UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — English in India, a language that has earned its place

Question 1

While hearing petitions against the CBSE language mandate in 2026, the Supreme Court questioned whether English can be described as an 'indigenous Indian language'. In this context, consider the following statements regarding the formal status of English in India:
1. English is one of the languages specified in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution.
2. English figures in the list of languages for whose inclusion in the Eighth Schedule demands are pending with the Government.
3. English has been conferred the status of a Classical Language by the Union Cabinet.
4. English may continue to be used, in addition to Hindi, for the transaction of business in Parliament.
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

Accepted Answer

1 and 3

Answer

2 and 4

Answer

1, 2 and 3

Answer

3 and 4

Question 2

The petitioners before the Supreme Court argued that textbooks were available in only 3 of the 22 'scheduled languages'. In Indian constitutional usage, a 'scheduled language' means which one of the following?

Accepted Answer

A language included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution

Answer

A language for whose inclusion in the Eighth Schedule an expert committee has recommended objective criteria

Answer

A language notified by a State Legislature as the official language of that State

Answer

A language prescribed by the Board as an examinable medium in the school curriculum

Question 3

Consider the following statements about the language requirement introduced by CBSE's Secondary School Curriculum 2026-27:
1. The requirement applies to students from Class VI onward.
2. It became compulsory with effect from 1 April 2026.
3. It requires that two of the languages studied be native to India.
4. Petitioners challenging it pointed out that textbooks were available for only 3 of the 22 scheduled languages.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

Accepted Answer

1, 3 and 4

Answer

1, 2 and 3

Answer

2, 3 and 4

Answer

1 and 2 only

Question 4

Under CBSE's Secondary School Curriculum 2026-27, the requirement that two of the three languages studied be native to India becomes applicable first to students of which one of the following classes?

Accepted Answer

Class VI

Answer

Class III

Answer

Class V

Answer

Class VIII

Question 5

The Constitution originally provided that the English language would continue to be used for all official purposes of the Union for a period of how many years from the commencement of the Constitution?

Accepted Answer

Fifteen years

Answer

Ten years

Answer

Twenty years

Answer

Twenty-five years

Question 6

Consider the following purposes in relation to which the Official Languages Act, 1963 permits the continued use of the English language:
1. Transaction of business in Parliament.
2. Authoritative texts of Central Acts and Ordinances.
3. Judgments, decrees and orders of the High Courts.
4. Proceedings of Panchayats and municipal bodies at the district level.
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

Accepted Answer

4 only

Answer

1 and 2

Answer

3 only

Answer

2 and 4

Question 7

Consider the following landmarks in colonial education policy in India and the years associated with them:
1. The Charter Act requiring that not less than one lakh rupees be devoted annually to the education of Indians — 1813
2. Macaulay's Minute on Education — 1835
3. Sir Charles Wood's Despatch on education — 1854
4. Founding of the Universities of Calcutta, Bombay and Madras — 1854
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

Accepted Answer

1, 2 and 3

Answer

2, 3 and 4

Answer

1 and 4 only

Answer

1, 2 and 4

Question 8

Consider the following statements about the persons and positions associated with the introduction of English education in colonial India:
1. Thomas Babington Macaulay held the office of legal member of the Governor-General's executive council at the time of his Minute on Education.
2. The resolution of 1835 giving effect to the Minute was issued by Governor-General Lord Wellesley.
3. The Despatch of 1854 is named after Sir Charles Wood, then heading the Board of Control of the East India Company.
4. The Anglicist position, which the Minute upheld against the Orientalists, favoured the diffusion of Western knowledge through the medium of English.
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

Accepted Answer

2 only

Answer

1 only

Answer

2 and 3

Answer

1 and 4

Question 9

The provisions of NEP 2020 on medium of instruction in the home language and on the three-language formula in schools are operationalised principally by which one of the following?

Accepted Answer

The Department of School Education and Literacy under the Ministry of Education

Answer

The Department of Official Language under the Ministry of Home Affairs

Answer

The Central Institute of Classical Languages under the Ministry of Culture

Answer

The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs

Question 10

NEP 2020 envisages that, wherever possible, the medium of instruction should be the home language / mother tongue / local language / regional language until at least which Grade?

Accepted Answer

Grade 5

Answer

Grade 3

Answer

Grade 8

Answer

Grade 10

Question 11

Which one of the following was the first language to be accorded the status of a Classical Language by the Government of India?

Accepted Answer

Tamil, declared when the Classical Languages category was created in 2004

Answer

Sanskrit, which alone among Indian languages satisfies the antiquity requirement of 1500–2000 years

Answer

Telugu, the earliest of the Dravidian languages to be recognised in this category

Answer

Odia, the only language recognised on the basis of an entirely original literary tradition

Question 12

Consider the following statements about the three-language formula and language politics in Indian federalism:
1. The formula was implemented at the post-primary and secondary stages through the National Policy on Education, 1986.
2. It followed the comprehensive review of education carried out by the Education Commission of 1964-66.
3. Under the formula, the third language in the Hindi-speaking States was to preferably be a modern South Indian language.
4. Tamil Nadu has followed a two-language policy of Tamil and English instead of adopting the formula.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

Accepted Answer

2, 3 and 4

Answer

1, 2 and 3

Answer

1 and 4 only

Answer

2 and 3 only

UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — English in India, a language that has earned its place

Q2. The petitioners before the Supreme Court argued that textbooks were available in only 3 of the 22 'scheduled languages'. In Indian constitutional usage, a 'scheduled language' means which one of the following?

Q4. Under CBSE's Secondary School Curriculum 2026-27, the requirement that two of the three languages studied be native to India becomes applicable first to students of which one of the following classes?

Q5. The Constitution originally provided that the English language would continue to be used for all official purposes of the Union for a period of how many years from the commencement of the Constitution?

Q9. The provisions of NEP 2020 on medium of instruction in the home language and on the three-language formula in schools are operationalised principally by which one of the following?

Q10. NEP 2020 envisages that, wherever possible, the medium of instruction should be the home language / mother tongue / local language / regional language until at least which Grade?

Q11. Which one of the following was the first language to be accorded the status of a Classical Language by the Government of India?