Political Science – Class XII

International Organizations

1 Mark Questions

Question 1.
Who is present Secretary-General of the United Nations? (Delhi 2014)
OR
Name the present General-Secretary of the Union Nations who belongs to
Asia. (All India 2013)
Answer:
The present Secretary-General of the United Nations is former Prime
Minister of Portugal, Antonio Guterres. He succeeded Ban-ki-Moon (2007-
2016).

Question 2.
What is the main objective of the United Nation? (Delhi 2014)
OR
State anyone important objective of the United Nation, (All India 2014)
OR
Mention any one objective of the United Nations. (Delhi 2013)
Answer:
The main objective of the United Nation is prevention of conflicts and
facilitating cooperation among states.
Question 3.
How many permanent members and non-permanent members does the UN
Security Council have? (Delhi 2013)
Answer:
The UN Security Council have five permanent members and ten non-
permanent members.

Question 4.
Mention any one function of the World Bank. (Delhi 2013)
Answer:
World Bank provides loans and grants to the member states, especially to
the developing countries.

Question 5.
Mention the main function of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). (All India
2013)
Answer:
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is an international organisation which
sets the rules for global trade.

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Question 6.
What is the highest functionary of the UN called? (Delhi 2012)
Answer:
Secretary General is the highest functionary of the United Nations.

Question 7.
How many member states did the United Nations have until 2006? (Delhi
2012; All India 2010)
Answer:
United Nations had 192 members states All 2006.

Question 8.
How many founder states signed the United Nations Charter in 1945? (Delhi
2012)
Answer:
There were 51 countries who signed the United Nations Charter in 1945.

Question 9.
State the main objective of the ‘Human Rights Watch.’ (Delhi 2011)
Answer:
Human Rights Watch is an international NGO. Its main objective is to draws
the global media’s attention to human rights abuses and advocacy for
human rights.

Question 10.
Mention the full form of IMF. How many member states does it have? (Delhi
2011, 2010)
OR
Write the full form of IMF. (Delhi 2010)
Answer:
The full form of IMF is International Monetary Fund. It has 188 member
countries.

Question 11.
What is the main function of Amnesty International? (All India 2011)
Answer:
Amnesty International is an international NGO which campaigns for the
protection of human rights all over the world.

Question 12.
What is meant by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)? (Delhi 2010)
Answer:
International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organisation that
seek to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to prevent its use for
military purposes.

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Question 13.
When was the World Trade Organisation (WTO) established? Name any
country which used WTO to advance its own interest. (Delhi 2010)
Answer:
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) was established in 1995 as a
successor to GATT. US, EU and Japan have used WTO to frame rules of
trade to advance their own interests.

Question 14.
How many judges are there in the International Court of justice and what is
their tenure? (All India 2010)
Answer:
There are 15 judges in the International Court of justice and their tenure is
nine years.

Question 15.
What is World Health Organisation? (All India 2010)
Answer:
World Health Organisation (WHO) is a specialised agency of the United
Nations. The objective of WHO is to promote the highest possible level of
health in all people.

Question 16.
What is ‘Amnesty International’ responsible for? (Delhi 2009)
Answer:
Amnesty International is an NGO which is responsible for the protection of
human rights across the world and publishes report to prevent and end
grave abuse of human rights.

Question 17.
What is meant by this statement?
“The United Nations was not created to take humanity to the heaven, but to
save it from the hell. Dag Hammarskjold (All India 2009)
Answer:
The statement means that the United Nations was not formed to make world
a good and peaceful place to live in rather to save the world from another
World War.

Question 18.
Name the international agency relating to environmental programme. (Delhi
2008)
Answer:
The international agency relating to environmental programme is United
Nations Environment programme (UNEP).

Question 19.
What is the composition of the UN Security Council? (All India (C) 2008)

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Answer:
The UN Security Council consists of five permanent members and ten non-
permanent members.

2 Marks Questions

Question 1.
What is Amnesty International? State its main functions? (Delhi 2016)
Answer:
Amnesty International is an NGO that campaigns for the protection of
human rights all over the world.
Main functions of Amnesty International are:
 It promotes respect for all the human rights in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights.
 It believes that human rights are interdependent and indivisible.
 It prepares and publishes reports on human rights.

Question 2.
Mention any two agencies of the United Nations. (Delhi 2014)
Answer:
Two agencies of the United Nations are :
 International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
 International Labour Organisation (ILO)

Question 3.
List any four principal organs of the United Nations. (Delhi 2014)
OR
Name any four main organs of the United Nations. (All India 2013)
Answer:
Four main organs of UN are :
 (WHO) World Health Organisation
 (UNDP) United Nations Development ProgrAllme
 (UNHRC) United Nations Human Rights Commission
 (UNICEF) United Nations Children’s Fund.

Question 4.
Mention any two functions of the World Bank. (All India 2014)
Answer:
Two functions of World Bank are :
 World Bank works for human development, agriculture and rural
development, environment protection, infrastructure and governance.
 It provides and grant loans to the member countries.

Question 5.
Why are international organisations like the UN required? (Delhi 2013)
OR
Why do we need organisations like the UN? (Delhi 2011, 2009)
OR

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Mention any two advantages of having international organisation in the
world. (All India 2010)
Answer:
We need international organisations like UN:
 To resolve the conflicts and differences among the nations.
 To prescribe rules, regulations and mechanisms for cooperation to
avoid mistrust and mismanagement.

Question 6.
Name one country each from the continents of America, Africa, Asia and
Europe, wherein the UN ‘peace keeping operations’ were administered. (All
India 2012)
Answer:
America Haiti in 2004 Africa Liberia in 2003 Asia India and Pakistan in
1949 Europe Georgia in 1993 and Cyprus in 1964

Question 7.
How many member countries have got veto power in the UN Security
Council and why? (All India 2011)
Answer:
All five permanent members of the UN have got veto power. The UN Charter
gave the permanent members a privileged position to bring about stability in
the world after the Second World War.

Question 8.
Suggest any two major changes to improve the functioning of the Security
Council. (All India 2011)
Answer:
Two major changes to improve the functioning of the Security Council are :
 Number of permanent and non-permanent members to Security
Council of UN is to be increased.
 Veto power of five permanent countries to be withdrawn instantly.

Question 9.
What is the main objective of Amnesty International? (All India 2010)
Answer:
Main objectives of Amnesty International are :
 To promote respect for all human rights in the Universal declaration of
Human Rights.
 To prepare and publish reports on human rights.

Question 10.
List any two functions of the General Assembly of the UN. (Delhi 2010)
Answer:
Two functions of the General Assembly of the UN are :

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  To discuss and make recommendation on any issue under the Ambit
of the UN charter.
 To maintain International peace and security.

Question 11.
State any two objectives of the Human Rights Watch. (Delhi 2010)
Answer:
Human Rights Watch is an international NGO. Two objectives of its are:
 It draws the global media’s attention to human rights abuses.
 It aids in building international coalitions like the cAllpaigns to ban
landmines, to stop the use of child soldiers and to establish the
International Criminal Court.

Question 12.
Highlight any two objectives of Amnesty International. (Delhi 2010)
Answer:
Amnesty International is an NGO for the protection of human rights all over
the world.
Its objectives are :
 To promote respect for all human rights in the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights.
 To prepare and publish reports on human rights.

Question 13.
Write the full form of any four of the following UN bodies. (All India 2010)
(i) UNESCO
(ii) OPCW
(iii) UNRISD
(iv) WMO
(v) UNHCR
Answer:
(i) UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organisation.
(ii) OPCW Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
(iii) UNRISD United Nations Research Institute for Social Development.
(iv) WMO World Meteorological Organisation.
(v) UNHCR United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

Question 14.
What is meant by the Security Council? Mention its composition. (All India
2010)
Answer:
Security Council is one of the principal organs of UNO. It consists of five
permanent members and ten non-permanent members. The permanent

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members have the ‘Right to Veto’ and the other members are elected for a
term of two years.

Question 15.
What is UNEP? Mention its any two main functions. (All India 2009)
Answer:
United Nations Environment programme (UNEP) is an international agency
for the awareness of environmental consequences of economic growth. Two
main functions of UNEP are:
 To hold international conferences
 To promote detailed studies to get a more coordinated and effective
response to environmental problems.

Question 16.
Why do only the five permanent members of the Security Council have right
to veto? (All India 2009)
Answer:
Permanent members are given the privilege of bringing stability in the world
after the Second World War.
Privileges enjoyed by them are :
 Veto power
 Permanency
These privileges are not enjoyed by the non-permanent members.

Question 17.
Highlight any two jurisdictions of the United Nations. (Delhi (C) 2008)
Answer:
The two jurisdictions of United Nations are :
 Creation of a Peace building commission.
 Agreement to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

Question 18.
Mention any two basic concerns about the reforms related to the processes
and restructuring of the UNO. (Delhi 2008)
Answer:
The two basic concerns about the reforms related to the processes and
restructuring of the UNO are :
 To increase the number of permanent and non-permanent members of
security council.
 US and other Western countries want improvements in the UN’s
budgetary procedures and its administration.

Question 19.
Give any two reasons why veto power of permanent members of Security
Council cannot be abolished. All India 2008
Answer:

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Veto power of permanent members of Security Council cannot be abolished
because :
 No permanent member would allow to do this.
 To maintain the interest of big powers in functioning of UN, veto power
is significantly important and without active participation of the
permanent powers, the UN itself will become irrelevant.

Question 20.
Give any two arguments in support of India’s permanent membership to the
UN Security Council. (All India 2008)
Answer:
Arguments in favour of India to be the member of UN Security Council are :
 India is the world’s second largest populated country, which gives place
to almost one fifth of the people of the world.
 India is the world’s largest democracy.

Question 21.
Give any two arguments of some countries, which oppose the inclusion of
India in UNSC as a permanent member. (All India 2008)
Answer:
Arguments of countries which oppose India’s inclusion as permanent
member in United Nations Security Council (UNSC) are :
 The conflict between India and Pakistan will make India ineffective as a
permanent member.
 With India’s inclusion in UNSC, prominent member countries like
Brazil, Germany, Japan, South Africa will demand for their inclusion
too.

Question 22.
Mention any two reforms in the UN after the Cold War. (Delhi to 2008)
Answer:
UN was restructured and reformed after the Cold War on following two
basis:
 Reform of the organisation’s structures and processes.
 Review of the issues that fall under the jurisdiction of UN.

Question 23.
How is the International Court of Justice composed? Where is it based? (All
India (C) 2008)
Answer:
The International Court of Justice consists of fifteen judges who are elected
for nine years by absolute majority in both the General Assembly and the
Security Council. It is based in Hague, Netherlands.

4 Marks Questions

Question 1.
What is the full form of WTO? When was it set up? How does it function? (All

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India 2017; Delhi 2016)
Answer:
The full form of WTO is World Trade. Organisation which sets the rules for
global trade. It is an international organisation. WTO replaced GATT
(General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs) in 1995.
It includes 157 members. Major economic powers such as EU, US and
Japan have managed to use the WTO to work in favour of them. And the
developing countries complain about its non-transparent procedures and it
being influenced by big powers.
Question 2.
Why do some countries question the issue of India’s inclusion as a
permanent member of the UN Security Council? Explain. (Delhi 2016)

Answer:
India desires to be a permanent member of the UN Security Council but
many countries question the issue of India’s inclusion as a permanent
member.
It is not just Pakistan which is opposing India’s permanent membership,
other countries are also questioning it on the basis of India’s nuclear
weapons capability. The view of some members is that the conflict between
India and Pakistan will make Indian membership ineffective.
Some other argue that with India’s inclusion, emerging powers such as:
Brazil, Germany, Japan, South Africa will also demand for their inclusion on
the basis of their unrepresentative structure. And all this makes India’s
inclusion a difficult task.
Question 3.
What is Human Rights Watch? Describe its main contribution to the field of
Human Rights. (All India 2016)
Answer:
The Human Rights Watch is an international NGO involved in research and
advocacy on human rights.
Main contribution in the field of human right is stated in the points below:
 It is the largest International Human Rights Organisation in the USA.
 It draws the global media’s attention to human rights abuses.
 It helped in building international coalitions like the campaigns to ban
landmines, to stop the use of child soldiers and to establish the
international criminal court.

Question 4.
Critically evaluate the difficulties involved in implementing the suggested
reforms to reconstruct the UN. (HOTS; Delhi 2015)
Answer:
Many difficulties are involved in implementing the suggested reforms to
reconstruct the UN. Some of them are discussed below :

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  Many viewed that Security Council no longer represented
contemporary political realities. Some criteria were proposed for new
permanent members and non-permanent members, such as a major
economic power, military power, a nation that respect democracy and
human rights, etc. Each of these criteria have some validity, but due
to lack of clarity on certain points, the criteria were considered
problematic.
 Change in the nature of membership was another proposed reform.
Some insisted that ‘veto’ power of the permanent members of the
Security Council should be abolished. But permanent members do not
agree to such a reform. It is another major difficulty in reform.
 Another difficulty was that how representation should be given to
Asia, Africa, Latin America and Caribbean. But selection of the basis
of representation i.e. geography, economic development, culture or
civilisation etc creates a problem.

Question 5.
As decided by the member states in 2005 highlight any four steps to make
the United Nations more relevant in the changing context. (Delhi 2014)
OR
List any four steps suggested by the member states of the UN in 2005 in
order to make the United Nations more relevant? (Delhi 2012)
OR
Suggest any four reforms required to make the United Nations more effective
(Delhi 2011)
Answer:
The following steps were proposed to make the UN more relevant in the
changing scenario :
 Peace building commission will be created.
 UN as an international community will accept its responsibility in case
off failure of National Government to save their citizens from
atrocities.
 Creation of Human Rights Council (operation since 19th June, 2006)
 Agreements regarding achievement of millennium development goals.
 To condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
 Democracy fund will be created.
 Agreement regarding dissolving the Trusteeship Council.

Question 6.
State any four criteria that have been proposed in the recent years for new
permanent and non-permanent members of the UN Security Council. (All
India 2013)
OR
Describe any four proposed criteria for the new permanent and non-
permanent members of the security council in order to improve its
functioning. (All India 2010)
Answer:
To be a new member following criteria should be fulfilled:

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  It should be a major economic power.
 It should contribute substantially to the UN budget.
 Population of the nation should be high.
 Nation should respect human rights and democracy.
 The inclusion of that country should make the Security Council look
more vivid in terms of geography, economic systems and culture.
 It should be a major military power.

Question 7.
What steps should be taken to strengthen the UNO? (All Indin 2009; Delhi
2009)
Answer:
In order to strengthen the UNO following steps can be taken:

1. Reform of the organisation’s structure and processes. This step should

be taken :
 To increase the permanent and non-permanent member in the UN
Security Council so that it can represent contemporary world
politics effective and better way.
 To bring improvement in the UN’s budgetary procedure and its
administration.
2. Review of the issues that fall within the jurisdiction of the organisation.
It will facilitate the following:
 Greater role of UN in maintaining world peace and security.
 Limiting the role of UN to development and humanitarian work.

Question 8.
Explain any four reasons as to why India should be given a permanent
membership in the UN Security Council. (Delhi to 2008)
Answer:
The four reasons suggesting that India should be given a permanent
membership in the UN Security Council are :
 India is the second most populous country which constitutes l/5th of
the population of the world.
 India is also the world’s largest democracy.
 India actively participated in UN’s programmes and played a material
role in keeping and managing place and cooperation.
 The regular financial aid to UN and evolution of its economy support
India’s desire to be the permanent member.

Question 9.
Match the following organs/agencies of the UN and their functions: (All
India (C) 2008)

(a) Economic and Social Council (i) Look after, administration

and coordination of UN affairs
(b) International Atomic Energy (ii) Provides shelter and medical
Agency help during emergencies

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(c) UN High Commission for (iii) Performs economic and social
Refugees welfare functions of the
member countries
(d) Secretariat (iv) Safe and peaceful use of
nuclear technology

Answer

(a) Economic and Social Council (iii) Performs economic and social
welfare functions of the
member countries
(b) International Atomic Energy (iv) Safe and peaceful use of
Agency nuclear technology
(c) UN High Commission for (ii) Provides shelter and medical
Refugees help during emergencies
(d) Secretariat (i) Look after, administration
and coordination of UN affairs

Question 10.
How are international organisation helpful to the nations? (Delhi to 2008)
Answer:
International organisation can be helpful to nations following ways :
 They facilitate platform where different countries can cooperate for
better living condition for all of us.
 They help in managing the matter of war and peace.
 They provide mechanisms, rules and human resources to the member
states to deal with issues and problems of global concern.
 They develop a sense of shared responsibility for shared problems
such as terrorism, climate change, global warming etc.
 They produce important information and conduct research, which can
be helpful for international society to have better understanding of
state of affairs.

6 Marks Questions

Question 1.
Trace the evolution of the United Nations since its establishment in 1945.
How does it function with the help of its structures and agencies? (All India
2017, 2016)
Answer:
The United Nations was established in 1945 after the end of Second World
War as a successor to the League of Nations. The United Nations Charter
was signed by 51 states for setting up of UN.
Objectives of UN.
The basic aim was to achieve what League of Nations was not able to achieve
during the two World Wars. The other objectives of UN are as follows:

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  Prevention of conflicts and facilitating cooperation among nations.
 To stop conflicts among states resulting into war and if it takes the
shape of war, to limit the effects of war.
 To reduce the reasons for conflict by bringing the countries together
for improving social and economic- development all over the world.
UN Structures and Agencies
UN includes many different structures for dealing with different issues. The
issue relating to war and peace, and differences between member states are
dealt by discussion in General Assembly as well as in the security council
education. The other issues such as social and economic are dealt by a
number of agencies, which include:
 WHO World Health Organisation.
 UNDP United Nations Development Programme.
 UNHRC United Nations Human Rights Commission.
 UNHCR United Nations High Commission for Refugees.
 UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund.
 UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organisation.

Question 2.
Describe the two basic reforms of the UN on which almost everyone agrees
that they are necessary after the cold war. (Delhi 2016)
Answer:
As reform and improvement are fundamental to any organisation, there have
been demands for changes in the UN from different countries.
The nature of reforms that are desired are of two types:
 Reform of the organisation’s structure and processes.
 Review of the issues that fall within the jurisdiction of the
organisation.
The structural reform’s major area was the functioning of the Security
Council. This covers the increment of permanent and non-permanent
members of UN Security Council so as to show in better way the realities of
present world politics. Whereas the proposed increment should be from
Asia, Africa and South America. Another area of reform for UN was its
budgetary procedures and its administration.
When the areas of jurisdiction are taken, some states and experts wish that
the UN should have more role in peace and security missions whereas
others wish to restrict UN’s role in development and humanitarian work like
health, education environment, population control, human rights, gender
and social justice.
Question 3.
Which three complaints related to the UN Security Council were reflected in
the resolution passed by the UN General Assembly in 1992? Describe any
three criteria that have been proposed for new permanent members of the
Security Council. (All India 2018)
OR
Describe any six criteria for the new membership of Security Council as
suggested after 1997. (Delhi 2015)

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Answer:
In 1992, with a view to bring reforms in the UN Security Council, a
resolution was adopted by the UN General Assembly.
The resolution was about following three main complaints:
 The security council is not adequately representing the present
political realities.
 Decisions by security council are reflective of Western values and
interests and dominance by a few powers.
 The representation is not on an equitable basis.
In view of reorganisation, UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan initiated an
inquiry into the ways of reformation of UN on 1st January, 1997.
After the years of inquiry, following criteria have been suggested for the
permanent and non-permanent members of Security Council.
For criteria,
To be a new member following criteria should be fulfilled:
 It should be a major economic power.
 It should contribute substantially to the UN budget.
 Population of the nation should be high.
 Nation should respect human rights and democracy.
 The inclusion of that country should make the security council look
more vivid in terms of geography, economic systems and culture.
 It should be a major military power.

Question 4.
Describe the composition of the UN Security Council. What is the major
difference in the privileges given to its permanent and non-permanent
members? (All India 2016)
Answer:
Composition of the UN Security Council. The Security Council is an
important organ of the United Nations Organisation (UNO).
It consists of five permanent members (China, United States of America,
United Kingdom, Russia and France) and ten non-permanent members who
are elected for a period of two years).
The selection of the permanent members were on the basis of their being
powerful immediately after the Second World War and they being the victors
in the war.
There is the major difference in the privileges given to the permanent and
non-permanent members.
Privileges to Its Permanent and Non-Permanent Members The UN Charter
gave the permanent members a privileged position to bring about stability in
the world. After the Second World War the main privileges enjoyed by the
permanent members are :
 Permanency
 Veto power

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The non-permanent members are elected only for two years at a time and
cannot be re-elected immediately after completing two years. They are
elected in a manner so that they represent all continents of the world.
The non-permanent members do not have the veto power. When decisions
are taken by security council, voting is done. All members have one vote.
But the permanent members can vote in a negative manner so that even if
all other permanent and non-permanent members vote for a particular
decision, any permanent member’s negative vote can stall the decision. This
negative vote is the veto.
Question 5.
Assess any six steps suggested since 2005 to make the United Nations more
relevant in the changing context. (Delhi 2010)
Answer:
The following steps were proposed to make the UN more relevant in the
changing scenario :
 Peace building commission will be created.
 UN as an international community will accept its responsibility in case
off failure of National Government to save their citizens from
atrocities.
 Creation of Human Rights Council (operation since 19th June, 2006)
 Agreements regarding achievement of millennium development goals.
 To condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
 Democracy Fund will be created.
 Agreement regarding dissolving the Trusteeship Council.

Question 6.
How far did the UN perform its role successfully in maintaining peace in the
world? Explain. (HOTS; All India 2010)
Answer:
The UN performs its role successfully in maintaining peace in the world.
This can be justified from the points below :
 US leaders, in spite of their frequent criticism of the UN, do see the
organisation as serving a purpose in bringing together over 190
nations in dealing with conflict and social and economic development.
 The UN provides an arena in which it is possible to modify US
attitudes and policies.
 Although the rest of the world is rarely united against Washington,
and it is virtually impossible to ‘balance’ US power. However, the UN
does provide a space within which argument against specific US
attitudes and policies are heard and compromises and concessions
can be shaped.
 The UN is an imperfect body, but without it the world would be worse
off. Given the growing connections and links between societies and
issues-what we often call interdependence-it is hard to imagine how
more than seven billion people would live together without an
organisation such as the UN.
 Technology promises to increase planetary interdependence, and
therefore the importance of the UN will only increase.
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  Peoples and governments also find ways of supporting and using the
UN and other international organisations
in ways that are consistent with their own interests and the interests
of the international community more broadly.

Map-Based Question
Question 1.
Study the given map of the world and answer the following question in your
answer book. (Delhi 2009)
(i) Identify and Name the countries marked A, B, C and D respectively.
(ii) Write the names of the following UN Secretary Generals with the names
of the countries they belonged to:
(a) Dag Hammarskjold
(b) Kurt Waldheim
(c) Boutros Boutros-Ghali
(d) Kofi A. Arman

Answer:
(i)
A – Sweden
B – Ghana
C – Austria
D – Egypt

(ii)
(a) Dag Hammarskjold – Sweden
(b) Kurt Waldheim – Austria
(c) Boutros Boutros-Ghali – Egypt
(d) Kofi A. Annan – Ghana

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