UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Centre notifies 40 questions for second phase of Census 2027

Q1. Consider the following statements regarding the enumeration of castes in Census 2027: 1. The decision to enumerate castes along with Census 2027 was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs in its meeting held on 30 April 2025. 2. The caste details are to be collected during the Houselisting and Housing Census phase of Census 2027. 3. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes have been separately enumerated in the censuses conducted after Independence. 4. The intent of the Government to conduct the Population Census 2027 was notified in the Gazette of India in June 2025. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The decision to enumerate castes along with Census 2027 was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs in its meeting held on 30 April 2025.
  2. The caste details are to be collected during the Houselisting and Housing Census phase of Census 2027.
  3. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes have been separately enumerated in the censuses conducted after Independence.
  4. The intent of the Government to conduct the Population Census 2027 was notified in the Gazette of India in June 2025.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1, 3 and 4
  • C. 2 and 4 only
  • D. 3 and 4 only

Q2. Which one of the following correctly describes the historical significance of the caste question notified for the second phase of Census 2027?

  • A. It is the first occasion on which caste of any kind has ever been recorded in a census taken in the Indian subcontinent
  • B. It is the first time since 1931 that castes other than the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will be counted in a full census
  • C. It is the first time that the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes will be separately identified in an Indian census
  • D. It is the first time that caste is to be counted exclusively through a separate survey held apart from the population count

Q3. Consider the following statements comparing the question schedules of Census 2027 with those of the preceding census: 1. The schedule notified in August 2026 for the population enumeration phase carries 40 questions, as against 29 questions in the corresponding phase of Census 2011. 2. The questions for the first phase of Census 2027 were notified in January 2026 and number 33. 3. Unlike Census 2011, Census 2027 adopts a single uniform reference date for the entire country, namely 00:00 hours of the first day of March 2027. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The schedule notified in August 2026 for the population enumeration phase carries 40 questions, as against 29 questions in the corresponding phase of Census 2011.
  2. The questions for the first phase of Census 2027 were notified in January 2026 and number 33.
  3. Unlike Census 2011, Census 2027 adopts a single uniform reference date for the entire country, namely 00:00 hours of the first day of March 2027.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. The schedule of 40 questions for the population enumeration phase of Census 2027 was notified by which one of the following authorities?

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

Q5. In census terminology, the expression 'reference date' denotes which one of the following?

  • A. The instant of time with respect to which the count of the population is made throughout the area concerned
  • B. The date on which the schedule of questions is published in the Gazette of India by the notifying authority
  • C. The date on which the thirty-day continuous field operation commences in the State or Union Territory concerned
  • D. The last date up to which a household may submit its particulars through the online portal provided for the purpose

Q6. Consider the following statements regarding the legal and institutional framework for the conduct of the Census in India: 1. The Census is conducted under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948 read with the Census Rules, 1962. 2. Census is a subject enumerated in the Union List of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution. 3. The Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India functions under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. 4. The scheme for the conduct of the Census of India 2027 was approved by the Union Cabinet with an outlay of about Rs 11,718 crore. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The Census is conducted under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948 read with the Census Rules, 1962.
  2. Census is a subject enumerated in the Union List of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution.
  3. The Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India functions under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
  4. The scheme for the conduct of the Census of India 2027 was approved by the Union Cabinet with an outlay of about Rs 11,718 crore.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 1, 3 and 4
  • D. 2 and 4

Q7. During the first phase of Census 2027, the thirty-day period of continuous field operation applicable to a particular State or Union Territory is fixed by which one of the following?

  • A. The State or Union Territory Government concerned, by its own notification
  • B. The Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, by a single national order
  • C. The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, on the advice of the Home Ministry
  • D. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, by a gazette notification

Q8. How many questions were notified in the schedule for the first phase, that is, the Houselisting and Housing Census, of Census 2027?

  • A. 29
  • B. 31
  • C. 33
  • D. 40

Q9. Consider the following statements regarding the self-enumeration facility of Census 2027 as compared with earlier censuses: 1. Residents may submit their household particulars through a web portal available in 16 languages, a facility not offered in earlier censuses. 2. The self-enumeration window is of fifteen days and is provided immediately before the door-to-door visit of the enumerator in that area. 3. Particulars submitted through self-enumeration are treated as final and are not subjected to any verification by the enumerator. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Residents may submit their household particulars through a web portal available in 16 languages, a facility not offered in earlier censuses.
  2. The self-enumeration window is of fifteen days and is provided immediately before the door-to-door visit of the enumerator in that area.
  3. Particulars submitted through self-enumeration are treated as final and are not subjected to any verification by the enumerator.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q10. Which one of the following statements about the self-enumeration facility of Census 2027 is correct?

  • A. It is being provided for the first time in the history of the Indian Census and is optional for a household
  • B. It is compulsory for every household in urban areas, only rural households being visited by enumerators
  • C. It was first offered in Census 2011 to households possessing an Aadhaar number and has now been widened
  • D. A household completing it stands entirely exempt from any further contact by the census enumerator

Q11. Which one of the following statements regarding the history and periodicity of the Census in India is correct?

  • A. The census of 1872, the earliest of its kind, was taken simultaneously in all parts of the country
  • B. The first synchronous census was taken in 1881, and the census has been decennial since then
  • C. The census has been taken once in every ten years without a single interruption since it began
  • D. The census acquired its decennial character only upon the enactment of the Census Act, 1948

Q12. Consider the following statements regarding the schedule of population enumeration under Census 2027: 1. In Ladakh and the non-synchronous snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, population enumeration is to be carried out in September 2026. 2. Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh are among the areas in which population enumeration has been advanced to 2026 on account of snow-bound conditions. 3. For these advanced areas, the reference date is 00:00 hours of the first day of October 2026. 4. For the rest of the country, population enumeration is scheduled for February 2027 with 00:00 hours of the first day of February 2027 as the reference date. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. In Ladakh and the non-synchronous snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, population enumeration is to be carried out in September 2026.
  2. Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh are among the areas in which population enumeration has been advanced to 2026 on account of snow-bound conditions.
  3. For these advanced areas, the reference date is 00:00 hours of the first day of October 2026.
  4. For the rest of the country, population enumeration is scheduled for February 2027 with 00:00 hours of the first day of February 2027 as the reference date.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 2 and 4
  • D. 1, 3 and 4