What does the abbreviation OPEC stand for?

• A. Petroleum Export Organization
• B. International Petroleum Exporting Countries
• C. Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
• D. Oil Producing Exporting Countries

Answer: (C)

Think about how acronyms are formed from a name. OPEC comes from the four key words in the group’s official title: Organization, Petroleum, Exporting, Countries. The word “of” is a connector in the full name but isn’t used in the acronym, so the initials spell Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, giving OPEC. The other options mix terms that aren’t part of the official name, such as using International or Oil instead of Petroleum and Producing instead of Exporting, so they don’t match the recognized designation.