2018 GS Paper I, all questions
UPSC Prelims 2018 · GS Paper I
Question 37: Geography
Consider the following pairs :
| Towns sometimes mentioned in news | Country | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Aleppo | Syria |
| 2. | Kirkuk | Yemen |
| 3. | Mosul | Palestine |
| 4. | Mazar-i-sharif | Afghanistan |
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched ?
a1 and 2
b1 and 4
c2 and 3
d3 and 4
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (b).
Aleppo is a city in Syria, long a battleground of the Syrian civil war. Kirkuk and Mosul are both in Iraq: Kirkuk is an oil-rich northern city disputed between Baghdad and Kurdish authorities, and Mosul was held by the Islamic State until it was retaken in 2017. Mazar-i-Sharif is a major city in northern Afghanistan. So pairs 1 and 4 are correct; Kirkuk is not in Yemen and Mosul is not in Palestine.
- 1. Aleppo is in Syria.
- 2. Kirkuk is in Iraq.
- 3. Mosul is in Iraq.
- 4. Mazar-i-Sharif is in Afghanistan.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Wrong: Kirkuk is in Iraq, not Yemen.
- (b) Right: Aleppo with Syria and Mazar-i-Sharif with Afghanistan.
- (c) Wrong: both pairs are mismatched.
- (d) Wrong: Mosul is in Iraq.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2018, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.