1. The Troika system ensures that at any given time, at least one developing country is part of the G20’s top decision-shaping group.
2. During the 2025 cycle, Brazil, South Africa and the United States together form the G20 Troika.
3. The role of the Troika includes providing continuity across presidencies and shaping the agenda for working groups.
4. The Troika is guided by an internal procedural framework of the G20, but the origin of the practice can be traced to discussions in the early meetings of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors.
Which of the above statements are correct?
Statement 1 – Incorrect: Although this often occurs in practice because several upcoming Presidencies belong to emerging economies, there is no rule requiring that a developing country must always be present in the Troika.
Statement 2 – Correct: The Troika for 2025 consists of Brazil (previous Presidency), South Africa (current Presidency), and the United States (incoming Presidency).
Statement 3 – Correct: The Troika ensures continuity across G20 Presidencies and provides broad guidance to both sherpa-track and finance-track working groups.
Statement 4 – Correct: The Troika arrangement evolved from discussions in the early G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meetings (post-1999) to maintain coherence and continuity across annual Presidencies.
1. It was the first G20 Leaders’ Summit hosted on African soil under a Presidency headquartered in the Global South.
2. The African Union took part in the summit as a permanent member of the G20, for the first time under a Presidency outside Asia.
3. The Johannesburg Leaders’ Declaration included commitments related to global debt reform and development finance.
4. The Summit formally adopted a mechanism that links climate action with debt-relief incentives for vulnerable economies.
Which of the above statements are correct?
Statement 1 – Correct: The 2025 Summit was the first G20 Leaders’ Summit held on African soil, hosted under South Africa’s Presidency.
Statement 2 – Correct: The African Union became a permanent G20 member in 2023 (Delhi Summit), and Johannesburg 2025 was one of the earliest Presidencies outside Asia where the AU participated as a full member.
Statement 3 – Correct: The Johannesburg Declaration placed strong emphasis on debt sustainability, MDB reform, and development finance, reflecting concerns of emerging and developing economies.
Statement 4 – Incorrect (but tricky): Although the Declaration discussed innovative financing, green transition, and debt sustainability, it did not adopt a formal debt-for-climate swap or any binding climate-linked debt relief mechanism.
1. Ruwenzori Mountains
2. Western Ghats
3. Sri Lankan Central Highlands
4. Lowland Amazon Basin
How many of the above are known for cloud-forest ecosystems?
Cloud forests occur in the Ruwenzori Mountains, the Western Ghats, and the Sri Lankan Central Highlands, all of which feature high-elevation, moisture-laden zones conducive to persistent cloud cover.
The lowland Amazon Basin does not host cloud-forest ecosystems.
1. Tropical forests occur mainly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
2. Tropical forest soils are typically nutrient-rich due to constant leaf fall.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Tropical forests are concentrated between 23.5°N and 23.5°S, roughly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
Although they contain very high biomass, their soils are nutrient-poor due to rapid decomposition and intense leaching in warm, wet climates. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.
Montane cloud forests are marked by persistent cloud immersion at canopy height, caused by the orographic uplift of moist air in mountainous regions.
They typically occur between 1000 m and 3000 m in humid tropical mountains and are characterized by moss-laden, moisture-rich vegetation.
1. Western Ghats
2. Central Andes
3. Hawaiian Islands
4. Indo-Gangetic Plain
Select the correct answer using the code below:
Cloud forests develop where moist air is forced upslope by mountains, creating persistent cloud belts at canopy level.
Such conditions occur in the Western Ghats, the Central Andes, and the Hawaiian Islands, all known for montane cloud-forest ecosystems.
The Indo-Gangetic Plain is a low-lying alluvial region and does not support cloud forests.
1. Mean monthly temperature above 18°C
2. High annual rainfall
3. Presence of multiple vegetation layers including canopy and understory
The characteristics are generally associated with which natural region?
A combination of uniformly high temperatures, annual rainfall often exceeding 1700 mm, and a well-developed multi-layered structure (canopy, understory, shrub layer, ground layer) is typical of tropical rainforests found in humid equatorial zones.
1. Amazon Basin
2. Congo Basin
3. Southeast Asia
4. Northern Australia
How many of the above contain tropical forests?
Tropical forests are widespread across the Amazon Basin, the Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia, all of which host some of the world’s largest tropical rainforest systems.
Northern Australia also contains tropical forest zones, particularly along its humid coastal and monsoonal regions.
Therefore, all four regions contain tropical forests.