UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Kurumba: a language and community fighting for visibility

Q1. A small tribal community in a State speaks an oral language that has no script. The language differs from the State's majority language. With reference to the constitutional protections available to such a community, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The community does not lose its right under Article 29(1) to conserve its language merely because the language has no script of its own.
  2. Article 29(1) protects only a section of citizens that is a minority at the all-India level, so a group that is a minority only within one State falls outside it.
  3. Article 350A asks every State and every local authority within it to endeavour to provide adequate facilities for primary-stage instruction in the mother tongue to children of linguistic minority groups.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q2. Which one of the following correctly distinguishes Article 29(1) from Article 350A of the Constitution of India?

  • A. Article 29(1) protects the distinct culture of religious minorities alone; Article 350A extends only to those languages that already possess a recognised script
  • B. Article 29(1) gives a section of citizens a right to conserve its distinct language; Article 350A asks States to endeavour to provide primary instruction in the mother tongue
  • C. Article 29(1) asks States to endeavour to provide primary instruction in the mother tongue; Article 350A gives a section of citizens a right to conserve its distinct language
  • D. Both were inserted by the Seventh Amendment of 1956 after States' reorganisation to give linguistic minorities an identical right to conserve their language

Q3. Consider the following statements in the context of the ongoing Census: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. In Census language data, Kurumba is likely to be grouped under 'others' rather than shown as a separately named language.
  2. Kurumba is an oral language that has no script of its own.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q4. Consider the following statements about the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST): Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Findings recorded by the NCST on a complaint of tribal land alienation are binding and can be executed like the decree of a civil court.
  2. While inquiring into a complaint, the NCST has the powers of a civil court trying a suit, such as summoning a person and examining them on oath.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q5. With reference to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Commission submits its reports directly to the two Houses of Parliament without routing them through the President.
  2. The Commission is a constitutional body whose provision was inserted by the Constitution (Eighty-ninth Amendment) Act, 2003.
  3. The Commission can inquire into specific complaints about the deprivation of rights and safeguards of Scheduled Tribes.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q6. Consider the following assertion: Full coverage of Kurumba habitations under PM-JANMAN would not, by itself, halt the decline of the Kurumba language. Which of the following statements support/supports the above assertion?

  1. PM-JANMAN's interventions, delivered through several line ministries, target basic services and amenities in PVTG habitations.
  2. The shift away from Kurumba is driven by speakers living among communities who do not understand the language after moving for education and jobs.
  3. The Kurumbas are one of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups in Keralam.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q7. With reference to the design of PM-JANMAN, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. It seeks saturation of PVTG-majority habitations with government schemes rather than covering selected beneficiaries.
  2. It is delivered through interventions of several line ministries rather than by one ministry acting alone.
  3. Its outlay is shared between the Centre and the States rather than being borne entirely by the Centre.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q8. Consider the following facts: (I) The Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs classifies the Kurumbas of Attappady as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group. (II) The community numbered 2,719 in 2024. (III) In Census language data, languages with fewer than 10,000 speakers are grouped under 'others'. (IV) Kurumbas use Malayalam to communicate with outsiders. Which of the following inferences can validly be drawn from the above facts?

  1. Classification as a PVTG does not by itself secure a separate entry for the community's language in Census language data.
  2. Kurumba will be recorded in the Census as a dialect of Malayalam because the community uses Malayalam with outsiders.
  3. A community's eligibility for PVTG-targeted welfare depends on its language being separately enumerated in the Census.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 1 and 3 only