2017 GS Paper I, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2017 · GS Paper I

Question 41: International Relations and Current Affairs

With reference to ‘Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (APMCHUD)’, consider the following statements :

  1. 1.The first APMCHUD was held in India in 2006 on the theme ‘Emerging Urban Forms — Policy Responses and Governance Structure’.
  2. 2.India hosts all the Annual Ministerial Conferences in partnership with ADB, APEC and ASEAN.

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 (d).

Statement 2 is clearly wrong: the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development is a regional forum whose conferences are hosted by different member countries in turn, and India does not host all of them nor in partnership with ADB, APEC and ASEAN. UPSC's key also counts Statement 1 as incorrect, so neither statement is accepted and the answer is 'neither'. Remember: APMCHUD is a rotating regional ministerial forum, not an Indian-hosted annual event.

  • 1. UPSC's key counts this statement as incorrect (see note).
  • 2. The conferences rotate among member countries; India does not host all of them.

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: The conferences rotate among member countries; India does not host all of them.

    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 not correct, (a) goes: it includes 1.

    What you needed to know: UPSC's key counts this statement as incorrect (see note).

Only (d) 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) Not UPSC's answer: it accepts Statement 1, which UPSC's key rejects.
  • (b) Wrong: India does not host every conference.
  • (c) Wrong: Statement 2 is false.
  • (d) UPSC's answer: neither statement is accepted.

Worth knowing: The first APMCHUD is described by the housing ministry as held in New Delhi in 2006 on this very theme, which matches Statement 1, so the key's rejection of it is open to question.

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

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2017, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.