1996 General Studies, all questions
UPSC Prelims 1996 · General Studies
Question 87: Economy and Social Development
Which one of the following sets of commodities are exported to India by arid and semi-arid countries in the Middle East?
aRaw wool and carpets
bFruits and palm oil
cPrecious stones and pearls
dPerfume and coffee
AnswerThe answer is (a).
The arid and semi-arid lands of West Asia, such as Iran and Afghanistan, rear sheep and goats, and export raw wool, and carpet-weaving is a long-standing craft there. So raw wool and carpets is the set the key picks. Palm oil needs a humid tropical climate, so it is not a product of these dry lands.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Right: raw wool and carpets come from the sheep-rearing, craft economies of the dry lands.
- (b) Palm oil is a humid tropical product, not an arid-zone export.
- (c) Not the set the question intends; Gulf pearling was a trade of the coast.
- (d) Not the set linked with arid-land pastoral and craft exports.
Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 1996, General Studies. UPSC's own paper isn't online; the words are from a published compilation. The paper on upsc.gov.in.