UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Dignitaries savour Indian cuisine at BRICS gala dinner
Q1. Which one of the following BRICS Summits was hosted by India under its second Chairship of the grouping?
- A. The Fourth BRICS Summit, held at New Delhi in March 2012
- B. The Eighth BRICS Summit, held at Goa in October 2016
- C. The Thirteenth BRICS Summit, held in virtual format in September 2021
- D. The Eighteenth BRICS Summit, held at New Delhi in September 2026
Q2. During India's BRICS Chairship in 2026, the more than 350 BRICS meetings and high-level engagements organised by India were spread across how many Indian cities?
Q3. How many countries were admitted to BRICS under its newly created Partner Country category during 2025?
- A. Six
- B. Eight
- C. Ten
- D. Thirteen
Q4. With reference to the expansion of BRICS membership, consider the following statements:
1. Egypt and Ethiopia became full members of BRICS in January 2024.
2. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were admitted as full members in the same round of expansion as Egypt and Ethiopia.
3. Indonesia became a full member in January 2025, taking the grouping's full membership to eleven countries.
4. Argentina became a full member of BRICS in January 2024 along with Iran.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Egypt and Ethiopia became full members of BRICS in January 2024.
- Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were admitted as full members in the same round of expansion as Egypt and Ethiopia.
- Indonesia became a full member in January 2025, taking the grouping's full membership to eleven countries.
- Argentina became a full member of BRICS in January 2024 along with Iran.
- A. 1, 2 and 3 only
- B. 1 and 4 only
- C. 2, 3 and 4 only
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q5. With reference to the 18th BRICS Summit, consider the following details:
1. Venue of the Summit — Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi
2. Theme of India's Chairship — "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability"
3. Outcome document adopted at the Summit — Kazan Declaration
4. Organiser of the BRICS Bharat Innovates Exposition held alongside the Summit — Ministry of Education
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- Venue of the Summit — Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi
- Theme of India's Chairship — "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability"
- Outcome document adopted at the Summit — Kazan Declaration
- Organiser of the BRICS Bharat Innovates Exposition held alongside the Summit — Ministry of Education
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1, 2 and 4 only
- C. 2, 3 and 4 only
- D. 1 and 4 only
Q6. Under India's 2026 BRICS Chairship, cooperation within the grouping is organised around three pillars. These three pillars are:
- A. Political and security cooperation; economic and financial cooperation; and cultural and people-to-people exchanges
- B. Political and security cooperation; trade and technology cooperation; and cultural and people-to-people exchanges
- C. Economic and financial cooperation; climate and energy cooperation; and health and education cooperation
- D. Political and security cooperation; economic and financial cooperation; and local currency settlement cooperation
Q7. In addition to its five founding members, how many countries have been admitted as members of the New Development Bank?
- A. Two
- B. Three
- C. Four
- D. Six
Q8. Which one of the following represents India on the Board of Governors of the New Development Bank?
- A. The Union Finance Minister, through the Department of Economic Affairs
- B. The External Affairs Minister, through the Economic Diplomacy Division
- C. The Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, through its Department of External Investments
- D. The Vice Chairperson of NITI Aayog, through its International Cooperation Vertical
Q9. The acronym 'BRIC' was first used in 2001. It originated with which one of the following, and in what capacity?
- A. The global economics research team of Goldman Sachs, an investment bank with no intergovernmental mandate
- B. The International Monetary Fund, as its official and exclusive classification of all emerging market economies
- C. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, as the permanent category for all developing economies
- D. The World Bank, whose flagship report made the category binding for all middle-income borrowers
Q10. The 2001 Global Economics Paper that introduced the BRIC category grouped those four countries together primarily on the basis of which one of the following?
- A. Econometric projections that they would be among the world's largest economies over roughly the next five decades
- B. Their shared leadership of the Non-Aligned Movement and coordinated positions at the United Nations
- C. Their combined share of the world's proven reserves of crude oil and natural gas
- D. A stated common commitment to replace the US dollar as the principal global reserve currency
Q11. Among the following groupings of which India is a member, which one has a permanent Secretariat as its principal executive body?
- A. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, whose Secretariat is located at Beijing
- B. BRICS, whose permanent Secretariat is located at Shanghai
- C. The G20, whose permanent Secretariat is located at New Delhi
- D. The Quad, whose permanent Secretariat is located at Tokyo
Q12. Consider the following statements comparing the 18th BRICS Summit with earlier editions of the Summit:
1. The 18th Summit was India's first hosting of a BRICS Summit after the grouping's membership expansion, whereas the immediately preceding Summit had been hosted by Brazil at Rio de Janeiro in July 2025.
2. Chinese President Xi Jinping travelled to New Delhi for the 18th Summit and held a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of India, but did not attend the gala dinner hosted for the visiting leaders.
3. Unlike the Rio de Janeiro Summit, the 18th Summit was conducted in virtual format, the same mode in which India had hosted the Summit during its previous Chairship.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The 18th Summit was India's first hosting of a BRICS Summit after the grouping's membership expansion, whereas the immediately preceding Summit had been hosted by Brazil at Rio de Janeiro in July 2025.
- Chinese President Xi Jinping travelled to New Delhi for the 18th Summit and held a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of India, but did not attend the gala dinner hosted for the visiting leaders.
- Unlike the Rio de Janeiro Summit, the 18th Summit was conducted in virtual format, the same mode in which India had hosted the Summit during its previous Chairship.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3