Current set IAS · 2018 Q18

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Q18 (IAS/2018) Geography › World Human & Economic Geography › Global humanitarian issues Official Key

Very recently, in which of the following countries have lakhs of people either suffered from severe famine/acute malnutrition or died due to starvation caused by war/ethnic conflicts ?

Result

Your answer: — · Correct: D

Explanation

The correct answer is option D (Yemen and South Sudan). In Yemen, the global economic slowdown and declining economic conditions reduced remittances on which a large share of the population relied, and in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, a series of natural disasters led to lost income and assets, and in some cases, caused death and disease, with flooding in Sana'a and neighboring governorates killing over 100 Yemenis and destroying assets[1]. In South Sudan, nearly USD 1 billion had disappeared in a bank credit scam, benefiting South Sudan's leaders and their families and depriving hundreds of thousands of people in need of government health and[2] food services. Both countries experienced severe humanitarian crises around 2018, with conflict and governance failures leading to widespread food insecurity and malnutrition affecting lakhs (hundreds of thousands) of people. The other country pairs (Angola-Zambia, Morocco-Tunisia, and Venezuela-Colombia) did not experience similar scale famine conditions caused by war or ethnic conflicts during this period.

Sources

[1] https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/70c4a9845ac4bc5f5a857cbb943054de-0280012022/original/Food-Security-Crisis.pdf
[2] https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/WEBPOL1056702023ENGLISH.pdf

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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.

Q. Very recently, in which of the following countries have lakhs of people either suffered from severe famine/acute malnutrition or died due…

At a glance

Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 1.2/10

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This is a classic 'Headline Humanitarian Crisis' question. It rewards awareness of major UN declarations rather than obscure trivia. If the UN declares a 'Level 3 Emergency' or uses the word 'Famine' (a technical term, not just hunger), it is mandatory for Prelims.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1: In 2018, did Yemen have hundreds of thousands (lakhs) of people suffering severe famine or acute malnutrition or dying of starvation caused by war or ethnic conflict?
Statement 2: In 2018, did South Sudan have hundreds of thousands (lakhs) of people suffering severe famine or acute malnutrition or dying of starvation caused by war or ethnic conflict?
Statement 3: In 2018, did Venezuela have hundreds of thousands (lakhs) of people suffering severe famine or acute malnutrition or dying of starvation caused by political/economic crisis or conflict?
Statement 4: In 2018, did Colombia have hundreds of thousands (lakhs) of people suffering severe famine or acute malnutrition or dying of starvation caused by war or ethnic conflict?
Statement 5: In 2018, did Angola have hundreds of thousands (lakhs) of people suffering severe famine or acute malnutrition or dying of starvation caused by war or ethnic conflict?
Statement 6: In 2018, did Zambia have hundreds of thousands (lakhs) of people suffering severe famine or acute malnutrition or dying of starvation caused by war or ethnic conflict?
Statement 7: In 2018, did Morocco have hundreds of thousands (lakhs) of people suffering severe famine or acute malnutrition or dying of starvation caused by war or ethnic conflict?
Statement 8: In 2018, did Tunisia have hundreds of thousands (lakhs) of people suffering severe famine or acute malnutrition or dying of starvation caused by war or ethnic conflict?

Statement 1

In 2018, did Yemen have hundreds of thousands (lakhs) of people suffering severe famine or acute malnutrition or dying of starvation caused by war or ethnic conflict?

Origin: Weak / unclear Fairness: Borderline / guessy

Indirect textbook clues

Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 23: Quit India Movement, Demand for Pakistan, and the INA > Famine of 1943 > p. 453

Strength: 5/5

“The horror and inconveniences of war were increased by the famine of 1943. The worst-affected areas were south-west Bengal comprising the Tamluk-Contai-Diamond Harbour region, Dacca, Faridpur, Tippera and Noakhali. Around 1.5 to 3 million people perished in this basically man-made famine, the epidemics (malaria, cholera, small pox), malnutrition and starvation. The fundamental causes of the famine were as follows. 1. The need to feed a vast Army diverted foodstuffs. 2. Rice imports from Burma and South-East Asia had been stopped. 3. The famine got aggravated by gross mismanagement and deliberate profiteering; rationing methods were belated and were confined to big cities.”

Why relevant

Describes a 'man-made' famine where war diverted food supplies and stopped imports, producing mass deaths from starvation and epidemics.

How to extend

A student could check whether Yemen's war in 2018 disrupted imports/diverted food and whether reports from that year describe similar man-made mechanisms producing mass malnutrition.

Economics, Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 4: Food Security in India > Why food security? > p. 42

Strength: 5/5

“It creates a shortage of food in the affected areas. Due to shortage of food, the prices goes up. At the high prices, some people cannot afford to buy food. If such calamity happens in a very wide spread area or is stretched over a longer time period, it may cause a situation of starvation. A massive starvation might take a turn of famine. A Famine is characterised by wide spread deaths due to starvation and”

Why relevant

Gives a concise definition: famine is characterised by widespread deaths due to starvation arising when food shortages and high prices make food unaffordable.

How to extend

Use this definition to evaluate 2018 Yemen data: were food prices, availability, and mortality in 2018 at levels that meet the famine criteria?

Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 8: Natural Hazards and Disaster Management > Causes of Famines > p. 83

Strength: 3/5

“Africa has witnessed a catastrophic growth in the incidence of both mass starvation and chronic hunger. Te famine vulnerable countries of the world have been shown in Fig. 8.32. It may be observed from Fig. 8.32 that the worst afected areas of famine lie in the continent of Africa. Te Sahel region, stretching over Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Madagascar record one famine year after almost every two years. Te deaths in the famines of the decade of 1990s were in millions. Te other highly vulnerable areas to famines are Mongolia, western parts of China, parts of Afghanistan, Iran, Baluchistan, Sindh (Pakistan), Bangladesh, Myanmar, parts of India Central American countries and parts of Bolivia and Paraguay (Fig.”

Why relevant

Identifies regional and country-level patterns of famine vulnerability, including conflict-affected areas (e.g., parts of Afghanistan, Iran, Baluchistan).

How to extend

Since Yemen is in a region with nearby conflict-prone countries listed, a student could treat Yemen as plausibly vulnerable and look for contemporary humanitarian reports for 2018.

Economics, Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 4: Food Security in India > Why food security? > p. 43

Strength: 3/5

“epidemics caused by forced use of contaminated water or decaying food and loss of body resistance due to weakening from starvation. The most devastating famine that occurred in India was the FAMINE OF BENGAL in 1943. This famine killed thirty lakh people in the province of Bengal. Do you know who were affected the most by the famine? The agricultural labourers, fishermen, transport workers and other casual labourers were affected the most by dramatically increasing price of rice.”

Why relevant

Gives historical scale: the 1943 Bengal famine killed 'thirty lakh' people, showing that famines can reach hundreds of thousands to millions.

How to extend

Use this example to judge whether reported Yemeni mortality/malnutrition figures in 2018 (if in the hundreds of thousands) would be comparable to historically large famines and thus plausible.

Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 11: Economic Impact of the British Rule > POVERTY AND FAMINES > p. 194

Strength: 3/5

“P. over 12 lakhs. Drought led to a country-wide famine in 1896-97 and then again in 1899-1900. The famine of 1896-97 affected over 9.5 crore people of whom the famine of 1899-1900 followed quickly and nearly 45 lakhs died.”

Why relevant

Notes famines can cause extremely large death tolls (tens of lakhs) when combined with epidemic and food shortages, emphasising multi-causal severity.

How to extend

Apply this pattern to Yemen: determine if 2018 combined conflict, epidemics, and food shortages could produce similarly large-scale suffering or deaths.

Statement analysis