UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Final US Section 301 Measures on Forced Labour: India Placed in Lower Tariff Tier at 10%

Q1. The additional ad valorem duties imposed by the USTR in the 2026 forced-labour measures on 60 economies derive their primary statutory authority from which one of the following?

  • A. The Trade Act of 1974
  • B. The Trade Expansion Act of 1962
  • C. The Tariff Act of 1930
  • D. The Trade Agreements Act of 1979

Q2. Which one of the following US agencies is empowered to conduct a Section 301 investigation and to determine the responsive trade measures?

  • A. The Office of the United States Trade Representative
  • B. The Bureau of Industry and Security in the US Department of Commerce
  • C. The United States International Trade Commission
  • D. US Customs and Border Protection under the Department of Homeland Security

Q3. Which one of the following correctly describes the Indian institutional handling of the Section 301 forced-labour outcome of July 2026?

  • A. The Ministry of Commerce & Industry is the nodal ministry that publicised the outcome and India's tariff positioning
  • B. The Ministry of External Affairs was the sole authority that decided all of India's submissions to the USTR
  • C. The Ministry of Finance exclusively led the entire negotiation on India's behalf
  • D. The Ministry of Textiles was the only ministry authorised to engage the USTR on every affected sector

Q4. In the sequence of USTR actions in the forced-labour Section 301 matter concerning India, which one of the following was the earliest step?

  • A. USTR's self-initiation of the investigation into the 60 economies
  • B. USTR's proposal of an additional ad valorem duty on Indian imports
  • C. USTR's final determination assigning India the lower tariff tier
  • D. The public communication publicising India's final tariff positioning

Q5. India's placement in the lower (10%) tariff tier rather than the higher (12.5%) tier rested on which one of the following determinations by the USTR?

  • A. That India maintains a regime with the effect of preventing the importation of certain forced-labour goods, or has committed to such a prohibition
  • B. That India had ratified the ILO Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29)
  • C. That India had concluded and signed a full Bilateral Trade Agreement with the United States
  • D. That India's affected exports were being handled under Section 232 rather than Section 301

Q6. Of the economies investigated under the forced-labour Section 301 action, how many were placed in the lower 10% tariff tier alongside India?

  • A. 17
  • B. 23
  • C. 46
  • D. 60

Q7. Under the ILO Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29), 'forced labour' is best defined as which one of the following?

  • A. All work or service exacted from a person under the menace of any penalty and for which that person has not offered himself voluntarily
  • B. All low-wage work performed by migrant workers without a written employment contract
  • C. Any work performed by convicts or prisoners as part of a court-imposed sentence
  • D. All hazardous work performed by persons below the age of eighteen years

Q8. Within the Office of the US Trade Representative, which one of the following posts is a Cabinet-level position holding the rank of Ambassador?

  • A. The United States Trade Representative
  • B. The Deputy United States Trade Representative
  • C. The Chief Agricultural Negotiator
  • D. The Chief Innovation and Intellectual Property Negotiator

Q9. With reference to the India-US trade engagement announced in February 2026, consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The two sides announced a framework for an Interim Agreement on reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade.
  2. The framework reaffirmed commitment to the broader India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) negotiations.
  3. The BTA negotiations had been launched by the Indian and US leaders in February 2025.
  4. A full Bilateral Trade Agreement had already been signed and brought into force by February 2026.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 4 only
  • C. 3 and 4 only
  • D. 2 only

Q10. The following are cited as channels through which India engaged the USTR during the forced-labour Section 301 investigation. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. India made detailed written submissions to the USTR.
  2. India took part in in-person consultations with the USTR.
  3. India participated in the USTR public hearing on the proposed measures.
  4. India filed a formal dispute against the measures before the WTO Dispute Settlement Body.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 4 only