UPSC Prelims 2025 Analysis

Explanation

Austria: NATO Member - NO Austria has maintained a policy of neutrality since 1955 and is not a member of NATO. Austria joined the EU in 1995 but has consistently remained outside military alliances.

Bulgaria: NATO Member - YES Bulgaria joined NATO on March 29, 2004, as part of the largest expansion in NATO's history, along with six other countries including Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

Croatia: NATO Member - YES Croatia became a NATO member on April 1, 2009, along with Albania. This was NATO's fourth round of expansion after the end of the Cold War.

Serbia: NATO Member - NO Serbia is not a NATO member and maintains a policy of military neutrality. Serbia has a Partnership for Peace agreement with NATO but has not pursued full membership, partly due to historical tensions stemming from the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia.

Sweden: NATO Member - YES Sweden officially became NATO's 32nd member on March 7, 2024, ending decades of neutrality. This decision was accelerated following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

North Macedonia: NATO Member - YES North Macedonia became NATO's 30th member on March 27, 2020. The country's NATO bid was delayed for years due to the naming dispute with Greece, which was resolved in 2018 with the Prespa Agreement.

Summary: NATO Members: Bulgaria, Croatia, Sweden, North Macedonia (4 countries) Non-NATO Members: Austria, Serbia (2 countries)

Therefore, only four of the listed countries are NATO members.

Explanation

Statement I: Correct BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) is a regional organization consisting of seven member states as of now and till January 2025. The members are Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal, and Bhutan.

Statement II: Incorrect BIMSTEC came into existence with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration in 1997, not the Dhaka Declaration in 1999. The Dhaka Declaration is related to a later summit, not the founding of BIMSTEC.

Statement III: Incorrect The founding members of BIMSTEC were Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand (initially as BIST-EC in 1997). Nepal and Bhutan joined later in 2004. Myanmar joined in 1997 itself, but Nepal was not a founding member.

Statement IV: Incorrect In BIMSTEC, the subsector of tourism is currenlty being led by Nepal. BIMSTEC has a system where different member countries lead different sectors of cooperation, and India leads the Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime, Disaster Management, Energy sub-sectors.

Therefore, only statement I is correct.

Explanation

Statement I: Correct The inaugural Kho Kho World Cup was indeed held in New Delhi, India from January 13-19, 2025. The event took place at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, making India the host nation for this historic first-ever Kho Kho World Cup.

Statement II: Incorrect The Indian men's team defeated Nepal in the final with a score of 54-36 to claim the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup title in the men's category. This was a dominant performance by the host nation, showcasing their strength in this traditional Indian sport on the global stage.

Statement III: Incorrect The Indian women's team also emerged victorious, beating Nepal 78-40 in the women's final. This made India the champion in both men's and women's categories, completing a clean sweep for the host nation in the inaugural tournament. UPSC basically exchange scorecard of women team with men team.

Additional Context: The Kho Kho World Cup featured 24 countries competing across men's and women's categories. The tournament was organized by the Kho Kho Federation of India in association with the International Kho Kho Federation. This marked a significant milestone for Kho Kho as it gained international recognition and participation.

Therefore, all three statements are correct.

Explanation

Statement I: Correct The AI Action Summit in Paris (February 2025) was indeed co-chaired with India, and it explicitly aimed to build on the progress and commitments made at the Bletchley Park Summit (UK, 2023) and the Seoul Summit (South Korea, 2024). These summits are part of a series of global efforts to coordinate AI governance and safety.

Statement II: Incorrect Joint statement on ‘Inclusive and Sustainable Artificial Intelligence for People and the Planet’ was signed by 58 countries, including India, China, and the European Union, while the United States and the United Kingdom opted not to sign, citing concerns over potential overregulation of AI.

Therefore, the correct answer is (A) I only.

Explanation

Statement I: Incorrect India's Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest world chess champion after defeating defending champ Ding Liren (of China) in the finals of the 45th Chess Olympiad held in 2024. The finals was not against Russian player Ian Nepomniachtchi.

Statement II: Correct Abhimanyu Mishra, an American chess player of Indian origin, is the youngest chess Grandmaster in history. He achieved the title at the age of 12 years, 4 months, and 25 days, breaking the previous record held by Sergey Karjakin.

Therefore, the correct answer is (B) II only.

Explanation

Statement I: Correct The 16th BRICS Summit was indeed held in Kazan, Russia in October 2024 under the chairship of Russia. Russia held the rotating presidency of BRICS in 2024, and the summit took place from October 22-24, 2024 in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan.

Statement II: Correct Indonesia officially became a full member of the BRICS bloc in January, 2025. This makes Indonesia the first Southeast Asian nation and the 10th member of BRICS.

Statement III: Incorrect The theme for the 16th BRICS Summit (2024) is 'Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security.' The statement in the question is almost verbatim, except for a minor difference ('Multiculturalism' instead of 'Multilateralism'), so it is considered incorrect for the purpose of this question.

Therefore, statements I and II are correct.

Explanation

Pair I: International Year of the Woman Farmer : 2026 - Correct The UN General Assembly has designated 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer to recognize the crucial role women play in agriculture and food security globally. This aims to highlight women's contributions to farming and address gender inequalities in agriculture.

Pair II: International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism : 2027 - Correct The UN General Assembly has proclaimed 2027 as the International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism. This designation aims to promote tourism that contributes to sustainable development while being resilient to various challenges including climate change and pandemics.

Pair III: International Year of Peace and Trust : 2025 - Correct The UN General Assembly has designated 2025 as the International Year of Peace and Trust. This initiative aims to promote peace, trust, and cooperation among nations and communities worldwide.

Pair IV: International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence : 2029 - Correct The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2029 as the International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence, to mark the close approach of asteroid Apophis in 2029.

Therefore, all four pairs are correctly matched.

Explanation

• A. India to Central Asia to Europe via Iran: This is correct. The International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is a multi-modal network (ship, rail, and road) that connects India (starting from Mumbai) to Iran (Bandar Abbas), then through Iran to Azerbaijan, Russia, and further to Central Asia and Europe. The main route is India–Iran–Azerbaijan–Russia–Europe, facilitating trade between India, Central Asia, and Europe.

• B. India to Central Asia via China: Incorrect. The INSTC does not pass through China. It is specifically designed as an alternative to routes passing through China and focuses on Iran, Azerbaijan, and Russia.

• C. India to South-East Asia through Bangladesh and Myanmar: Incorrect. This describes the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway or other regional connectivity projects, not the INSTC.

• D. India to Europe through Azerbaijan: Incorrect. While Azerbaijan is a part of the INSTC route, the corridor's main feature is the connection via Iran, not directly from India to Europe through Azerbaijan alone. The key is the multimodal link via Iran.

Therefore, option A is the most accurate answer as it correctly describes the INSTC's route and purpose.