1. A plurilateral agreement within the WTO framework is binding on all member countries once adopted.
2. Investment facilitation measures necessarily involve commitments on market access and tariff reduction.
3. Consensus-based decision-making in WTO implies that a single member can block incorporation of new agreements.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Statement 3 – Correct: WTO operates on a consensus-based decision-making system, where even a single member can block the adoption or incorporation of new agreements.
Statement 1 – Incorrect: Plurilateral agreements are binding only on participating members, not on all WTO members, making this a common conceptual trap.
Statement 2 – Incorrect: Investment facilitation focuses on procedural aspects such as transparency and coordination, and does not necessarily involve market access commitments or tariff reductions.
1. They are created to mitigate the impact of supply disruptions in crude oil.
2. The International Energy Agency mandates its members to maintain oil reserves equivalent to a minimum number of days of net imports.
3. Expansion of strategic petroleum reserves can directly reduce a country’s dependence on crude oil imports.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Statement 1 – Correct: Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPRs) act as buffer stocks to mitigate the impact of supply disruptions, especially during geopolitical crises.
Statement 2 – Correct: Members of the International Energy Agency are required to maintain emergency oil reserves equivalent to at least 90 days of net imports.
Statement 3 – Incorrect: Expansion of SPRs enhances energy security by providing a buffer, but does not reduce long-term dependence on crude oil imports, highlighting the stock vs flow distinction.
1. Greenhouse gases absorb longwave radiation emitted by the Earth’s surface.
2. Even if greenhouse gas emissions are halted, global temperatures may continue to rise for some time.
3. Oceans play only a minor role in storing excess heat in the climate system.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Statement 1 – Correct: The Earth emits absorbed solar energy as longwave (infrared) radiation, which is absorbed by greenhouse gases such as CO₂, CH₄, and water vapour, leading to the greenhouse effect.
Statement 2 – Correct: Due to climate inertia, particularly the slow response of oceans, global temperatures may continue to rise even if greenhouse gas emissions are halted, reflecting warming already “in the pipeline.”
Statement 3 – Incorrect: Oceans play a dominant role in heat storage, absorbing over 90% of excess heat in the climate system, making them the primary heat reservoir rather than a minor contributor.
1. Melting of ice reduces the Earth’s albedo.
2. Warmer oceans can intensify tropical storms.
3. An increase in greenhouse gases can lead to an energy imbalance in the Earth’s climate system.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Statement 1 – Correct: Ice and snow have high albedo and reflect most incoming solar radiation. Their melting exposes darker surfaces that absorb more heat, reducing reflectivity and amplifying warming through the ice–albedo feedback.
Statement 2 – Correct: Tropical storms draw energy from warm ocean waters via latent heat release. Rising sea surface temperatures enhance storm intensity, rainfall, and destructive potential.
Statement 3 – Correct: Greenhouse gases absorb outgoing longwave radiation, disrupting Earth’s radiative equilibrium and creating an energy imbalance that drives global warming.
1. They eliminate competition between agriculture and solar energy for land use.
2. They ensure uniform crop productivity across different agro-climatic regions.
3. They may improve water-use efficiency under certain conditions.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Statement 1 – Incorrect: AgriPV reduces land-use conflict between agriculture and solar energy, but does not eliminate it, as trade-offs depend on design, shading, and crop type.
Statement 2 – Incorrect: Crop productivity varies across agro-climatic conditions, crop types, and panel configurations; it is not uniform, making this a classic “uniform/always” trap.
Statement 3 – Correct: Partial shading can reduce evapotranspiration, helping retain soil moisture and improving water-use efficiency under suitable conditions.