CSS International Relations MCQs with answers
Practise CSS International Relations (Optional) with 249 exam-style MCQs, each with the answer and a short explanation. Every test is marked the moment you finish and shows your score chapter by chapter, so you know what to revise next. It is free and needs no sign-up.
249 questions · 5 chapters
What each chapter covers 5 chapters
The questions follow the syllabus chapter by chapter. You can test the whole subject or one chapter at a time.
- Foundations 46 questionsNature, scope and development of IR, Actors, power and national interest, Levels of analysis and foreign policy making
- Theories of IR 47 questionsRealism and neorealism, Liberalism, idealism and institutionalism, Constructivism, English school and critical theories
- Security, conflict and diplomacy 46 questionsBalance of power, alliances and collective security, Nuclear politics and arms control, War, terrorism, conflict resolution and diplomacy
- Institutions and the international economy 48 questionsThe United Nations system, Regional organisations, International political economy and globalisation
- History and regions 62 questionsThe Cold War and the post-Cold War order, Foreign policy of Pakistan, South Asia and the Middle East: historical issues, Major powers' foreign policy doctrines
Sample CSS International Relations MCQs with answers 12 questions
12 questions from the test, one or two from each chapter. Try each one, then open the answer.
1. Hans Morgenthau defined national interest as
- A
interest defined in terms of shared norms
- B
the sum of private interests of the citizens
- C
interest defined in terms of power
- D
the wishes of the international community
Show answer
Answer: C. Morgenthau held that statesmen think and act in terms of interest defined as power, which gives realism a rational guide to foreign policy.
2. Wilson's plan for the League rested on the principle of
- A
balance of power
- B
spheres of influence
- C
collective security
- D
armed neutrality
Show answer
Answer: C. Collective security means that members act together against any aggressor. Wilson wanted it to replace the balance of power and secret alliances.
3. The basic bargain of the NPT is that
- A
every state may keep the weapons that it already has indefinitely and pass them on to any ally that asks for them
- B
nuclear states must supply weapons to their allies, who in turn promise not to use them without the permission of the supplier
- C
non-nuclear states give up weapons, nuclear states pursue disarmament and all may use peaceful nuclear energy
- D
peaceful nuclear energy is banned for all states, whether or not they have weapons, until every arsenal is destroyed
Show answer
Answer: C. The three pillars of the NPT are non-proliferation, disarmament and the right to peaceful nuclear technology.
4. In which year was the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation formally founded?
- A
2001
- B
1991
- C
1996
- D
2006
Show answer
Answer: A. The SCO was founded at Shanghai in June 2001, growing out of the 'Shanghai Five' that began meeting in 1996.
5. The Brezhnev Doctrine claimed the right of the USSR to
- A
withdraw from Eastern Europe and leave the states to their own course
- B
intervene in socialist states where socialism was thought to be threatened
- C
sign a treaty of friendship with each neighbouring state
- D
join NATO and end the division of Europe
Show answer
Answer: B. It was used to justify the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968.
6. According to the Montevideo Convention of 1933, a state should possess a permanent population, a defined territory, a government and
- A
the capacity to enter into relations with other states
- B
a permanent seat on the Security Council of the United Nations
- C
a standing army equipped with nuclear weapons
- D
recognition by every one of the great powers
Show answer
Answer: A. The fourth criterion of the Montevideo Convention is the capacity to enter into relations with other states; recognition by all states is not required.
7. Two economies depend heavily on each other's trade, so a dispute would hurt both. Keohane and Nye would call the relationship one of
- A
bipolarity
- B
imperialism
- C
interdependence
- D
isolationism
Show answer
Answer: C. Mutual dependence with costs for both sides is the meaning of interdependence.
8. A security arrangement in which all members agree to respond jointly to aggression by any state against any member is called
- A
a balance of power
- B
armed neutrality
- C
an entente
- D
collective security
Show answer
Answer: D. In collective security the group undertakes to act against any aggressor, whoever it is.
9. Which institution lends to members facing balance-of-payments difficulties?
- A
The World Bank
- B
The World Trade Organization
- C
UNCTAD
- D
The International Monetary Fund
Show answer
Answer: D. The IMF promotes exchange stability and gives short-term financial support to members with payment problems.
10. The withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan was completed in
- A
1983
- B
1986
- C
1989
- D
1992
Show answer
Answer: C. After the Geneva Accords of 1988, the last Soviet troops left in February 1989.
11. The Peace of Westphalia of 1648 brought to an end which conflict?
- A
The Hundred Years' War
- B
The Thirty Years' War
- C
The Napoleonic Wars
- D
The Seven Years' War
Show answer
Answer: B. The Westphalian treaties closed the Thirty Years' War in Europe. The Hundred Years' War ended in the fifteenth century and the Napoleonic Wars in 1815.
12. In institutionalist writing, an international 'regime' means
- A
a government that came to power through force and has not been recognised
- B
a set of principles, norms, rules and procedures around which states' expectations meet in an issue area
- C
a permanent alliance of great powers that guarantees order
- D
the body of staff who work for an international organisation
Show answer
Answer: B. Regimes, such as those for trade or nuclear safeguards, give states shared expectations and rules for a particular issue.
Try 237 more questions
Ways to practise 5 ways
- Quick check. 10 questions drawn fresh each time, about 10 minutes.
- By chapter. 10 questions from one chapter, for the topic you are revising now.
- Full paper. A full-length timed paper across the whole syllabus.
- Practice mode. See the right answer and an explanation after every question, with no clock.
- Exam mode. Timed like the real paper, with no going back.
Common questions
Is this CSS International Relations test free?
Yes. Every test and every explanation is free, and you do not need an account. If you sign in, your results are kept across your devices.
Are these past paper questions?
The 249 MCQs are our own, written to the syllabus in the style of the exam.
How is the test marked?
Instantly. You get your score, the right answer and an explanation for every question, and a list of the topics to work on.
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