The BRICS Summit in the year 2016 was hosted by which member country?

Introduction / Context:
BRICS is a grouping of five major emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The BRICS Summit is hosted annually by one of the member countries on a rotational basis. Exams often ask which country hosted the Summit in a particular year, testing awareness of recent international events and India role in them. The 2016 Summit is especially relevant because India was the host that year.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The question asks which BRICS member country hosted the Summit in 2016.
• Four member countries are listed: Brazil, China, India and South Africa.
• We assume basic knowledge of BRICS membership and India role as a host in specific years.

Concept / Approach:
The 2016 BRICS Summit was held in India, specifically at Goa. This placed India in the role of host and chair for that summit cycle. Other countries hosted summits in other years: Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa follow the rotation schedule. Therefore, for the year 2016, the correct host country to recall is India.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Remember that the BRICS Summit 2016 was widely reported as being held in Goa, India, with India serving as the chair for that year. Step 2: Associate Goa with India, not with Brazil, China or South Africa, as it is a well known Indian state on the western coast. Step 3: Recognise that Brazil, China and South Africa have hosted BRICS summits in other years, but not in 2016. Step 4: Therefore, the member country that hosted the BRICS Summit in 2016 is India.

Verification / Alternative check:
Contemporary news articles and government releases referred to the “8th BRICS Summit in Goa, India” in 2016, highlighting India chairmanship and its agenda on themes such as building responsive, inclusive and collective solutions. No credible source describes the 2016 Summit as being held in Brazil, China or South Africa. This consistent reporting across multiple sources confirms India as the correct answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Brazil has hosted BRICS summits in other years but not the one in 2016.
• China has also hosted certain BRICS summits, but the 2016 Summit was specifically held in India.
• South Africa has been a host in a different year within the BRICS rotation, not in 2016.

Common Pitfalls:
Because BRICS summits rotate among the five countries, candidates sometimes confuse the host year for each country and answer based on a guess rather than a clear memory. Another pitfall is to remember that Goa is a coastal region once colonised by Portugal and mistakenly link it to Brazil due to Portuguese language associations. To avoid such confusion, it helps to connect the 2016 BRICS Summit with Goa specifically as an Indian state and to recall that India chaired the summit that year.

Final Answer:
India