Consider the following pairs : Country — Important reason for being in the news recently 1. Chad — Setting up of permanent military base by China 2. Guinea — Suspension of Constitution and Government by military 3. Lebanon — Severe and prolonged economic depression 4. Tunisia — Suspension of Parliament by President How many pairs given above are correctly matched ?
- (a) Only one pair
- (b) Only two pairs
- (c) Only three pairs ✓ UPSC's answer
- (d) All four pairs
Why the answer is (c)
• Pair 2 is correct: in September 2021 Guinea's military ousted President Condé, suspended the constitution and dissolved the government.
• Pair 3 is correct: Lebanon has suffered one of the world's worst economic collapses since 2019, with currency crash, banking failure and the 2020 Beirut port explosion.
• Pair 4 is correct: in July 2021 President Kais Saied suspended Tunisia's parliament and assumed executive power.
• Pair 1 is wrong: China has no permanent military base in Chad; its only overseas base in Africa is in Djibouti (Chad was in the news for a military takeover after President Déby's death).
• Hence three pairs, option (c).
Why the other options are wrong
- (a) Only one pair
- Three pairs (2, 3 and 4) are correct.
- (b) Only two pairs
- Guinea, Lebanon and Tunisia are all correctly matched, making three.
- (d) All four pairs
- Pair 1 is wrong: China has no base in Chad.
Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2022, held on 5 June 2022. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.