UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Is English a foreign language in India?

Question 1

Under clause (4) of Article 344 of the Constitution of India, the Committee of Parliament constituted to examine the recommendations of the Official Language Commission consists of how many members?

Accepted Answer

30 members — twenty from the House of the People and ten from the Council of States

Answer

22 members — fifteen from the House of the People and seven from the Council of States

Answer

31 members — twenty-one from the House of the People and ten from the Council of States

Answer

45 members — thirty from the House of the People and fifteen from the Council of States

Question 2

Consider the following statements regarding the official language provisions in Part XVII of the Constitution of India:
1. Article 343 declared Hindi in the Devanagari script the official language of the Union, while providing that English would continue to be used for official purposes for fifteen years from the commencement of the Constitution.
2. Article 347 empowers the President to direct that a language be officially recognised in a State only where the entire population of that State demands such recognition.
3. Article 348 provides that proceedings in the Supreme Court and in every High Court shall be exclusively in Hindi, no other language being permissible in any circumstance.
4. Article 351 directs the Union to promote the spread of the Hindi language and to develop it by drawing its vocabulary primarily on Sanskrit and secondarily on other languages.
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

Accepted Answer

2 and 3

Answer

1 and 4

Answer

3 only

Answer

2, 3 and 4

Question 3

With reference to the Official Languages Act, 1963, consider the following:
1. The 'appointed day' for the purposes of the section continuing the use of English is 26 January 1965.
2. A translation of a Central Act published under the authority of the President in the Official Gazette is deemed to be the authoritative text of that Act in Hindi.
3. The Governor of a State may, with the previous consent of the President, authorise the use of Hindi or the official language of the State in judgments of the High Court, provided an English translation accompanies such judgment.
4. The Legislature of a State may by its own resolution discontinue the use of English for the official purposes of the Union, no resolution of Parliament being required for this purpose.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified as provisions of the Act?

Accepted Answer

1, 2 and 3

Answer

1 and 3 only

Answer

2 and 4

Answer

1, 3 and 4

Question 4

Under the Official Languages Act, 1963 as amended in 1967, which one of the following is the first condition that must be satisfied before the use of English for the official purposes of the Union can be discontinued?

Accepted Answer

Resolutions for discontinuance passed by the Legislatures of all the States which have not adopted Hindi as their official language

Answer

Resolutions for discontinuance passed by the Legislatures of not less than one-half of the States which have adopted Hindi as their official language

Answer

A resolution for discontinuance passed by the Council of States on the recommendation of the Committee on Official Language

Answer

An order made by the President on the advice of the Official Language Commission constituted under Article 344

Question 5

Since independence, how many National Policies on Education has India adopted, and in which years were they adopted?

Accepted Answer

Three — in 1968, in 1986 and in 2020, the second being modified in 1992

Answer

Two — in 1968 and in 1986, the latter modified in 1992

Answer

Three — in 1964, in 1986 and in 2020, the first following the Education Commission

Answer

Four — in 1968, in 1976, in 1986 and in 2020, the third being modified in 1992

Question 6

Consider the following statements about the evolution of the three-language formula in India:
1. It was first enunciated in the National Policy on Education, 1968, which followed the report of the Education Commission (1964-66).
2. Under the 1968 formulation, non-Hindi speaking States were to provide for the study of Hindi, English and the regional language.
3. The National Education Policy, 2020 continues the formula but requires that all three languages studied be native to India.
4. The National Education Policy, 2020 stipulates that the choice of languages shall rest with States and students and that no language will be imposed on any State.
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

Accepted Answer

3 only

Answer

1 and 3

Answer

2 and 4

Answer

3 and 4

Question 7

The Supreme Court's examination in August 2026 of whether English can be treated as a 'non-indigenous' language arose in a batch of petitions challenging which one of the following?

Accepted Answer

A CBSE circular of 15 May 2026 requiring Class IX students to study three languages with effect from 1 July 2026

Answer

An NCERT curriculum notification of 2026 prescribing the study of three languages from Class VI with effect from that academic year

Answer

A Ministry of Education notification of 2026 extending the Official Language Rules to Kendriya Vidyalayas across all States

Answer

A CBSE circular of 2026 making a Board examination in the third language compulsory for candidates at Class XII

Question 8

With reference to the proceedings on the CBSE three-language policy during 2026, consider the following:
1. The Court sought a roadmap on the availability of teachers and learning material for the 23 languages offered under the policy.
2. The Court granted interim relief staying the operation of the policy pending final disposal of the petitions.
3. CBSE relaxed the policy by exempting students then in Class 10 from the three-language requirement.
4. Under the CBSE scheme, attainment in the third language is to be certified through a compulsory Board examination.
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

Accepted Answer

2 and 4

Answer

1 and 3

Answer

2 only

Answer

1, 3 and 4

Question 9

Under the National Education Policy, 2020, which one of the following languages is singled out to be offered at all levels of school and higher education, including as an option within the three-language formula?

Accepted Answer

Sanskrit

Answer

Prakrit

Answer

Persian

Answer

Pali

Question 10

Which one of the following statements best describes the People's Linguistic Survey of India (PLSI)?

Accepted Answer

A non-governmental survey coordinated by the Bhasha Research and Publication Centre, Vadodara, which documented 780 living languages using community volunteers

Answer

A decadal enumeration of mother tongues carried out by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India

Answer

A project of the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysuru, to prepare grammars and primers for the languages of the Eighth Schedule

Answer

A UNESCO-assisted programme of the Sahitya Akademi to map and publish the endangered tribal literatures of the Indian subcontinent

Question 11

Consider the following statements comparing the Eighth Schedule as originally adopted with its present composition:
1. The Schedule as originally adopted listed 14 languages, and the present list of 22 includes Sindhi, which was added in 1967.
2. Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali were added to the Schedule in 1992, and Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali in 2003-04.
3. English, although it continues as a language for the official purposes of the Union under the Official Languages Act, 1963, does not figure in the Eighth Schedule.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

1, 2 and 3

Answer

1 only

Answer

1 and 2 only

Answer

2 and 3 only

Question 12

Under Sections 15 to 22 of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, how many Zonal Councils were set up, and how are the North Eastern States dealt with?

Accepted Answer

Five Zonal Councils, the North Eastern States being left out and looked after by a separate statutory Council

Answer

Four Zonal Councils, the North Eastern States being placed within the Eastern Zonal Council

Answer

Five Zonal Councils, the North Eastern States being constituted into a sixth zone under the same Act

Answer

Six Zonal Councils, the North Eastern States together forming one of those six zones

UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Is English a foreign language in India?

Q1. Under clause (4) of Article 344 of the Constitution of India, the Committee of Parliament constituted to examine the recommendations of the Official Language Commission consists of how many members?

Q4. Under the Official Languages Act, 1963 as amended in 1967, which one of the following is the first condition that must be satisfied before the use of English for the official purposes of the Union can be discontinued?

Q5. Since independence, how many National Policies on Education has India adopted, and in which years were they adopted?

Q7. The Supreme Court's examination in August 2026 of whether English can be treated as a 'non-indigenous' language arose in a batch of petitions challenging which one of the following?

Q9. Under the National Education Policy, 2020, which one of the following languages is singled out to be offered at all levels of school and higher education, including as an option within the three-language formula?

Q10. Which one of the following statements best describes the People's Linguistic Survey of India (PLSI)?

Q12. Under Sections 15 to 22 of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, how many Zonal Councils were set up, and how are the North Eastern States dealt with?