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Treaty General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
Asked 5 times across 2 UPSC exams over 12 years (2003–2015), peaking in 2003.
Key insights
- Most tested in CSE — 3 of 5 PYQs
- Most asked in 2003
- Recurs across 3 years (2003–2015)
How it travelled across exams
First appearance in each exam — the same idea, reframed.
CSE 2003 → CDS 2014
How the concept evolved
Largely a pre-2016 idea — watch for a comeback.
Related concepts
Ideas UPSC tests alongside this one — keep exploring.
Sample questions
You've seen the pattern — here are a few of the actual PYQs.
CDS2015
Which of the following statements is not true ?
- A The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) had regulated global trade since 1947.
- B GATT was replaced by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 1995.
- C The Most Favoured Nation principle under GATT provided that preferential trading agreements reached with one country should be extended to other countries.
- D The WTO has been able to cover in its agreements the agriculture and textile sectors which are the primary concern for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). ✓
✓ Correct answer: (D)
International Relations › International Organizations & Groupings
CDS2014
Consider the following statements relating to the World Trade Organization (WTO)
- The WTO deals with the global rules of trade between nations
- The goal of the WTO is to help producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers conduct their business
- The WTO, which is a successor body of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, came into being following the Uruguay Round of Negotiations
- The WTO distances itself in framing of rules on trade in intellectual property rights
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- A 1, 2 and 3 ✓
- B 2, 3 and 4
- C 1, 2 and 4
- D 1 and 3 only
✓ Correct answer: (A)
International Relations › International Organizations & Groupings
CSE2003
Assertion (A)The new EXIM policy is liberal, market-oriented and favors global trade
Reason (R)GATT has played a significant role in the liberalization of the economy
- A Both A and R are individually true and R is the correct explanation of A
- B Both A and R are individually true but R is not the correct explanation of A ✓
- C A is true but R is false
- D A is false but R is true
✓ Correct answer: (B)
Economy › External Sector & Trade
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