UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — All art, no deal

Q1. A civil nuclear cooperation agreement concluded by the United States under Section 123 of its Atomic Energy Act cannot be brought into effect by the executive branch alone. Its coming into force is contingent upon clearance by which one of the following?

  • A. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission
  • B. The United States Congress
  • C. The IAEA Board of Governors
  • D. The Nuclear Suppliers Group plenary

Q2. Consider the following statements regarding agreements concluded under Section 123 of the United States Atomic Energy Act: 1. The agreement takes its name from Section 123 of the Act, which governs cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. 2. Every such agreement necessarily prohibits the partner state from carrying out uranium enrichment or spent-fuel reprocessing on its own territory. 3. Nuclear material transferred under such an agreement must be placed under safeguards and must not be diverted to military purposes. 4. Conclusion of such an agreement automatically confers membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group upon the partner state. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The agreement takes its name from Section 123 of the Act, which governs cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
  2. Every such agreement necessarily prohibits the partner state from carrying out uranium enrichment or spent-fuel reprocessing on its own territory.
  3. Nuclear material transferred under such an agreement must be placed under safeguards and must not be diverted to military purposes.
  4. Conclusion of such an agreement automatically confers membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group upon the partner state.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 1, 2 and 4
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 2 and 4

Q3. In discussions of United States civil nuclear cooperation agreements, including the one concluded with Saudi Arabia in July 2026, the expression 'gold standard' denotes which one of the following?

  • A. A guarantee by the United States to supply low-enriched fuel for the operating life of the reactors it exports
  • B. A requirement that the recipient state place all of its nuclear facilities under IAEA comprehensive safeguards
  • C. A commitment by the recipient state to forgo uranium enrichment and spent-fuel reprocessing on its own soil
  • D. An undertaking by the recipient state to bring the IAEA Additional Protocol into force before any transfer

Q4. With reference to the United States–Saudi Arabia civil nuclear cooperation agreement of July 2026, consider the following: 1. It was concluded under Section 123 of the US Atomic Energy Act and was accompanied by a bilateral safeguards arrangement. 2. It establishes a thirty-year framework for civil nuclear cooperation. 3. It makes entry into force of the IAEA Additional Protocol a precondition for any transfer of nuclear material to Saudi Arabia. 4. It opens a legal pathway for cooperation across the nuclear fuel cycle including uranium enrichment, with a joint study to precede any enrichment facility in the kingdom. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. It was concluded under Section 123 of the US Atomic Energy Act and was accompanied by a bilateral safeguards arrangement.
  2. It establishes a thirty-year framework for civil nuclear cooperation.
  3. It makes entry into force of the IAEA Additional Protocol a precondition for any transfer of nuclear material to Saudi Arabia.
  4. It opens a legal pathway for cooperation across the nuclear fuel cycle including uranium enrichment, with a joint study to precede any enrichment facility in the kingdom.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q5. As of July 2026, how many countries besides Israel had joined the Abraham Accords?

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

Q6. Consider the following about accessions to the Abraham Accords: 1. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed at the White House in 2020, the process having been set off by the shelving of Israel's plan to annex parts of the West Bank. 2. Morocco agreed to normalise relations in December 2020, and the United States concurrently recognised Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. 3. Sudan signed the Abraham Accords Declaration in January 2021, after the United States removed it from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. 4. Saudi Arabia acceded to the Accords in November 2025, abandoning its insistence on a negotiated roadmap to Palestinian statehood. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed at the White House in 2020, the process having been set off by the shelving of Israel's plan to annex parts of the West Bank.
  2. Morocco agreed to normalise relations in December 2020, and the United States concurrently recognised Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.
  3. Sudan signed the Abraham Accords Declaration in January 2021, after the United States removed it from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.
  4. Saudi Arabia acceded to the Accords in November 2025, abandoning its insistence on a negotiated roadmap to Palestinian statehood.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q7. The 'India-specific exemption' worked out by the Nuclear Suppliers Group in 2008 is best described as which one of the following?

  • A. The admission of India to the Nuclear Suppliers Group, conditional upon accession to the NPT as a non-nuclear-weapon state
  • B. A relaxation of the Group's guidelines permitting civil nuclear trade with India, which opened only its civilian reactors to the IAEA
  • C. A dispensation allowing India to keep all of its reactors outside IAEA safeguards for an initial period of thirty years
  • D. A permission for India to reprocess spent fuel of foreign origin at any facility of its choice without safeguards coverage

Q8. The United States domestic legislation that enabled Washington to pursue civil nuclear cooperation with India notwithstanding India's non-adherence to the NPT is:

  • A. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978, which tightened US export conditions
  • B. Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, which by itself authorises cooperation with any state
  • C. The Arms Export Control Act of 1976, as subsequently amended
  • D. The Henry J. Hyde US–India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act

Q9. Under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, a non-nuclear-weapon State party is obliged to conclude a comprehensive safeguards agreement with which one of the following?

  • A. The Nuclear Suppliers Group
  • B. The International Atomic Energy Agency
  • C. The Conference on Disarmament
  • D. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization

Q10. Consider the following statements about the nuclear non-proliferation framework: 1. The NPT recognises an inalienable right of parties to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. 2. IAEA safeguards are to be implemented in a manner that avoids hampering the economic or technological development of the parties. 3. The Additional Protocol is a mandatory annexure to the NPT and enters into force for a State party automatically upon its ratification of the Treaty. 4. The Nuclear Suppliers Group is an organ established under the NPT and is mandated to enforce safeguards agreements. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The NPT recognises an inalienable right of parties to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
  2. IAEA safeguards are to be implemented in a manner that avoids hampering the economic or technological development of the parties.
  3. The Additional Protocol is a mandatory annexure to the NPT and enters into force for a State party automatically upon its ratification of the Treaty.
  4. The Nuclear Suppliers Group is an organ established under the NPT and is mandated to enforce safeguards agreements.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 3 and 4
  • D. 2, 3 and 4

Q11. Consider the following statements about Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 and its energy strategy: 1. Vision 2030 was launched in 2016 as a blueprint to diversify the Saudi economy and reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. 2. The National Renewable Energy Programme, launched in 2017, envisages a power system based on roughly half renewables and half natural gas by 2030. 3. As of 2022, renewable sources already accounted for close to one-third of Saudi Arabia's electricity generation. 4. Riyadh's interest in nuclear power arises chiefly from the absence of exploitable uranium within the kingdom, a gap the 2026 pact is meant to fill. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. Vision 2030 was launched in 2016 as a blueprint to diversify the Saudi economy and reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.
  2. The National Renewable Energy Programme, launched in 2017, envisages a power system based on roughly half renewables and half natural gas by 2030.
  3. As of 2022, renewable sources already accounted for close to one-third of Saudi Arabia's electricity generation.
  4. Riyadh's interest in nuclear power arises chiefly from the absence of exploitable uranium within the kingdom, a gap the 2026 pact is meant to fill.
  • A. 3 and 4
  • B. 1 and 2
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 4 only

Q12. With reference to the 2026 United States–Iran conflict, consider the following: 1. Large-scale United States and Israeli strikes on Iranian missiles, air defences and military leadership began on 28 February 2026. 2. In April 2026 the United States announced a naval blockade on shipping entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz. 3. A memorandum of understanding announced in June 2026 was intended to bring the conflict to a formal end within sixty days of its signing. 4. The strikes on the underground enrichment sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan using GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs were carried out in February 2026 at the opening of this conflict. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Large-scale United States and Israeli strikes on Iranian missiles, air defences and military leadership began on 28 February 2026.
  2. In April 2026 the United States announced a naval blockade on shipping entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz.
  3. A memorandum of understanding announced in June 2026 was intended to bring the conflict to a formal end within sixty days of its signing.
  4. The strikes on the underground enrichment sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan using GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs were carried out in February 2026 at the opening of this conflict.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1 and 4 only