UPSC Prelims 2023 · GS Paper I
Question 93: International Relations and Current Affairs
Consider the following pairs :
| Regions often mentioned in news | Reason for being in news | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | North Kivu and Ituri | War between Armenia and Azerbaijan |
| 2. | Nagorno-Karabakh | Insurgency in Mozambique |
| 3. | Kherson and Zaporizhzhia | Dispute between Israel and Lebanon |
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (d).
No pair is correct. North Kivu and Ituri are provinces in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, hit by armed conflict. Nagorno-Karabakh was the disputed region in the Armenia-Azerbaijan war. Kherson and Zaporizhzhia are Ukrainian regions contested in Russia's invasion. The insurgency in Mozambique is centred in Cabo Delgado.
- 1. North Kivu and Ituri are in the DRC, not part of the Armenia-Azerbaijan war.
- 2. Nagorno-Karabakh is the Armenia-Azerbaijan dispute, not Mozambique.
- 3. Kherson and Zaporizhzhia are in Ukraine, not an Israel-Lebanon dispute.
How you could have got this
No shortcut here: in a “how many” question, ruling out options doesn’t help. Every statement has to be judged.
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) Only one would need a correct pair; all three are mismatched.
- (b) Two would need two correct pairs; none is.
- (c) All three are mismatched.
- (d) Correct: every pair is mismatched.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2023, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.