UPSC Prelims 2014 · Question 71 of 100

UPSC Prelims 2014 question on BRICS Summits

With reference to a grouping of countries known as BRICS, consider the following statements:

1. The first Summit of BRICS was held in Rio de Janeiro in 2009.

2. South Africa was the last to join the BRICS grouping.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer

Answer: B. 2 only

Verdict

The answer is 2 only. South Africa was indeed the last to join, but the first BRIC summit was held in Yekaterinburg in Russia, not in Rio de Janeiro.

Analysis

Statement 1 is INCORRECT. The first BRIC summit took place in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in June 2009. Rio de Janeiro is a plausible sounding location precisely because Brazil is the B in the acronym, which is what the distractor exploits. Statement 2 is CORRECT. The group began as BRIC with Brazil, Russia, India and China, and South Africa joined in 2010, converting the acronym to BRICS.

Source

Current affairs coverage of BRICS.

How to crack it

For any grouping, hold three facts: year of formation, venue of the first summit, and the order in which members joined. The expansion order is the most frequently asked of the three because it is the only one with an internal logic, the added letter at the end of the acronym. The news hook for this period is the Fortaleza summit and the New Development Bank, so summit venue and outcome should be logged together each year.

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