Border & Security Issues MCQs for UPSC Prelims

42 practice questions on Border & Security Issues from the International Relations section of the UPSC Prelims syllabus. 42 come with a written explanation and 10 are actual previous year questions. Try the sample set below - the answer stays hidden until you ask for it.

12 Easy 18 Medium 12 Hard 10 from past papers

Sample questions

Q1
Previous year question medium

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?

  1. A Only one
  2. B Only two
  3. C All three
  4. D None
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D - None

All three pairs are incorrectly matched. Donbas (pair 1) is a region of eastern Ukraine, not Syria, and has been a flashpoint of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Kachin (pair 2) is a state in northern Myanmar where the Kachin insurgency takes place, not Ethiopia. Tigray (pair 3) is a region of northern Ethiopia, scene of the Tigray war, not North Yemen. Since none of the pairs is correctly matched, option (d) None is the answer. Options (a), (b) and (c) wrongly credit one or more of these mismatched pairs.

Q2
Previous year question medium

Consider the following pairs: Region often Country in news 1. Chechnya: Russian Federation 2. Darfur: Mali 3. Swat Valley: lraq Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?

  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: A - 1 only

Only pair 1 is correct: Chechnya is a federal subject of the Russian Federation that has seen long-running conflict. Pair 2 is wrong because Darfur is a region of Sudan, not Mali. Pair 3 is wrong because the Swat Valley lies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, not Iraq. Hence only 1 is correctly matched.

Q3
Previous year question easy

Recently, a series of uprisings of people referred to as ‘Arab Spring’ originally started from

  1. A Egypt
  2. B Lebanon
  3. C Syria
  4. D Tunisia
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D - Tunisia

The wave of uprisings known as the Arab Spring began in Tunisia in late 2010, sparked by the self-immolation of a street vendor, and spread across the Arab world, so option (d) is correct. Egypt, Lebanon and Syria saw later unrest but were not where the movement originated, so (a), (b) and (c) are wrong.

Q4
Previous year question medium

Which of the following statements about 'Exercise Mitra Shakti-2023' are correct? 1. This was a joint military exercise between India and Bangladesh. 2. It commenced in Aundh (Pune). 3. Joint response during counter-terrorism operations was a goal of this operation. 4. Indian Air Force was a part of this exercise. Select the answer using the code given below:

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

Correct answer: D - 2, 3 and 4

Mitra Shakti is the joint military exercise between India and Sri Lanka, not Bangladesh, so statement 1 is incorrect. The ninth edition in November 2023 was held at Aundh in Pune, focused on joint responses in counter-terrorism and sub-conventional operations, and included personnel of the Indian Air Force along with the Sri Lanka Air Force, making statements 2, 3 and 4 correct. The exercise with Bangladesh is Sampriti, which is the trap in statement 1.

Q5
Previous year question medium

Consider the following pairs : Regions sometimes mentioned in news Country 1. Catalonia Spain 2. Crimea Hungary 3. Mindanao Philippines 4. Oromia Nigeria Which of the pairs given, above are correctly matched ?

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

Correct answer: C - 1 and 3 only

Catalonia is in Spain (pair 1 correct) and Mindanao is in the Philippines (pair 3 correct), so (c) 1 and 3 only is the answer; Crimea is associated with Ukraine/Russia, not Hungary, so pair 2 is wrong, and Oromia is a region of Ethiopia, not Nigeria, so pair 4 is wrong. The mismatched country names in statements 2 and 4 rule out the other options.

Q6
Previous year question easy

The area known as 'Golan Heights' sometimes appears in the news in the context of the events related to

  1. A Central Asia
  2. B Middle East
  3. C South-East Asia
  4. D Central Africa
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - Middle East

The Golan Heights is a strategic plateau in the Middle East on the Syria-Israel frontier. Israel captured it from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and extended its law to the territory in 1981, a move not recognised internationally, and the area repeatedly surfaces in news about the Israel-Syria conflict and the Syrian civil war. It has no connection with Central Asia (the region of the former Soviet republics), South-East Asia or Central Africa, so the remaining options are simply wrong geographies.

Q7
Previous year question easy

Which one of the following statements best reflects the issue with Senkaku Islands, sometimes mentioned in the news?

  1. A It is generally believed that they are artificial islands made by a country around South China Sea.
  2. B China and Japan engage in maritime disputes over these islands in East China Sea.
  3. C A permanent American military base has been set up there to help Taiwan to increase its defence capabilities.
  4. D Though International Court of Justice declared them as no man's land, some Southeast Asian countries claim them.
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - China and Japan engage in maritime disputes over these islands in East China Sea.

The Senkaku Islands, called Diaoyu by China, are uninhabited islets in the East China Sea administered by Japan but claimed by China and Taiwan, and frequent Chinese incursions keep the dispute in the news. They are natural islands, so the artificial island description belongs to Chinese construction in the South China Sea, not here. No American base exists on these islets, so the third option is wrong. The International Court of Justice has never ruled on them and Southeast Asian states make no claim, so the fourth option is wrong.

Q8
Previous year question medium

Consider the following in respect of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) : 1. Inaugural IONS was held in India in 2015 under the chairmanship of the Indian Navy. 2. IONS is a voluntary initiative that seeks to increase maritime co-operation among navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region. Which of the above statements 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 2 is correct: IONS is a voluntary, consultative forum launched to build maritime cooperation among the navies of Indian Ocean littoral states. Statement 1 is wrong on the date: the inaugural IONS was hosted by India in February 2008 (under the Indian Navy's chairmanship), not 2015, so the statement combines a correct chairmanship claim with a wrong year, making it incorrect. Therefore only statement 2 holds.

Practice all 42 Border & Security Issues questions free

Timed practice, instant scoring, and explanations for every question. Free forever - no card, no catch.

Start practicing I am a teacher - create a test

More International Relations topics

Multilateral Groupings 113 Treaties & Agreements 104 Global Conventions & Forums 95 Regional Organisations 76 India & Neighbours 70 United Nations & Agencies 67 International Economic & Trade Bodies 65 Bilateral Relations 36 Indian Diaspora 25