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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Consider the following statements :
Statement-I : India’s public sector health care system largely focuses on curative care with limited preventive, promotive and rehabilitative care.
Statement-II : Under India’s decentralized approach to health care delivery, the States are primarily responsible for organizing health services.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
Answer (b) & explanation
Both statements are correct but II does not explain I (b). Statement I is right: the National Health Policy 2017 itself notes that public health care is mostly curative, treating illness after it strikes, with limited preventive, promotive and rehabilitative care. Statement II is right: public health and hospitals are on the State List, so States are mainly responsible for running health services. But II does not explain I: the curative focus comes from priorities and funding, not from decentralisation.
Notice the shift under Ayushman Bharat (2018): its Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, the former Health and Wellness Centres, push primary and preventive care, while PM-JAY pays for hospital treatment. Public health spending is still below the target of 2.5% of GDP.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
- 1. Recently, all the countries of the United Nations have adopted the first-ever compact for international migration, the ‘Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM)’.
- 2. The objectives and commitments stated in the GCM are binding on the UN member countries.
- 3. The GCM addresses internal migration or internally displaced people also in its objectives and commitments.
How many of the above statements are correct?
Answer (d) & explanation
None of the statements is correct (d). Statement 1 is wrong: the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration was adopted at Marrakech in December 2018 and then endorsed by the General Assembly by vote. The USA and several other countries, such as Hungary, stayed out, so not all countries adopted it. Statement 2 is wrong: the GCM is non-binding; it sets 23 objectives but respects national sovereignty. Statement 3 is wrong: it covers international migration only, not internal migration or internally displaced people.
Notice its twin, the Global Compact on Refugees (2018). India supported the GCM. India is the world's largest source of migrants and receives the most remittances, over $125 billion a year.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to Home Guards, consider the following statements :
- 1. Home Guards are raised under the Home Guards Act and Rules of the Central Government.
- 2. The role of the Home Guards is to serve as an auxiliary force to the police in maintenance of internal security.
- 3. To prevent infiltration on the international border/coastal areas, the Border Wing Home Guards Battalions have been raised in some States.
How many of the above statements are correct?
Answer (b) & explanation
Two statements are correct (b). Statement 1 is wrong: Home Guards are raised under the Home Guards Acts and Rules of the States and Union Territories, not a central Act. Statement 2 is right: they are a voluntary force that works as an auxiliary to the police in keeping internal security, and helps in emergencies like floods, fires and disasters. Statement 3 is right: Border Wing Home Guards battalions have been raised in border States such as Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat and others to help the BSF stop infiltration.
Notice that the Home Guards were first raised in Bombay in 1946, during communal riots. Their policy is guided by the Directorate General of Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards under the Union Home Ministry.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to India, consider the following pairs :
| Action | The Act under which it is covered
| 1. Unauthorized wearing of police or military uniforms | The Official Secrets Act, 1923
| 2. Knowingly misleading or otherwise interfering with a police officer or military officer when engaged in their duties | The Indian Evidence Act, 1872
| 3. Celebratory gunfire which can endanger the personal safety of others | The Arms (Amendment) Act, 2019
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
Answer (b) & explanation
Two pairs are correctly matched (b). Pair 1 is right: the Official Secrets Act, 1923 punishes unauthorised use of uniforms (section 6), which spies could use to enter restricted places. Pair 2 is wrong: interfering with police or military officers near a prohibited place is also an offence under the Official Secrets Act (section 7), not the Indian Evidence Act, which deals only with proof in court. Pair 3 is right: the Arms (Amendment) Act, 2019 made celebratory gunfire that endangers others an offence, punishable with jail up to two years, a fine, or both.
Notice the 2019 amendment also cut the number of guns a person may hold from three to two and raised punishments for illegal arms manufacture.
Pairs 1 and 2 both belong to the Official Secrets Act. The Evidence Act defines no crimes.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following pairs :
| Regions often mentioned in news | Reason for being in news
| 1. North Kivu and Ituri | War between Armenia and Azerbaijan
| 2. Nagorno-Karabakh | Insurgency in Mozambique
| 3. Kherson and Zaporizhzhia | Dispute between Israel and Lebanon
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
Answer (d) & explanation
None of the pairs is correctly matched (d). Pair 1 is wrong: North Kivu and Ituri are conflict provinces of the DR Congo, where the M23 rebels and other militias fight. Pair 2 is wrong: Nagorno-Karabakh was the Armenia–Azerbaijan dispute, which Azerbaijan settled by force in 2023. Pair 3 is wrong: Kherson and Zaporizhzhia are Ukrainian regions in the Russia–Ukraine war, which Russia claims to have annexed in 2022; Zaporizhzhia has Europe's largest nuclear plant. The decoys are mixed up: Mozambique's insurgency is in Cabo Delgado, and the Israel–Lebanon dispute is along the Blue Line.
Notice that in 2025, M23 seized Goma and Bukavu in eastern Congo, before US- and Qatar-brokered peace efforts.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
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?
Answer (c) & explanation
Statement I is correct but Statement II is wrong (c). Statement I is right: Israel has diplomatic ties with Egypt (1979) and Jordan (1994), and with the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan under the Abraham Accords (2020), brokered by the USA. Statement II is wrong: the Arab Peace Initiative (2002) was a Saudi proposal endorsed by the Arab League. It offered full ties with Israel in return for withdrawal to the 1967 borders and a Palestinian state. Israel never signed it.
Notice how the Gaza war from October 2023 froze talks on Saudi–Israel normalisation. India's link: the I2U2 group (India, Israel, UAE, USA) and the IMEC corridor depend on such ties.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following pairs with regard to sports awards :
- 1. Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award : For the most spectacular and outstanding performance by a sportsperson over period of last four years
- 2. Arjuna Award : For the lifetime achievement by a sportsperson
- 3. Dronacharya Award : To honour eminent coaches who have successfully trained sportspersons or teams
- 4. Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar : To recognize the contribution made by sportspersons even after their retirement
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
Answer (b) & explanation
Two pairs are correctly matched (b). Pair 1 is right: the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna honours the most spectacular and outstanding performance by a sportsperson over the last four years. Pair 3 is right: the Dronacharya Award honours eminent coaches who have trained winning sportspersons or teams. Pair 2 is wrong: the Arjuna Award is for consistent good performance over four years; lifetime achievement is honoured by the Dhyan Chand Award, now the Arjuna Award (Lifetime). Pair 4 is wrong: the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar goes to organisations and corporates that promote sport, not retired players.
Notice that the Khel Ratna was renamed from Rajiv Gandhi to Major Dhyan Chand in 2021. The MAKA Trophy goes to the best university in sport.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements in respect of the 44th Chess Olympiad, 2022:
- 1. It was the first time that Chess Olympiad was held in India.
- 2. The official mascot was named ‘Thambi’.
- 3. The trophy for the winning team in the open section is the Vera Menchik Cup.
- 4. The trophy for the winning team in the women’s section is the Hamilton-Russell Cup.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
Answer (b) & explanation
Two statements are correct (b). Statement 1 is right: the 44th Chess Olympiad, held at Mamallapuram near Chennai in 2022, was the first held in India. It moved there after Russia lost hosting rights. Statement 2 is right: its official mascot was a knight named "Thambi", meaning younger brother in Tamil. Statements 3 and 4 swap the trophies: the open section's trophy is the Hamilton-Russell Cup, and the women's section's is the Vera Menchik Cup.
Notice the torch relay, started for the first time at this Olympiad, beginning in India. At the 45th Olympiad in Budapest (2024), India won gold in both the open and women's sections, its best ever. D. Gukesh became world champion in 2024.
When two statements carry paired names, check whether they have simply been swapped.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements in relation to Janani Suraksha Yojana :
- 1. It is a safe motherhood intervention of the State Health Departments.
- 2. Its objective is to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality among poor pregnant women.
- 3. It aims to promote institutional delivery among poor pregnant women.
- 4. Its objective includes providing public health facilities to sick infants up to one year of age.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
Answer (b) & explanation
Two statements are correct (b). Statement 2 is right: Janani Suraksha Yojana (2005) aims to cut maternal and newborn deaths among poor pregnant women. Statement 3 is right: it does this by giving them cash to deliver in a hospital or health centre, with ASHA workers guiding them. Statement 1 is wrong: it is a safe-motherhood intervention under the National Health Mission of the Union Health Ministry, not a scheme of the State health departments, though States run it. Statement 4 is wrong: free care for sick infants up to one year comes under the separate Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK, 2011).
Notice the result: institutional deliveries rose to about 89% by NFHS-5, and India's maternal mortality ratio has fallen below 100 per lakh live births.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following pairs :
| Area of conflict mentioned in news | Country where it is located
| 1. Donbas | Syria
| 2. Kachin | Ethiopia
| 3. Tigray | North Yemen
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
Answer (d) & explanation
None of the pairs is correctly matched (d). Pair 1 is wrong: Donbas, covering Donetsk and Luhansk, is in eastern Ukraine, at the heart of the war with Russia, not in Syria. Pair 2 is wrong: Kachin is a northern state of Myanmar, where the Kachin Independence Army fights the military junta, not in Ethiopia. Pair 3 is wrong: Tigray is a region of northern Ethiopia, which saw a brutal war in 2020–22, not in Yemen. Syria and Yemen are the decoy countries.
Notice that North Yemen no longer exists as a state; it merged with South Yemen in 1990. Kachin's rare earth mines, near China, have become a strategic prize in Myanmar's civil war.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements in the context of interventions being undertaken under Anaemia Mukt Bharat Strategy :
- 1. It provides prophylactic calcium supplementation for pre-school children, adolescents and pregnant women.
- 2. It runs a campaign for delayed cord clamping at the time of child-birth.
- 3. It provides for periodic deworming to children and adolescents.
- 4. It addresses non-nutritional causes of anaemia in endemic pockets with special focus on malaria, hemoglobinopathies and fluorosis.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
Answer (c) & explanation
Three statements are correct (c). Anaemia Mukt Bharat (2018) uses a 6×6×6 strategy: six groups, six interventions, six institutional systems. Statement 2 is right: it promotes delayed cord clamping at birth, which gives the baby more iron-rich blood. Statement 3 is right: it gives periodic deworming, as worms cause blood loss. Statement 4 is right: it tackles non-nutritional causes in endemic pockets, such as malaria, haemoglobinopathies like sickle cell, and fluorosis. Statement 1 is wrong: it gives prophylactic iron and folic acid, not calcium.
Notice why it matters: NFHS-5 found about 57% of women and 67% of children aged 6–59 months anaemic. Fortified rice in public food schemes and the Sickle Cell Mission (2023) support the campaign.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
In the recent years Chad, Guinea, Mali and Sudan caught the international attention for which one of the following reasons common to all of them?
Answer (d) & explanation
All four saw successful coups (d). Mali had coups in 2020 and 2021. Chad saw a military takeover in 2021 after President Idriss Déby was killed. Guinea's army ousted President Condé in 2021. Sudan's army seized power in October 2021, and the army's later split with the RSF led to civil war in 2023. Option (a) is wrong: no shared rare earth find. Option (b) is wrong: China's only acknowledged overseas base is in Djibouti. Option (c) is wrong: desertification affects the Sahel, but it is not what links these four.
Notice the "coup belt" across Africa: Burkina Faso (2022), Niger and Gabon (2023) followed. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger left ECOWAS and formed the Alliance of Sahel States.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
- 1. Ballistic missiles are jet-propelled at subsonic speeds throughout their flights, while cruise missiles are rocket-powered only in the initial phase of flight.
- 2. Agni-V is a medium-range supersonic cruise missile, while BrahMos is a solid-fuelled intercontinental ballistic missile.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (d) & explanation
Neither statement is correct (d). Statement 1 swaps the two types. A ballistic missile is rocket-powered only in its initial boost phase, then follows a high free-fall arc to its target. A cruise missile is jet-propelled throughout its flight, flying low like an aircraft. Statement 2 is also swapped: Agni-V is a solid-fuelled ballistic missile with a range above 5,000 km, while BrahMos, made with Russia, is a supersonic cruise missile flying at about Mach 2.8.
Notice that in 2024, under Mission Divyastra, India tested Agni-V with MIRV technology, letting one missile carry several warheads at different targets. BrahMos has been exported to the Philippines, India's first big missile export.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to the “United Nations Credentials Committee”, consider the following statements :
- 1. It is a committee set up by the UN Security Council and works under its supervision.
- 2. It traditionally meets in March, June and September every year.
- 3. It assesses the credentials of all UN members before submitting a report to the General Assembly for approval.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Answer (a) & explanation
Only statement 3 is correct (a). Statement 3 is right: the Credentials Committee examines the credentials of the representatives of all member states and reports to the General Assembly, which approves the report. Statement 1 is wrong: it is a committee of the General Assembly, not the Security Council. Its nine members are appointed by the Assembly at the start of each regular session on the President's proposal. Statement 2 is wrong: it does not meet in March, June and September; it usually meets once a year, near the end of the session, around November–December.
Notice why it matters: it decides who speaks for a country when rival governments claim the seat. In 2021 it deferred the claims of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the military junta in Myanmar, so the old envoys stayed.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which one of the following statements best describes the ‘Polar Code’ ?
Answer (a) & explanation
The Polar Code is a safety code for ships in polar waters (a). The International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters, adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), came into force in 2017. It is binding through the SOLAS (safety) and MARPOL (pollution) conventions, and sets rules on ice-class ship design, crew training, equipment and strict limits on discharges in Arctic and Antarctic waters. Option (b) is wrong: Arctic boundaries are settled under UNCLOS and bilateral deals. Option (c) is wrong: research in Antarctica falls under the Antarctic Treaty (1959). Option (d) is wrong: the Arctic Council has no trade or security pact.
Notice why it matters now: melting ice is opening the Northern Sea Route, so traffic and the risk of spills are rising.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to the United Nations General Assembly, consider the following statements :
- 1. The UN General Assembly can grant observer status to the non-member States.
- 2. Inter-governmental organisations can seek observer status in the UN General Assembly.
- 3. Permanent Observers in the UN General Assembly can maintain missions at the UN headquarters.
Which of the statements given above are correct ?
Answer (d) & explanation
All three statements are correct (d). Statement 1 is right: the General Assembly can give observer status to non-member states; today these are the Holy See and Palestine, which was upgraded to non-member observer state in 2012. Statement 2 is right: intergovernmental organisations such as the European Union, the African Union and the Commonwealth can seek and hold observer status. Statement 3 is right: permanent observers may keep missions at the UN headquarters in New York. So options (a), (b) and (c) each miss one true line.
Notice the limits: observers can speak and take part in debates but cannot vote. Some NGOs and bodies, like the International Committee of the Red Cross, also hold observer status.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which one of the following best describes the term “greenwashing” ?
Answer (a) & explanation
Greenwashing means falsely claiming to be eco-friendly (a). Greenwashing is making misleading green claims about a product, a fund or a company, so it looks more environmentally sound than it is. Examples include vague labels like "natural", hiding a small green line behind a dirty core business, or selling an "ESG" fund full of polluters. Option (b) describes the lack of green accounting in national accounts. Option (c) describes careless development, not marketing. Option (d) describes the opposite of greenwashing: building environmental costs into projects.
Notice that regulators now act against it. SEBI set rules for ESG funds, the EU adopted rules on green claims, and India's CCPA issued guidelines on greenwashing in 2024 under the Consumer Protection Act.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following countries :
- 1. Armenia
- 2. Azerbaijan
- 3. Croatia
- 4. Romania
- 5. Uzbekistan
Which of the above are members of the Organization of Turkic States ?
Answer (c) & explanation
Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are members (c). The Organization of Turkic States, renamed from the Turkic Council in 2021, has five members: Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Hungary, Turkmenistan and the self-declared Northern Cyprus are observers. Item 1 is wrong: Armenia is not Turkic and has a long conflict with Azerbaijan and Turkey. Items 3 and 4 are wrong: Croatia and Romania are European, non-Turkic states. So options (a), (b) and (d) fall.
Notice the link with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, in which Turkey backed Azerbaijan; Azerbaijan took the region in 2023. The group's headquarters is in Istanbul, and it pushes trade routes across the Caspian called the Middle Corridor.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea, consider the following statements :
- 1. A coastal state has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles, measured from baseline determined in accordance with the convention.
- 2. Ships of all states, whether coastal or land-locked, enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea.
- 3. The Exclusive Economic Zone shall not extend beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.
Which of the statements given above are correct ?
Answer (d) & explanation
All three statements are correct (d). Statement 1 is right: under UNCLOS (1982), a coastal state can fix its territorial sea up to 12 nautical miles from the baseline, where it has full sovereignty. Statement 2 is right: ships of all states, coastal or landlocked, have the right of innocent passage through it, as long as they do not threaten the coastal state. Statement 3 is right: the Exclusive Economic Zone cannot go beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline; there the coastal state owns fish, oil and minerals.
Notice the other zones: the contiguous zone goes to 24 nm, for customs and immigration control, and the continental shelf can stretch to 350 nm. Beyond lie the high seas, now covered by the BBNJ treaty.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which one of the following statements best reflects the issue with Senkaku Islands, sometimes mentioned in the news ?
Answer (b) & explanation
The Senkaku Islands are disputed by China and Japan (b). The small, uninhabited Senkaku islands, called Diaoyu by China, lie in the East China Sea, north-east of Taiwan. Japan controls them, while China and Taiwan claim them. Option (a) is wrong: they are natural islands; China's artificial islands are in the South China Sea. Option (c) is wrong: there is no permanent US base on them. Option (d) is wrong: the ICJ has never ruled on them, and South-East Asian countries do not claim them.
Notice that the USA says its defence treaty with Japan covers the Senkakus. Do not mix up the seas: the Spratly and Paracel disputes are in the South China Sea, involving China, Vietnam, the Philippines and others.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.