UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — New Delhi Declaration focuses on MSMEs, raises concerns over rise of unilateral tariff measures

Q1. Consider the following statements comparing India's 2026 BRICS Chairship with its earlier chairships: 1. The 2026 Chairship, assumed on 1 January 2026, is India's fourth, the earlier ones having been in 2012, 2016 and 2021. 2. The first BRIC Summit was hosted by Russia at Yekaterinburg in 2009, and India hosted the very next summit of the grouping in 2012. 3. The summit India chaired in 2021 was held in virtual format, whereas the summit it chaired in 2026 was held in person in New Delhi. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The 2026 Chairship, assumed on 1 January 2026, is India's fourth, the earlier ones having been in 2012, 2016 and 2021.
  2. The first BRIC Summit was hosted by Russia at Yekaterinburg in 2009, and India hosted the very next summit of the grouping in 2012.
  3. The summit India chaired in 2021 was held in virtual format, whereas the summit it chaired in 2026 was held in person in New Delhi.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q2. Which one of the following correctly describes the rotation of the BRICS chairship around the 18th BRICS Summit?

  • A. India chaired BRICS in 2026 after taking over the rotating chairship from South Africa, which had chaired in 2025
  • B. India chaired BRICS in 2026 and handed over the rotating chairship to Russia, which will host the 2027 summit
  • C. India chaired BRICS in 2026 and handed over the rotating chairship to China, which will host the 2027 summit
  • D. Brazil chaired BRICS in 2026 and India is to assume the rotating chairship and host the summit in 2027

Q3. With reference to the conduct of India's 2026 BRICS Chairship and the 18th Summit, which one of the following statements is correct?

  • A. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry coordinated the entire Chairship, and all BRICS working group meetings of 2026 were held exclusively in New Delhi
  • B. The Ministry of External Affairs was the nodal ministry for the Chairship, and the 18th Summit was held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi
  • C. NITI Aayog was the sole coordinating agency for the Chairship, and every summit outcome document required ratification by the parliaments of member states
  • D. The Ministry of Finance led the Chairship, and the summit's outcome document was adopted by a majority vote of the participating member states

Q4. India's fourth BRICS Chairship, culminating in the 18th Summit, was guided by which one of the following overarching themes?

  • A. BRICS Partnership for Global Stability, Security and Prosperity
  • B. Building Responsive, Inclusive and Collective Solutions
  • C. Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability
  • D. BRICS@15: Intra-BRICS Cooperation for Continuity, Consolidation and Consensus

Q5. Consider the following statements regarding the expansion of BRICS: 1. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE became full members of the grouping in January 2024. 2. Indonesia became a full member in January 2025, taking the total number of full members to eleven. 3. The Partner Country framework operationalised during 2025 admitted ten countries, including Belarus, Cuba and Malaysia, and conferred full membership status on each of them. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE became full members of the grouping in January 2024.
  2. Indonesia became a full member in January 2025, taking the total number of full members to eleven.
  3. The Partner Country framework operationalised during 2025 admitted ten countries, including Belarus, Cuba and Malaysia, and conferred full membership status on each of them.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q6. Which one of the following was the latest country to be admitted as a full member of BRICS before the 18th Summit, and in which year was it admitted?

  • A. Ethiopia, admitted as a full member of the grouping in January 2024
  • B. Indonesia, admitted as a full member of the grouping in January 2025
  • C. Saudi Arabia, admitted as a full member of the grouping in January 2025
  • D. Nigeria, admitted as a full member of the grouping in January 2025

Q7. The New Delhi Declaration called for preserving 'special and differential treatment' for developing countries. In the multilateral trading context, this expression refers to:

  • A. A rule of the World Trade Organization requiring all members to grant developing countries permanent exemption from every tariff binding they have undertaken
  • B. An arrangement among BRICS members under which they extend duty-free market access exclusively to one another's exports of manufactured goods
  • C. A set of provisions in World Trade Organization agreements giving developing-country members longer implementation periods and greater flexibility in undertaking commitments
  • D. A facility of the International Monetary Fund giving developing countries automatic and unconditional access to concessional financing during trade shocks

Q8. Consider the following positions on trade governance attributed to the New Delhi Declaration of the 18th BRICS Summit: 1. It opposed unilateral, punitive, discriminatory and protectionist measures not in line with international law, such as carbon border adjustment mechanisms. 2. It voiced serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures that distort trade and are inconsistent with WTO rules. 3. It called for the complete abolition of the WTO's dispute settlement system and its permanent replacement by an arbitration body open only to BRICS members. 4. It expressed support for the accession of Ethiopia and Iran to the World Trade Organization. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. It opposed unilateral, punitive, discriminatory and protectionist measures not in line with international law, such as carbon border adjustment mechanisms.
  2. It voiced serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures that distort trade and are inconsistent with WTO rules.
  3. It called for the complete abolition of the WTO's dispute settlement system and its permanent replacement by an arbitration body open only to BRICS members.
  4. It expressed support for the accession of Ethiopia and Iran to the World Trade Organization.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 3 only

Q9. Under India's 2026 BRICS Chairship, the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises was mandated to convene how many SME Working Group meetings, in addition to the inaugural BRICS MSME Forum?

  • A. Two
  • B. Three
  • C. Four
  • D. Five

Q10. The inaugural BRICS MSME Forum was held at which place, in which month, and under which ministry of the Government of India?

  • A. Jaipur, in June 2026, under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
  • B. Agra, in June 2026, under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
  • C. Agra, in June 2026, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  • D. New Delhi, in September 2026, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry

Q11. The Rio de Janeiro Declaration of the 17th BRICS Summit sought the urgent restoration of an accessible, effective, fully functioning, 'two-tier binding' dispute settlement system. This expression refers to:

  • A. A World Trade Organization facility under which trade disputes involving developing members are settled through mediation by the Director-General at two successive stages
  • B. A World Trade Organization process in which rulings of dispute panels may be appealed to a standing Appellate Body, with the outcome at both stages binding on members
  • C. A United Nations Conference on Trade and Development arrangement under which trade disputes of developing countries are heard first by regional panels and then by a plenary body
  • D. A New Development Bank arrangement under which disputes arising from its lending are heard by an internal tribunal, with appeal lying to its Board of Directors

Q12. The New Delhi Summit was described as bringing together leaders of BRICS member and partner countries, heads of international organisations, and 'outreach invitees'. The last of these refers to:

  • A. States that have formally applied for BRICS membership and are, by convention, admitted as full members at the summit following their invitation
  • B. Partner countries which are entitled to attend every closed-door leaders' session and to withhold consent to the summit's outcome document
  • C. Non-member States invited by the Chair to a dedicated outreach session of a summit, an invitation that confers neither membership nor partner-country status
  • D. Heads of international organisations who alone are permitted to address the leaders' plenary sitting of a BRICS summit