India & Neighbours MCQs for UPSC Prelims

70 practice questions on India & Neighbours from the International Relations section of the UPSC Prelims syllabus. 70 come with a written explanation and 5 are actual previous year questions. Try the sample set below - the answer stays hidden until you ask for it.

22 Easy 38 Medium 10 Hard 5 from past papers

Sample questions

Q1
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.

Q2
Previous year question medium

In the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation, an initiative of six countries, which of the following is/are not a participant/participants? 1. Bangladesh 2. Cambodia 3. China 4. Myanmar 5. Thailand Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  1. A 1 only
  2. B 2, 3 and 4
  3. C 1 and 3
  4. D 1, 2 and 5
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - 1 and 3

The Mekong-Ganga Cooperation, launched at Vientiane in 2000, has six members: India and the five Mekong basin countries Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, cooperating in tourism, culture, education and transport. Bangladesh is not a member even though the Ganga flows through it, and China is not a member even though the Mekong rises in Tibet, so 1 and 3 are the non-participants. Options including Cambodia, Myanmar or Thailand among non-participants are wrong because all three are founding members of the grouping.

Q3
Previous year question medium

With reference to "Look East Policy" of India, consider the following statements: 1. India wants to establish itself as an important regional player in the East Asian affairs. 2. India wants to plug the vacuum created by the termination of Cold War. 3. India wants to restore the historical and cultural ties with its neighbours in Southeast and East Asia. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

Correct answer: B - 1 and 3 only

Launched in the early 1990s, the Look East Policy sought to make India an active regional player in East and Southeast Asian affairs (statement 1 correct) and to revive India's deep historical and cultural ties with the region (statement 3 correct). Statement 2 is incorrect: the policy was driven by India's own economic liberalisation and the desire to integrate with the dynamic ASEAN economies, not by an intention to fill a power vacuum left by the end of the Cold War. Hence only 1 and 3 are correct.

Q4
Previous year question easy

What is the importance of developing Chabahar Port by India?

  1. A India's trade with African countries will enormously increase
  2. B India's relations with oil-producing Arab countries will be strengthened
  3. C India will not depend on Pakistan for access to Afghanistan and Central Asia
  4. D Pakistan will facilitate and protect the installation of a gas pipeline between Iraq and India
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - India will not depend on Pakistan for access to Afghanistan and Central Asia

Chabahar Port in Iran gives India a sea-and-land route to Afghanistan and Central Asia that bypasses Pakistan, which has denied India overland transit, so option C is its key strategic importance. It is not primarily aimed at boosting trade with Africa, which lies in a different direction. It is located in Iran, so it does not chiefly serve ties with Arab oil producers, and Iran's relations with some Arab states are tense. The pipeline option is fictitious, as no Iraq-India gas pipeline through Pakistan is involved. Hence option C is correct.

Q5
Previous year question easy

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?

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

Correct answer: C - 2 and 3

The Madhesis are a community of the southern Terai plains associated with the affairs of Nepal, so pair 2 is correct, and the Rohingya are a Muslim minority linked to Myanmar, so pair 3 is correct. The Kurds are spread across Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria, not Bangladesh, so pair 1 is wrong. Therefore '2 and 3' is the correct combination.

Q6
medium

The "Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project" is designed to connect the Indian state of Mizoram to a port in Myanmar, combining sea, river and road segments. The Myanmar port central to this project is:

  1. A Sittwe
  2. B Yangon
  3. C Dawei
  4. D Kyaukpyu
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - Sittwe

The Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project links the port of Sittwe in Myanmar's Rakhine State to Mizoram in India, via a sea leg from Kolkata to Sittwe, an inland waterway up the Kaladan river, and a road component. It provides India's northeast an alternative access route bypassing the narrow Siliguri corridor.

Q7
medium

The 'Akhaura-Agartala rail link', commissioned in recent years, connects India with which neighbouring country?

  1. A Nepal
  2. B Bangladesh
  3. C Myanmar
  4. D Bhutan
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - Bangladesh

The Akhaura-Agartala cross-border rail link connects Agartala in Tripura (India) with Akhaura in Bangladesh, reducing travel distance between the two regions and boosting connectivity in the eastern sub-region. It is one of several cross-border rail projects under India-Bangladesh cooperation. Akhaura lies in Bangladesh, making it the correct answer.

Q8
hard

Consider the following statements regarding the 'Tashkent Declaration' of 1966: 1. It was mediated by the Soviet Union to end the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965. 2. Under it both sides agreed to withdraw to positions held before the conflict. 3. It was signed on behalf of India by Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. How many of the statements given above are correct?

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

Correct answer: C - All three

All three statements are correct. The Tashkent Declaration of January 1966 was brokered by the Soviet premier Alexei Kosygin to settle the 1965 Indo-Pak war. It provided for the withdrawal of forces to pre-August 1965 positions and the restoration of diplomatic and economic relations. It was signed by Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and President Ayub Khan; Shastri died in Tashkent shortly after signing.

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More International Relations topics

Multilateral Groupings 113 Treaties & Agreements 104 Global Conventions & Forums 95 Regional Organisations 76 United Nations & Agencies 67 International Economic & Trade Bodies 65 Border & Security Issues 42 Bilateral Relations 36 Indian Diaspora 25