UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — What is the Saudi-U.S. nuclear deal about?

Q1. Under the U.S. Atomic Energy Act, a Section 123 civil nuclear cooperation agreement must lie before the U.S. Congress for review for a total of how many days of continuous session before it can take effect?

  • A. 30 days
  • B. 60 days
  • C. 90 days
  • D. 120 days

Q2. On 22 July 2026 in Riyadh, how many distinct agreements did the United States and Saudi Arabia sign together as the legal foundation of their civil nuclear partnership?

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

Q3. The civil nuclear (123) agreement signed between the United States and Saudi Arabia in July 2026 requires the approval of which of the following before it can enter into force?

  • A. The IAEA Board of Governors
  • B. The Nuclear Suppliers Group
  • C. The U.S. Congress
  • D. The UN Security Council

Q4. The Abraham Accords, to which the 2026 Saudi–U.S. nuclear deal was made contingent, were first concluded in which year?

  • A. 2016
  • B. 2018
  • C. 2020
  • D. 2022

Q5. In the context of the Saudi–U.S. nuclear deal, the 'Abraham Accords' are best described as which of the following?

  • A. A multilateral defence pact among Gulf Cooperation Council states directed against Iran
  • B. A series of U.S.-brokered agreements normalising relations between Israel and several Arab and Muslim-majority states
  • C. A non-proliferation framework obliging its signatories to forgo uranium enrichment and reprocessing
  • D. A UN Security Council resolution recognising an independent Palestinian state

Q6. The Barakah plant — cited as the model built under a 'gold standard' 123 agreement — is notable as the first commercial nuclear power plant in the Arab world. In which country is it located?

  • A. Saudi Arabia
  • B. Egypt
  • C. Jordan
  • D. United Arab Emirates

Q7. In U.S. nuclear-cooperation practice, the 'gold standard' — set by the 2009 U.S.–UAE 123 agreement — refers to which of the following?

  • A. A guarantee of the highest-grade reactor technology transfer to the partner state
  • B. A fixed benchmark price for long-term uranium fuel supply contracts
  • C. A partner state's binding commitment to forgo uranium enrichment and reprocessing on its own territory
  • D. A pledge to place the partner's nuclear facilities under joint U.S.–partner military command

Q8. Following the 2008 civil nuclear arrangement and the NSG waiver, India acquired which of the following unique international standings?

  • A. The first Asian state to accede to the NPT as a recognised nuclear-weapon state
  • B. The first state to place all its nuclear facilities, both civil and military, under IAEA safeguards
  • C. The only state granted a permanent exemption from all future IAEA inspections
  • D. The only nuclear-armed state outside the NPT permitted to engage in civil nuclear commerce globally

Q9. Under the India–U.S. civil nuclear arrangement, India's 'Separation Plan' referred to which of the following?

  • A. Separating spent-fuel reprocessing operations from uranium-enrichment operations at a single site
  • B. Identifying and separating India's civilian nuclear facilities from its military ones, with the civilian facilities placed under IAEA safeguards
  • C. Segregating imported uranium fuel from indigenously mined uranium within reactor cores
  • D. Dividing nuclear regulatory authority between the IAEA and India's Atomic Energy Commission

Q10. A 'voluntary offer' safeguards agreement with the IAEA is one concluded with which category of States?

  • A. The five nuclear-weapon States recognised under the NPT
  • B. Non-nuclear-weapon States that are party to the NPT
  • C. States that are not party to the NPT
  • D. States belonging to an established nuclear-weapon-free zone

Q11. Verification that proliferation-sensitive activities such as enrichment and reprocessing are used only for peaceful purposes — the object of the bilateral safeguards accompanying the Saudi deal — is operationally carried out by which body?

  • A. The Nuclear Suppliers Group
  • B. The International Atomic Energy Agency
  • C. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization
  • D. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission