UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — India and Australia – bridging the trade and trust barrier

Q1. Which one of the following was the first, interim ('early-harvest') trade agreement between India and Australia to enter into force, preceding the fuller comprehensive agreement still under negotiation?

  • A. India–Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA)
  • B. India–Australia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA)
  • C. India–UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)
  • D. India–Mauritius Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA)

Q2. With reference to the negotiating tracks of the India–Australia CECA (as taken up in the 10th round at Sydney), consider the following: 1. Digital Trade 2. Government Procurement 3. Agri-tech 4. Intellectual Property Rights Which of the above are correctly identified as CECA negotiating tracks?

  1. Digital Trade
  2. Government Procurement
  3. Agri-tech
  4. Intellectual Property Rights
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1, 2 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q3. Round-by-round negotiations for the India–Australia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) are conducted on India's behalf by which one of the following?

  • A. Department of Commerce
  • B. Department of Economic Affairs
  • C. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade
  • D. Department of Revenue

Q4. The 11th round of India–Australia CECA negotiations was held in which city and year?

  • A. New Delhi, 2025
  • B. Sydney, 2024
  • C. Canberra, 2025
  • D. New Delhi, 2024

Q5. The 11th Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting of May 2026 was hosted by which member country?

  • A. India
  • B. United States
  • C. Australia
  • D. Japan

Q6. India's participation in the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting is coordinated by which Union ministry?

  • A. Ministry of External Affairs
  • B. Ministry of Defence
  • C. Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  • D. Ministry of Home Affairs

Q7. With reference to the India–Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), consider the following statements: 1. The bilateral relationship was elevated from a 'Strategic Partnership' to a 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership' in 2020. 2. The 17th India–Australia Foreign Ministers' Framework Dialogue was co-chaired by S. Jaishankar and Penny Wong. 3. Under the critical minerals pillar, India's KABIL is paired with Australia's Export Finance Australia. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The bilateral relationship was elevated from a 'Strategic Partnership' to a 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership' in 2020.
  2. The 17th India–Australia Foreign Ministers' Framework Dialogue was co-chaired by S. Jaishankar and Penny Wong.
  3. Under the critical minerals pillar, India's KABIL is paired with Australia's Export Finance Australia.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q8. Which of the following were reviewed as pillars of the India–Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership at the 17th Foreign Ministers' Framework Dialogue? 1. Trade and investment 2. Defence and security 3. Education and skills 4. Nuclear weapons cooperation Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Trade and investment
  2. Defence and security
  3. Education and skills
  4. Nuclear weapons cooperation
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1, 2 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q9. Under the India–Australia ECTA, on what proportion of its tariff lines did Australia eliminate customs duties for imports from India?

  • A. 100%
  • B. 70.3%
  • C. 90.6%
  • D. 85%

Q10. In the context of Indo-Pacific geopolitics, the term 'Quad' is best described as which one of the following?

  • A. An informal strategic grouping of India, Australia, Japan and the United States that promotes a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific
  • B. A collective military alliance whose members are bound by a mutual-defence treaty
  • C. A formal regional free-trade bloc operating a common external tariff
  • D. A United Nations body that regulates maritime boundaries in the Indian Ocean

Q11. PM Modi's July 2026 outreach in Australia urged early conclusion of the CECA. Which Union ministry is India's nodal ministry for negotiating and implementing its Free Trade Agreements such as the CECA?

  • A. Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  • B. Ministry of External Affairs
  • C. Ministry of Finance
  • D. Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

Q12. The Quad 'Ports of the Future Partnership', announced in 2026, is best described as an initiative to do which one of the following?

  • A. Coordinate information-sharing and mobilise government and private-sector investment in quality, resilient port infrastructure across the Indo-Pacific
  • B. Establish a joint Quad naval base for the four members' warships in the Pacific Islands
  • C. Construct a single mega-transhipment port in Fiji owned equally by all four members
  • D. Jointly operate a commercial container-shipping line linking the four Quad economies