Archive · 16 Aug 2026
UPSC Essentials International Relations Subject Quiz Week 175 With Explanations
In India, some grown-ups take a very hard test to become important government officers.
To help them study, a newspaper called The Indian Express gives them practice quizzes.
This week's quiz was about how countries connect with each other.
One question was about the International North-South Transport Corridor, a road-and-ship route that links India to Europe through countries like Russia and Iran.
Another question talked about a cold island group called Svalbard, where a treaty lets Norway be in charge but does not allow any army bases.
There was also a question about Greenland, a giant frozen island that belongs to Denmark but makes many of its own decisions.
Another question was about the Ring of Fire, a big circle of volcanoes and earthquakes around the Pacific Ocean.
The quiz also asked about a large port in Iran called Chabahar, which India helps to run.
The answers come with simple explanations so the students can learn why each one is right.
The Indian Express's UPSC Essentials published its Week 175 daily subject quiz on International Relations with five multiple-choice questions and detailed explanations.
The International North-South Transport Corridor, launched by India, Russia, and Iran in 2000, now has 13 members, with Bulgaria joining as an observer state.
The 1920 Svalbard Treaty gives Norway sovereignty over the archipelago while keeping it a demilitarised zone, and India is a party to the treaty.
Greenland is a semi-autonomous Danish territory whose elected local government decides on its natural resources, and it shares no land border with mainland Europe.
Indonesia, the Philippines, and the United States are part of the Ring of Fire, and India manages the Shahid Beheshti terminal at Iran's Chabahar Port.
- Who
- UPSC aspirants preparing for the civil services examination, served by The Indian Express's UPSC Essentials initiative.
- What
- A five-question multiple-choice quiz on International Relations covering the INSTC, Svalbard Treaty, Greenland, the Ring of Fire, and Chabahar Port, with explanatory answers.
- When
- Published as Week 175 of the daily subject quiz series, linked to the July 2026 UPSC Essentials magazine and with questions tagged for UPSC Prelims 2026 and 2027.
- Where
- Published online by The Indian Express, with topics spanning India, Russia, Iran, Norway, Denmark, Greenland, the Arctic, and the Pacific region.
- Why
- To help aspirants revise important static syllabus topics in International Relations and check their progress.
- Publisher
- The Indian Express (UPSC Essentials)
- Quiz subject
- International Relations
- Edition
- Week 175
- Number of questions
- 5
- Answer key
- Q1: (a), Q2: (b), Q3: (c), Q4: (c), Q5: (d)
- INSTC agreement
- Inter-Governmental Agreement signed by India, Russia, and Iran on September 12, 2000
- INSTC membership
- 13 members, with Bulgaria as an observer state
- Svalbard Treaty
- Signed in Paris on February 9, 1920; in force from August 14, 1925