UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — The challenge of holding the Quad together

Q1. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. During 2025, when no Quad leaders' summit was held, the grouping's working-level cooperation, including its maritime domain awareness track, continued.
  2. A permanent Quad secretariat, rather than the member governments, convenes the Quad's working groups and decides their annual programme of work.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q2. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. The Quad format began as a mutual-defence arrangement concluded among the navies of the four countries after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
  2. The four Quad countries first came together in 2004 to surge humanitarian assistance in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q3. A trawler fishing illegally in a coastal state's exclusive economic zone switches off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponder. Which one of the following methods would still allow the coastal state to detect the vessel?

  • A. Checking the vessel's last port-of-call records lodged with its flag state's registry
  • B. Fusing satellite radar and radio-frequency imagery with AIS records to flag unmatched ships
  • C. Querying AIS position reports archived by commercial ship-tracking services for the area
  • D. Monitoring AIS-linked collision-avoidance alerts received by nearby merchant ships

Q4. Consider the following facts: After its 2024 Wilmington summit, the Quad was expected to hold its next leaders' summit in India. In 2025, amid strained India–U.S. ties and shifting U.S. priorities, no such summit took place, though working-level initiatives continued. In 2026, a Quad leaders' meeting was announced for Manila, to be held alongside the ASEAN Summit. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above?

  1. The momentum of the Quad's leader-level track is sensitive to the state of bilateral relations among its members.
  2. India's membership of BRICS and the SCO was the reason the India-hosted summit did not take place.
  3. The Quad's cooperation does not depend only on the holding of leaders' summits.
  4. Quad summits must shift to an ASEAN member state whenever the designated host is unable to hold them.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 3 and 4 only

Q5. Which one of the following best distinguishes the Quad from a formal military alliance such as NATO?

  • A. Its decisions are taken by majority vote rather than by consensus
  • B. Its membership is restricted to states that border the Indian Ocean
  • C. Its members carry no treaty obligation to defend one another if one is attacked
  • D. None of its members possesses nuclear weapons or operates a nuclear-powered navy