UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — NTA, govt. did not want to cancel NEET in 2024, cited student welfare in the SC

Q1. With reference to the punitive scheme of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. General unfair-means offences attract imprisonment of three to five years, whereas offences classified as organised crime attract five to ten years.
  2. Candidates appearing in the examination are made liable to the same punitive provisions as service providers under the Act.
  3. The minimum fine prescribed for organised crime is higher than the maximum fine prescribed for a general unfair-means offence.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q2. The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 came into force with effect from which one of the following dates?

  • A. 5 February 2024
  • B. 9 February 2024
  • C. 21 June 2024
  • D. 5 May 2024

Q3. As per the Supreme Court's 2024 judgment, the NEET-UG 2024 question-paper leak was found to be confined to how many locations/centres?

  • A. Two
  • B. Five
  • C. Seven
  • D. Thirteen

Q4. The Union Ministry of Education entrusted the investigation into the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024 examination to which one of the following agencies?

  • A. National Investigation Agency (NIA)
  • B. Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
  • C. Enforcement Directorate (ED)
  • D. Economic Offences Wing of the state police

Q5. With reference to the Supreme Court's NEET-UG 2024 judgment, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The bench that decided the matter was headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud.
  2. The Court held that the paper leak amounted to a systemic breach vitiating the sanctity of the entire examination.
  3. The Court declined to order cancellation and re-conduct of the NEET-UG 2024 examination.
  4. The Court criticised the National Testing Agency for 'flip-flops' in conducting the examination.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 2 and 4
  • D. 3 only

Q6. According to the Supreme Court, approximately how many candidates would have been affected had NEET-UG 2024 been cancelled and re-conducted?

  • A. About 13 lakh
  • B. About 18 lakh
  • C. About 23 lakh
  • D. About 33 lakh

Q7. The high-level committee set up to review NTA functioning and recommend examination reforms after the NEET-UG 2024 row was headed by a person best known for having earlier headed which one of the following organisations?

  • A. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
  • B. All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)
  • C. University Grants Commission (UGC)
  • D. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)

Q8. The seven-member Radhakrishnan Committee on reform of NTA-conducted examinations was originally constituted/notified by which one of the following?

  • A. The Union Ministry of Education
  • B. The Supreme Court of India
  • C. NITI Aayog
  • D. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Q9. The National Testing Agency (NTA) functions as an autonomous body under which one of the following?

  • A. Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education
  • B. Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education
  • C. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
  • D. Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship

Q10. With reference to the National Testing Agency (NTA), consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Before the NTA, entrance examinations such as JEE Main and NEET were conducted by bodies including the CBSE.
  2. The NTA is registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
  3. The NTA was established in 2017, replacing the University Grants Commission as the conducting body for NEET-UG.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q11. Consider the following examination–purpose pairings in relation to the National Testing Agency: Which of the pairings given above is/are NOT correctly matched?

  1. NEET-UG — admission to MBBS/BDS courses
  2. JEE Main — admission to undergraduate engineering programmes
  3. UGC-NET — determining eligibility for assistant professor and Junior Research Fellowship
  4. NEET-UG — recruitment to Railway Recruitment Board posts
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 2 and 4

Q12. In the NEET-UG 2024 judgment, what did the Supreme Court mean by requiring a 'systemic breach' before an examination could be cancelled?

  • A. A breach so widespread that it vitiates the sanctity and integrity of the entire examination, as distinct from a localised leak
  • B. Any confirmed leakage of the question paper at even a single examination centre
  • C. A procedural lapse or administrative error committed by the conducting agency
  • D. The use of unfair means by an individual candidate during the examination