1) Southeast Asia has captivated the attention of global community over space and time as a geostrategically significant region. Which among the following is the most convincing explanation for this global perspective?
(a)  It was the hot theater during the Second World War
(b)  Its location between the Asian powers of China and India
(c)  It was the arena of superpower confrontation during the Cold War period
(d)  Its location between the Pacific and Indian oceans and its pre-eminent maritime character


2) Between India and East Asia, the navigation-time and distance can be greatly reduced by which of the following ?
1.   Deepening the Malacca straits between Malaysia and Indonesia.
2.   Opening a new canal across the Kra isthmus between the Gulf of Siam and Andaman Sea.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
(a)  1 only
(b)  2 only
(c)  Both 1 and 2
(d)  Neither 1 nor 2


3) Regarding the International Monetary Fund, which one of the following statements is correct ?
(a)  It can grant loans to any country
(b)  It can grant loans to only developed countries
(c)  It grants loans to only member countries
(d)  It can grant loans to the central bank of a country


4) Recently, the USA decided to support India's membership in multi-lateral export control regimes called the "Australia Group" and the "Wassenaar Arrangement". What is the difference between them ?
1.   The Australia Group is an informal arrangement which aims to allow exporting countries to minimize the risk of assisting chemical and biological weapons proliferation, whereas the Wassenaar Arrangement is a formal group under the OECD holding identical objectives.
2.   The Australia Group comprises predominantly of Asian, African and North American countries, whereas the member countries of Wassenaar Arrangement are pre-dominantly from the European Union and American continents.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
(a)  1 only
(b)  2 only
(c)  Both 1 and 2
(d)  Neither 1 nor 2


5) The "New START" treaty was in the news. What is this treaty ?
(a)  It is a bilateral strategic nuclear arms reduction treaty between the USA and the Russian Federation
(b)  It is a multilateral energy security cooperation treaty among the members of the East Asia Summit
(c)  It is a treaty between the Russian Federation and the European Union for the energy security cooperation
(d)  It is a multilateral cooperation treaty among the BRICS countries for the promotion of trade