UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Police step up social media monitoring ahead of summit

Q1. The IFSO unit of the Delhi Police, which was deployed for pre-summit cyber monitoring in the national capital, is best described as which one of the following?

  • A. An attached office of the Union Home Ministry that operates the national portal for reporting cyber offences
  • B. A vertical of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre that maintains the national cyber forensic laboratory ecosystem
  • C. A specialised cybercrime investigation unit of the Delhi Police that takes up high-value cyber fraud cases, generally above Rs 50 lakh
  • D. A wing of the Intelligence Bureau that fuses multi-source intelligence inputs for the Multi-Agency Centre

Q2. With reference to institutions engaged in cyber and digital-intelligence work in India, consider the following statements: 1. IFSO functions as a unit of the Special Cell of the Delhi Police. 2. The National Cyber Crime Forensic Laboratory Ecosystem is one of the components of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre. 3. IFSO is an attached office of the Ministry of Home Affairs and functions directly under the Union Home Secretary. 4. The National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit is one of the components of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. IFSO functions as a unit of the Special Cell of the Delhi Police.
  2. The National Cyber Crime Forensic Laboratory Ecosystem is one of the components of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre.
  3. IFSO is an attached office of the Ministry of Home Affairs and functions directly under the Union Home Secretary.
  4. The National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit is one of the components of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 2 and 4
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q3. In the context of BRICS enlargement, the 'Partner Country' category is best described as which one of the following?

  • A. A tier of states holding non-borrowing shareholder status in the New Development Bank without joining the grouping
  • B. A tier created alongside enlargement that associates states with BRICS processes without conferring full membership
  • C. A tier of states admitted to full membership of the grouping but without a role in adopting the summit declaration
  • D. A tier of observer states nominated by the Board of Governors of the New Development Bank for renewable one-year terms

Q4. With reference to BRICS and the New Development Bank, consider the following statements: 1. The New Development Bank was established under an agreement signed at Fortaleza in 2014 and is headquartered in Shanghai. 2. Membership of the New Development Bank is permanently restricted exclusively to its five founding countries. 3. All countries admitted to full BRICS membership since 2024 are located exclusively in Asia. 4. Indonesia became a full member of BRICS in January 2025. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The New Development Bank was established under an agreement signed at Fortaleza in 2014 and is headquartered in Shanghai.
  2. Membership of the New Development Bank is permanently restricted exclusively to its five founding countries.
  3. All countries admitted to full BRICS membership since 2024 are located exclusively in Asia.
  4. Indonesia became a full member of BRICS in January 2025.
  • A. 1 and 4
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q5. India's Sherpa for BRICS is which one of the following officials?

  • A. Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance
  • B. Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Prime Minister's Office
  • C. Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  • D. Secretary (Economic Relations), Ministry of External Affairs

Q6. With reference to India's hosting of BRICS Summits and its Chairships, consider the following statements: 1. The 4th BRICS Summit was held in New Delhi in 2012. 2. The 8th BRICS Summit, hosted by India in 2016, was held in Goa. 3. The 13th BRICS Summit under India's Chairship in 2021 was held in physical format at Mumbai. 4. India assumed its fourth BRICS Chairship on 1 January 2026. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The 4th BRICS Summit was held in New Delhi in 2012.
  2. The 8th BRICS Summit, hosted by India in 2016, was held in Goa.
  3. The 13th BRICS Summit under India's Chairship in 2021 was held in physical format at Mumbai.
  4. India assumed its fourth BRICS Chairship on 1 January 2026.
  • A. 3 only
  • B. 1 and 3
  • C. 3 and 4
  • D. 2 and 3

Q7. Consider the following pairs relating to the 18th BRICS Summit: 1. Venue of the Summit — Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi 2. Theme of India's Chairship — 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability' 3. Venue of the BRICS Bharat Innovates Exposition — Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre 4. Number of full members of the grouping at the time of the Summit — eleven Which of the pairs given above is/are NOT correctly matched?

  1. Venue of the Summit — Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi
  2. Theme of India's Chairship — 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability'
  3. Venue of the BRICS Bharat Innovates Exposition — Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre
  4. Number of full members of the grouping at the time of the Summit — eleven
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 3 and 4

Q8. Under India's BRICS Chairship culminating in the 18th Summit, the BRICS Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction held in New Delhi was chaired by a Minister of which one of the following Union Ministries?

  • A. Ministry of Earth Sciences, which houses the India Meteorological Department
  • B. Ministry of Home Affairs, which handles disaster management at the Union level
  • C. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, which handles climate negotiations
  • D. Ministry of Jal Shakti, which handles flood forecasting and water resources

Q9. The 'companies of paramilitary forces' deployed in the national capital alongside the police for the 18th BRICS Summit are drawn from the Central Armed Police Forces, which are best described as which one of the following?

  • A. Reserve formations of the Indian Army placed under the Ministry of Defence for internal security duties
  • B. Armed battalions raised by State Governments under State Acts and placed at the disposal of the Union
  • C. Armed forces of the Union raised under central legislation, whose management vests in the Ministry of Home Affairs
  • D. Volunteer units of the Territorial Army raised under the Ministry of Defence for aid to the civil authority

Q10. The National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit, which produces cybercrime threat intelligence reports, functions under which one of the following?

  • A. The National Investigation Agency, a statutory agency under the Ministry of Home Affairs
  • B. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
  • C. The National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre under the National Technical Research Organisation
  • D. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, an attached office of the Ministry of Home Affairs

Q11. Under the rules framed pursuant to Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, a direction to block public access to information is issued in which one of the following ways?

  • A. By the Commissioner of Police of the State concerned, subject to confirmation by the State Government within forty-eight hours
  • B. By the Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, on the recommendation of a committee of Joint Secretary level officers
  • C. By the Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, on the recommendation of a committee chaired by the Director, Intelligence Bureau
  • D. By a Grievance Appellate Committee constituted by the Central Government under the Intermediary Guidelines

Q12. Consider the following statements regarding the organisation of the Delhi Police: 1. The Commissioner of Police, Delhi, is appointed under the Delhi Police Act, 1978. 2. The Delhi Police functions under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs. 3. The Protective/Security Division of the Delhi Police is headed by an officer of the rank of Special Commissioner of Police. 4. Staff of specialised investigation units may ordinarily be diverted to law and order duties without the approval of the Commissioner of Police. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Commissioner of Police, Delhi, is appointed under the Delhi Police Act, 1978.
  2. The Delhi Police functions under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
  3. The Protective/Security Division of the Delhi Police is headed by an officer of the rank of Special Commissioner of Police.
  4. Staff of specialised investigation units may ordinarily be diverted to law and order duties without the approval of the Commissioner of Police.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2, 3 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1 and 4 only