With reference to the BRICS grouping in 2026, which of the following statements is correct?

Correct answer: It has 11 members following an expansion effective January 2024. FACT: As of 2026 BRICS has 11 members after an expansion that took effect from January 1, 2024. ANALYSIS: The members are Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE; it is a consultative plurilateral, not a military alliance or UN body.

The BRICS National Security Advisers Meeting held in New Delhi in June 2026 was themed around which of the following?

Correct answer: Non-traditional security challenges confronting the world today. FACT: The 2026 BRICS NSA Meeting carried the theme "Non-traditional security challenges confronting the world today". ANALYSIS: It reviewed Joint Working Groups on counter-terrorism and on ICT and emerging-technology security, reflecting cyber, terror-financing and supply-chain concerns.

The India-Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), relevant to EAM Jaishankar's June 2026 visit, has which of the following features?

Correct answer: It is a trade and investment agreement in force since 2010, now under review. FACT: The India-Korea CEPA is a comprehensive trade and investment agreement in force since January 2010 and is currently under review and upgrade. ANALYSIS: The review aims to address the goods-trade imbalance and improve market access for Indian exporters.

Mongolia, visited by EAM Jaishankar in June 2026, is often described in India's diplomatic vocabulary as which of the following?

Correct answer: A spiritual or third neighbour. FACT: India describes Mongolia as a "spiritual neighbour" owing to shared Buddhist heritage, while Mongolia itself follows a "third neighbour" policy to balance Russia and China. ANALYSIS: India is not geographically contiguous with Mongolia, so the relationship rests on cultural, development and mineral cooperation.

The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, where the Unit-5 Reactor Pressure Vessel was installed in 2026, uses which reactor technology?

Correct answer: Russian VVER-1000 pressurised water reactor. FACT: Kudankulam uses Russian VVER-1000 reactors, a pressurised water reactor design supplied with technology partner Atomstroyexport. ANALYSIS: This differs from India's indigenous mainstay, the PHWR, which runs on natural uranium and heavy water.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries, advanced by INST Mohali's 2026 research, are attractive for grid-scale storage mainly because they:

Correct answer: Use a water-based, non-flammable electrolyte and abundant zinc. FACT: Aqueous zinc-ion batteries use a water-based, non-flammable electrolyte and abundant, cheap zinc, making them safe and economical for stationary storage. ANALYSIS: They trade lower energy density for safety and cost, which suits the grid rather than portable devices.

The Energy Transition Index, on which India ranked 70th in 2026, is published by which organisation?

Correct answer: World Economic Forum. FACT: The Energy Transition Index (ETI) is published annually by the World Economic Forum (WEF). ANALYSIS: India ranked 70th in 2026 with a score of 54.9, up two places, and was among the strongest improvers even as global readiness slipped.

The Chapekar brothers' action of June 22, 1897, is historically significant primarily because it:

Correct answer: Is regarded as the first act of revolutionary nationalism after 1857. FACT: The Chapekar brothers shot Pune Plague Committee chief W.C. Rand and Lt. Ayerst on June 22, 1897, an act widely regarded as the first act of revolutionary nationalism after the Revolt of 1857. ANALYSIS: It was a direct response to coercive anti-plague house-searches under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.

Operation Barbarossa, whose 85th anniversary fell on June 22, 2026, refers to which event?

Correct answer: Nazi Germany's 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union. FACT: Operation Barbarossa was Nazi Germany's invasion of the USSR launched on June 22, 1941, the largest land invasion in history with around 3.8 million Axis troops. ANALYSIS: It opened the Eastern Front of World War II and ultimately brought the USSR into the Allied camp.

Among India's law officers, which post is a constitutional office under the Constitution?

Correct answer: Attorney-General for India. FACT: Only the Attorney-General for India, under Article 76, is a constitutional law officer. ANALYSIS: The Solicitor General and Additional Solicitors General are statutory law officers appointed by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, not created by the Constitution.

The TRISHNA satellite, confirmed for a 2027 launch, is a joint mission between ISRO and which agency?

Correct answer: CNES (France). FACT: TRISHNA is a joint thermal-infrared Earth-observation mission of ISRO and the French space agency CNES. ANALYSIS: ISRO provides the platform and VNIR/SWIR instruments while CNES provides the thermal-infrared instrument; the mission supports food and water security.

A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education flagged in June 2026 that education spending was stuck at about 4.12% of GDP, below the target set by which document?

Correct answer: The National Education Policy 2020 (6% target). FACT: The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 sets a target of 6% of GDP for education spending, against which the actual 4.12% falls short. ANALYSIS: Parliamentary Standing Committees, constituted under the Rules of Procedure of the Houses, exercise oversight through such reports.

When the RBI held the repo rate at 5.25% in June 2026 with CPI inflation around 3.93%, the inflation was within which target band?

Correct answer: 4% within a 2-6% tolerance band. FACT: The RBI follows a flexible inflation-targeting framework with a target of 4% CPI inflation within a tolerance band of 2% to 6%. ANALYSIS: With CPI at about 3.93% in May 2026, inflation was within the band, supporting the decision to hold the repo rate at 5.25%.

In the Women's T20 World Cup match of June 21, 2026 at Old Trafford, which team beat India, and the game also marked which milestone?

Correct answer: South Africa won by six wickets; it was Harmanpreet Kaur's 200th T20I. FACT: South Africa beat India by six wickets at Old Trafford, Manchester, and the match marked Harmanpreet Kaur's 200th T20I. ANALYSIS: India posted 158/7 and South Africa chased 159 in 19.1 overs.

Current Affairs Quiz 22 June 2026 - UPSC Prelims MCQs with Answers

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🔗 Cross-Paper Links	GS2 (groupings, IR), GS3 (economy).
✍️ Mains Keywords	Global South, strategic autonomy, multi-alignment.
⚠️ Common Mistake	still counting only five BRICS members.
📌 Exam Tip	"BRIC" coined by Jim O’Neill, 2001; first summit 2009.
🎤 Interview	** can BRICS stay developmental rather than anti-Western?

🔗 Cross-Paper Links	GS2 (IR), GS3 (internal and cyber security).
✍️ Mains Keywords	non-traditional security, counter-terrorism, ICT security.
⚠️ Common Mistake	confusing the NSA track with the BRICS summit agenda.
📌 Exam Tip	the security pillar of BRICS now runs alongside the economic one.
🎤 Interview	** how does the NSA channel aid India’s strategic autonomy?

🔗 Cross-Paper Links	GS2 (Act East, bilateral ties), GS3 (trade).
✍️ Mains Keywords	CEPA, Special Strategic Partnership, supply-chain resilience.
⚠️ Common Mistake	treating CEPA as a defence or visa pact.
📌 Exam Tip	India-Korea = Special Strategic Partnership; CEPA since 2010.
🎤 Interview	** how can India fix the goods-trade imbalance with Korea?

🔗 Cross-Paper Links	GS2 (IR), GS1 (Buddhism, culture).
✍️ Mains Keywords	third-neighbour policy, Buddhist diplomacy, critical minerals.
⚠️ Common Mistake	assuming Mongolia is in SAARC or the EU.
📌 Exam Tip	Nomadic Elephant = India-Mongolia army exercise.
🎤 Interview	** what value does a landlocked partner add to Act East?

🔗 Cross-Paper Links	GS3 (energy, S&T), GS2 (India-Russia ties).
✍️ Mains Keywords	VVER, baseload clean power, operator-regulator split.
⚠️ Common Mistake	calling Kudankulam an indigenous PHWR plant.
📌 Exam Tip	NPCIL operates, AERB regulates; VVER is a PWR.
🎤 Interview	** what reforms would scale India’s nuclear fleet?

🔗 Cross-Paper Links	GS3 (S&T, energy, environment).
✍️ Mains Keywords	energy storage, lithium import dependence, dendrites.
⚠️ Common Mistake	assuming higher energy density than lithium-ion.
📌 Exam Tip	AZIBs = safe, cheap, lower density; ideal for the grid.
🎤 Interview	** why is storage the key enabler of the RE transition?

🔗 Cross-Paper Links	GS3 (environment, energy), GS2 (global indices).
✍️ Mains Keywords	energy trilemma, just transition, transition readiness.
⚠️ Common Mistake	attributing the ETI to the IEA or IRENA.
📌 Exam Tip	ETI = WEF; 60% performance, 40% readiness.
🎤 Interview	** how can India close its transition-readiness gap?

🔗 Cross-Paper Links	GS1 (modern history, freedom struggle).
✍️ Mains Keywords	revolutionary nationalism, colonial repression, sedition.
⚠️ Common Mistake	linking the Chapekars to the Congress moderates.
📌 Exam Tip	1897 plague, Rand and Ayerst, Tilak’s Kesari and sedition trial.
🎤 Interview	** how did colonial high-handedness fuel radicalism?

🔗 Cross-Paper Links	GS1 (world history, World Wars).
✍️ Mains Keywords	Eastern Front, Grand Alliance, turning point of WWII.
⚠️ Common Mistake	confusing Barbarossa with the Normandy landings.
📌 Exam Tip	Barbarossa = June 22, 1941; Germany invades USSR.
🎤 Interview	** why did the Eastern Front decide WWII’s outcome?

🔗 Cross-Paper Links	GS2 (polity, constitutional bodies).
✍️ Mains Keywords	Article 76, law officers, executive appointments.
⚠️ Common Mistake	treating the Solicitor General as a constitutional post.
📌 Exam Tip	Article 76 = Attorney-General, the first law officer.
🎤 Interview	** what is the role of the government’s law officers?

🔗 Cross-Paper Links	GS3 (space technology), GS2 (India-France ties).
✍️ Mains Keywords	Earth observation, thermal infrared, water security.
⚠️ Common Mistake	assigning TRISHNA to NASA or ESA.
📌 Exam Tip	TRISHNA = ISRO + CNES; thermal-infrared mission.
🎤 Interview	** how does Earth observation aid climate adaptation?

🔗 Cross-Paper Links	GS2 (governance, parliamentary oversight, education).
✍️ Mains Keywords	NEP 2020, standing committees, education financing.
⚠️ Common Mistake	attributing the 6% target to the RTE Act.
📌 Exam Tip	standing committees = Rules of Procedure, not the Constitution.
🎤 Interview	** why does India underspend on education?

🔗 Cross-Paper Links	GS3 (economy, monetary policy).
✍️ Mains Keywords	inflation targeting, repo rate, MPC, neutral stance.
⚠️ Common Mistake	stating the band as 3-7% or a hard 4%.
📌 Exam Tip	target 4%, band 2-6%; MPC sets the repo rate.
🎤 Interview	** how does monetary policy transmission work in India?

🔗 Cross-Paper Links	Prelims and interview general awareness (sports).
✍️ Mains Keywords	sports current affairs, women in sport.
⚠️ Common Mistake	confusing the opponent or the milestone player.
📌 Exam Tip	SA beat India; Harmanpreet Kaur’s 200th T20I.
🎤 Interview	** how does sport contribute to soft power?