Microtheme: Conflict Zones/Areas of Interest broad-based —
27 questions asked in Prelims in the past.

1. [2024] Consider the following statements:
   Statement-I: There is instability and worsening security situation in the Sahel region.
   Statement-II: There have been military takeovers/coups d’état in several countries of the Sahel region in the recent past.
   Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
   • (a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I*
   • (b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
   • (c) Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
   • (d) Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct
   Correct Answer: (A) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I*
2. [2024] Consider the following pairs:
   Country Reason for being in the news
   1. Argentina Worst economic crisis
   2. Sudan War between the country’s regular army and
   paramilitary forces
   3. Turkey Rescinded its membership of NATO
   How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
   • (a) Only one pair
   • (b) Only two pairs*
   • (c) All three pairs
   • (d) None of the pairs
   Correct Answer: (B) Only two pairs*
3. [2023] Consider the following pairs:
   Area of conflict mentioned in news : Country where it is located
   1. Donbas : Syria
   2. Kachin : Ethiopia
   3. Tigray : North Yemen
   How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
   • (a) Only one
   • (b) Only two
   • (c) All three
   • (d) None
   Correct Answer: (D) None
4. [2023] Consider the following pairs:
   Regions often mentioned in news : Reason for being in news
   1. North Kivu and Ituri : War between Armenia an 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?
   • (a) Only one
   • (b) Only two
   • (c) All three
   • (d) None
   Correct Answer: (D) None
5. [2023] Which of the following countries has been suffering from decades of civil strife and food shortages and was in news in the recent past for its very severe famine?
   • (a) Angola
   • (b) Costa Rica
   • (c) Ecuador
   • (d) Somalia
   Correct Answer: (D) Somalia
6. [2023] In the recent years Chad, Guinea, Mali and Sudan caught the international attention for which one of the following reasons common to all of them?
   • (a) Discovery of rich deposits of rare earth elements
   • (b) Establishement of Chinese military bases
   • (c) Southward expansion of Sahara Desert
   • (d) Successful coups
   Correct Answer: (D) Successful coups
7. [2022] Consider the following pairs :
   Country – Important reason for being in the news recently
   1. Chad — Setting up of permanent military base by China
   2. Guinea — Suspension of Constitution and Government by military
   3. Lebanon — Severe and prolonged economic depression
   4. Tunisia — Suspension of Parliament by President
   How many pairs given above are correctly matched ?
   • (a) Only one pair
   • (b) Only two pairs
   • (c) Only three pairs
   • (d) All four pairs
   Correct Answer: (C) Only three pairs
8. [2022] Consider the following countries :
   1. Azerbaijan
   2. Kyrgyzstan
   3. Tajikistan
   4. Turkmenistan
   5. Uzbekistan
   Which of the above have borders with Afghanistan ?
   • (a) 1, 2 and 5 only
   • (b) 1, 2, 3 and 4 only
   • (c) 3, 4 and 5 only
   • (d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
   Correct Answer: (C) 3, 4 and 5 only
9. [2022] Consider the following statements :
   1. Bidibidi is a large refugee settlement in north-western Kenya.
   2. Some people who fled from South Sudan civil war live in Bidibidi.
   3. Some people who fled from civil war in Somalia live in Dadaab refugee complex in Kenya.
   Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
   • (a) 1 and 2
   • (b) 2 only
   • (c) 2 and 3
   • (d) 3 only
   Correct Answer: (C) 2 and 3
10. [2022] Consider the following pairs :
    Region often mentioned in the news – Country
    1. Anatolia — Turkey
    2. Amhara — Ethiopia
    3. Cabo Delgado — Spain
    4. Catalonia — Italy
    How many pairs given above are correctly matched ?
    • (a) Only one pair
    • (b) Only two pairs
    • (c) Only three pairs
    • (d) All four pairs
    Correct Answer: (B) Only two pairs
11. [2022] Which one of the following statements best reflects the issue with Senkaku Islands, sometimes mentioned in the news?
    • (a) It is generally believed that they are artificial islands made by a country around South China Sea.
    • (b) China and Japan engage in maritime disputes over these islands in East China Sea. –
    • (c) A permanent American military base has been set up there to help Taiwan to increase its defence capabilities.
    • (d) Though International Court of Justice declared them as no man’s land, some South-East Asian countries claim them.
    Correct Answer: (B) China and Japan engage in maritime disputes over these islands in East China Sea. –
12. [2018] 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?
    • (a) 1 and 2
    • (b) 1 and 4
    • (c) 2 and 3
    • (d) 3 and 4
    Correct Answer: (B) 1 and 4
13. [2018] Very recently, in which of the following countries have lakhs of people either suffered from severe famine/acute malnutrition or died due to starvation caused by war/ethnic conflicts?
    • (a) 1.Angola and Zambia
    • (b) 2.Morocco Tunisia
    • (c) 3.Venezuela and Colombia
    • (d) 4.Yemen and South Sudan
    Correct Answer: (D) 4.Yemen and South Sudan
14. [2018] The term “two-state solution” is sometimes mentioned in the news in the context of the affairs of
    • (a) China
    • (b) Israel
    • (c) Iraq
    • (d) Yemen
    Correct Answer: (B) Israel
15. [2016] Consider the following pairs: Community sometimes mentioned in the news In the affairs of
    1. Kurd : Bangladesh
    2. Madhesi : Nepal
    3. Rohingya : Myanmar
    Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
    • (a) 1 and 2
    • (b) 2 only
    • (c) 2 and 3
    • (d) 3 only
    Correct Answer: (C) 2 and 3
16. [2015] The area known as ‘Golan Heights’ sometimes appears in the news in the context of the events related to
    • (a) Central Asia
    • (b) Middle East
    • (c) South-East Asia
    • (d) Central Afria
    Correct Answer: (B) Middle East
17. [2014] Consider the following pairs :
    Region often in news Country
    1. Chechnya : Russian Federation
    2. Darfur : Mali
    3. Swat Valley : Iraq
    Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched ?
    • (a) 1 only
    • (b) 2 and 3 only
    • (c) 1 and 3 only
    • (d) 1, 2 and 3
    Correct Answer: (A) 1 only
18. [2014] Recently, a series of uprisings of people referred to as ‘Arab Spring’ originally started from
    • (a) Egypt
    • (b) Lebanon
    • (c) Syria
    • (d) Tunisia
    Correct Answer: (D) Tunisia
19. [2009] Which one of the following pairs of countries fought wars over a region called Ogaden ?
    • (a) Eritrea and Sudan
    • (b) Ethiopia and Somalia
    • (c) Kenya and Somalia
    • (d) Ethiopia and Sudan
    Correct Answer: (B) Ethiopia and Somalia
20. [2009] From which one of the following did Kosovo declare its independence ?
    • (a) Bulgaria
    • (b) Croatia
    • (c) Macedonia
    • (d) Serbia
    Correct Answer: (D) Serbia
21. [2009] A very big refugee camp called Dadaab, recently in the news, is located in
    • (a) Ethiopia
    • (b) Kenya
    • (c) Somalia
    • (d) Sudan
    Correct Answer: (B) Kenya
22. [2008] Yom Kippur War was fought between which sides/countries?
    • (a) Turkey and Greece
    • (b) Serbs and Croats
    • (c) Israel and Arab countries led by Egypt and Syria
    • (d) Iran and Iraq
    Correct Answer: (C) Israel and Arab countries led by Egypt and Syria
23. [2007] In the latter half of the year 2006, in which one of the following countries did a military coup take place?
    • (a) Cambodia
    • (b) Laos
    • (c) Thailand
    • (d) Vietnam
    Correct Answer: (C) Thailand
24. [2004] In which one of the following countries, did an ethnic violence between the communities of Hema and Lendu result in the death of hundreds of people?
    • (a) Democratic Republic of Congo
    • (b) Indonesia
    • (c) Nigeria
    • (d) Zambia
    Correct Answer: (A) Democratic Republic of Congo
25. [2004] The reason for Chechnya to be in the news recently is:
    • (a) Discovery of huge reserves of oil.
    • (b) Separatist rebellious activities by the local people.
    • (c) Continuous conflict between government troops and narcotic mafia resulting in human loss.
    • (d) Intense cold wave killing hundreds of people.
    Correct Answer: (B) Separatist rebellious activities by the local people.
26. [2004] Liberia was in the international news in recent times for:
    • (a) Harbouring terrorists associated with religious fundamentalism.
    • (b) Supplying raw uranium to North Korea.
    • (c) Its long-running civil war killing or displacing thousands of people.
    • (d) Cultivation of drug-yielding crops and smuggling of drugs.
    Correct Answer: (A) Harbouring terrorists associated with religious fundamentalism.
27. [2003] What was the main reason for a great civil strife in Argentina recently?
    • (a) Ethnic conflict between the native Red Indian tribes and others.
    • (b) Economic crisis due to huge public debt.
    • (c) The issue of using native languages as medium of instruction in schools.
    • (d) Clashes between government troops and secessionist groups.
    Correct Answer: (B) Economic crisis due to huge public debt.