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 ?

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

Identifies Africa — including Sudan and Sahel countries — as the region most prone to repeated, large-scale famines.

A student could combine this regional vulnerability with knowledge of South Sudan's location to suspect large famine risk there in severe crisis years.

Lists 'Southern Sudan' among countries suffering extensive desertification and links severe droughts to thousands dying of starvation in the 1990s.

A student can extend this environmental vulnerability to infer that Southern Sudan (and by extension South Sudan) may face mass food crises when combined with other stresses.

Shows a clear mechanism: war can amplify or cause famines by diverting food supplies and disrupting imports and relief.

One could apply this rule to any country experiencing active armed conflict (e.g., South Sudan) to plausibly link conflict to large-scale acute malnutrition or famine.

Defines famine as a situation of widespread deaths due to starvation caused by prolonged shortage of food and high prices.

A student could use this definition plus data on numbers affected or mortality in South Sudan (from outside sources) to judge whether conditions in 2018 met 'famine' thresholds.

Notes that famine-like conditions can persist today due to calamities and that food insecurity disproportionately affects vulnerable groups.

Combine this with knowledge of conflict-displaced and vulnerable populations in South Sudan to evaluate plausibility of hundreds of thousands affected in 2018.

Describes a 'man-made' famine (Bengal 1943) where political/economic actions — diversion of food, stopped imports, mismanagement and profiteering — produced mass deaths.

A student could use this pattern to ask whether Venezuela's 2018 food shortages followed similar disruptions (imports, distribution, political/economic mismanagement) and therefore might cause large-scale malnutrition/deaths.

Gives a clear definition: a famine is characterised by widespread deaths due to starvation and arises when prolonged shortages push people above affordability thresholds.

Compare reported rates of acute malnutrition or excess mortality in Venezuela 2018 against this definition/threshold to judge if conditions meet 'famine' criteria.

Notes that modern events (e.g., pandemics, large economic disruptions) can create 'famine-like conditions' and localized starvation even without historical-scale famines.

Use this example to consider whether Venezuela's 2018 economic collapse and movement restrictions could produce 'famine-like' acute malnutrition in parts of the population.

Points out that policy-driven famines (e.g., China 1958–61) caused tens of millions of deaths, linking authoritarian/government policy failures to extreme food crises.

A student could examine whether government policies or systemic economic collapse in Venezuela 2018 resemble policy failures known to produce widespread starvation.

Identifies world regions repeatedly vulnerable to mass starvation and lists Latin American areas (Central America, parts of Bolivia and Paraguay) among vulnerable zones.

Combine this geographic vulnerability pattern with knowledge that Venezuela is in Latin America to assess regional risk factors and verify whether Venezuela fits known vulnerability patterns in 2018.

Describes how wartime factors (diversion of food to armies, stoppage of imports, mismanagement) can produce millions of deaths in a ‘man-made’ famine.

A student could check whether Colombia in 2018 experienced similar wartime food diversion, import stoppages, or large-scale administrative breakdown that would plausibly cause mass famine.

Gives a definition/characteristics: famine arises when widespread shortages and high prices prevent people from affording food, leading to mass starvation.

Compare 2018 Colombia data on food prices, regional shortages, and populations unable to afford food to see if conditions matched this definition.

Lists geographic regions prone to famine and shows famines are concentrated in certain vulnerable countries/regions, implying famines are not uniform worldwide.

Use a map and this pattern to note that Colombia is not listed among typical high-risk regions here, so one would look for exceptional local causes in Colombia in 2018 before inferring large-scale famine.

Provides historical scale of famines measured in lakhs/millions (e.g., tens of lakhs or crores dead), showing the magnitude implied by the statement.

Use this scale benchmark to judge whether reported Colombian mortality/nutrition statistics for 2018 reach the 'hundreds of thousands' level.

States that 'nothing like Bengal famine has happened in India again' but that famine-like conditions and occasional starvation deaths still occur in modern times.

This suggests looking for contemporary reports distinguishing localized starvation deaths from full-scale famine; apply same distinction to Colombia 2018 data/reports.

Describes how wartime factors (diversion of food, halted imports, mismanagement) can produce large-scale famine with millions dead.

A student could ask whether similar wartime disruptions affected Angola in/around 2018 by checking conflict timelines and food-import/distribution interruptions for Angola that year.

States that Africa contains the worst-affected famine-prone areas and that famine deaths in recent decades reached millions in some regions.

Using a map and regional vulnerability patterns, a student could assess whether Angola lies in or near these highly vulnerable zones and compare 2018 regional famine reports.

Gives a concise definition/pattern: famine arises from widespread food shortage, high prices, and results in widespread deaths from starvation.

A student could check 2018 data for Angola on food availability, price spikes, and mortality to see if the definitional thresholds of famine were met.

Provides an historical example (Bengal 1943) showing famines can kill ‘lakhs’ (hundreds of thousands to millions) and identifies vulnerable occupational groups.

A student could use this scale benchmark to judge whether reported Angolan malnutrition figures in 2018 reach comparable magnitudes.

Links environmental degradation/desertification in parts of Africa to recurrent droughts and thousands of starvation deaths, showing natural drivers often compound crises.

A student could combine this with Angola’s environmental and drought records for 2018 to evaluate non-conflict contributions to acute malnutrition there.

Gives a clear definition: a famine is characterised by widespread deaths due to starvation, linking the term 'famine' to measurable large-scale mortality.

A student could use this definition to check 2018 Zambia data for whether deaths reached the ‘widespread’/large-scale threshold implied by famine.

Shows how war and wartime policies (diversion of food supplies, stopped imports, mismanagement) can produce large, man-made famines with millions dead.

A student could ask whether in 2018 Zambia there were comparable war-related disruptions (food diversion, border closures, large-scale mismanagement) that could plausibly cause mass starvation.

States that Africa has been the continent most affected by mass starvation and identifies regions prone to repeated famines and million-scale deaths in the 1990s.

A student could use this pattern to focus on African countries with repeated famine history and then check whether Zambia falls into those high-risk lists for 2018.

Notes that famine-like conditions can still occur in modern times from shocks (e.g., pandemics) causing food insecurity and occasional starvation deaths.

A student could treat 2018 as a specific shock-year candidate and look for contemporaneous shocks in Zambia (conflict, economic collapse, drought) that match the pattern.

Provides historical example of famines measured in lakhs/millions (large absolute scales), illustrating the magnitude implied by terms like 'hundreds of thousands'.

A student could compare the magnitudes given here (lakhs/millions) with reported 2018 Zambia figures to judge whether the claim's scale is plausible.

Describes how war-related disruptions (diverted food, stopped imports, mismanagement) can produce very large, man‑made famines with millions dead.

A student could check whether Morocco in 2018 experienced comparable large-scale conflict or import/blockade disruptions to plausibly produce hundreds of thousands starving.

Gives an example (Bengal 1943) where malnutrition and starvation affected tens/hundreds of thousands to millions when labour groups lost access to affordable food.

Use this pattern to ask whether 2018 Morocco had similar widespread market/price collapse or loss of livelihood among vulnerable labour groups.

Identifies Africa (Sahel and specific countries) as regions prone to catastrophic mass starvation and recurring famine years.

A student can compare Morocco's geographic/climatic position and 2018 drought/conflict indicators with those listed famine‑prone areas to judge likelihood.

Lists Western Sahara and nearby areas among places with extensive desertification and repeated severe droughts that have led to starvation deaths.

Since Western Sahara is adjacent to Morocco, one could check whether 2018 saw comparable desertification/drought impacts crossing into Moroccan populations at massive scale.

Defines famine as widespread deaths due to starvation that follow prolonged food shortages and price rises — a general rule for diagnosing famine severity.

Apply this rule by looking for 2018 Moroccan data on prolonged food shortages, sustained high food prices, and mortality to assess if 'hundreds of thousands' is plausible.