UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Silencing academia, weakening democratic space

Q1. With reference to the V-Dem Academic Freedom Index (AFI) and India's position in it, consider the following. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. The AFI is measured on a 0–1 scale.
  2. In the 2025 update, India ranked 156th of 179 countries.
  3. India's AFI score in 2025 stood at 0.16.
  4. India's AFI score during 1950–2012 lay in the 0.30–0.40 range.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1, 3 and 4
  • C. 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q2. With reference to India's performance on the V-Dem Academic Freedom Index, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. India's AFI score fell from 0.38 in 2022 to 0.16 in 2025.
  2. In the 2025 update India was placed in the bottom 10–20% bracket of countries.
  3. The Academic Freedom Index is compiled by the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute.
  4. India's AFI score rose steadily between 2013 and 2025.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 2 and 4

Q3. With reference to the Scholars at Risk (SAR) 'Free to Think 2024' report and its place within the report series, consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Free to Think 2024 is the tenth installment of SAR's Academic Freedom Monitoring Project, published annually since 2015.
  2. It documented 391 attacks on scholars, students and institutions over the monitoring period.
  3. Those 391 attacks were recorded across 179 countries and territories.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. In the V-Dem Democracy Report 2026, India was ranked 105th on the Liberal Democracy Index out of how many countries?

  • A. 165
  • B. 179
  • C. 193
  • D. 200

Q5. In Freedom House's 'Freedom in the World' methodology, a country's status (Free, Partly Free or Not Free) is determined on the basis of which one of the following?

  • A. Political rights and civil liberties scores
  • B. Press freedom and judicial independence scores
  • C. Economic freedom and rule-of-law scores
  • D. Electoral participation and GDP-per-capita scores

Q6. With reference to Freedom House's assessment of India, consider the following. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Freedom House classifies India as 'Partly Free' in its 2026 report.
  2. India was downgraded from 'Free' to 'Partly Free' on the basis of 2020 data.
  3. India's Freedom in the World score in 2026 is 62 out of 100.
  4. Freedom House's three status categories are Free, Partly Free and Fully Free.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 4 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q7. Freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, from which academic freedom is often derived, may be restricted by the State on how many grounds enumerated in Article 19(2)?

  • A. Six
  • B. Seven
  • C. Eight
  • D. Ten

Q8. With reference to the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the framework governing central universities, consider the following. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. The UGC was established under the University Grants Commission Act, 1956.
  2. The UGC is a statutory body responsible for coordination and determination of standards in higher education.
  3. Central universities in India are established by an Act of Parliament.
  4. The UGC is a constitutional body established under Article 280 of the Constitution.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q9. In May 2025, Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad was taken into custody over his social media posts on Operation Sindoor by which one of the following authorities?

  • A. Haryana Police
  • B. Delhi Police
  • C. National Investigation Agency
  • D. Central Bureau of Investigation

Q10. With reference to global indices frequently compared with the Academic Freedom Index, which one of the following correctly describes the World Press Freedom Index?

  • A. An annual ranking of 180 countries published by Reporters Without Borders since 2002
  • B. An annual ranking of countries into four regime types published by the V-Dem Institute
  • C. A classification of countries as Free, Partly Free or Not Free published by Freedom House
  • D. A classification of countries into full, flawed, hybrid and authoritarian regimes published by the EIU