UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Centre seeks public input on demographic changes

Q1. With reference to the constitutional distribution of powers over foreigners and citizenship in India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Only Parliament can make a law on the admission of foreigners into, and their expulsion from, India.
  2. Because public order is a State List subject, a State legislature may enact its own law prescribing the grounds on which foreigners can be expelled from India.
  3. A State legislature cannot enact a law laying down the conditions on which persons residing in that State acquire Indian citizenship.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q2. Consider the following statements in the context of the legal basis for any national framework on citizenship and illegal immigration: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Parliament can, by ordinary law, provide for the acquisition and termination of citizenship in ways not contemplated by Articles 5 to 10 of the Constitution.
  2. Articles 5 to 10 of the Constitution were designed as a permanent and exhaustive code of Indian citizenship.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q3. Which of the following fundamental rights can be claimed by a foreign national present in India?

  1. Equality before the law and equal protection of the laws
  2. Protection of life and personal liberty
  3. Freedom to move freely throughout the territory of India
  4. Freedom to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 2 only

Q4. Consider the following facts about District X: Between two censuses, its population grew much faster than the State average. Sample-based estimates show that its birth rate and death rate were both close to the State averages throughout the period. Its boundaries did not change during this period. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above?

  1. District X has a lower level of fertility than the State as a whole.
  2. Net in-migration is the most likely source of District X's faster population growth.
  3. Most of the people who moved into District X entered India illegally across an international border.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 2 only

Q5. Between two decennial censuses, India relies on the Sample Registration System for fertility and mortality estimates. Its 'dual record' design is primarily intended for which one of the following?

  • A. Matching events noted by a resident enumerator against an independent periodic survey, to detect omissions
  • B. Pairing household health surveys with clinical biomarker tests, to estimate nutrition and disease burden
  • C. Linking civil registration records with identity-enrolment data, to track inter-State household migration
  • D. Combining a complete headcount with self-declared online returns, to replace the census between rounds

Q6. A government portal on demographic change makes it mandatory for respondents to provide their mobile number, address and e-mail ID. In the light of the Supreme Court's 2017 nine-judge bench judgment on the right to privacy, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The fundamental right to privacy protects personal data against intrusion by private companies but not against the State.
  2. Informational privacy, covering personal data such as a person's contact details, is an essential facet of the right to privacy.
  3. A State intrusion into privacy is permissible if it is backed by law and is necessary for, and proportionate to, a legitimate purpose.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 2 only

Q7. Consider the following statements about the right to privacy in India: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. The right to privacy recognised by the Supreme Court in 2017 is enforceable as a fundamental right because it is expressly listed among the freedoms in Article 19(1).
  2. The Supreme Court held that the right to privacy is protected as an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q8. With reference to the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, which consolidated the earlier passport-entry, registration, foreigners and carriers' liability laws, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. In keeping with the Union List entry on admission into and expulsion from India, the power to notify designated immigration posts for entry and exit lies with the Central Government.
  2. Duties on educational and medical institutions to report the foreigners they admit move part of the detection of foreigners from the border to institutions inside the country.
  3. Since the law concerns foreigners, a Union subject, arrest without warrant for offences under it can be made only by immigration officers and not by State police officers.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 and 2 only