UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Revisiting India’s ultrasound laws

Q1. Under Section 23 of the PC&PNDT Act, 1994, the maximum term of imprisonment prescribed for a first conviction is how many years?

  • A. Two years
  • B. Three years
  • C. Five years
  • D. Seven years

Q2. The Central Supervisory Board under the PC&PNDT Act, 1994 is chaired ex officio by which one of the following?

  • A. Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare
  • B. Union Minister for Women and Child Development
  • C. Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare
  • D. Director General of Health Services

Q3. In the 2026 debate on revisiting India's ultrasound laws, why is a 'high-frequency linear (-array) ultrasound probe' argued to be incapable of foetal sex determination?

  • A. It produces high-resolution images of superficial structures but has shallow tissue penetration, so it cannot image the deep pelvic foetus
  • B. It can only generate audio Doppler signals and produces no two-dimensional image at all
  • C. It is software-locked by the manufacturer to blank out the pelvic region during scanning
  • D. It operates at low frequency with deep penetration, ideal for abdominal but not pelvic imaging

Q4. At the Union level, the PC&PNDT Act, 1994 is administered and operationalised primarily by which one of the following ministries?

  • A. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
  • B. Ministry of Women and Child Development
  • C. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
  • D. Ministry of Law and Justice