2003 General Studies, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2003 · General Studies

Question 76: International Relations and Current Affairs

Consider the following statements:

  1. 1.In Macedonia, ethnic Albanians are a minority.
  2. 2.In Kosovo, Serbians are a majority.

Which of these statements is/are correct?

aOnly 1
bOnly 2
cBoth 1 and 2
dNeither 1 nor 2

AnswerThe answer is (a).

In Macedonia, ethnic Albanians are a sizeable minority (roughly a quarter of the population), and clashes between Albanian rebels and the government in 2001 were in the news. In Kosovo, ethnic Albanians form the great majority (roughly nine-tenths) and Serbs are a minority, so statement 2 is false. Remember Kosovo as an Albanian-majority territory that declared independence in 2008.

  • 1. Ethnic Albanians are a minority in Macedonia, roughly a quarter of the population.
  • 2. In Kosovo, ethnic Albanians are the majority and Serbs a minority.
Why each option is right or wrong
  • (a) Correct: only statement 1.
  • (b) Statement 2 is false: Serbs are a minority in Kosovo.
  • (c) Statement 2 is false, so both cannot hold.
  • (d) Statement 1 is true, so 'neither' fails.

Worth knowing: Macedonia was renamed North Macedonia in 2019.

Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2003, General Studies. UPSC's own paper isn't online; the words are from a published compilation. The paper on upsc.gov.in.