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UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) General Studies Paper V — Current Affairs, Security and International Relations Flashcards
50 question-and-answer cards covering General Studies Paper V — Current Affairs, Security and International Relations as it is examined in UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE). 24 of them are printed below, taken from across the deck — no signup, no paywall on the preview.
24 sample cards from the General Studies Paper V — Current Affairs, Security and International Relations deck
Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.
What is the 'Quad', and which four countries comprise it?
The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad): India, the United States, Japan, and Australia. It is a strategic forum focused on a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
What is the AUKUS pact, and which countries are members?
AUKUS is a 2021 trilateral security pact among Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, centrally involving sharing of nuclear-powered submarine technology with Australia.
What is the 2+2 dialogue, and with which major countries does India hold it?
A ministerial dialogue format combining Foreign and Defence Ministers of two countries. India holds 2+2 dialogues with the USA, Japan, Australia, and Russia (among others).
What are the major India-US foundational defence agreements (LEMOA, COMCASA, BECA)?
LEMOA (2016): logistics exchange/mutual access to bases. COMCASA (2018): secure communications interoperability. BECA (2020): exchange of geospatial intelligence/maps.
What is SAARC, when was it formed, and who are its members?
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, founded 1985 (Dhaka). Eight members: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Afghanistan.
What is BIMSTEC, and how does it differ from SAARC?
Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (1997): India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal, Bhutan. Unlike SAARC, it bridges South and Southeast Asia and excludes Pakistan, gaining favor as Pakistan stalls SAARC.
What is BRICS, and which countries joined in its 2024 expansion?
BRICS originally = Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa. From January 2024 it expanded ('BRICS+') to add Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE (Saudi Arabia invited; Argentina declined).
What is the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), and when did India join as a full member?
The SCO is a Eurasian political, economic and security organisation founded in 2001 (China, Russia, Central Asian states). India and Pakistan became full members in 2017.
What is the G20, and what theme/motto did India use during its 2023 presidency?
The G20 is a forum of 19 countries plus the EU and the African Union (added 2023) covering major economies. India's 2023 presidency theme was 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – One Earth, One Family, One Future.'
What is the I2U2 grouping?
I2U2 is a grouping of India, Israel, the UAE, and the USA (sometimes called the 'West Asian Quad'), launched 2021/2022 to cooperate on water, energy, transport, space, health and food security.
What are the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, and what special power do they hold?
China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States (P5). They hold veto power over substantive resolutions. India seeks permanent membership through UNSC reform (the G4: India, Japan, Germany, Brazil).
What is the difference between the IMF and the World Bank?
Both founded at Bretton Woods (1944). The IMF promotes monetary stability and provides short-term balance-of-payments support; the World Bank provides long-term loans for development and poverty reduction.
What are the four UN nuclear/export-control regimes India seeks to join, and which has it not yet joined?
MTCR (joined 2016), Wassenaar Arrangement (joined 2017), Australia Group (joined 2018), and the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) — which India has NOT yet joined, mainly due to China's objection.
What is the WTO, and what does the 'Peace Clause' protect for India?
The World Trade Organisation (1995) governs global trade rules. The 'Peace Clause' (Bali, 2013) protects developing countries like India from being legally challenged for breaching the agricultural subsidy cap (10% of production value) on food security/public stockholding programs.
Who are 'NRIs', 'PIOs', and 'OCIs' in the context of the Indian diaspora?
NRI: Non-Resident Indian (Indian citizen living abroad). PIO: Person of Indian Origin (foreign citizen with Indian ancestry). OCI: Overseas Citizen of India card (lifelong visa/benefits, but not full citizenship; the PIO scheme was merged into OCI in 2015).
What is Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, when is it observed, and why that date?
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (Day) celebrates the contribution of the overseas Indian community, observed on January 9 — marking Mahatma Gandhi's return to India from South Africa in 1915.
Which country has the largest Indian diaspora, and what is India's global rank in remittances received?
The Indian diaspora is the world's largest (over 32 million NRIs and PIOs). India is the world's top recipient of remittances, crossing USD 100+ billion annually (USA, UAE and Saudi Arabia being major sources).
What is the difference between bilateral, plurilateral, and multilateral diplomacy?
Bilateral: between two states. Plurilateral: among a limited group of select states (e.g., Quad). Multilateral: among many states, usually through institutions like the UN or WTO.
What is 'soft power' and which instruments does India use to project it?
Soft power (coined by Joseph Nye) is the ability to influence through attraction rather than coercion. India projects it via yoga (International Yoga Day, June 21), Bollywood, cuisine, Ayurveda, democracy and its diaspora.
What does the Global Hunger Index measure, and who publishes it?
The Global Hunger Index measures hunger via four indicators: undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting, and child mortality. It is published jointly by Concern Worldwide (Ireland) and Welthungerhilfe (Germany).
What is the Human Development Index (HDI), who publishes it, and what three dimensions does it cover?
The HDI is published by the UNDP (Human Development Report). It measures three dimensions: a long and healthy life (life expectancy), knowledge (education/schooling), and a decent standard of living (GNI per capita).
What is India's highest civilian award, and what is the highest peacetime gallantry award?
Highest civilian award: Bharat Ratna. Highest peacetime gallantry award: Ashok Chakra. (Highest wartime gallantry award: Param Vir Chakra.)
What is the difference between the Nobel Peace Prize and the Right Livelihood Award, and name an Indian Nobel Peace laureate.
The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee; the Right Livelihood Award (Sweden) is the 'Alternative Nobel.' Indian Nobel Peace laureate: Kailash Satyarthi (2014, shared with Malala Yousafzai) for children's rights.
What does the Corruption Perceptions Index measure and who publishes it?
The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) ranks countries by perceived levels of public-sector corruption on a 0–100 scale (0 = highly corrupt, 100 = very clean). It is published annually by Transparency International.
What this deck covers
The General Studies Paper V — Current Affairs, Security and International Relations deck follows the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) General Studies Paper V — Current Affairs, Security and International Relations syllabus — 4 chapters and 13 topics — so questions land on material that is genuinely examinable rather than trivia around it. That works out to roughly 12.5 cards per chapter.
Answers are written to be recallable, not just readable — averaging about 202 characters, which is long enough to carry the reasoning and short enough to say out loud.
A deck like this earns its keep on the second and third pass. Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then use the cards to find the specific facts that have not stuck.
General Studies Paper V — Current Affairs, Security and International Relations flashcards FAQ
How many General Studies Paper V — Current Affairs, Security and International Relations flashcards are in this UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) deck?
50 cards. This page previews 24 of them, sampled evenly across the deck so you can judge the difficulty before installing anything.
Are these UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) flashcards free?
Yes. The preview here is free to read with no signup, and the full 50-card deck is free inside the Examius app.
What do the General Studies Paper V — Current Affairs, Security and International Relations cards cover?
They follow the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) General Studies Paper V — Current Affairs, Security and International Relations syllabus — 4 chapters and 13 topics — so the questions track what is actually examinable.
How should I use these flashcards?
Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then drill the deck. Examius schedules each card with spaced repetition, so cards you keep missing come back sooner and ones you know drift further apart.