International Conventions & Protocols MCQs for UPSC Prelims

132 practice questions on International Conventions & Protocols from the Environment & Ecology section of the UPSC Prelims syllabus. 132 come with a written explanation and 30 are actual previous year questions. Try the sample set below - the answer stays hidden until you ask for it.

13 Easy 71 Medium 48 Hard 30 from past papers

Sample questions

Q1
Previous year question medium

With reference to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. IUCN is an organ of the United Nations and CITES is an international agreement between governments. 2. IUCN runs thousands of field projects around the world to better manage natural environments. 3. CITES is legally binding on the States that have joined it, but this Convention does not take the place of national laws. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  1. A 1 only
  2. B 2 and 3 only
  3. C 1 and 3 only
  4. D 1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - 2 and 3 only

Statement 1 fails on its first half: IUCN is a membership union of government and civil society organisations founded in 1948 and holds only observer status at the UN; it is not a UN organ. CITES, on the other hand, is indeed an intergovernmental agreement, but since the statement must be wholly true, it is marked incorrect. Statement 2 correctly describes IUCN's extensive field project portfolio across the world. Statement 3 is correct because CITES binds its parties yet only provides a framework; each country must enact domestic legislation to implement it, and the Convention never substitutes for national law. Therefore 2 and 3 only.

Q2
Previous year question medium

Consider the following pairs: Terms sometimes seen in the news : Their origin 1. Annex-I Countries : Cartagena Protocol 2. Certified Emissions Reductions : Nagoya Protocol 3. Clean Development Mechanism : Kyoto Protocol Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

  1. A 1 and 2 only
  2. B 2 and 3 only
  3. C 3 only
  4. D 1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - 3 only

The Clean Development Mechanism originates from the Kyoto Protocol, so pair 3 is correctly matched. Annex-I countries are a classification under the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol, not the Cartagena Protocol (which deals with biosafety), so pair 1 is wrong. Certified Emission Reductions are credits generated under the Kyoto Protocol's CDM, not the Nagoya Protocol (which concerns access and benefit-sharing of genetic resources), so pair 2 is wrong. Hence only '3 only' is correct.

Q3
Previous year question medium

Consider the following statements : 1. Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) to Reduce Short Lived Climate Pollutants is a unique initiative of G20 group of countries. 2. The CCAC focuses on methane, black carbon and hydrofluorocarbons. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A 1 only
  2. B 2 only
  3. C Both 1 and 2
  4. D Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - 2 only

Statement 1 is wrong: the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants is a voluntary, UNEP-hosted partnership of governments, organisations and the private sector, not an initiative of the G20. Statement 2 is correct: the CCAC focuses on short-lived climate pollutants such as methane, black carbon and hydrofluorocarbons. Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Q4
Previous year question hard

With reference to 'Global Climate Change Alliance', which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. It is an initiative of the European Union. 2. It provides technical and financial support to targeted developing countries to integrate climate change into their development policies and budgets. 3. It is coordinated by World Resources Institute (WRI) and World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Select the correct answer using the code given below :

  1. A 1 and 2 only
  2. B 3 only
  3. C 2 and 3 only
  4. D 1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - 1 and 2 only

The Global Climate Change Alliance is an initiative of the European Union (statement 1 correct) that provides technical and financial support to vulnerable developing countries to integrate climate change into their development planning and budgets (statement 2 correct). Statement 3 is wrong: it is not coordinated by the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (those two bodies run the GHG Protocol). Hence only 1 and 2 are correct.

Q5
Previous year question medium

Consider the following statements: 1. The International Solar Alliance was launched at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2015. 2. The Alliance includes all the member countries of the United Nations. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A 1 only
  2. B 2 only
  3. C Both 1 and 2
  4. D Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - 1 only

The International Solar Alliance was jointly launched by India and France at the COP21 UNFCCC conference in Paris in November 2015, so statement 1 is correct. Statement 2 is incorrect because membership at that time was envisaged for solar-rich countries lying fully or partly between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, not for the entire UN membership; only later amendments opened it to all UN members, and even then membership requires ratification and is far from universal. Hence only the first statement holds.

Q6
Previous year question easy

What is 'Rio+20 Conference', often mentioned in the news?

  1. A It is the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development
  2. B It is a Ministerial Meeting of the World Trade Organization
  3. C It is a Conference of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change
  4. D It is a Conference of the Member Countries of the Convention on Biological Diversity
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - It is the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development

Rio+20 is the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development held at Rio de Janeiro in June 2012, twenty years after the 1992 Earth Summit at the same city, hence the name. Its outcome document, The Future We Want, launched the process that produced the Sustainable Development Goals. It was not a WTO Ministerial Meeting, which are trade negotiation rounds held in cities like Doha and Bali. The IPCC does not hold conferences of this kind; it is a scientific assessment body. Meetings of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity are called CBD COPs, such as the Nagoya and Hyderabad COPs, and Rio+20 was not one of them.

Q7
Previous year question hard

Consider the following statements : Statement I : Article 6 of the Paris Agreement on climate change is frequently discussed in global discussions on sustainable development and climate change. Statement II : Article 6 of the Paris Agreement on climate change sets out the principles of carbon markets. Statement III : Article 6 of the Paris Agreement on climate change intends to promote inter-country non-market strategies to reach their climate targets. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. A Both Statement II and Statement III are correct and both of them explain Statement I
  2. B Both Statement II and Statement III are correct but only one of them explains Statement I
  3. C Only one of the Statements II and III is correct and that explains Statement I
  4. D Neither Statement II nor Statement III is correct
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - Both Statement II and Statement III are correct and both of them explain Statement I

Article 6 of the Paris Agreement covers both market-based cooperation, including carbon markets under its provisions 6.2 and 6.4, and non-market approaches under provision 6.8, so statements II and III are both correct. Because it deals with both carbon markets and non-market cooperation between countries, Article 6 is central to global climate discussions, which is why both statements explain statement I. Hence both II and III are correct and both explain statement I.

Q8
Previous year question medium

Consider the following statements: Statement-I: According to the United Nations 'World Water Development Report, 2022', India extracts more than a quarter of the world's groundwater withdrawal each year. Statement-II: India needs to extract more than a quarter of the world's groundwater each year to satisfy the drinking water and sanitation needs of almost 18% of world's population living in its territory. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. A Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I
  2. B Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I
  3. C Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect
  4. D Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect

Statement-I is correct: India is the largest user of groundwater in the world, withdrawing more than a quarter of the global total annually, as noted in the UN World Water Development Report 2022. Statement-II is incorrect: the bulk of India's groundwater is drawn for irrigation in agriculture (around 80-90% of withdrawals), not to meet drinking water and sanitation needs; so the heavy extraction is not driven by the drinking-water requirements of its population. Hence Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is wrong, giving option (c). Options (a) and (b) wrongly accept Statement-II, and (d) wrongly rejects the true Statement-I.

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