UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Women MPs welcome Bill, against its ‘weaponisation’

Q1. Under the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, for how many years is the reservation of seats for women to be provided, unless the period is extended by Parliament by law?

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

Q2. To de-link women's reservation from the 'first census after commencement' and instead operationalise it through a delimitation on the 2011 Census, the government introduced how many linked Bills together in the Lok Sabha in April 2026?

  • A. Two
  • B. Three
  • C. Four
  • D. Five

Q3. In the context of triggering women's reservation, the term 'delimitation' most precisely refers to which of the following?

  • A. The act of redrawing the boundaries and fixing the number of seats of territorial constituencies on the basis of the latest census figures
  • B. The periodic rotation of seats reserved for women among different constituencies
  • C. The demarcation of constituencies earmarked exclusively for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
  • D. The extension of the reservation beyond its initial 15-year period by Parliament

Q4. Consider the following Bills said to have been introduced in the Lok Sabha in April 2026 to enable delimitation and women's reservation. Which of the following is NOT correctly listed as one of them?

  1. The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026
  2. The Delimitation Bill, 2026
  3. The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026
  4. The Constitution (128th Amendment) Bill, 2026
  • A. 4 only
  • B. 1 and 3
  • C. 2 and 4
  • D. 3 only

Q5. The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 proposes to raise the maximum strength of the Lok Sabha to how many members?

  • A. 550
  • B. 750
  • C. 800
  • D. 850

Q6. Which government was the first to introduce a Women's Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha, in 1996?

  • A. The United Front government led by H.D. Deve Gowda
  • B. The NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee
  • C. The UPA government led by Manmohan Singh
  • D. The Congress government led by P.V. Narasimha Rao

Q7. When the women's reservation Bill was finally passed by the Rajya Sabha in September 2023, how many votes were recorded in its favour?

  • A. 132
  • B. 154
  • C. 214
  • D. 245

Q8. With reference to the Delimitation Commission in India, which of the following is/are correctly identified?

  1. It is chaired by a retired judge of the Supreme Court.
  2. The Chief Election Commissioner (or an Election Commissioner nominated by the CEC) is an ex-officio member.
  3. Its orders have the force of law and cannot be called in question before any court.
  4. It is constituted under Article 82 by the President as its ex-officio chairperson.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1 and 4 only

Q9. Consider the following statements comparing successive delimitation exercises in India: 1. A Delimitation Commission has been constituted four times so far — in 1952, 1962, 1972 and 2002. 2. In the delimitation carried out under the 2002 Act, the total number of Lok Sabha seats allotted to each State was left unchanged, unlike in earlier exercises. 3. The Delimitation Bill, 2026 proposes to carry out the next delimitation on the basis of the 2021 Census. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A Delimitation Commission has been constituted four times so far — in 1952, 1962, 1972 and 2002.
  2. In the delimitation carried out under the 2002 Act, the total number of Lok Sabha seats allotted to each State was left unchanged, unlike in earlier exercises.
  3. The Delimitation Bill, 2026 proposes to carry out the next delimitation on the basis of the 2021 Census.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q10. As per PRS data comparing women's representation across legislatures, which of the following has the highest share of women — more than 45% — in its national legislature?

  • A. Japan
  • B. India
  • C. Sweden
  • D. United States

Q11. To pass a Constitution Amendment Bill such as the one enacting women's reservation, Article 368 requires that, apart from a majority of the total membership of the House, the Bill secure the assent of at least what proportion of the members present and voting in each House?

  • A. One-half
  • B. Three-fifths
  • C. Two-thirds
  • D. Three-fourths