UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — U.S. lawmaker seeks amendment in Russia sanctions Bill, naming India

Question 1

With reference to the evolution of the U.S. Russia sanctions Bill of 2026 from its earlier draft to its present stage, consider the following statements:
1. The earlier draft proposed a blanket tariff of up to 500 per cent on buyers of Russian oil, whereas the revised version allows tariffs of up to 100 per cent and confines them to the five largest purchasers of Russian oil and natural gas.
2. The Bill was cleared by the Senate in August 2026, while the competing amendments seeking to alter its secondary-tariff provision were made public by the House Rules Committee in September 2026.
3. Rep. Gregory Meeks moved the amendment seeking to name ten countries explicitly as eligible for 100 per cent duties, while Rep. Steny Hoyer moved the amendment seeking deletion of the secondary-tariff section in its entirety.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

1 and 2 only

Answer

2 and 3 only

Answer

1 and 3 only

Answer

1, 2 and 3

Question 2

In the Russia sanctions Bill cleared by the U.S. Senate in August 2026, the authority to impose additional tariffs of up to 100 per cent on continuing purchasers of Russian crude oil and natural gas is located in which provision, and is triggered on what threshold condition?

Accepted Answer

Section 113, applying to countries still purchasing 30 days after the law takes effect and ranking among the five largest buyers

Answer

Section 113, applying to countries still purchasing 90 days after the law takes effect and ranking among the ten largest buyers

Answer

Section 231, applying to countries still purchasing 30 days after the law takes effect and ranking among the five largest buyers

Answer

Section 231, applying to any country purchasing Russian crude above the price cap of USD 60 per barrel

Question 3

The amendment moved in the U.S. House of Representatives in September 2026, seeking that countries eligible for 100 per cent duties under the Russia sanctions Bill be named explicitly rather than left to be determined, listed how many countries?

Accepted Answer

Ten

Answer

Five

Answer

Eight

Answer

Twelve

Question 4

With reference to the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), consider the following:
1. It was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 2017 and provides for punitive action against countries engaging in transactions with Russia's defence and intelligence sectors.
2. Turkey has been sanctioned under CAATSA for its purchase of the S-400 air defence system from Russia.
3. India's acquisition of the S-400 system from Russia, contracted in October 2018, has been identified as a focus area for the implementation of CAATSA Section 231.
4. CAATSA was a response to Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, and it automatically exempts countries designated as Major Defence Partners of the United States.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

1, 2 and 3

Answer

1 and 3

Answer

2 and 4

Answer

3 and 4

Question 5

Under the contract signed with Russia in October 2018 that brought India within the ambit of possible CAATSA action, India agreed to procure S-400 air defence missile systems in how many units and at approximately what value?

Accepted Answer

Five units, at about USD 5 billion

Answer

Three units, at about USD 3 billion

Answer

Five units, at about USD 10 billion

Answer

Ten units, at about USD 5 billion

Question 6

With reference to India's crude oil trade with Russia and the associated Western price-cap mechanism, consider the following:
1. The price cap on Russian seaborne crude imposed by the G7 in December 2022 was set at USD 60 per barrel.
2. The cap operates by barring Western firms from providing insurance and transportation services for Russian crude sold above the capped price.
3. Russia accounted for 30.3 per cent of India's crude oil imports in FY2026, worth about USD 40.8 billion.
4. India has been the single largest buyer of Russian crude since 2022, ahead of China.
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

Accepted Answer

4 only

Answer

1 and 3

Answer

2 and 4

Answer

3 and 4

Question 7

U.S. sanctions on two of Russia's leading oil exporters, Rosneft and Lukoil, disrupted India's crude import pattern. When did these sanctions take effect, and what was Russia's approximate share of India's crude oil imports immediately before they did?

Accepted Answer

They took effect in November 2025, when Russia supplied about 35 per cent of India's crude oil imports

Answer

They took effect in November 2025, when Russia supplied about 55 per cent of India's crude oil imports

Answer

They took effect in December 2022, when Russia supplied about 35 per cent of India's crude oil imports

Answer

They took effect in December 2022, when Russia supplied about 20 per cent of India's crude oil imports

Question 8

Consider the following statements comparing India's non-alignment legacy with its contemporary practice of strategic autonomy:
1. The Non-Aligned Movement held its first conference at Belgrade in 1961, and Jawaharlal Nehru was among the leaders under whose leadership it was founded.
2. The Bandung Conference of 1955, which preceded the founding of the Non-Aligned Movement, was convened at Belgrade and attended by 25 countries.
3. India's contemporary practice of strategic autonomy rests on building partnerships while shunning alliances, particularly military alliances, alongside independence of decision-making.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

1 and 3 only

Answer

1 only

Answer

1 and 2 only

Answer

1, 2 and 3

Question 9

Josip Broz Tito, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Jawaharlal Nehru, Kwame Nkrumah, Sukarno and Zhou Enlai — how many of these leaders are credited with the founding of the Non-Aligned Movement at its first conference in 1961?

Accepted Answer

Five

Answer

Three

Answer

Four

Answer

Six

Question 10

With reference to the process by which a Bill such as the Russia sanctions legislation becomes law in the United States, consider the following:
1. For an Act of Congress to be valid, both chambers must approve an identical text.
2. A Bill returned by the President may still be enacted if it is repassed by a two-thirds vote in both chambers, and failure to repass it in either chamber kills it.
3. A vetoed Bill is constitutionally returned first to the chamber in which it did not originate, and reconsideration by that chamber alone suffices for it to become law.
4. Committees can make changes in Bills and decide which Bills the full chamber will vote on.
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

Accepted Answer

3 only

Answer

1 and 3

Answer

2 and 4

Answer

1, 3 and 4

Question 11

The first resolution on the Ukraine conflict to be adopted by the United Nations Security Council after the Russian Federation's full-scale invasion of February 2022 was taken up three years later, in February 2025. Which one of the following correctly describes it?

Accepted Answer

Resolution 2774 (2025), adopted by 10 votes in favour to none against with five abstentions, imploring a swift end to the conflict

Answer

Resolution 2774 (2025), adopted unanimously by all fifteen members, demanding the immediate withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine

Answer

Resolution 2774 (2025), adopted by 14 votes in favour with one abstention, authorising a ceasefire monitoring mission in eastern Ukraine

Answer

Resolution 2774 (2025), adopted by 143 votes in favour to five against, condemning the annexation of four eastern regions of Ukraine

UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — U.S. lawmaker seeks amendment in Russia sanctions Bill, naming India

Q2. In the Russia sanctions Bill cleared by the U.S. Senate in August 2026, the authority to impose additional tariffs of up to 100 per cent on continuing purchasers of Russian crude oil and natural gas is located in which provision, and is triggered on what threshold condition?

Q3. The amendment moved in the U.S. House of Representatives in September 2026, seeking that countries eligible for 100 per cent duties under the Russia sanctions Bill be named explicitly rather than left to be determined, listed how many countries?

Q5. Under the contract signed with Russia in October 2018 that brought India within the ambit of possible CAATSA action, India agreed to procure S-400 air defence missile systems in how many units and at approximately what value?

Q7. U.S. sanctions on two of Russia's leading oil exporters, Rosneft and Lukoil, disrupted India's crude import pattern. When did these sanctions take effect, and what was Russia's approximate share of India's crude oil imports immediately before they did?

Q9. Josip Broz Tito, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Jawaharlal Nehru, Kwame Nkrumah, Sukarno and Zhou Enlai — how many of these leaders are credited with the founding of the Non-Aligned Movement at its first conference in 1961?

Q11. The first resolution on the Ukraine conflict to be adopted by the United Nations Security Council after the Russian Federation's full-scale invasion of February 2022 was taken up three years later, in February 2025. Which one of the following correctly describes it?