Store

UPSC Prelims 2016 · GS Paper I: Consider the following statements :1. The International Solar Alliance was launched at the United…

International Relations
UPSC Prelims 2016 · GS Paper I

Consider the following statements :

  • 1. The International Solar Alliance was launched at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2015.
  • 2. The Alliance includes all the member countries of the United Nations.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Answer (a) & explanation

Only statement 1 is correct (a). India and France launched the International Solar Alliance on 30 November 2015 at COP21 in Paris (1). Its headquarters is in Gurugram, at the National Institute of Solar Energy campus. It became a treaty-based body in 2017. Statement 2 is wrong because membership is not automatic. It was first meant for about 121 solar-rich countries lying between the Tropics, and in 2020 it was opened to all UN members, but each country must sign and ratify the framework agreement. About 100+ have done so, not all UN members.

Its slogan is "One Sun, One World, One Grid" (OSOWOG). Notice related Indian-led groups too: CDRI for disaster-resilient infrastructure and the Global Biofuels Alliance (2023).

Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.

Same theme in UPSC Mains

Related questions from other years

UPSC Prelims 2026 · GS Paper I

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.

Open this question's page →

UPSC Prelims 2026 · GS Paper I

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.

Open this question's page →

UPSC Prelims 2026 · GS Paper I

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.

Open this question's page →

UPSC Prelims 2026 · GS Paper I

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.

Open this question's page →

In the news since

GS2/GS3 · Consumer protection · Trade

India to host 61st CIML meeting on legal metrology in New Delhi, 26–28 October

India will host the 61st meeting of the International Committee of Legal Metrology (CIML) for the first time, in New Delhi from 26 to 28 October 2026. The Department of Consumer Affairs is organising it with the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML), and more than 100 delegates are expected, PIB said on 19 October.

19 Oct 2026
GS2 · International relations

India rejects OIC’s Baghdad resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir as ‘malicious, biased and false’

On 19 October 2026 the Ministry of External Affairs rejected references to India in resolutions adopted at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in Baghdad on 17–18 October. It called them ‘malicious, biased and false’, said Pakistan orchestrated them, and said the OIC has no locus standi on India’s internal matters.

19 Oct 2026