2016 GS Paper I, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2016 · GS Paper I

Question 81: Environment and Ecology

Consider the following statements :

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

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a1 only
b2 only
cBoth 1 and 2
dNeither 1 nor 2

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (a).

The International Solar Alliance was launched by India and France at the UN climate conference (COP21) in Paris in November 2015. It was meant for sun-rich countries lying between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, so it did not include all UN member countries. Statement 1 is correct and statement 2 is wrong.

  • 1. It was launched at COP21 in Paris in 2015.
  • 2. Membership was for tropical countries, and not every UN member belongs.

How you could have got this

  1. If you were sure statement 2 is not correct, (b) and (c) go: each of them includes 2.

    What you needed to know: Membership was for tropical countries, and not every UN member belongs.

    The red flag in statement 2 is “all”. In UPSC’s papers, statements with “all” were true 41% of the time (76 statements). A hint, not a rule.

  2. Then, if you were sure statement 1 is correct, (d) goes: it leaves 1 out.

    What you needed to know: It was launched at COP21 in Paris in 2015.

Only (a) is left. This one needs every statement.

Which options go is worked out from UPSC’s key and the options, not by a model.

Why each option is right or wrong
  • (a) Right: it was launched at the Paris climate conference, but not all UN members are in it.
  • (b) Statement 2 is the wrong one, so '2 only' picks the wrong statement.
  • (c) Statement 2 is wrong, so 'both' fails.
  • (d) Statement 1 is correct, so 'neither' fails.

Worth knowing: The Alliance's framework agreement was later amended so that all UN member states can join, but not every UN member has joined, so statement 2 is still false.

Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2016, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.