UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — BRICS negotiators work late into evening to arrive at a consensus for ‘Delhi Declaration’

Q1. Consider the following statements comparing the origins of the grouping with its present composition: 1. The acronym 'BRIC' was coined in 2001 by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill, but the first standalone summit of BRIC leaders was held only in 2009. 2. The 2009 first summit of BRIC leaders was hosted at Fortaleza in Brazil, while the accession of South Africa in 2010 converted BRIC into BRICS. 3. At the time of the 2026 New Delhi Summit the grouping had eleven full members, of whom Indonesia was the most recent, having joined in January 2025. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The acronym 'BRIC' was coined in 2001 by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill, but the first standalone summit of BRIC leaders was held only in 2009.
  2. The 2009 first summit of BRIC leaders was hosted at Fortaleza in Brazil, while the accession of South Africa in 2010 converted BRIC into BRICS.
  3. At the time of the 2026 New Delhi Summit the grouping had eleven full members, of whom Indonesia was the most recent, having joined in January 2025.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q2. The term 'BRIC' originated in which one of the following?

  • A. A 2001 research paper by a Goldman Sachs economist on the growth prospects of major emerging economies
  • B. A 2012 declaration adopted by the leaders at the fourth summit of the grouping, held in New Delhi
  • C. A 2009 joint communiqué issued by the leaders at their first summit, held at Yekaterinburg in Russia
  • D. A 2014 agreement signed at the Fortaleza summit establishing the grouping's own development bank

Q3. With reference to the countries that became full members of BRICS with effect from January 2024, consider the following: 1. Egypt 2. Ethiopia 3. Indonesia 4. United Arab Emirates Which of the above is/are NOT correctly identified as a January 2024 entrant into full membership?

  1. Egypt
  2. Ethiopia
  3. Indonesia
  4. United Arab Emirates
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 3 only

Q4. As of India's 2026 Chairship, how many countries hold the status of BRICS 'Partner Country', a category distinct from full membership?

  • A. Five
  • B. Ten
  • C. Eleven
  • D. Fifteen

Q5. Consider the following statements comparing India's 2026 BRICS Chairship with its earlier Chairships: 1. India assumed its fourth BRICS Chairship on 1 January 2026, and the 18th BRICS Summit was held at New Delhi on 12-13 September 2026. 2. India's Chairship theme for 2026 was 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability', whereas its 2021 Chairship theme had been framed around the grouping's tenth anniversary. 3. Unlike the summit India hosted in 2021, which was held in virtual format, the 2026 Summit was hosted in person, the Chairship year having seen more than 350 meetings across 25 cities. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. India assumed its fourth BRICS Chairship on 1 January 2026, and the 18th BRICS Summit was held at New Delhi on 12-13 September 2026.
  2. India's Chairship theme for 2026 was 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability', whereas its 2021 Chairship theme had been framed around the grouping's tenth anniversary.
  3. Unlike the summit India hosted in 2021, which was held in virtual format, the 2026 Summit was hosted in person, the Chairship year having seen more than 350 meetings across 25 cities.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q6. Which one of the following statements about the 18th BRICS Summit held at New Delhi is correct?

  • A. It was the first BRICS Summit ever to be chaired by India, every earlier summit of the grouping having been hosted by another member state
  • B. It was the first BRICS Summit at which the entire outcome document was adopted by a majority vote of members rather than by agreement of all
  • C. It was the only BRICS Summit in the grouping's history whose outcome document has been titled a 'Delhi Declaration' by the assembled leaders
  • D. It was chaired by India under a Chairship assumed on 1 January 2026, the fourth occasion on which India has led the grouping

Q7. Consider the following statements about the outcome documents of BRICS summits hosted by India: 1. The outcome document of the 4th BRICS Summit, held at New Delhi in 2012, was titled the 'Delhi Declaration'. 2. The 13th BRICS Summit, hosted by India in 2021, concluded with the leaders adopting the 'New Delhi Declaration'. 3. The theme of the 2012 New Delhi Summit was 'BRICS@15: Intra-BRICS Cooperation for Continuity, Consolidation and Consensus'. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The outcome document of the 4th BRICS Summit, held at New Delhi in 2012, was titled the 'Delhi Declaration'.
  2. The 13th BRICS Summit, hosted by India in 2021, concluded with the leaders adopting the 'New Delhi Declaration'.
  3. The theme of the 2012 New Delhi Summit was 'BRICS@15: Intra-BRICS Cooperation for Continuity, Consolidation and Consensus'.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q8. In BRICS practice, the device of a 'Chair's Summary', resorted to after the Foreign Ministers' Meeting of May 2026, denotes which one of the following?

  • A. A procedural record of rulings given from the chair, circulated to members before negotiation of the outcome text begins
  • B. A text issued on the chair's own authority in place of an agreed joint statement when members cannot bridge their differences
  • C. A statement of the chairing country's own national priorities, annexed to the outcome document agreed by all the members
  • D. A consolidated report by the chair on implementation of the previous summit's declaration, tabled at the following summit

Q9. BRICS operates as a consensus-based grouping. How many members' objection is sufficient to prevent the adoption of a joint declaration?

  • A. Four — a blocking minority of at least four members is needed to prevent adoption
  • B. Two — an objection must be seconded by a second member in order to take effect
  • C. One — agreement of all members is required, so a single objection is sufficient
  • D. Six — a simple majority of the eleven full members is needed to prevent adoption

Q10. With reference to the negotiation and adoption of the 2026 'Delhi Declaration', consider the following: 1. Iran and the UAE, whose positions on the West Asia conflict diverged sharply, are both full members of BRICS. 2. The text bridged the divide by recalling members' 'respective national positions' while calling for the exercise of maximum restraint. 3. The BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting of May 2026 had already secured an agreed joint statement on the West Asia conflict. 4. The declaration was ultimately adopted by consensus on 12 September 2026, following back-channel negotiations. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Iran and the UAE, whose positions on the West Asia conflict diverged sharply, are both full members of BRICS.
  2. The text bridged the divide by recalling members' 'respective national positions' while calling for the exercise of maximum restraint.
  3. The BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting of May 2026 had already secured an agreed joint statement on the West Asia conflict.
  4. The declaration was ultimately adopted by consensus on 12 September 2026, following back-channel negotiations.
  • A. 1, 2 and 4
  • B. 1 and 3
  • C. 2 and 4
  • D. 3 and 4 only

Q11. Consider the following statements comparing India's 2023 G20 Presidency with its 2026 BRICS Chairship: 1. The G20 New Delhi Leaders' Declaration of 2023 could not be adopted as an agreed text and was issued instead as a Chair's Summary owing to differences among members. 2. That declaration admitted the African Union as a permanent member of the G20, bringing 55 African nations into a forum thereby covering about 80 per cent of the global population. 3. The G20 summit of 2023 and the BRICS summit of 2026 were both hosted by India at New Delhi in the month of September. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The G20 New Delhi Leaders' Declaration of 2023 could not be adopted as an agreed text and was issued instead as a Chair's Summary owing to differences among members.
  2. That declaration admitted the African Union as a permanent member of the G20, bringing 55 African nations into a forum thereby covering about 80 per cent of the global population.
  3. The G20 summit of 2023 and the BRICS summit of 2026 were both hosted by India at New Delhi in the month of September.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q12. The BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement is operationalised through which one of the following?

  • A. A trust fund constituted and managed by the International Monetary Fund on behalf of the member countries
  • B. A callable capital window administered by the New Development Bank from its headquarters at Shanghai
  • C. A pool of sovereign bonds underwritten jointly by the finance ministries of each of the member countries
  • D. A network of currency swap lines operated among the central banks of the member countries