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India hosts the 18th BRICS summit
India hosted the 18th BRICS summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on 12 and 13 September 2026. India had taken over the rotating chair of the grouping on 1 January, and its motto for the summit spelt out Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability. Leaders adopted the New Delhi Declaration by consensus at the end of the opening day, once Iran and the UAE had settled their differences over West Asia. The text runs to about 140 points. It supports a larger role for India and Brazil at the United Nations. Chinese President Xi Jinping used the summit to propose an open source artificial intelligence community for BRICS members, together with a consensus based framework for global AI governance, although reports said the declaration did not expressly endorse the idea. For New Delhi, the summit was a chance to show that a bloc which began life as an investment acronym can still agree on a common text even when its members disagree over regional conflicts.
Written for practice from verified reports, September 2026
1.Where was the 18th BRICS summit held in September 2026?
Correct. The passage says the summit was held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on 12 and 13 September 2026.
Not quite. The passage says the summit was held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on 12 and 13 September 2026.
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B) Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The passage says the summit was held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on 12 and 13 September 2026.2.According to the passage, the New Delhi Declaration backs which two countries for a larger role at the United Nations?
Correct. The passage states that the declaration supports a larger role for India and Brazil at the United Nations.
Not quite. The passage states that the declaration supports a larger role for India and Brazil at the United Nations.
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D) India and Brazil. The passage states that the declaration supports a larger role for India and Brazil at the United Nations.3.Which country will chair BRICS in 2027 and host the 19th summit?
Correct. At the close of the New Delhi summit on 13 September 2026, China was confirmed as the 2027 chair and host of the 19th BRICS summit.
Not quite. At the close of the New Delhi summit on 13 September 2026, China was confirmed as the 2027 chair and host of the 19th BRICS summit.
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A) China. At the close of the New Delhi summit on 13 September 2026, China was confirmed as the 2027 chair and host of the 19th BRICS summit.4.India's 2026 BRICS chairship was its:
Correct. India took the chair on 1 January 2026 after earlier chairships in 2012, 2016 and 2021, making 2026 its fourth.
Not quite. India took the chair on 1 January 2026 after earlier chairships in 2012, 2016 and 2021, making 2026 its fourth.
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C) Fourth. India took the chair on 1 January 2026 after earlier chairships in 2012, 2016 and 2021, making 2026 its fourth.5.The New Development Bank, set up by the BRICS countries, is headquartered in:
Correct. The NDB agreement was signed at Fortaleza in 2014; the bank began work in 2015 with its headquarters in Shanghai, China.
Not quite. The NDB agreement was signed at Fortaleza in 2014; the bank began work in 2015 with its headquarters in Shanghai, China.
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A) Shanghai. The NDB agreement was signed at Fortaleza in 2014; the bank began work in 2015 with its headquarters in Shanghai, China.6.The term BRIC was coined in 2001 by which economist?
Correct. Jim O'Neill, then at Goldman Sachs, coined BRIC in 2001 for Brazil, Russia, India and China. The first BRIC summit followed in 2009 at Yekaterinburg.
Not quite. Jim O'Neill, then at Goldman Sachs, coined BRIC in 2001 for Brazil, Russia, India and China. The first BRIC summit followed in 2009 at Yekaterinburg.
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B) Jim O'Neill. Jim O'Neill, then at Goldman Sachs, coined BRIC in 2001 for Brazil, Russia, India and China. The first BRIC summit followed in 2009 at Yekaterinburg.Governors and Lieutenant Governors get a seat at the Inter-State Council
The President has amended the Inter-State Council Order of 1990, the instrument that created the council meant to bring the Union and the states to one table. The notification is dated 9 September 2026 and was published in the Gazette of India on 18 September. Its change concerns states and Union Territories that have no elected government in office when the council meets. The 1990 Order already provided that where a state is under President's Rule, its Governor is invited to council meetings. The amendment keeps that rule and extends the same logic to the three Union Territories that have legislatures. Where the constitutional machinery has failed in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, the Lieutenant Governor will attend. The Lieutenant Governors of Puducherry and of Jammu and Kashmir will likewise attend when their elected governments have been displaced under the Government of Union Territories Act of 1963 and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act of 2019 respectively. The change closes a gap. A council built for dialogue between elected governments had no rule on who speaks for a Union Territory being run directly by the Centre. The council draws its authority from the Constitution, which lets the President set one up whenever the public interest would be served by a body that inquires into and advises on disputes between states and discusses subjects of common interest.
Written for practice from verified reports, September 2026
7.Under the Inter-State Council Order as amended in 2026, who is invited to council meetings on behalf of a state under President's Rule?
Correct. The passage says the amended Order keeps the 1990 rule: where a state is under President's Rule, its Governor is invited to council meetings. The new part of the 2026 amendment is the invitation to the Lieutenant Governors of Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir.
Not quite. The passage says the amended Order keeps the 1990 rule: where a state is under President's Rule, its Governor is invited to council meetings. The new part of the 2026 amendment is the invitation to the Lieutenant Governors of Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir.
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D) The Governor of the state. The passage says the amended Order keeps the 1990 rule: where a state is under President's Rule, its Governor is invited to council meetings. The new part of the 2026 amendment is the invitation to the Lieutenant Governors of Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir.8.Which of the following is NOT among the Union Territories whose Lieutenant Governor the passage says will attend?
Correct. The passage names Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir. Ladakh has no legislature and is not mentioned.
Not quite. The passage names Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir. Ladakh has no legislature and is not mentioned.
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C) Ladakh. The passage names Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir. Ladakh has no legislature and is not mentioned.9.The Inter-State Council is established by the President under which Article of the Constitution?
Correct. Article 263 lets the President set up an Inter-State Council. Article 262 covers inter-state river disputes, 280 the Finance Commission and 324 the Election Commission.
Not quite. Article 263 lets the President set up an Inter-State Council. Article 262 covers inter-state river disputes, 280 the Finance Commission and 324 the Election Commission.
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A) Article 263. Article 263 lets the President set up an Inter-State Council. Article 262 covers inter-state river disputes, 280 the Finance Commission and 324 the Election Commission.10.The Inter-State Council was set up in 1990 on the recommendation of which body?
Correct. The Sarkaria Commission on Centre-State relations recommended a permanent Inter-State Council; it was created by the Presidential Order of 1990.
Not quite. The Sarkaria Commission on Centre-State relations recommended a permanent Inter-State Council; it was created by the Presidential Order of 1990.
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C) Sarkaria Commission. The Sarkaria Commission on Centre-State relations recommended a permanent Inter-State Council; it was created by the Presidential Order of 1990.11.Who chairs the Inter-State Council?
Correct. Under the 1990 Order the Prime Minister is the chairman. Members are the Chief Ministers of all states and of Union Territories with legislatures, the Administrators of other Union Territories, and six Union Cabinet Ministers nominated by the Prime Minister.
Not quite. Under the 1990 Order the Prime Minister is the chairman. Members are the Chief Ministers of all states and of Union Territories with legislatures, the Administrators of other Union Territories, and six Union Cabinet Ministers nominated by the Prime Minister.
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B) The Prime Minister. Under the 1990 Order the Prime Minister is the chairman. Members are the Chief Ministers of all states and of Union Territories with legislatures, the Administrators of other Union Territories, and six Union Cabinet Ministers nominated by the Prime Minister.12.President's Rule in a state is proclaimed under which Article of the Constitution?
Correct. Article 356 deals with failure of constitutional machinery in a state. Article 352 is national emergency, 360 financial emergency and 368 amendment of the Constitution.
Not quite. Article 356 deals with failure of constitutional machinery in a state. Article 352 is national emergency, 360 financial emergency and 368 amendment of the Constitution.
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D) Article 356. Article 356 deals with failure of constitutional machinery in a state. Article 352 is national emergency, 360 financial emergency and 368 amendment of the Constitution.Record eighth Asia Cup for India's women
India's women tightened their grip on Asian cricket in September 2026. In the final of the Women's Asia Cup at the Dubai International Stadium on 13 September, they beat Sri Lanka comfortably to lift the title for a record eighth time, avenging their defeat by the same opponents in the 2024 final. Openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana put on 129 for the first wicket before the bowlers finished the job. The tournament had already given Indian cricket a landmark. Ten days before the final, Mandhana struck 124 from just 64 balls against Hong Kong, China, the highest score in the history of the Women's T20 Asia Cup. The innings carried her past the 10,868 international runs of Mithali Raj, making Mandhana the leading run scorer in women's international cricket, and it also gave her the outright lead for the most international hundreds by a woman, one ahead of Meg Lanning and Laura Wolvaardt. For a side that had won its first World Cup the previous year, the month confirmed that its senior batters are breaking records as quickly as the team is collecting titles.
Written for practice from verified reports, September 2026
13.Whom did India defeat in the final of the 2026 Women's Asia Cup?
Correct. The passage says India beat Sri Lanka in the final at the Dubai International Stadium on 13 September 2026.
Not quite. The passage says India beat Sri Lanka in the final at the Dubai International Stadium on 13 September 2026.
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A) Sri Lanka. The passage says India beat Sri Lanka in the final at the Dubai International Stadium on 13 September 2026.14.Whose tally of international runs did Smriti Mandhana pass with her 124 against Hong Kong, China?
Correct. The passage says the innings took her past Mithali Raj's 10,868 international runs.
Not quite. The passage says the innings took her past Mithali Raj's 10,868 international runs.
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B) Mithali Raj. The passage says the innings took her past Mithali Raj's 10,868 international runs.15.By what margin did India win the 2026 Women's Asia Cup final?
Correct. India, batting first, made 183 for 5 and bowled Sri Lanka out for 111 to win by 72 runs in Dubai on 13 September 2026. (52 runs was the margin of India's 2025 World Cup final win.)
Not quite. India, batting first, made 183 for 5 and bowled Sri Lanka out for 111 to win by 72 runs in Dubai on 13 September 2026. (52 runs was the margin of India's 2025 World Cup final win.)
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C) 72 runs. India, batting first, made 183 for 5 and bowled Sri Lanka out for 111 to win by 72 runs in Dubai on 13 September 2026. (52 runs was the margin of India's 2025 World Cup final win.)16.Smriti Mandhana's 124 against Hong Kong, China on 3 September 2026 was her international hundred number:
Correct. As of that innings on 3 September 2026 it was her 18th international hundred (14 in ODIs, 2 in Tests, 2 in T20Is), one clear of Meg Lanning and Laura Wolvaardt, who had 17 each.
Not quite. As of that innings on 3 September 2026 it was her 18th international hundred (14 in ODIs, 2 in Tests, 2 in T20Is), one clear of Meg Lanning and Laura Wolvaardt, who had 17 each.
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D) 18. As of that innings on 3 September 2026 it was her 18th international hundred (14 in ODIs, 2 in Tests, 2 in T20Is), one clear of Meg Lanning and Laura Wolvaardt, who had 17 each.17.India won its first ICC Women's World Cup in November 2025 by beating which team in the final?
Correct. India beat South Africa by 52 runs in the final at the DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, on 2 November 2025.
Not quite. India beat South Africa by 52 runs in the final at the DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, on 2 November 2025.
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B) South Africa. India beat South Africa by 52 runs in the final at the DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, on 2 November 2025.18.In 2021 Mithali Raj became the first woman cricketer to receive which honour?
Correct. Mithali Raj received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, India's highest sporting honour, at the 2021 National Sports Awards.
Not quite. Mithali Raj received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, India's highest sporting honour, at the 2021 National Sports Awards.
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A) Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna. Mithali Raj received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, India's highest sporting honour, at the 2021 National Sports Awards.Ten years of the Kigali Amendment
World Ozone Day, observed on 16 September, carried a special theme in 2026: Global action for a cooler planet, celebrating ten years of sustainable cooling under the Kigali Amendment. The date recalls the signing of the Montreal Protocol on 16 September 1987, the treaty that set out to phase out the chemicals that thin the ozone layer. It entered into force on 1 January 1989. The Kigali Amendment, adopted in October 2016, stretched the Protocol to cover a new family of gases, the hydrofluorocarbons or HFCs. These were brought in as substitutes for ozone depleting refrigerants and do not harm the ozone layer, but they are powerful greenhouse gases that trap heat, so cutting them is now treated as a climate measure as much as an ozone one. India follows a gradual schedule under the amendment. It begins with a 10 percent cut in HFC use in 2032 and must reach an 85 percent reduction by 2047. With demand for air conditioners and refrigerators rising quickly, the challenge for India is to keep homes, hospitals and cold chains cool while switching to cleaner refrigerants within that timetable.
Written for practice from verified reports, September 2026
19.The Kigali Amendment brought which family of gases under the Montreal Protocol?
Correct. The passage says the Kigali Amendment extended the Protocol to hydrofluorocarbons, substitutes for ozone depleting refrigerants that are strong greenhouse gases.
Not quite. The passage says the Kigali Amendment extended the Protocol to hydrofluorocarbons, substitutes for ozone depleting refrigerants that are strong greenhouse gases.
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C) Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The passage says the Kigali Amendment extended the Protocol to hydrofluorocarbons, substitutes for ozone depleting refrigerants that are strong greenhouse gases.20.According to the passage, by which year must India reach an 85 percent reduction in HFC use?
Correct. The passage says India starts with a 10 percent cut in 2032 and must reach an 85 percent reduction by 2047.
Not quite. The passage says India starts with a 10 percent cut in 2032 and must reach an 85 percent reduction by 2047.
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D) 2047. The passage says India starts with a 10 percent cut in 2032 and must reach an 85 percent reduction by 2047.21.The Montreal Protocol was preceded by a 1985 framework treaty for the protection of the ozone layer. It is known as the:
Correct. The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (1985) was the framework; the Montreal Protocol (1987) set binding phase outs. Basel covers hazardous waste.
Not quite. The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (1985) was the framework; the Montreal Protocol (1987) set binding phase outs. Basel covers hazardous waste.
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A) Vienna Convention. The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (1985) was the framework; the Montreal Protocol (1987) set binding phase outs. Basel covers hazardous waste.22.Kigali, where the amendment was adopted in 2016, is the capital of:
Correct. Kigali is the capital of Rwanda. Nairobi, Kampala and Dodoma are the capitals of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Not quite. Kigali is the capital of Rwanda. Nairobi, Kampala and Dodoma are the capitals of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
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C) Rwanda. Kigali is the capital of Rwanda. Nairobi, Kampala and Dodoma are the capitals of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.23.The ozone layer that protects Earth from ultraviolet radiation lies mainly in which layer of the atmosphere?
Correct. Most atmospheric ozone sits in the stratosphere, roughly 15 to 35 km above the surface, where it absorbs harmful UV radiation.
Not quite. Most atmospheric ozone sits in the stratosphere, roughly 15 to 35 km above the surface, where it absorbs harmful UV radiation.
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B) Stratosphere. Most atmospheric ozone sits in the stratosphere, roughly 15 to 35 km above the surface, where it absorbs harmful UV radiation.Five more Indian sites join UNESCO's waiting list
India's list of candidates for World Heritage status grew again in 2026. On 29 September it was announced that five more Indian properties had entered UNESCO's Tentative List, taking India's total on that list to 78. Four of them lie in Madhya Pradesh: the Bagh Cave Paintings, the Udaigiri Caves, Ginnorgarh Fort and a group of temples in the Chambal Valley. The fifth, the Sites of Satyagraha, is a transnational entry of nine components, seven in India and two in South Africa. Earlier in September, two other entries submitted in June drew public attention. Assam's Chief Minister publicised the Rangpur Sivasagar Historic Ensemble, centred on the town that the Ahom ruler Rudra Singha made his capital in 1704. The Union Tourism Minister announced the Painted Haveli Towns of Shekhawati, a serial nomination of 14 towns that includes Mandawa, Nawalgarh and Fatehpur. A place on the Tentative List does not make a site a World Heritage Site. It is only the first step, because a country can put forward for inscription only those properties already on its list.
Written for practice from verified reports, September 2026
24.Four of the five sites added to India's Tentative List on 29 September 2026 are in which state?
Correct. The passage says the Bagh Cave Paintings, Udaigiri Caves, Ginnorgarh Fort and the Chambal Valley temples all lie in Madhya Pradesh.
Not quite. The passage says the Bagh Cave Paintings, Udaigiri Caves, Ginnorgarh Fort and the Chambal Valley temples all lie in Madhya Pradesh.
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D) Madhya Pradesh. The passage says the Bagh Cave Paintings, Udaigiri Caves, Ginnorgarh Fort and the Chambal Valley temples all lie in Madhya Pradesh.25.The transnational Sites of Satyagraha entry is shared by India with which country?
Correct. The passage says the entry has nine components, seven in India and two in South Africa.
Not quite. The passage says the entry has nine components, seven in India and two in South Africa.
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C) South Africa. The passage says the entry has nine components, seven in India and two in South Africa.26.The Painted Haveli Towns of Shekhawati, spread across Jhunjhunu, Churu and Sikar districts, are in which state?
Correct. The Shekhawati nomination covers 14 towns in the Jhunjhunu, Churu and Sikar districts of Rajasthan.
Not quite. The Shekhawati nomination covers 14 towns in the Jhunjhunu, Churu and Sikar districts of Rajasthan.
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A) Rajasthan. The Shekhawati nomination covers 14 towns in the Jhunjhunu, Churu and Sikar districts of Rajasthan.27.Lachit Borphukan, the Ahom commander, won the Battle of Saraighat in 1671 against which power?
Correct. At Saraighat on the Brahmaputra near Guwahati in 1671, Ahom forces under Lachit Borphukan defeated a Mughal army.
Not quite. At Saraighat on the Brahmaputra near Guwahati in 1671, Ahom forces under Lachit Borphukan defeated a Mughal army.
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D) The Mughals. At Saraighat on the Brahmaputra near Guwahati in 1671, Ahom forces under Lachit Borphukan defeated a Mughal army.28.UNESCO, which maintains the World Heritage List, is headquartered in:
Correct. UNESCO, founded in 1945, has its headquarters in Paris, France.
Not quite. UNESCO, founded in 1945, has its headquarters in Paris, France.
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B) Paris. UNESCO, founded in 1945, has its headquarters in Paris, France.Your score
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Practice material written from verified news. Errors can occur: verify important facts with official sources.