UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — India dismisses Lutnick’s claim that PM didn’t call Trump to seal trade deal

Q1. According to the Ministry of External Affairs' January 2026 rebuttal of US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's claim, how many times did Prime Minister Modi and President Trump speak over the phone during 2025?

  • A. Five
  • B. Eight
  • C. Eleven
  • D. Three

Q2. Under the framework launched by India and the United States, India indicated its intent to purchase US$500 billion of certain categories of U.S. goods over five years. Consider the following categories: 1. Aircraft and aircraft parts 2. Precious metals 3. Pharmaceuticals 4. Coking coal Which of the above are correctly identified as categories named in the commitment?

  1. Aircraft and aircraft parts
  2. Precious metals
  3. Pharmaceuticals
  4. Coking coal
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q3. Under 'Mission 500', the flagship target announced by India and the United States, what is the goal set for total bilateral trade by 2030?

  • A. US$200 billion
  • B. US$500 billion
  • C. US$1 trillion
  • D. US$350 billion

Q4. In the context of India-US trade, what does the term 'Mission 500' precisely denote?

  • A. The goal to more than double total India-US bilateral trade to US$500 billion by 2030
  • B. India's commitment to purchase US$500 billion of U.S. goods over five years
  • C. A US$500 billion joint investment fund for supply-chain resilience
  • D. A target to reduce US tariffs on Indian goods to 500 basis points

Q5. The Ministry of External Affairs' statement rejecting Howard Lutnick's claim as 'not accurate' was delivered by which official?

  • A. Piyush Goyal, Commerce Minister
  • B. S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister
  • C. Randhir Jaiswal, MEA Spokesperson
  • D. Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary