UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Rise in middle class vulnerability

Q1. According to World Bank estimates, approximately how many people did India lift out of EXTREME poverty (measured at the $2.15-a-day line) between 2011-12 and 2022-23?

  • A. About 171 million
  • B. About 271 million
  • C. About 378 million
  • D. About 415 million

Q2. Which one of the following is the sole nodal body responsible for constructing and releasing India's National Multidimensional Poverty Index?

  • A. NITI Aayog
  • B. Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
  • C. Ministry of Rural Development
  • D. UNDP India Office

Q3. As per NITI Aayog's National MPI, approximately how many people escaped multidimensional poverty in India between 2015-16 and 2019-21?

  • A. 9.5 crore
  • B. 13.5 crore
  • C. 17.5 crore
  • D. 24.82 crore

Q4. According to the PRICE ICE 360 surveys, an Indian household is classified as 'middle class' if its annual income falls within which one of the following bands (at 2020-21 prices)?

  • A. Rs 1.25 lakh to Rs 5 lakh
  • B. Rs 5 lakh to Rs 30 lakh
  • C. Rs 30 lakh to Rs 50 lakh
  • D. Rs 2 lakh to Rs 10 lakh

Q5. The classification of Indian households into groups such as 'destitutes', 'aspirers', 'seekers', 'strivers' and 'rich', based on the ICE 360 income surveys, is the work of which one of the following organisations?

  • A. PRICE (People Research on India's Consumer Economy)
  • B. National Sample Survey Office
  • C. NITI Aayog
  • D. National Council of Applied Economic Research

Q6. As per the PLFS Annual Report 2025, the average monthly earnings of male regular wage/salaried workers rose to approximately which one of the following figures in 2025?

  • A. Rs 18,353
  • B. Rs 22,891
  • C. Rs 24,217
  • D. Rs 27,540

Q7. The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), which reports data on employment and workers' wages in India, is conducted by which one of the following?

  • A. National Statistical Office, under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
  • B. Labour Bureau, under the Ministry of Labour and Employment
  • C. NITI Aayog
  • D. Reserve Bank of India

Q8. In the context of protecting workers against income shocks, the e-Shram portal is best described as which one of the following?

  • A. A national database for the registration of unorganised-sector workers
  • B. A health insurance scheme providing Rs 5 lakh cover to all workers
  • C. A contributory pension scheme meant exclusively for gig and platform workers
  • D. A direct cash-transfer programme for all below-poverty-line families

Q9. The biennial 'Poverty, Prosperity, and Planet Report', which assesses global poverty, shared prosperity and inequality, is published by which one of the following institutions?

  • A. World Bank
  • B. International Monetary Fund
  • C. United Nations Development Programme
  • D. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development