UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Real equity gap in higher education

Q1. Taking the reservation percentages applicable to SC, ST, OBC and EWS together under the framework for teachers' posts in central educational institutions, the aggregate reserved percentage works out to:

  • A. 49.5%
  • B. 50%
  • C. 59.5%
  • D. 69.5%

Q2. In the context of UGC's equity framework for higher education institutions, an 'Equal Opportunity Cell' is best described as:

  • A. A statutory tribunal empowered to hear appeals against university admission decisions
  • B. An institutional mechanism within an HEI to promote equal opportunity and redress complaints of discrimination faced by students of disadvantaged groups
  • C. A UGC body that fixes category-wise admission cut-off marks for all universities
  • D. A central fund that disburses post-matric scholarships directly to SC/ST students

Q3. The requirement to establish Equal Opportunity Cells and SC/ST Cells in universities and colleges for grievance redressal was first institutionalised under which of the following?

  • A. The UGC guidelines on reservation in teaching posts, 2006
  • B. The UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2012
  • C. The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers' Cadre) Act, 2019
  • D. The UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026

Q4. Under the UGC (Promotion of Equity in HEIs) Regulations, 2026, the Equity Committee of an institution must mandatorily include members drawn from how many of the specified disadvantaged backgrounds (SC, ST, OBC, persons with disability and women)?

  • A. 3
  • B. 4
  • C. 5
  • D. 6

Q5. The Supreme Court found Clause 3(c) of the 2026 Regulations 'vague'. As drafted, that clause defined 'caste-based discrimination' as discrimination:

  • A. against members of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes only, excluding the general category
  • B. against members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes only
  • C. against any person on the basis of caste, irrespective of the category to which the person belongs
  • D. against members of the economically weaker sections only

Q6. The University Grants Commission, which frames equity and reservation regulations for higher education institutions and monitors SC/ST/OBC representation in faculty posts, functions under which Union Ministry?

  • A. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
  • B. Ministry of Education
  • C. Ministry of Tribal Affairs
  • D. Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship

Q7. After the 2017 Allahabad High Court ruling that reduced SC/ST/OBC teacher representation, the restoration of the 'university/college as a single unit' method for computing reservation in teachers' posts was effected through which of the following?

  • A. A UGC circular issued in 2018
  • B. The Constitution (One Hundred and Third Amendment) Act, 2019
  • C. The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers' Cadre) Act, 2019
  • D. The UGC (Promotion of Equity in HEIs) Regulations, 2012

Q8. As per the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2021-22, the total number of universities/university-level institutions in India is closest to:

  • A. 704
  • B. 1,168
  • C. 12,002
  • D. 45,473