UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — What Telangana’s survey shows about caste inequality

Q1. According to the findings of Telangana's SEEEPC Survey, 2024 (released February 2025), which one of the following constitutes the single largest social category in the State's population?

  • A. Scheduled Castes
  • B. Backward Classes
  • C. Scheduled Tribes
  • D. General/Other castes

Q2. The Expert Working Group that formulated Telangana's Composite Backwardness Index was headed by which one of the following?

  • A. Justice (Retd.) L. Narasimha Reddy
  • B. Justice (Retd.) B. Sudarshan Reddy
  • C. Justice (Retd.) G. Rohini
  • D. Justice (Retd.) Ranganath Misra

Q3. In the Bihar Caste-Based Survey, the report of which was released in October 2023, how many castes/communities were enumerated in total?

  • A. 204
  • B. 209
  • C. 214
  • D. 243

Q4. With reference to the findings of the Bihar Caste-Based Survey (2023), which of the following social groups are correctly matched with their approximate share of the State's population?

  1. Extremely Backward Classes (EBC) — about 36%
  2. Backward Classes (BC) — about 27%
  3. Scheduled Castes (SC) — about 19.65%
  4. Unreserved/General — about 25%
  • A. 1, 2 and 4
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1 and 4 only

Q5. In the context of the Indra Sawhney v. Union of India (1992) judgment, the '50 per cent ceiling' precisely refers to which one of the following?

  • A. The maximum proportion of seats/posts that may be reserved in total, save in extraordinary circumstances
  • B. The minimum share of population a community must have to be classified as a Backward Class
  • C. The income threshold above which an individual is excluded from reservation as 'creamy layer'
  • D. The share of backward classes below which providing reservation becomes constitutionally mandatory

Q6. The 2014 Samagra Kutumba Survey of Telangana was operationalised with which one of the following as the nodal agency?

  • A. Planning Department, Government of Telangana
  • B. Backward Classes Welfare Department, Government of Telangana
  • C. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India
  • D. State Election Commission of Telangana

Q7. The two Bills passed by the Telangana Legislative Assembly in March 2025 to raise Backward Classes reservation to 42% currently await the assent of which one of the following?

  • A. The Governor of Telangana
  • B. The President of India
  • C. The Supreme Court of India
  • D. The National Commission for Backward Classes

Q8. The decision, taken in April 2025, to include caste enumeration in the forthcoming national Census was approved by which one of the following?

  • A. The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs
  • B. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
  • C. The National Commission for Backward Classes
  • D. The Registrar General of India