UPSC Prelims 2006 Q104: Current Affairs – Notable Personalities
Match List - I with List - II and select the correct answer using the code given below the lists:
List - I
A. Harold Pinter
B. Jacques Diouf
C. Jose Manuel Barroso
D. Raymond Lafitte
List - II
1. Director - General, FAO
2. President, European Commission
3. World Bank appointed expert for adjudicating on the Baglihar Hydel Project
4. Litterateur
- (a) A - 4 B - 3 C - 2 D - 1
- (b) A - 4 B - 1 C - 2 D - 3
- (c) A - 2 B - 1 C - 4 D - 3
- (d) A - 2 B - 3 C - 4 D - 1
Answer: (b) A - 4 B - 1 C - 2 D - 3
Explanation
Matching persons with their positions or roles
| Person | Role |
|---|---|
| A. Harold Pinter | Litterateur (playwright, Nobel Prize in Literature 2005) (4) |
| B. Jacques Diouf | Director-General, FAO (1) |
| C. Jose Manuel Barroso | President, European Commission (2) |
| D. Raymond Lafitte | World Bank-appointed expert for the Baglihar Hydel Project (3) |
So the correct code is A-4, B-1, C-2, D-3.
Answer: (b) A-4 B-1 C-2 D-3.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. This gives Jacques Diouf the Baglihar role and Raymond Lafitte the FAO post.
- (b) CORRECT. Pinter-Litterateur, Diouf-FAO, Barroso-European Commission, Lafitte-Baglihar expert.
- (c) Incorrect. This calls Pinter the European Commission President and Barroso a litterateur.
- (d) Incorrect. This swaps Diouf's and Lafitte's roles and Pinter's and Barroso's roles.
Key point
Pinter was a litterateur, Diouf headed FAO, Barroso led the European Commission and Lafitte was the Baglihar neutral expert.
Remember
Pinter-Litterateur, Diouf-FAO, Barroso-European Commission, Lafitte-Baglihar expert.
Common mistakes
- Confusing Jacques Diouf (FAO) with a World Bank official.
- Not linking Raymond Lafitte with the Baglihar dispute under the Indus Waters Treaty.
- Forgetting that Harold Pinter won the 2005 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Exam tip
Baglihar neutral expert = Raymond Lafitte; FAO head = Jacques Diouf; European Commission = Barroso.
Sources
- Nobel Prize — The Nobel Prize in Literature 2005 (Harold Pinter), press release
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations — Jacques Diouf, Director-General (1994–2011)
- European Commission — José Manuel Barroso, President (2004–2014)
- Indus Waters Treaty, 1960 — Expert Determination by the Neutral Expert (Raymond Lafitte) on the Baglihar Hydroelectric Plant (February 2007)