UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Why quotas alone won’t increase women’s representation

Q1. With reference to the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023 (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam), consider the following claimed provisions: 1. It reserves, as nearly as may be, one-third of directly elected seats in the Lok Sabha for women. 2. The one-third reservation also applies to the seats reserved for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. 3. It reserves one-third of the seats in the Rajya Sabha for women. 4. It reserves one-third of the seats in the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi for women. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. It reserves, as nearly as may be, one-third of directly elected seats in the Lok Sabha for women.
  2. The one-third reservation also applies to the seats reserved for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
  3. It reserves one-third of the seats in the Rajya Sabha for women.
  4. It reserves one-third of the seats in the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi for women.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 2 and 4
  • D. 1, 2 and 4

Q2. Under the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, for how many years is the reservation of seats for women initially provided, unless Parliament extends it by law?

  • A. 10 years
  • B. 15 years
  • C. 20 years
  • D. 25 years

Q3. Consider the following statements comparing the 73rd/74th Constitutional Amendments with the 106th Constitutional Amendment: 1. The 73rd Amendment inserted a new Part on Panchayats while the 74th inserted a new Part on Municipalities. 2. The one-third reservation for women under the 73rd/74th Amendments applies not only to seats but also to the offices of chairpersons, which is not a feature of the 106th Amendment. 3. Like the 106th Amendment, the reservation under the 73rd/74th Amendments became operative only after a fresh delimitation exercise. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The 73rd Amendment inserted a new Part on Panchayats while the 74th inserted a new Part on Municipalities.
  2. The one-third reservation for women under the 73rd/74th Amendments applies not only to seats but also to the offices of chairpersons, which is not a feature of the 106th Amendment.
  3. Like the 106th Amendment, the reservation under the 73rd/74th Amendments became operative only after a fresh delimitation exercise.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. In which year were the Constitution (Seventy-third) and (Seventy-fourth) Amendment Acts — which first introduced one-third reservation for women in Panchayats and Municipalities — enacted by Parliament?

  • A. 1976
  • B. 1992
  • C. 1993
  • D. 2005

Q5. The Women's Reservation Bill (Constitution 108th Amendment Bill, 2008) was passed by one House of Parliament in 2010 but eventually lapsed. Which House had passed it?

  • A. Lok Sabha
  • B. Rajya Sabha
  • C. Both Houses in a joint sitting
  • D. The Delhi Legislative Assembly

Q6. In which year was a Women's Reservation Bill FIRST introduced in the Indian Parliament?

  • A. 1996
  • B. 1998
  • C. 2008
  • D. 2010

Q7. The operation of women's reservation under the 106th Amendment is made contingent on completion of a 'delimitation' exercise. In this context, delimitation refers to which one of the following?

  • A. The process of fixing the number and boundaries of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies on the basis of the latest census
  • B. The transfer of subjects from the Union List to the Concurrent List
  • C. The reallocation of tax revenues between the Centre and the States
  • D. The periodic revision of electoral rolls before every general election

Q8. As per the Government's stated timeline, women's reservation under the 106th Amendment is intended to be implemented for the first time from which general election?

  • A. 2024
  • B. 2027
  • C. 2029
  • D. 2031