ahmedabad, not Lucknow. Item 2 is a real outcome: an MoU on youth hockey development between Hockey India and the German Hockey Federation. Item 3 is a real outcome: a new bilateral dialogue on the Indo-Pacific. So options (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the method: for visit questions, UPSC copies the MEA's "List of Outcomes" and changes one word, here a city name. India and Germany have been strategic partners since 2000.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which of the following connectivity projects is/are a part of cooperation between India and the ASEAN member countries ?
- 1. Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project
- 2. IMT Trilateral Highway
- 3. Agartala-Akhaura Rail Line
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (a) & explanation
Projects 1 and 2 involve ASEAN members (a). Item 1 is right: the Kaladan Multi-Modal project links Kolkata to Sittwe port and on to Mizoram through Myanmar. Item 2 is right: the India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway runs from Moreh in Manipur to Mae Sot in Thailand. Myanmar and Thailand are both ASEAN members. Item 3 is wrong: the Agartala–Akhaura rail line links Tripura with Bangladesh, which is not in ASEAN. So options (b), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the policy: these projects are the backbone of India's Act East Policy (2014), which upgraded the Look East Policy (1991). ASEAN has 11 members since Timor-Leste joined in 2025. Bangladesh links fall under BBIN and BIMSTEC instead.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) recently introduced a national standard to test and assess bomb disposal system. Which of the following statements with regard to this system is/are correct ?
- 1. The new standard is known as IS 19445 : 2025.
- 2. It will improve interoperability of equipment across agencies.
- 3. It was developed by TBRL, DRDO in collaboration with the Central Scientific Research Institute, Russia.
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (c) & explanation
Statements 1 and 2 are correct (c). Statement 1 is right: the Bureau of Indian Standards issued IS 19445 : 2025, India's first national standard to test and assess bomb disposal systems. Statement 2 is right: one common test standard improves interoperability of equipment across police, armed forces and security agencies. Statement 3 is wrong: it was developed with DRDO's Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL), Chandigarh, with no Russian partner. So options (a), (b) and (d) fail.
Notice the purpose: earlier, agencies tested equipment like bomb suits, containment vessels and robots against foreign standards. A domestic standard helps indigenous makers under Atmanirbhar Bharat. BIS works under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and gained statutory status in 1986.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists :
| List I (Project Supported by India) | List II (Country)
| A. Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project | 1. Maldives
| B. Restoration of Stor Palace | 2. Afghanistan
| C. District Hospital at Dickoya | 3. Bhutan
| D. Institute of Security and Law Enforcement Studies | 4. Sri Lanka
Code :
Answer (b) & explanation
The correct match is A-3, B-2, C-4, D-1 (b). Mangdechhu (720 MW) is an India-built hydro project in Bhutan (A-3). India restored the Stor Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan (B-2), opened in 2016. The Dickoya hospital is in the hill country of Sri Lanka (C-4), serving the Indian-origin Tamil community. The Institute of Security and Law Enforcement Studies was built for the Maldives police (D-1). Options (a), (c) and (d) mix these up.
Notice the pattern: India's Neighbourhood First policy relies on such development partnership projects. In Afghanistan, India also built the Parliament building and the Salma Dam (Afghan–India Friendship Dam). Bhutan's hydropower, including Chukha and Tala, sells surplus power to India.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
‘X’, born in the UK, was conferred the Nobel Prize in 2025. He was a professor in an American university when this prize was announced. Identify X :
Answer (c) & explanation
X is John Clarke (c). John Clarke, born in Cambridge, England, shared the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics while a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. He won with Michel Devoret and John Martinis for showing macroscopic quantum tunnelling in an electric circuit. Option (a) is wrong: Devoret was born in France. Option (b) is wrong: Richard Robson (Chemistry 2025) was born in England but works in Melbourne, Australia. Option (d) is wrong: Joel Mokyr (Economics 2025) was born in the Netherlands.
Notice why the physics prize matters: their experiments with superconducting circuits in the 1980s laid the base for today's quantum computers. India's own National Quantum Mission (2023) aims to build 50–1,000 qubit machines.
Robson fits "born in the UK" but fails the second clue: his university is in Australia.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which of the following items of defence hardware is/are manufactured in India ?
- 1. Su-30 MKI Fighter Jets
- 2. T-90 MK-III Tanks
- 3. Akula Class Submarine
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (a) & explanation
The Su-30MKI and T-90 are made in India (a). Item 1 is right: HAL Nashik builds the Su-30MKI under licence from Russia. Item 2 is right: the Heavy Vehicles Factory, Avadi (Tamil Nadu) builds the T-90 "Bhishma" tank under licence. Item 3 is wrong: the Akula-class is a Russian nuclear-powered attack submarine; India only leased one, INS Chakra, and never built it. So options (b), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice India's own submarine line: the Arihant-class nuclear ballistic missile submarines are built at Visakhapatnam, and the Kalvari (Scorpène) class at Mazagon Dock, Mumbai, with French help. Indigenous platforms like the Tejas fighter and Arjun tank support the Make in India defence push.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which of the following statements with regard to the Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments is/are correct ?
- 1. The tournaments have a shared governance structure establishing the partnership among the four Grand Slam tournaments.
- 2. They are open for entry to all internationally ranked tennis players above the age of 14.
- 3. There is a limitation on the number of ‘Wild Cards’ a player may receive to compete in a Grand Slam Tournament.
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (a) & explanation
Statements 1 and 2 are correct as per UPSC (a). Statement 1 is right: the four majors, the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open, share governance through the Grand Slam Board, which writes common rules. Statement 2 is right: entry is open to internationally ranked players who meet the age rules. Statement 3 is wrong: each tournament gives its own wild cards, and there is no cap on how many a player can receive. So options (b), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the surfaces: the Australian and US Opens are played on hard courts, Roland Garros on clay, and Wimbledon on grass. Winning all four in one calendar year is a "Calendar Grand Slam", last done in men's singles by Rod Laver in 1969.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements about platforms for multilateral co-operation :
- 1. The ‘Colombo Process’ is a regional consultative process in which member states take binding decisions by consensus.
- 2. The ‘Abu Dhabi Dialogue’ is a voluntary non-binding consultative process among Asian countries of labour origin and destination to facilitate regional cooperation on contractual labour mobility.
- 3. The ‘Global Forum for Migration and Development’, created upon the proposal of a former UN Secretary General, is a voluntary forum whose decisions are non-binding in nature.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Answer (c) & explanation
Statements 2 and 3 are correct (c). Statement 2 is right: the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (2008) is a voluntary, non-binding forum of Asian labour-origin and destination countries on contractual labour mobility. Statement 3 is right: the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) grew from Kofi Annan's proposal in 2006 and its outcomes are non-binding. Statement 1 is wrong: the Colombo Process (2003) is also non-binding; "binding decisions" makes it false. So options (a), (b) and (d) fail.
Notice India's stake: it is the world's largest receiver of remittances, over $125 billion a year, much of it from the Gulf. India is a member of both the Colombo Process and the Abu Dhabi Dialogue. The eMigrate portal protects Indian workers abroad.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements with regard to the film ‘Boong’ :
- 1. The film has recently won the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award in the Children’s and Family Film category.
- 2. The film is directed by Lakshmipriya Devi.
- 3. This is the first Indian film to win a BAFTA award in the Children’s and Family Film category.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Answer (a) & explanation
All three statements are correct (a). Statement 1 is right: Boong won the BAFTA for Children's and Family Film in February 2026. Statement 2 is right: it was directed by Lakshmipriya Devi, her debut feature. Statement 3 is right: it is the first Indian film to win that category. So options (b), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the film: made in Manipuri (Meiteilon), it follows a young boy in Manipur searching for his missing father, with the State's ethnic tensions in the background. It beat films like Zootopia 2 and Lilo & Stitch. Meitei is one of the 22 languages in the Eighth Schedule, added by the 71st Amendment (1992) along with Konkani and Nepali.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following UN organisations/agencies :
- 1. World Food Programme
- 2. United Nations Children’s Fund
- 3. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- 4. International Labour Organisation
How many of the above has/have been awarded the Nobel Prize twice ?
Answer (a) & explanation
Only one of these won the Nobel Peace Prize twice (a). Item 3 is right: the UNHCR won in 1954 and 1981. Item 1 is wrong: the World Food Programme won once, in 2020. Item 2 is wrong: UNICEF won once, in 1965. Item 4 is wrong: the ILO won once, in 1969, its 50th year. So options (b), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the record holder: the International Committee of the Red Cross has won three times (1917, 1944, 1963), the most of any organisation. The UN and Kofi Annan shared the prize in 2001, and UN Peacekeeping Forces won in 1988. The IAEA won in 2005. Indian-born Kailash Satyarthi shared the 2014 prize.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists :
| List I (UN Peacekeeping Operation) | List II (Period of Operation)
| A. UNMIL | 1. 2007 – 2010
| B. MINURCAT | 2. 2002 – 2005
| C. MINUSTAH | 3. 2003 – 2018
| D. UNMISET | 4. 2004 – 2017
Code :
Answer (b) & explanation
The correct match is A-3, B-1, C-4, D-2 (b). UNMIL served in Liberia from 2003 to 2018 (A-3). MINURCAT covered the Central African Republic and Chad from 2007 to 2010 (B-1). MINUSTAH was the UN mission in Haiti from 2004 to 2017 (C-4). UNMISET supported newly independent Timor-Leste from 2002 to 2005 (D-2). Options (a), (c) and (d) mix these up.
Notice India's role: India is among the largest troop contributors to UN peacekeeping, with over 2.9 lakh personnel since 1950. In Liberia, India sent the world's first all-women Formed Police Unit in 2007. India's earliest big mission was in Korea and then the Congo (1960s).
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which of the following is/are the most significant implication(s) of obtaining Oeko-Tex certification for Eri Silk in the global textile industry ?
- 1. It allows Indian exporters to compete in high-end markets that prioritise chemical-free products.
- 2. It confirms that Eri Silk meets international safety, environmental, and quality standards, enabling its entry into premium eco-conscious markets.
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (c) & explanation
Both statements describe the significance (c). Oeko-Tex Standard 100 is an international label showing that a textile has been tested for harmful substances. Statement 1 is right: it lets Indian exporters compete in high-end markets that want chemical-free products. Statement 2 is right: it confirms Eri silk meets international safety, environmental and quality standards, opening premium, eco-conscious markets in Europe and elsewhere. So options (a), (b) and (d) fail.
Notice Eri silk's story: called "peace silk" or ahimsa silk, because the moth is allowed to leave the cocoon before the silk is spun. It is made mainly in Assam and the North-East. India's other silks are mulberry, tasar and muga, the golden silk found only in Assam.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists :
| List I (BIMSTEC Centre / Establishment) | List II (Location)
| A. BIMSTEC Cultural Industries Observatory | 1. NOIDA
| B. BIMSTEC Energy Centre | 2. Bengaluru
| C. BIMSTEC Centre for Weather and Climate | 3. Colombo
| D. BIMSTEC Technology Transfer Facility | 4. Thimphu
Code :
Answer (c) & explanation
The correct match is A-4, B-2, C-1, D-3 (c). BIMSTEC spreads its centres across members. The Cultural Industries Observatory is in Thimphu (A-4). The Energy Centre is in Bengaluru (B-2). The Centre for Weather and Climate is at the NCMRWF, Noida (C-1). The Technology Transfer Facility is in Colombo (D-3). Options (a), (b) and (d) mix these up.
Notice the group: BIMSTEC (1997, Bangkok Declaration) has seven members: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Its secretariat is in Dhaka, and its Charter came into force in 2024. India sees it as a bridge between Neighbourhood First and Act East, especially while SAARC is stalled.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements with reference to the Sagarmala Programme of the Government of India :
- I. The Sagarmala Programme seeks to achieve port-led economic growth through cost-effective and sustainable coastal infrastructure.
- II. The success of the Sagarmala Programme is reflected in significant growth in coastal and inland waterway shipping, along with improved global port rankings.
- III. Sagarmala 2.0 aims to position India as a global maritime innovation hub aligned with Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat 2047 visions.
Which of the following relationships among the above statements is/are correct ?
- 1. Statement II validates the effectiveness of the strategies envisioned in statement I.
- 2. Statement III extends the objectives of statement I by embedding them into a future-oriented innovation framework.
- 3. Statement I contradicts statement III by focusing only on traditional infrastructure instead of modern innovation.
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (b) & explanation
Relationships 1 and 2 are correct (b). Sagarmala (2015, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways) aims at port-led development. Relationship 1 is right: growth in coastal and inland waterway shipping, plus better global port rankings, is evidence that it works. Relationship 2 is right: Sagarmala 2.0 builds on the same aim with innovation and shipbuilding, linked to Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat 2047. Relationship 3 is wrong: building on an aim is not contradicting it. So options (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the four pillars: port modernisation, port connectivity, port-led industrialisation and coastal community development. Also related: Maritime India Vision 2030 and Amrit Kaal Vision 2047. Vizhinjam and Vadhavan are big new ports.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.