UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — On the method for caste enumeration

Q1. The field operations of Census 2027, including the enumeration of caste, are conducted by which one of the following bodies?

  • A. The Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, under the Ministry of Home Affairs
  • B. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, through the National Statistical Office
  • C. The National Commission for Backward Classes, under the Ministry of Social Justice
  • D. The Unique Identification Authority of India, under the Ministry of Electronics and IT

Q2. The decision to enumerate caste for the general population within the statutory Census 2027 was taken by which one of the following?

  • A. The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, on 30 April 2025
  • B. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, while approving the financial outlay
  • C. The Registrar General of India, through the Census questionnaire notification
  • D. A Group of Ministers constituted for backward-class welfare

Q3. The questions to be canvassed in Census 2027 — including the caste column — derive their legal force from which one of the following?

  • A. A notification issued by the Central Government in the Official Gazette under the Census Act, 1948
  • B. An executive circular issued solely by the Registrar General of India
  • C. A resolution passed by the concerned State Legislative Assemblies
  • D. Rules framed by the National Commission for Backward Classes

Q4. In the context of caste enumeration in Census 2027, the term 'open column' method refers to which one of the following?

  • A. A field in which the respondent states their caste in their own words, instead of selecting from a pre-coded list
  • B. A publicly viewable column in which anonymised caste tallies are displayed in real time
  • C. A column left blank for enumerators to fill only for SC and ST respondents
  • D. An optional column that a respondent may decline to answer without consequence

Q5. With reference to caste enumeration in Indian Censuses, consider the following statements: 1. The 1931 Census was the last occasion on which caste data for the entire population, beyond Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, was collected. 2. The 1931 Census classified castes primarily on the basis of the varna hierarchy. 3. From Independence until 2011, Indian Censuses recorded only Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes among caste categories. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The 1931 Census was the last occasion on which caste data for the entire population, beyond Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, was collected.
  2. The 1931 Census classified castes primarily on the basis of the varna hierarchy.
  3. From Independence until 2011, Indian Censuses recorded only Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes among caste categories.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q6. The description of 1931 as the last 'full caste census' in India most precisely means which one of the following?

  • A. Caste particulars of the entire population, covering all caste groups and not merely SCs and STs, were recorded that year
  • B. It was the first Census in which caste was ever recorded in India
  • C. Only the socially and educationally backward castes were counted in that Census
  • D. Caste data that year was collected through a survey conducted outside the census framework

Q7. With reference to the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011, consider the following pairings: 1. Rural component — Ministry of Rural Development 2. Urban component — Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation 3. Statutory framework — Census Act, 1948 4. Caste data — officially released to the public in 2016 Which of the pairings given above is/are correctly matched?

  1. Rural component — Ministry of Rural Development
  2. Urban component — Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation
  3. Statutory framework — Census Act, 1948
  4. Caste data — officially released to the public in 2016
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2 and 4

Q8. With reference to the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011, consider the following statements: 1. It was carried out alongside the 2011 Census. 2. Its caste data was withheld from public release. 3. It was conducted within the statutory framework of the Census Act, 1948. 4. Its classification was complicated by millions of distinct caste, sub-caste and community names. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. It was carried out alongside the 2011 Census.
  2. Its caste data was withheld from public release.
  3. It was conducted within the statutory framework of the Census Act, 1948.
  4. Its classification was complicated by millions of distinct caste, sub-caste and community names.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q9. With reference to the legal and constitutional basis of the Census in India, consider the following statements: 1. Census is a subject in the Union List of the Seventh Schedule. 2. The Census is conducted under the Census Act, 1948. 3. The intent to conduct Census 2027 was notified in the Official Gazette under Section 3 of the Census Act, 1948. 4. The Census is conducted by the Office of the Registrar General under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. Census is a subject in the Union List of the Seventh Schedule.
  2. The Census is conducted under the Census Act, 1948.
  3. The intent to conduct Census 2027 was notified in the Official Gazette under Section 3 of the Census Act, 1948.
  4. The Census is conducted by the Office of the Registrar General under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q10. The census in India is described as a 'statutory' exercise. This most precisely means which one of the following?

  • A. It is conducted under a specific law — the Census Act, 1948 — which provides legal backing for data collection and confidentiality
  • B. It is mandated directly by a specific Article of the Constitution that requires a decennial count
  • C. It is carried out by state governments under their own respective statutes
  • D. It is conducted by an executive order of the Union Cabinet without any enabling legislation

Q11. With reference to caste-related enumeration in Indian Censuses, consider the following statements: 1. Scheduled Castes have been enumerated in Censuses conducted after Independence. 2. Scheduled Tribes have been enumerated in Censuses conducted after Independence. 3. Caste groups other than SCs and STs were enumerated in every Census up to 2011. 4. In Census 2027, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will continue to be recorded through pre-existing community codes. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. Scheduled Castes have been enumerated in Censuses conducted after Independence.
  2. Scheduled Tribes have been enumerated in Censuses conducted after Independence.
  3. Caste groups other than SCs and STs were enumerated in every Census up to 2011.
  4. In Census 2027, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will continue to be recorded through pre-existing community codes.
  • A. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q12. With reference to caste enumeration exercises in India, consider the following statements: 1. The Bihar caste survey (2023) found that Other Backward Classes and Extremely Backward Classes together constitute about 63% of the state's population. 2. Telangana released a caste survey report in 2024. 3. Census 2027 will enumerate caste as part of the statutory decennial Census rather than as a separate state-level survey. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Bihar caste survey (2023) found that Other Backward Classes and Extremely Backward Classes together constitute about 63% of the state's population.
  2. Telangana released a caste survey report in 2024.
  3. Census 2027 will enumerate caste as part of the statutory decennial Census rather than as a separate state-level survey.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3