20 multiple-choice (MCQ / objective) questions from this chapter, in every exam-style shape used in the paper. Every question comes with an explanation along with the answer, so you remember why the option is correct, not just which one it is.
1 Direct Questions
Direct Questions
- 1 markHow many countries does this chapter use the expression ‘South Asia’ to mean?
(A) Five(B) Six(C) Seven(D) Eight - 1 markWhich of these is NOT one of the seven countries the chapter counts as South Asia?
(A) Myanmar(B) The Maldives(C) Bhutan(D) Nepal - 1 markAccording to the chapter, China is:
(A) A member of SAARC(B) A part of South Asia(C) A South Asian country for trade purposes only(D) An important player, but not considered to be a part of the region - 1 markThe Maldives was a Sultanate till which year?
(A) 1948(B) 1968(C) 1965(D) 1972 - 1 markIn June 2005 the parliament of the Maldives voted unanimously to:
(A) Abolish the presidency(B) Join SAARC(C) Introduce a multi-party system(D) Adopt a presidential form of government - 1 markBhutan became a constitutional monarchy in:
(A) 2008(B) 1990(C) 2005(D) 2015 - 1 markIn the 1970 elections in the then Pakistan, the Awami League led by Sheikh Mujib:
(A) Won a few seats in East Pakistan(B) Won all the seats in East Pakistan and secured a majority in the proposed constituent assembly(C) Boycotted the polls(D) Formed a coalition with the Muslim League - 1 markSheikh Mujib-ur Rahman was assassinated in a military uprising in:
(A) August 1975(B) December 1971(C) 1979(D) 1990 - 1 markIn 2002 the king of Nepal:
(A) Signed a new constitution(B) Abolished the parliament and dismissed the government(C) Gave up the throne(D) Joined the Maoists - 1 markThe April 2006 pro-democracy movement in Nepal was led by:
(A) The Nepali army(B) The king(C) The Indian government(D) The Seven Party Alliance, the Maoists and social activists - 1 markFrom which year does the chapter date the LTTE’s armed struggle against the army of Sri Lanka?
(A) 1948(B) 1976(C) 1983(D) 1987 - 1 markThe Indian Peace Keeping Force pulled out of Sri Lanka in:
(A) 1987(B) 2009(C) 1990(D) 1989 - 1 markThe Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 was signed with the help of:
(A) The United Nations(B) The World Bank(C) The United States(D) SAARC
2 Assertion-Reason
Assertion-Reason
- 1 markAssertion (A): Every conflict in South Asia is a conflict between India and one of its neighbours.
Reason (R): India is located centrally in the region and is therefore the only country that borders the others.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A(C) A is true but R is false(D) A is false but R is true - 1 markAssertion (A): Sri Lanka has maintained a democratic political system ever since its independence in 1948.
Reason (R): Sri Lanka was the first country in the South Asian region to liberalise its economy.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A(C) A is true but R is false(D) A is false but R is true
3 Match the Following
Match the Following
- 1 markMatch the country in List I with the description in List II.
List I: (i) Sri Lanka, (ii) The Maldives, (iii) Bhutan, (iv) Nepal
List II: (A) A Sultanate till 1968, (B) The first country in the region to liberalise its economy, (C) Became a democratic republic in 2008 after abolishing the monarchy, (D) Became a constitutional monarchy in 2008
(A) (i)-A, (ii)-B, (iii)-C, (iv)-D(B) (i)-B, (ii)-A, (iii)-D, (iv)-C(C) (i)-C, (ii)-D, (iii)-A, (iv)-B(D) (i)-D, (ii)-C, (iii)-B, (iv)-A
4 Statement-Based Questions
Statement-Based Questions
- 1 markConsider the following statements about SAFTA.
(i) It was signed in 2004 at the 12th SAARC Summit in Islamabad.
(ii) It came into effect on 1 January 2006.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(A) Only (i)(B) Only (ii)(C) Both (i) and (ii)(D) Neither (i) nor (ii) - 1 markConsider the following statements.
(i) A treaty between India and Nepal allows the citizens of the two countries to travel to and work in the other country without visas and passports.
(ii) India and Bangladesh exchanged certain enclaves in 2015.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(A) Only (i)(B) Only (ii)(C) Both (i) and (ii)(D) Neither (i) nor (ii)
5 Chronological Ordering
Chronological Ordering
- 1 markArrange the following events in Nepal in the correct chronological order.
(i) Nepal becomes a democratic republic
(ii) The king abolishes the parliament and dismisses the government
(iii) The king accepts the demand for a new democratic constitution
(iv) The House of Representatives is restored after country-wide protests
(A) (iii), (ii), (iv), (i)(B) (ii), (iii), (i), (iv)(C) (iv), (iii), (ii), (i)(D) (iii), (iv), (ii), (i)
6 True / False
True / False
- 1 mark(i) Sri Lanka and India have successfully operated a democratic system since their independence from the British.
(ii) Nepal became a democratic republic in 2006.
(A) Both statements are true(B) Both statements are untrue(C) (i) is true and (ii) is untrue(D) (i) is untrue and (ii) is true
Answer Key and Explanations
Direct Questions
- (C) The chapter lists Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and then says: ‘In this chapter, we shall use South Asia to mean the seven countries mentioned above.’
- (A) Myanmar, like Afghanistan, is ‘often included in discussions of the region as a whole’, but it is outside the seven the chapter itself counts.
- (D) The chapter says plainly that ‘China is an important player but is not considered to be a part of the region.’
- (B) ‘The Maldives, the other island nation, was a Sultanate till 1968 when it was transformed into a republic with a presidential form of government.’
- (C) The presidential republic dates from 1968; the June 2005 unanimous vote was to introduce a multi-party system. The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) dominates the political affairs of the island, and won the 2018 elections.
- (A) ‘Bhutan became a constitutional monarchy in 2008. Under the leadership of the king, it emerged as a multi-party democracy.’
- (B) The Awami League swept East Pakistan and had a majority for the whole of Pakistan, but ‘the government dominated by the West Pakistani leadership refused to convene the assembly’.
- (A) After the 1975 constitutional amendment that abolished all parties except the Awami League, ‘he was assassinated in a military uprising in August 1975’.
- (B) ‘In 2002, the king abolished the parliament and dismissed the government, thus ending even the limited democracy that existed in Nepal.’
- (D) ‘The largely non-violent movement was led by the Seven Party Alliance (SPA), the Maoists and social activists,’ and it forced the king to restore the House of Representatives.
- (C) ‘From 1983 onwards, the militant organisation, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was fighting an armed struggle with the army of Sri Lanka.’ 1948 is the year of Sri Lanka’s independence and 1987 the year of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord.
- (D) ‘In 1989, the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) pulled out of Sri Lanka without attaining its objective.’ 1987 is when the accord was signed and the troops sent; 2009 is when the LTTE was vanquished.
- (B) ‘Eventually, in 1960, with the help of the World Bank, India and Pakistan signed the Indus Waters Treaty which has survived to this day in spite of various military conflicts.’
Assertion-Reason
- (D) A is false. The chapter says plainly that ‘Not all conflicts in South Asia are between India and its neighbours’, and names the disagreements between Nepal and Bhutan, and between Bangladesh and Myanmar, over the migration of ethnic Nepalese and of the Rohingyas. R is true, and is the chapter’s own description of the region’s geography.
- (B) Both statements are in the chapter. Sri Lanka ‘has retained democracy since its independence in 1948’, and it was ‘the first country in the region to liberalise the economy’. They are two separate achievements: liberalising an economy is not the reason a country stays democratic, so R stands on its own and does not explain A.
Match the Following
- (B) Sri Lanka liberalised first in the region; the Maldives was a Sultanate till 1968; Bhutan became a constitutional monarchy in 2008; Nepal abolished the monarchy and became a democratic republic in the same year, 2008.
Statement-Based Questions
- (C) Both match the chapter. The timeline records ‘2004 January: SAFTA signed at the 12th SAARC Summit in Islamabad’, and the text adds that ‘the Agreement was signed in 2004 and came into effect on 1 January 2006’.
- (C) Both are in the chapter. The India-Nepal treaty is described as a relationship ‘that has very few parallels in the world’, and on India and Bangladesh the chapter says: ‘In 2015, they exchanged certain enclaves.’
Chronological Ordering
- (A) 1990 the king accepts the demand for a new democratic constitution (iii); 2002 he abolishes the parliament (ii); April 2006: the House of Representatives, dissolved in April 2002, is restored after country-wide protests (iv); 2008 Nepal becomes a democratic republic (i).
True / False
- (C) The first is the chapter’s own claim about India and Sri Lanka. The second carries the wrong year: 2006 is when country-wide protests forced the king to restore the House of Representatives; the monarchy was abolished and Nepal became a democratic republic in 2008.
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