1. CSAT-2014: IR defense Compared to other exams
2. CSAT 2014: Difficulty level of IR/Defense questions
3. CSAT-2015: How to approach IR/Defense?
   1. Q1: IR- Arab Spring
   2. Q2: IR- BRICS  summits
   3. Q3: IR- Regions in News
   4. Q4: Defense- Agni-IV

CSAT-2014: IR defense Compared to other exams

other exams	CSAT-2014
CSAT-2013, 2012, 2011- they had stopped asking international relations, events and defense related topics.	resumed asking
CAPF, CDS exam: usually 8-10% of the MCQs come from this area	4%
in CDS-2014 features of Pragati missile system statements about Indian Ocean rim org.	agni-4 statements about BRICS

CSAT 2014: Difficulty level of IR/Defense questions

Arab Spring	Easy for senior players, they’d have prepared this topic for mains, interview anyways. Tough: for new players, who may have downplayed IR portion for prelims (Because in past three prelims, UPSC had stopped asking such IR/person in news/defense type GK) Topic in news: May 2014, Tunisia revoked emergency.
Regions In News	same as above
BRICS  summit	Difficult, because hard to keep memorizing “First” summit. There are so many intl. organizations and so many first summits! Topic in news:  July 2014 when 6th Summit held in Brazil.
AGNI-4	Moderate. Because such missile-defense questions not seen in recent CSAT exams, therefore players would have stopped mugging up such factoids from newspapers and magazines. (Except those players who simultaneously prepare for CAPF, CDS or SSC as career backup.) Topic was in news: In Jan 2014.

CSAT-2015: How to approach IR/Defense?

This is UPSC’s “doubt-bluff-Back-breaking moveTM” to deter senior players and coaching classes from gaining competitive advantage over new players- because for last 3 years, UPSC did not ask IR/Defense GK so, they’d have stopped focusing in it.

Anyways, if UPSC wants to revive IR/defense then you’ve to prepare. Standard approach is following:

• Notes making from TheHindu
• Mrunal’s defense compilation– old article from 2012-13, but basics of weapons and missile development still relevant.
• Augmenting those notes, using competitive magazines like Civil service times, Pratiyogita etc. for factoids.

Q1: IR- Arab Spring

Recently, a series of uprisings of people referred to as ‘Arab Spring’ originally started from

1. Egypt
2. Lebanon
3. Syria
4. Tunisia

Arab Spring is a misnomer used by the media to describe the uprising that the self-immolation of Mohammad Bouazizi unleashed in Tunisia on December 18, 2010 in protest against police corruption and ill-treatment. (ref:Hindu)

Therefore, answer (D). Topic was in news, in May 2014, when Tunisia ended the state of emergency.

Q2: IR- BRICS  summits

With reference to a grouping of countries known as BRICS, consider the following statements:

1. The First Summit of BRICS was held in Rio de Janeiro in 2009.
2. South Africa was the last to join the BRICS grouping.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Peu Ghosh, International Relations, 3rd Ed. Page 471-72

• Statement #1 wrong because first summit held in Yekarterinburg, Russia in 2009
• Statement #2 is right. South Africa was admitted as a BRIC nation on 24/12/2010, after being invited by China and other BRIC nations. The capital “S” in BRICS  now stands for South Africa…..There can be further expansion of BRICS and there is proposed inclusion of Mexico and South Korea.
• Therefore, Answer B only 2 correct.
• Topic was in news, July 2014, because 6th BRICS summit held in Brazil.

Q3: IR- Regions in News

Consider the following pairs

Region often in news	Country
1. Chechnya	Russian Federation
2. Darfur	Mali
3. Swat Valley	Iraq

Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?

1. 1 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Answer is (a) 1 only because

• Darfur : Sudan
• Swat Valley: Pakistan
• Therefore, 2 and 3 wrong. By elimination, Answer has to be A.

Q4: Defense- Agni-IV

Which reference to Agni-IV Missile, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. It is a surface-to-surface missile.
2. It is fuelled by liquid propellant only.
3. It can deliver one-tonne nuclear warheads about 7500 km away.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

1. 1 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

News appeared in January 2014

1. PIB press release
2. TheHindu

Check statements individually

1. It is a surface-to-surface missile.	Yes, correct
2. It is fuelled by liquid propellant only.	No, it has two-stage solid propulsion.
3. It can deliver one-tonne nuclear warheads about 7500 km away.	No, only 4000 kms

Therefore, answer (A) only 1.