1. Recently, which country has decided to discontinue its development programs in Bangladesh, Albania and Zambia?
[A] China
[B] Switzerland
[C] India
[D] France
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Switzerland]
Notes:
Switzerland will end development aid for Bangladesh, Albania, and Zambia due to budget cuts in foreign aid. The Swiss parliament reduced its 2025 foreign aid budget by 110 million Swiss Francs, and another 321 million Swiss Francs for 2026-2028. These cuts will impact both bilateral and multilateral cooperation. However, Switzerland will still fund humanitarian efforts. This decision is part of Switzerland’s financial adjustments and shift in international aid priorities.
2. Which of the following statements are correct about Adriatic Sea?
- It separates the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans.
- It is the southernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea.
- It is bordered by Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia and Italy.
- It connects to the Baltic Sea through Strait of Otranto
Choose the correct answer using the codes given below:
[A] Only 1 & 3
[B] Only 2 & 4
[C] Only 1, 2 & 3
[D] 1, 2, 3 & 4
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Only 1 & 3]
Notes:- The Adriatic Sea is a semi-enclosed sea separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans.
- The Adriatic Sea is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto to the northwest and the Po Valley.
- In the southeast, the Adriatic Sea connects to the Ionian Sea at the 72-km wide Strait of Otranto.
- The countries share boundaries with Adriatic are Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia and Italy.
- The Otranto Sill, which is an underwater ridge, is located at the border between the Adriatic and Ionian Seas.
- The Adriatic Sea salinity is lower than the Mediterranean Sea because the Adriatic collects a third of the fresh water flowing into the Mediterranean, acting as a dilution basin.
3. Which of the following countries are part of the Balkan nations?
- Estonia
- Albania
- Macedonia
- Lithuania
- Latvia
- Romania
Choose the correct answer using the codes given below:
[A] Only 1, 4 & 5
[B] Only 2, 3 & 6
[C] Only 1, 2, 3, & 6
[D] 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Only 2, 3 & 6]
Notes:- Baltic states lie in the north-eastern region of Europe containing the countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea.
- The Baltic states are covered on the west and north by the Baltic Sea — which gives the region its name, on the east by Russia, on the southeast by Belarus, and on the southwest by Poland and an exclave of Russia.
- Balkans, also called Balkan Peninsula, lies in the easternmost part of Europe’s three great southern peninsulas, and is usually characterized as comprising Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia; with some parts of Greece and Turkey belonging to the region as well.
- Generally, the Balkans are bordered on the northwest by Italy, on the north by Hungary, on the north and northeast by Moldova and Ukraine, and on the south by Greece and Turkey — or the Aegean Sea(depending on how the region is defined, as per Britannica).
- The Balkans are watered by the Adriatic Sea in the west, the Ionian Sea in the southwest, and the Black Sea in the east.
4. Which of the following countries have the coast along the Mediterranean Sea?
- Albania
- Malta
- Israel
- Jordan
- Cyprus
Choose the correct answer using the codes given below:
[A] Only 1 & 4
[B] Only 2, 3 & 5
[C] Only 1, 2, 3 & 5
[D] 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Only 1, 2, 3 & 5]
Notes:- Countries along the coastlines of the Mediterranean Sea are Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, and Turkey.
5. Consider the following statements:
- Mexico, Kenya, South Korea are republics.
- Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are all constitutional monarchies.
- European nations, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Albania are commonwealth nations.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
[A] Only 2
[B] Only 1 & 3
[C] Only 1 & 2
[D] 1, 2 & 3
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Only 1 & 2]
Notes:- The United States, Mexico, India, France, Kenya, South Korea, Peru, and Indonesia are only a few of the world’s many true republics.
- The Commonwealth realm is a group of 14 countries (not including the United Kingdom) that recognise the British monarch as their head of state — a position that is explicitly stated in the constitution and laws of some of these countries.
- Besides Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, the Commonwealth realm includes Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, Grenada, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu.
- Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are all constitutional monarchies.
- This is a group of 56 member countries, the vast majority of which are former British colonies. They are mostly in Africa, Asia, the Americas, and the Pacific. Three European nations are part of the Commonwealth: Cyprus, Malta, and of course, the UK itself.
- The 14 Commonwealth realm countries are part of the larger Commonwealth. Of the remaining 41 member states, 36 are republics — this group includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. The other five — Brunei Darussalam, Lesotho, Malaysia, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and Tonga — have their own monarchs.
6. Consider the following statements on continental shelves:
- House Natural Resources Committee in the USA passed a bill that allows oil and gas drilling from Outer Continental Shelf.
- The Patagonian Shelf is a part of the South American Continental Shelf.
- Albania and Greece are located off the coast of Iberian Continental Shelf.
- A large part of the Sunda Shelf is occupied by Indonesia.
Which of the above given statements is/are correct?
[A] Only 1 & 2
[B] Only 2 & 3
[C] Only 3 & 4
[D] Only 2 & 4
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Only 2 & 4]
Notes:
The Outer Continental Shelf is part of the USA’s continental shelf. The Patagonian Shelf, located in the Argentine Sea, is subject to competing claims by Argentina and Chile. The Sunda Shelf, off Southeast Asia, is largely occupied by Indonesia. The Iberian Continental Shelf is situated off the coast of Spain and Portugal.
7. With reference to various rivers in news in recent times, consider the following statements:
- Vjosa River flows through Greece and Albania
- Hong River flows through China and Laos
- Kruscica River flows through Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Blue Nile river flows through Ethiopia and Sudan
Which of the above is / are correct?
[A] Only 1 & 2
[B] Only 1, 3 & 4
[C] Only 1, 2 & 4
[D] 1, 2, 3 & 4
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Only 1, 3 & 4]
Notes:
The Vjosa River flows through Greece and Albania, known as ‘Europe’s Last Wild River.’ The Hong River, or Red River, runs through China and Vietnam, entering the South China Sea at the Gulf of Tonkin. The Kruscica River flows in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Blue Nile, a tributary of the Nile River, flows through Ethiopia and Sudan, with the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam under construction on it.
8. Which of the following countries is/are member state of OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation)?
- Albania
- Guyana
- Surinam
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
[A] Only 2
[B] Only 3
[C] 1, 2 & 3
[D] None of the above
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [1, 2 & 3]
Notes:- The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1969, consisting of 57 member states. The organisation states that it is “the collective voice of the Muslim World” and works to “safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony”. The OIC has permanent delegations to the United Nations and the European Union. The official languages of the OIC are Arabic, English, and French.
- Albania (Europe), Guyana and Surinam (South America) are its members.
9. Which of the following countries are member countries of Organization of Islamic Cooperation?
- Albania
- Afghanistan
- Bangladesh
- Indonesia
Choose the correct answer using the codes given below:
[A] Only 2 & 3
[B] Only 3 & 4
[C] Only 2, 3 & 4
[D] 1, 2, 3 & 4
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [1, 2, 3 & 4]
Notes:- The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, formerly the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1969, consisting of 57 member states. The organisation states that it is “the collective voice of the Muslim world” and works to “safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony”.
- Bangladesh, Surinam, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Lebanon, Albania among others are its member countries.
10. Consider the following statements on ‘Warsaw Pact’:
- It was formally known as the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance.
- Albania and East Germany withdrew from it in 1990.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
[A] Only 1
[B] Only 2
[C] Both 1 & 2
[D] Neither 1 nor 2
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Only 1]
Notes:- The Warsaw Pact was a collective defence treaty established by the Soviet Union and seven other Soviet satellite states in Central and Eastern Europe: Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland and Romania (Albania withdrew in 1968).
- Formally known as the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance, the Warsaw Pact was created on 14 May 1955, immediately after the accession of West Germany to the Alliance. It complemented the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, which was the regional economic organisation set up by the Soviet Union in January 1949 for the communist states of Central and Eastern Europe.
- The Warsaw Pact embodied what was referred to as the Eastern bloc, while NATO and its member countries represented the Western bloc.
- The Warsaw Pact was declared at an end on 25 February 1991 and the Czechoslovak President, Vaclav Havel, formally declared an end to it on 1 July 1991.
