UPSC Prelims 1998 · General Studies
Question 9: Economy and Social Development
Which one of the following regions of the world supplies the maximum of our imported commodities (in terms of rupee value)?
AnswerThe answer is (d).
The given answer names Europe as the region from which India imported the most, by rupee value, in the mid-1990s, ahead of Asia and Oceania, America and Africa. The answer is a matter of trade statistics, not reasoning. The ranking is sensitive to how West Asian oil suppliers are grouped and shifts over time as oil and Asian manufactured imports grow, so check the year before applying it to any later question.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Africa supplied only a small share of India's imports.
- (b) America was a major supplier but not the largest in the key's data.
- (c) Asia and Oceania led in later years, but the key's data favours Europe.
- (d) Right per the key: Europe supplied the largest share by value.
Worth knowing: I cannot verify 1996-97 regional import shares from memory, and Asia and Oceania is a strong contender depending on how West Asian oil suppliers are grouped.
Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 1998, General Studies. UPSC's own paper isn't online; the words are from a published compilation. The paper on upsc.gov.in.