ASKiIMAN™
NEXUS / 2023 / GS1
00:00:00 · 00 XXX 0000

UPSC 2023: Nexus 91—100

Unearthing the structural logic of the paper. [Set A]

Question 91

Internal Security

With reference to Home Guards, consider the following statements:

  1. Home Guards are raised under the Home Guards Act and Rules of the Central Government.
  2. The role of the Home Guards is to serve as an auxiliary force to the police in maintenance of internal security.
  3. To prevent infiltration on the international border/coastal areas, the Border Wing Home Guards Battalions have been raised in some States.

How many of the above statements are correct?

Official Verdict: (b) Only two

The Core Concept: The Home Guards organization is fundamentally a State force. They are raised under the Home Guards Act and Rules of the respective State Governments and Union Territories, not the Central Government (Statement 1 is false). They indeed act as an auxiliary to the state police for internal security (Statement 2 is true), and special Border Wing Home Guard Battalions exist in states like Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat to assist the BSF in stopping infiltration (Statement 3 is true).

Tethered to: REALM 131: Centre's Role in Policing

Central Rules STATE Auxiliary Border Wing
Fake Uniform Official Secrets Act Misleading Indian Evidence Act ❌ Gunfire Arms Act 2019

Question 92

Criminal Law

With reference to India, consider the following pairs:

  • 1: Unauthorized wearing of police or military uniforms : The Official Secrets Act, 1923
  • 2: Knowingly misleading... a police officer... : The Indian Evidence Act, 1872
  • 3: Celebratory gunfire which can endanger... : The Arms (Amendment) Act, 2019

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

Official Verdict: (b) Only two

The Core Concept: Section 6 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923 strictly prohibits the unauthorized use of military or police uniforms (1 is correct). The Arms (Amendment) Act, 2019 specifically introduced a heavy penalty for celebratory gunfire (harsh firing) at weddings or gatherings (3 is correct). However, knowingly misleading a police officer is a penal offense generally covered under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) or the Official Secrets Act, not the Indian Evidence Act, which only deals with the admissibility of evidence in courts (2 is false).

Tethered to: REALM 204: Criminal Law & Internal Security

Question 93

Geopolitics Map

Consider the following pairs:

  • North Kivu and Ituri: War between Armenia and Azerbaijan
  • Nagorno-Karabakh: Insurgency in Mozambique
  • Kherson and Zaporizhzhia: Dispute between Israel and Lebanon

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

Official Verdict: (d) None

The Core Concept: The examiner deliberately scrambled every single world conflict. North Kivu and Ituri are violence-stricken provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Nagorno-Karabakh is the highly contested enclave driving the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Kherson and Zaporizhzhia are major regions in Southern Ukraine, heavily contested in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Tethered to: REALM 108: Regional Groupings in Current Affairs

N. Kivu / Ituri Nagorno-Karabakh Kherson DRC Congo Armenia / Azer. Ukraine / Russia ALL SCRAMBLED
Abraham Accords ✅ Arab Peace Init. Saudi 2002 Israel Never Signed ❌

Question 94

Middle East Geopolitics

Consider the following statements:

  • Statement-I: Israel has established diplomatic relations with some Arab States.
  • Statement-II: The 'Arab Peace Initiative' mediated by Saudi Arabia was signed by Israel and Arab League.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Official Verdict: (c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect

The Core Concept: Israel has indeed normalized ties with several Arab states (Egypt, Jordan, and recently UAE, Bahrain, Morocco via the Abraham Accords). Thus, Statement I is true. The 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, proposed by Saudi Arabia, offered full normalization in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal to 1967 borders and a Palestinian state. The Arab League endorsed it, but Israel never signed or accepted it. Statement II is false.

Tethered to: REALM 42: India–Middle East Geopolitics

Question 95

National Honours

Consider the following pairs with regard to sports awards:

  • 1: Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award : For the most spectacular and outstanding performance... over a period of last four years
  • 2: Arjuna Award : For the lifetime achievement by a sportsperson
  • 3: Dronacharya Award : To honour eminent coaches...
  • 4: Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar : To recognize the contribution made by sportspersons even after their retirement

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

Official Verdict: (b) Only two

The Core Concept: 1 is perfectly matched (Khel Ratna is the highest honor for 4-year performance). 3 is perfectly matched (Dronacharya is exclusively for Coaches). 2 is false: The Arjuna Award is for consistently good performance over 4 years, while the Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement handles lifetime sports contributions. 4 is false: The Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar is awarded to corporate entities (private/public) and NGOs that promote sports, not retired sportspersons.

Tethered to: REALM 101: Awards & Honours

Khel Ratna ✅ Coach ✅ Arjuna Lifetime ❌ Protsahan Retired Player ❌ (It's for Corporates)
THAMBI ✅ Open = Vera? Women = Hamilton? Cups Swapped ❌

Question 96

Sports Current Affairs

Consider the following statements in respect of the 44th Chess Olympiad, 2022:

  1. It was the first time that Chess Olympiad was held in India.
  2. The official mascot was named 'Thambi'.
  3. The trophy for the winning team in the open section is the Vera Menchik Cup.
  4. The trophy for the winning team in the women's section is the Hamilton-Russell Cup.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

Official Verdict: (b) Only two

The Core Concept: India hosted the Olympiad for the very first time in Chennai (1 is true), and the mascot was a chess knight dressed in traditional Tamil attire named 'Thambi' (2 is true). The UPSC examiner swapped the trophies: The Hamilton-Russell Cup is awarded to the Open Section winner, and the Vera Menchik Cup (named after the first Women's World Champion) is awarded to the Women's Section winner. Thus, 3 and 4 are false.

Tethered to: REALM 101: Awards & Honours

Question 97

Geopolitics Map

Consider the following pairs:

  • Donbas: Syria
  • Kachin: Ethiopia
  • Tigray: North Yemen

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

Official Verdict: (d) None

The Core Concept: Another completely scrambled geography question. Donbas is the heavily industrialized eastern region of Ukraine (contested by Russia). Kachin State is the northernmost state of Myanmar, embroiled in intense ethnic insurgency. Tigray is the northernmost region of Ethiopia, the site of a devastating recent civil war. Not a single pair matches reality.

Tethered to: REALM 122 TO 140: Contemporary IR World Map

Donbas Kachin Tigray Ukraine Myanmar Ethiopia ZERO MATCHES
COUP BELT

Question 98

African Geopolitics

In the recent years Chad, Guinea, Mali and Sudan caught the international attention for which one of the following reasons common to all of them?

  • (a) Discovery of rich deposits of rare earth elements
  • (b) Establishment of Chinese military bases
  • (c) Southward expansion of Sahara Desert
  • (d) Successful coups

Official Verdict: (d) Successful coups

The Core Concept: This lateral stretch of Africa, roughly following the Sahel region just below the Sahara, has been dubbed the "Coup Belt." Between 2020 and 2023, Mali, Guinea, Chad, Sudan, and subsequently Burkina Faso and Niger, all experienced violent military takeovers, completely destabilizing democratic governance in West and Central Africa.

Tethered to: REALM 115: Africa → Global South → Development

Question 99

Industrial Transition

Consider the following heavy industries:

  1. Fertilizer plants
  2. Oil refineries
  3. Steel plants

Green hydrogen is expected to play a significant role in decarbonizing how many of the above industries?

Official Verdict: (c) All three

The Core Concept: The "hard-to-abate" sectors rely heavily on fossil fuels not just for energy, but as chemical feedstocks. Fertilizer: Green H2 can replace natural gas to synthesize Green Ammonia. Oil Refineries: Currently use massive amounts of "grey" hydrogen for desulfurization; Green H2 replaces this directly. Steel: Green H2 can replace coking coal as the reducing agent to strip oxygen from iron ore (Direct Reduced Iron process). All three are prime targets for the National Green Hydrogen Mission.

Tethered to: REALM 349: Hydrogen Energy & Green Future

H₂ Fertilizer (NH₃) Oil Refine Steel (DRI)
1999 Finance Mins. 2023 INDIA DPI / UPI Evolution of G-20

Question 100

Global Governance

Consider the following statements about G-20:

  1. The G-20 group was originally established as a platform for the Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors to discuss the international economic and financial issues.
  2. Digital public infrastructure is one of India's G-20 priorities.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Official Verdict: (c) Both 1 and 2

The Core Concept: The G20 was born in 1999 directly in response to the Asian Financial Crisis, strictly as a forum for Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (it was upgraded to a Heads of State summit later in 2008). Fast forward to India's Presidency in 2023, showcasing Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)—like Aadhaar, UPI, and CoWIN—to the Global South was one of New Delhi's absolute top agenda priorities. Both statements are factually perfect.

Tethered to: REALM 09: G20 & India