UPSC CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION
UPSC Prelims 2011— Question 19
Q19
Question
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 aim 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 predominantly from the European Union and American continents. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
AnswerOption A
Explanation
Concept and answer: Option A is correct. The Australia Group addresses chemical/biological proliferation controls, while Wassenaar covers conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies. The question should be approached by identifying the exact proposition being tested and then checking each alternative against that proposition. A familiar word or related fact is not enough; the option must be completely consistent with the underlying concept. Statement 1 is correct under the verified interpretation. Statement 2 is incorrect under the verified interpretation. Option A: Correct. It selects exactly the valid statement combination and therefore matches the factual and logical requirements of the question. Option B: Incorrect. It omits true statement(s) 1; includes false statement(s) 2. Option C: Incorrect. It includes false statement(s) 2. Option D: Incorrect. It includes false statement(s) 2. Exam takeaway: the decisive distinction is the one stated in the core explanation. Option A is the only choice that remains fully consistent with that distinction. This approach is useful for Prelims because many distractors contain a partially true statement but add an incorrect qualifier, reverse a relationship, confuse two institutions, or use an absolute term. Always test the entire option rather than recognizing only one familiar phrase.
Question Classification
SubjectInternational Relations
TopicTreaties & Agreements
SubtopicTerminal topic
Question TypeStatement-based MCQ
Difficultydifficult
VerificationVerified