UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Ease third language evaluation norms for Class 6, says SC

Q1. With reference to the language provisions of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The medium-of-instruction provision concerns the language through which subjects are taught, whereas the three-language formula concerns the languages learnt as subjects.
  2. The grade up to which NEP 2020 at minimum prefers home-language instruction coincides with the last year of the preparatory stage of the 5+3+3+4 structure.
  3. Under NEP 2020, one of the three languages a student studies must be that student's mother tongue.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q2. With reference to the three-language formula as retained in the National Education Policy 2020, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The specific languages to be learnt are left to the choice of States, regions and students instead of being fixed nationally.
  2. A combination of English, French and one Indian language would not meet the formula's requirement.
  3. The formula does not require Hindi to be one of the three languages studied in a non-Hindi-speaking State.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 1 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q3. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. The Supreme Court's September 2026 direction on how the third language is to be evaluated was addressed to the CBSE rather than to the NCERT.
  2. The direction concerned how a subject is assessed for the Board results of affiliated schools, which is a function of the examining board, whereas the NCERT's role is to frame the national curricular framework.
  • 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

Q4. With reference to the institutions that shape curriculum and assessment in school education in India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Under NEP 2020, the NCERT is the body entrusted with developing the national curricular framework for school education.
  2. PARAKH conducts the Class 10 and Class 12 Board examinations for all recognised school boards in India.
  3. PARAKH has been set up as a constituent unit of the NCERT to bring school boards onto a common platform for equivalence in assessment.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q5. The CBSE has implemented a three-language scheme. For students currently in Classes 7, 8 and 9, the third language is assessed only through internal, school-based evaluation, with no pass or fail linked to Board results. On 28 September 2026, while petitions challenging the scheme were pending, the Supreme Court directed the CBSE to extend the same relaxation to students currently in Class 6. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above?

  1. For the covered cohorts, weak performance in the third language cannot by itself cause a student to fail the Class 10 Board examination.
  2. Students in the covered cohorts are no longer required to study a third language.
  3. The relaxation also applies to schools affiliated to State Boards.
  4. The relaxation is framed around specific cohorts and does not by itself extend to students who enter Class 6 in later years.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1 and 4 only

Q6. A State government argues that a centrally set, examinable third language amounts to linguistic imposition. In this context, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Because NEP 2020 was approved by the Union Cabinet, its language provisions bind State Boards with the force of a Parliamentary statute.
  2. In its traditional form, the three-language formula required non-Hindi-speaking States to teach Hindi, English and the regional language.
  3. The State's objection can draw on the text of NEP 2020 itself, and not only on arguments from outside the policy.
  • A. 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1 only