UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Defer Class 6 language policy roll-out to 2027: SC to Centre

Q1. Under the National Education Policy 2020, the stipulation that no language will be imposed on any State is best understood as meaning which one of the following?

  • A. A State may opt out of the three-language requirement altogether and prescribe a two-language scheme of its own design for its schools
  • B. Hindi shall not be taught in any State that has not adopted it as its official language under Article 345 of the Constitution
  • C. The three languages to be learnt are to be the choice of States, regions and of students themselves, so long as at least two of them are native to India
  • D. Instruction through the medium of the mother tongue shall be compulsory in all schools up to the secondary stage, irrespective of State policy

Q2. Consider the following statements comparing the original three-language formula with the formula as reaffirmed by the National Education Policy 2020: 1. The three-language formula was first recommended in 1968 under the National Policy on Education framework. 2. NEP 2020 departs from the earlier formula by dropping the requirement that any of the three languages be an Indian language, leaving the choice entirely to the States. 3. NEP 2020 recommends that Sanskrit be offered as an option at all levels of education. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The three-language formula was first recommended in 1968 under the National Policy on Education framework.
  2. NEP 2020 departs from the earlier formula by dropping the requirement that any of the three languages be an Indian language, leaving the choice entirely to the States.
  3. NEP 2020 recommends that Sanskrit be offered as an option at all levels of education.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q3. Which one of the following statements about the body that developed and released the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE) 2023 is correct?

  • A. It was prepared by the CBSE, which alone is empowered to frame school curricula for every school board in the country
  • B. It was prepared by the NCERT under the Ministry of Education, guided by a Steering Committee under Prof. K. Kasturirangan
  • C. It was prepared by the University Grants Commission under the Ministry of Education, and is binding in its entirety on all State boards
  • D. It was prepared by the NIEPA under the Ministry of Education, and it wholly replaces the National Education Policy 2020

Q4. Consider the following statements regarding the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023: 1. It operationalises the 5+3+3+4 curricular design envisaged by NEP 2020. 2. It introduces the third language at the Middle Stage, covering Classes 6 to 8. 3. At the Secondary Stage it requires students to study three languages, all of which must be native to India. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. It operationalises the 5+3+3+4 curricular design envisaged by NEP 2020.
  2. It introduces the third language at the Middle Stage, covering Classes 6 to 8.
  3. At the Secondary Stage it requires students to study three languages, all of which must be native to India.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q5. In September 2026, when the Supreme Court urged that the three-language requirement be made mandatory for Class 6 only from January 1, 2027, the Bench expressly rested its suggestion on which one of the following?

  • A. The doctrine of legitimate expectation of parents who had already settled their children's subject combinations
  • B. A prima facie violation of the guarantee of mother-tongue instruction at the primary stage under Article 350A
  • C. The absence of legislative competence of the Union over school curricula under the Seventh Schedule
  • D. Logistics and balance of convenience — described as a point of comfort and not a point of law

Q6. With reference to the CBSE's three-language ('R3') rollout as it stood immediately before the Supreme Court's September 2026 intervention, consider the following: 1. The R3 structure was to be implemented for Class 6 in the 2026-27 academic session. 2. Classes 7 to 9 were exempted from immediate full implementation under the CBSE guidelines. 3. The then Class 10 batch was exempted from the three-language requirement. 4. A Board examination in the third language was made compulsory at the Class 10 level. Which of the above is/are NOT correctly stated?

  1. The R3 structure was to be implemented for Class 6 in the 2026-27 academic session.
  2. Classes 7 to 9 were exempted from immediate full implementation under the CBSE guidelines.
  3. The then Class 10 batch was exempted from the three-language requirement.
  4. A Board examination in the third language was made compulsory at the Class 10 level.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 4 only

Q7. Tamil Nadu has followed a two-language policy of Tamil and English since 1968. Which one of the following correctly describes the political authority and the immediate trigger behind its adoption?

  • A. The Justice Party government under E. V. Ramasamy Periyar, following the anti-Hindi agitation of 1938
  • B. The DMK government under C. N. Annadurai, which came to power in 1967, following the anti-Hindi agitation of 1965
  • C. The AIADMK government under M. G. Ramachandran, following the enactment of the Official Languages Act, 1963
  • D. The Congress government under K. Kamaraj, following the National Policy on Education of 1968

Q8. In the aftermath of the 1965 anti-Hindi agitation, the single most significant assurance given by the Union Government under Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri was which one of the following?

  • A. That Hindi would cease to be the official language of the Union under Article 343 on the expiry of fifteen years from the commencement of the Constitution
  • B. That the three-language formula would be made binding on all States through a constitutional amendment on official languages
  • C. That English would continue indefinitely as an associate official language of the Union
  • D. That every language listed in the Eighth Schedule would be recognised as an additional official language of the Union

Q9. With reference to the litigation over the CBSE's three-language policy during 2026, consider the following: 1. The CBSE, which functions under the Ministry of Education, is the body issuing the circulars implementing the R3 structure. 2. In May 2026 the Supreme Court issued notice to the Centre, the CBSE and the NCERT on a plea challenging the policy. 3. In June 2026 the Supreme Court granted interim protection staying implementation of the policy. 4. In August 2026 the Court questioned the classification of English as a non-native language under the policy. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. The CBSE, which functions under the Ministry of Education, is the body issuing the circulars implementing the R3 structure.
  2. In May 2026 the Supreme Court issued notice to the Centre, the CBSE and the NCERT on a plea challenging the policy.
  3. In June 2026 the Supreme Court granted interim protection staying implementation of the policy.
  4. In August 2026 the Court questioned the classification of English as a non-native language under the policy.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 3 and 4 only

Q10. In September 2026, the CBSE directed schools to roll out the R3 structure for Class 6 within how many days — a compliance window that precipitated the petitions leading to the Supreme Court's intervention?

  • A. 7 days
  • B. 14 days
  • C. 30 days
  • D. 60 days

Q11. Consider the following constitutional provisions relating to language: 1. Article 343 — Official language of the Union. 2. Article 345 — Official language or languages of a State. 3. Article 350A — Facilities for instruction in the mother tongue at the secondary stage of education. 4. Eighth Schedule — presently lists 22 languages, of which 14 were included at the commencement of the Constitution. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Article 343 — Official language of the Union.
  2. Article 345 — Official language or languages of a State.
  3. Article 350A — Facilities for instruction in the mother tongue at the secondary stage of education.
  4. Eighth Schedule — presently lists 22 languages, of which 14 were included at the commencement of the Constitution.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2, 3 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 1 and 4 only

Q12. Which one of the following correctly describes the institutional arrangement through which the third-language requirement is operationalised for schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education?

  • A. The NCERT frames the curriculum framework under the Ministry of Education, while the implementing circulars are issued by the NIEPA, an autonomous body under the same Ministry
  • B. The Department of Official Language under the Ministry of Home Affairs frames the language curriculum, which the CBSE then notifies to its affiliated schools
  • C. The State Councils of Educational Research and Training frame the curriculum, and the CBSE merely conducts examinations in the languages so prescribed
  • D. The NCERT frames the curriculum framework under the Ministry of Education, and the CBSE, also under that Ministry, issues the implementing circulars