UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — BRICS New Delhi Declaration: Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability

Q1. India's BRICS Chairship of 2026, under which the 18th BRICS Summit adopted the New Delhi Declaration, is coordinated within the Government of India by which one of the following?

  • A. The Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance
  • B. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  • C. The Ministry of External Affairs
  • D. NITI Aayog, working with the Cabinet Secretariat

Q2. More than 350 meetings and high-level engagements were held in India during its BRICS Chairship culminating in the 18th BRICS Summit. Across how many Indian cities were these meetings held?

  • A. 15
  • B. 20
  • C. 25
  • D. 30

Q3. The acronym 'BRIC' first entered use in which one of the following?

  • A. A 2006 meeting of four foreign ministers held on the margins of the UN General Assembly
  • B. A 2001 Goldman Sachs research paper projecting the rise of four large emerging economies
  • C. A 2009 joint communiqué issued by four heads of state at Yekaterinburg
  • D. A 2003 chapter of the IMF World Economic Outlook on emerging-market reserves

Q4. Consider the following statements comparing successive BRICS summits: 1. The first BRIC Summit was held at Yekaterinburg in Russia. 2. The first BRICS Summit that South Africa attended as a member was the 5th Summit, held at Durban. 3. The summit immediately preceding the 18th Summit was the 17th Summit, hosted by Brazil at Rio de Janeiro in July 2025, which adopted the Rio de Janeiro Declaration. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The first BRIC Summit was held at Yekaterinburg in Russia.
  2. The first BRICS Summit that South Africa attended as a member was the 5th Summit, held at Durban.
  3. The summit immediately preceding the 18th Summit was the 17th Summit, hosted by Brazil at Rio de Janeiro in July 2025, which adopted the Rio de Janeiro Declaration.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q5. As of 2026, Belarus, Cuba and Uzbekistan are associated with BRICS in which one of the following capacities?

  • A. As full members admitted in the round of expansion that took effect in January 2025
  • B. As non-borrowing observer states within the New Development Bank's shareholding structure
  • C. As dialogue partners nominated by the BRICS Sherpas for a renewable two-year term
  • D. As Partner Countries, a category that leaves the grouping's full-membership structure unaltered

Q6. Consider the following countries: 1. Egypt 2. Kazakhstan 3. Indonesia 4. Ethiopia Which of the above are correctly identified as full members of BRICS as of 2026?

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

Q7. Consider the following statements comparing the two BRICS summits chaired by India in 2021 and 2026: 1. The 2021 summit was conducted in virtual format, whereas the 2026 summit was held in person at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. 2. The outcome documents adopted at both the 2021 and the 2026 summits were styled the 'New Delhi Declaration'. 3. The theme of the 2021 chairship was pegged to the fifteenth year of the grouping, while the 2026 chairship coincides with its twentieth year. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The 2021 summit was conducted in virtual format, whereas the 2026 summit was held in person at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
  2. The outcome documents adopted at both the 2021 and the 2026 summits were styled the 'New Delhi Declaration'.
  3. The theme of the 2021 chairship was pegged to the fifteenth year of the grouping, while the 2026 chairship coincides with its twentieth year.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q8. Which one of the following was the first BRICS Summit to be hosted and chaired by India?

  • A. The 3rd Summit, held at Sanya in 2011
  • B. The 4th Summit, held at New Delhi in 2012
  • C. The 8th Summit, held at Goa in 2016
  • D. The 13th Summit, held in virtual format in 2021

Q9. The 18th Meeting of Heads of IP Offices of BRICS Countries, held at New Delhi in September 2026, was hosted by which one of the following?

  • A. The Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology
  • B. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
  • C. The Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM)
  • D. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

Q10. Consider the following statements about events organised under India's BRICS Chairship of 2026: 1. The BRICS Bharat Innovates Exposition was organised by the Ministry of Education in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs, and was held at the same venue as the 18th Summit. 2. All BRICS ministerial meetings under India's 2026 Chairship were convened exclusively at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. 3. The 18th Meeting of Heads of IP Offices of BRICS Countries adopted Updated Operational Guidelines for intellectual property cooperation. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The BRICS Bharat Innovates Exposition was organised by the Ministry of Education in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs, and was held at the same venue as the 18th Summit.
  2. All BRICS ministerial meetings under India's 2026 Chairship were convened exclusively at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
  3. The 18th Meeting of Heads of IP Offices of BRICS Countries adopted Updated Operational Guidelines for intellectual property cooperation.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q11. The Agreement establishing the New Development Bank and the Treaty establishing the Contingent Reserve Arrangement were both signed at which BRICS Summit?

  • A. The 5th Summit, held at Durban in 2013
  • B. The 6th Summit, held at Fortaleza in 2014
  • C. The 7th Summit, held at Ufa in 2015
  • D. The 8th Summit, held at Goa in 2016

Q12. Consider the following statements about overlapping memberships of international groupings: 1. Iran is a full member of both BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. 2. Brazil is a member of both BRICS and the IBSA Dialogue Forum. 3. Egypt is a full member of both BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. 4. Belarus is a BRICS Partner Country and a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Iran is a full member of both BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
  2. Brazil is a member of both BRICS and the IBSA Dialogue Forum.
  3. Egypt is a full member of both BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
  4. Belarus is a BRICS Partner Country and a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 1, 2 and 4
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 3 and 4