Which of the following countries was suspended from the Group of Eight (G8) in 2014, effectively returning the forum to the G7 format?

Introduction / Context:
The Group of Eight (G8) was an informal forum of eight major industrialised economies. After political developments in 2014, one of its members was suspended, and the group effectively reverted to the earlier Group of Seven (G7) format. General knowledge and international affairs questions often test familiarity with such changes in global economic groupings. This question checks whether you can correctly identify which country was suspended from the G8 in 2014.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The question refers specifically to the Group of Eight (G8) and its change back to the G7 format in 2014.
• Four countries are listed: United States of America, United Kingdom, Germany and Russia.
• We assume basic awareness of the original G8 membership and the diplomatic developments in 2014.

Concept / Approach:
Originally, the G8 consisted of the G7 countries (United States of America, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Canada) plus Russia. After events in 2014, particularly related to Ukraine and Crimea, the other members suspended Russia participation. Since all the remaining countries continued as part of the G7, the country whose suspension returned the forum to the G7 format must be Russia. The approach is to recall which member joined later and then was suspended.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall the list of traditional G7 members: United States of America, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Canada. Step 2: Understand that the G8 was created when Russia joined these seven countries, making a group of eight major powers. Step 3: In 2014, after political and security developments, the other members decided to suspend Russia participation in the group. Step 4: When Russia was suspended, the group effectively functioned once again as the G7, comprising the remaining seven original members. Step 5: Examine the options: United States of America, United Kingdom and Germany are core G7 members that were not suspended. Russia was the eighth member whose suspension changed the configuration. Step 6: Therefore, Russia is the correct answer to the question.

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, one can remember that news headlines after 2014 referred to “G7 summits” instead of “G8 summits” and explained that Russia participation had been suspended. Historical lists of G8 summits show Russia joining later and then being excluded. No similar change is recorded for the United States of America, the United Kingdom or Germany, which have remained core members throughout. This confirms that the suspension in question applied to Russia alone.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• United States of America: It is a founding G7 member and has never been suspended as the cause of reverting back to the G7 format.
• United Kingdom: Another original G7 member, it continued throughout and was not suspended in 2014.
• Germany: Also one of the core G7 economies, Germany remained in the group and did not cause the reversion to the G7.

Common Pitfalls:
A common pitfall is to think of G8 simply as any group of eight major powers and to guess a country at random rather than recalling the exact membership. Another mistake is to confuse the suspension of Russia from the G8 with other international sanctions or diplomatic disputes involving different organisations, such as the Council of Europe or various trade agreements. Keeping a short list of key international groupings and their members in memory helps avoid such confusion.

Final Answer:
Russia