Question map
Consider the following pairs : Community sometimes mentioned in the news 1. Kurd : Bangladesh 2. Madhesi : Nepal 3. Rohingya : Myanmar Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Explanation
The correct answer is option C (pairs 2 and 3 are correctly matched).
**Pair 1 is incorrect:** Kurds inhabit a mountainous region straddling the borders of Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Armenia.[1] They are not associated with Bangladesh.
**Pair 2 is correct:** The Madhesi are an indigenous ethnic group of Nepalese people who are natives of the Madhesh plains of Southern Nepal in Terai belt of South Asia.[2] This confirms that Madhesi people are indeed a community in Nepal.
**Pair 3 is correct:** Nepal and Bhutan, as well as Bangladesh and Myanmar, have had disagreements in the past over the migration of ethnic Nepalese into Bhutan and the Rohingyas from Myanmar into India and Bangladesh, respectively.[3] This establishes that Rohingyas are from Myanmar, making this pairing correct.
Therefore, only pairs 2 and 3 are correctly matched, making option C the correct answer.
Sources- [1] https://abhipedia.abhimanu.com/Article/1057/NzM5MDIEEQQVV/Consider-the-following-pairs-Community-sometimes-In-the-affairs-of-mentioned-in-the-n-on-General-Studies-Prelim-for-undefined-
- [2] https://abhipedia.abhimanu.com/Article/1057/NzM5MDIEEQQVV/Consider-the-following-pairs-Community-sometimes-In-the-affairs-of-mentioned-in-the-n-on-General-Studies-Prelim-for-undefined-
- [3] Contemporary World Politics, Textbook in political science for Class XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 3: Contemporary South Asia > Ideas for the Teacher > p. 41
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Full viewThis question bridges NCERT Political Science (Rohingya) with high-decibel Current Affairs (Madhesi blockade, Kurdish Peshmerga). It rewards candidates who maintain a mental map of 'Conflict Zones' rather than just memorizing treaty names.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Statement 1: Community sometimes mentioned in the news: Are Kurds (Kurdish people) a community in Bangladesh?
- Statement 2: Community sometimes mentioned in the news: Are Madhesi (Madhesi people) a community in Nepal?
- Statement 3: Community sometimes mentioned in the news: Are Rohingya (Rohingya people) a community in Myanmar?
- Explicitly describes where Kurds inhabit, listing countries in the Middle East and not Bangladesh.
- Appears in a question pairing 'Kurd : Bangladesh' and then gives Kurdish geography, implying the pair is incorrect.
- Lists the pair '1. Kurd - Bangladesh' as an item to be evaluated in 'Community sometimes mentioned in the news', indicating this pairing is questionable.
- Reinforces that the KurdβBangladesh pairing is presented for evaluation in study material, not as an established fact of Kurdish presence in Bangladesh.
Shows Kurds are an identifiable ethno-national group active across multiple countries (Turkey, Iraq) β i.e., 'Kurd' can denote a transnational community.
A student could use this pattern to ask whether a Kurdish transnational/diaspora presence extends to South Asian states like Bangladesh by checking diaspora/refugee data or immigration links.
Gives a broad definition/pattern of 'community' (people of a particular religion, region, common work or interest) and examples, implying ethnic groups count as communities.
One could therefore treat 'Kurds' as a potential community in any country if there is a resident/immigrant Kurdish population documented there.
Explains community as a connected group that may share practices and resources, reinforcing that 'community' need not be territorially bounded.
A student could look for local social practices, associations, places of worship, or cultural events in Bangladesh that indicate a Kurdish community presence.
Describes refugees and how conflicts produce refugee communities mapped against conflicts, suggesting refugee or migrant groups can form communities in new countries.
A student might check UNHCR or refugee maps/records to see if Kurdish refugees have settled in Bangladesh, as a route to establish a Kurdish community there.
Discusses migration creating 'outsider' groups and local perceptions of migrants from Bangladesh into India, illustrating how migration flows can create identifiable communities across borders.
By analogy, a student could investigate historical or recent migration routes to see whether Kurds have migrated to Bangladesh and formed a community.
- Explicitly identifies Madhesi as an indigenous ethnic group of Nepalese people.
- Specifies they are natives of the Madhesh plains of Southern Nepal (Terai belt), tying the group to Nepal.
- Lists 'Madhesi - Nepal' in a 'Community sometimes mentioned in the news' pairs list, associating Madhesi with Nepal.
- The context is a quiz/summary of communities and the countries they are linked to in news coverage.
- Includes the same pairs list showing 'Madhesi : Nepal', reinforcing the association.
- Used in a 'Consider the following pairs' context linking community names to countries.
Gives a clear rule that a 'community' can be defined by region or locality (e.g., 'Mumbai's Parsi community'), which is the same type of label 'Madhesi' would be if it denotes a regional group.
A student could apply this pattern by checking whether 'Madhesi' is used as a regional or locality-based identifier in Nepalese contexts (news, maps, ethnographic lists).
Defines community as groups connected by shared activities, resources or social ties, suggesting that ethnolinguistic or regional groups in a country can constitute 'communities'.
Use this definition to ask whether Madhesi share region-based practices, festivals, or resource arrangements in Nepal (evidence from reporting or demographic sources).
Notes that South Asian countries, including Nepal and Bhutan, have experienced migration and disputes involving 'ethnic Nepalese', implying the presence of identifiable ethnic/regional groups within and around Nepal.
Combine this with a map of the region or news reports to see if 'Madhesi' is referenced as one such ethnic/regional group in southern Nepal or in cross-border contexts.
Discusses internal perceptions in Nepal about ethnic groups and cross-border issues, indicating that Nepalese society contains distinct groups whose names appear in political and social discussions.
A student could survey Nepalese news or political discourse for group labels (like 'Madhesi') used in debates over representation, borders, or migration.
Provides an example of how historical/linguistic terms have been used to label migrant or non-mainstream groups, showing that labels for communities can denote social/linguistic difference rather than formal administrative status.
Use this pattern to interpret whether the term 'Madhesi' functions as a social/ethnic label in sources (news, history) even if not an official administrative category.
- Explicitly names 'the Rohingyas from Myanmar' as a group migrating into neighbouring countries.
- Identifies Rohingyas with a specific geographic origin (Myanmar), implying a distinct community identity.
- Gives a clear, general socialβscience definition of 'community' as a group of people sharing religion, region or common interest.
- Shows that groups defined by region or religion (like Rohingya) fit the common usage of 'community'.
- Defines 'community' as connected families/people who come together and share practices, supporting the classification of ethnic groups as communities.
- Provides the conceptual basis to interpret a named group (Rohingya) as a community.
- [THE VERDICT]: Sitter for newspaper readers (2015-16 context), but a Trap for static-only aspirants. Source: NCERT Class XII (Contemporary World Politics) + The Hindu.
- [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: International Relations > India's Neighborhood & Global Ethnic Conflicts.
- [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Map these communities: Uighurs (China), Yazidis (Iraq), Houthis (Yemen), Hazaras (Afghanistan), Chakmas/Hajongs (Bangladesh), Brus/Reangs (Mizoram/Tripura), Catalans (Spain).
- [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: Do not just read about a 'Nepal Blockade' or 'Syrian War'. Extract the specific *Actor* (Madhesi, Kurd) and their *Geography*. Make a 'Community-Region-Country' table.
Several references (class texts) explain that 'community' is a flexible social category defined by religion, region, work, interest, or other bonds.
High-yield for UPSC sociology/political science: knowing that 'community' is a descriptive, context-dependent term helps candidates judge whether a named group qualifies as a community in a given context. It connects to questions on social identity, minority/majority issues and population categorisation. Prepare by reviewing textbook definitions and practising application to different groups.
- Exploring Society:India and Beyond. Social Science-Class VI . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 9: Family and Community > Community > p. 143
- Exploring Society:India and Beyond. Social Science-Class VI . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 9: Family and Community > LET'S EXPLORE > p. 148
- Exploring Society:India and Beyond. Social Science-Class VI . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 9: Family and Community > LET'S EXPLORE > p. 147
The references discuss refugees and internally displaced communities and how migration produces identifiable communities (examples include Kashmiri Pandits and Bangladesh-related migrations).
Important for UPSC topics on migration, internal security and human development: understanding how displacement creates or changes communities is frequently tested in GS papers and essays. It links to demographics, border issues and refugee policy. Study by mapping causes, legal definitions (refugee/IDP), and case studies from textbooks.
- Contemporary World Politics, Textbook in political science for Class XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 5: Security in the Contemporary World > Refugees in the world (2017) > p. 74
- Contemporary World Politics, Textbook in political science for Class XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 3: Contemporary South Asia > Democracy in Bangladesh > p. 33
One reference names Kurds as an ethnic/regional group (Kurds in Turkey and Iraq), which is relevant to assessing whether such groups are present in other countries like Bangladesh.
Useful for UPSC questions on ethnic conflicts, separatism and regional politics: recognising where an ethnic group is concentrated helps evaluate claims about their presence elsewhere. Study by noting typical regional distributions, separatist movements and the distinction between ethnic groups and national populations.
- Political Theory, Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 7: Nationalism > p. 99
References define 'community' as groups linked by religion, region, work or interest β the basic category needed to assess whether a group (like Madhesi) can be described as a community.
High-yield for UPSC sociology/static portions: understanding what counts as a community helps answer questions on social groups, identity and collective action. Connects to topics on caste, ethnicity, regional identity and grassroots mobilisation. Practice by comparing definitions across sources and applying them to case groups.
- Exploring Society:India and Beyond. Social Science-Class VI . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 9: Family and Community > Community > p. 143
- Exploring Society:India and Beyond. Social Science-Class VI . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 9: Family and Community > LET'S EXPLORE > p. 148
References discuss migrant communities and ethnic Nepalese movements across borders, a theme central to discussions about regional ethnic groups and their transnational presence.
Useful for GS (Internal Security/International Relations) and contemporary issues: many questions test knowledge of cross-border ethnic migrations, refugee issues and bilateral tensions. Helps analyse claims about community identity when groups span borders. Prepare by mapping examples and bilateral implications.
- Contemporary World Politics, Textbook in political science for Class XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 3: Contemporary South Asia > Ideas for the Teacher > p. 41
- THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART II, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 6: Bhakti-Sufi Traditions > 5.3 Names for communities > p. 152
References on Nepal's political history and democratic movements show how ethnic groups and identity play into Nepal's polity β relevant when evaluating whether a named group constitutes a recognised community in Nepal.
Important for polity, contemporary history and international relations: ethnic identity in Nepal influences internal politics and bilateral relations with India. Master by linking historical political changes with ethnic mobilisation and contemporary interstate issues.
- Contemporary World Politics, Textbook in political science for Class XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 3: Contemporary South Asia > Monarchy and Democracy in Nepal > p. 35
- Contemporary World Politics, Textbook in political science for Class XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 3: Contemporary South Asia > Ideas for the Teacher > p. 40
References define 'community' as groups linked by region, religion or common interests, which is the category Rohingya fall into.
High-yield for polity/society questions: knowing formal and everyday meanings of 'community' helps answer questions on identity, minority rights and social mobilisation. It connects sociology to contemporary issues (ethnic groups, communalism). Prepare by memorising core definitions and mapping examples from news to these definitions.
- Exploring Society:India and Beyond. Social Science-Class VI . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 9: Family and Community > Community > p. 143
- Exploring Society:India and Beyond. Social Science-Class VI . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 9: Family and Community > LET'S EXPLORE > p. 148
The NCERT snippet (Political Theory, Class XI, p.99) explicitly lists 'Basques in northern Spain' and 'Quebecois in Canada' in the same sentence as Kurds. These are high-probability future targets.
Apply 'Geographic Common Sense'. Kurds are famously associated with the mountainous Middle East (fighting ISIS in Iraq/Syria). Bangladesh is a river delta in South Asia. The geography is incompatible. Eliminate Pair 1 immediately.
Connects to GS-2 (India and its Neighborhood Relations) and GS-3 (Internal Security - Linkages of migration with security). The Rohingya issue is a classic case of 'Refugee Security Dilemma' affecting India's borders.