UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : International Relations MCQs on Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Operation Hawkeye Strike and more (Week 144)

UPSC Essentials brings to you its initiative of subject-wise quizzes. These quizzes are designed to help you revise some of the most important topics from the static part of the syllabus. Attempt today’s subject quiz on  International Relations to check your progress.

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With reference to the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), consider the following statements: 1. It is a permanent intergovernmental Organisation.

2. Venezuela is the founding member of OPEC. 3. The Secretariat of OPEC is in Baghdad.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

Relevance: The question tests factual knowledge of important international energy organisations like OPEC and their founding members and headquarters.

— Oil has been at the center of the close, and troubled, relationship between Venezuela and the US for a long time. American interests made the first major Venezuelan oil discoveries over a hundred years ago. The country has been among the largest suppliers to the US, accounting for as much as 70% of all US oil imports in the 1950s.

— The US was the largest investor in Venezuela’s oil industry and other sectors in those days. Things turned sour when Venezuela took the lead in establishing OPEC in 1960 — culminating in oil being used as an economic weapon against the US and the nationalization of Western oil companies’ assets, not just in Venezuela but also in the Middle East in the 1970s.

— The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a permanent intergovernmental organisation founded by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela at the Baghdad Conference on September 10-14, 1960. Hence, statements 1 and 2 are correct.

— OPEC’s goal is to coordinate and integrate petroleum policy among its member countries in order to provide fair and stable prices for petroleum producers, an efficient, economic, and consistent supply of petroleum to consuming nations, and a fair return on capital for those investing in the business.

— OPEC created its collective vision, defined its aims, and established its Secretariat, first in Geneva and subsequently in Vienna in 1965. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

1. This country has traditionally been a major ally of the US and its closest security partner in South America over the past 25 years.

2. The US has been the largest trading partner of this country, accounting for 34% of the country’s total trade.

3. Coffee and roses are major exports of this country.

Relevance: This question tests factual awareness of US strategic allies in South America and their trade dependence on the US.

— Colombia has traditionally been a major ally of the US and its closest security partner in South America over the past 25 years. Since the US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement was passed in 2012, the US has been Colombia’s largest trading partner, accounting for 34% of the country’s total trade.

— Colombia also comprised $5.4 billion of the $16 billion in US crude oil imports in 2023. Coffee and roses are also major Colombian exports. However, Colombia is best known today as the leading global producer of the illicit drug cocaine, as well as the coca plant from which it is derived. It accounts for over two-thirds of the total production of the drug, and the plant.

— In the past, the US has helped Colombia with financial assistance to fight the war on drugs. This has yielded mixed success – while incidents of political violence have largely reduced and the country was able to demobilise extremist groups, production of coca and cocaine has grown since 2013.

With reference to the Nobel Peace Prize, consider the following statements: 1. A Nobel Peace Prize can either be revoked, shared, or transferred to others.

2. The Nobel Peace Prize for the year 2025 has been awarded to Maria Corina Machado.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Relevance: This question tests awareness of current Nobel Peace Prize winners and factual knowledge about rules governing Nobel Prizes. It also checks the ability to eliminate statements based on static provisions vs current affairs.

— The Norwegian Nobel Committee has clarified that it is not possible to revoke, share, or transfer a Nobel Prize once it is awarded to someone. The Norwegian Nobel Committee said, a Nobel Prize can neither be revoked, shared, nor transferred to others. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— The Norwegian Nobel Committee made the clarification after Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025, offered to share it with the US President. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

Relevance: This question tests awareness of current military operations and their actors, a recurring theme in international relations questions. It also helps in mapping conflict zones and understanding US counter-terror operations in West Asia.

— US Central Command (Centcom) said the strikes were ordered by US President Donald Trump as part of Operation Hawkeye Strike. The operation is a response to a deadly IS attack on US forces in Palmyra on 13 December.

With reference to the ‘eurozone’, consider the following statements: 1. It refers to those members of the EU that have fully adopted the euro as their official currency.

2. All EU member states are eligible to join the eurozone. 3. It was established by the Maastricht Treaty of 1992.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Relevance: This question tests conceptual clarity on EU economic integration, especially the distinction between the EU and the eurozone.

— The eurozone, or officially the euro area, refers to the geographic and economic region comprising those members of the EU that have fully adopted the euro as their official currency. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— The Maastricht Treaty of 1992, which established the European Union, paved the way for: (i) The formation of a common economic and monetary union, which is the European Economic and Monetary Union. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

(ii) The adoption of a common currency, which would be accepted as the sole legal tender, the euro.

(iii) A unified central banking system, which established the European Central Bank (ECB).

(iv) A common economic region.

— All EU member states – barring Denmark, which has availed an opt-out – are required to join the eurozone, and satisfy certain “convergence criteria”, which ensure that the aspiring member converges with the other members in economic and legal terms. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

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