UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Centre has to align what it says on delimitation with what is written in the Bill

Q1. The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, being a Bill to amend the Constitution, required a 'special majority' under Article 368 for its passage. In this context, a 'special majority' means passage by—

  • A. a majority of the total membership of the House and a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting
  • B. a simple majority of the members present and voting
  • C. not less than two-thirds of the total sanctioned strength of the House, whether present or not
  • D. a majority of not less than three-fourths of the members present and voting

Q2. The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 proposed to raise the maximum strength of the Lok Sabha to how many members?

  • A. 753
  • B. 815
  • C. 850
  • D. 888

Q3. With reference to the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023 (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam) and the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, consider the following statements: 1. The 106th Amendment Act links the commencement of women's reservation to a delimitation carried out after the first Census taken after that Act's commencement. 2. The 131st Amendment Bill sought to advance women's reservation by allowing it to be based on a delimitation using the 2011 Census. 3. Both the 106th Amendment Act and the 131st Amendment Bill extend one-third reservation for women to the Rajya Sabha. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The 106th Amendment Act links the commencement of women's reservation to a delimitation carried out after the first Census taken after that Act's commencement.
  2. The 131st Amendment Bill sought to advance women's reservation by allowing it to be based on a delimitation using the 2011 Census.
  3. Both the 106th Amendment Act and the 131st Amendment Bill extend one-third reservation for women to the Rajya Sabha.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. The Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023 provides one-third reservation for women in how many categories of legislative bodies?

  • A. Two
  • B. Three
  • C. Four
  • D. Five

Q5. The freeze on the inter-State allocation of Lok Sabha seats — first imposed by the 42nd Amendment (1976) and extended by the 84th and 87th Amendments — is based on the population figures of which Census?

  • A. 1961 Census
  • B. 1971 Census
  • C. 1981 Census
  • D. 2001 Census

Q6. Under the Delimitation Bill, 2026, the Chairperson of the Delimitation Commission is to be—

  • A. a person who is or has been a Judge of the Supreme Court
  • B. the Chief Election Commissioner of India
  • C. a person who is or has been the Chief Justice of a High Court
  • D. a person who is or has been a Judge of a High Court

Q7. Under the Delimitation Bill, 2026, which authority is empowered to constitute the Delimitation Commission?

  • A. The Central Government
  • B. The Election Commission of India
  • C. The President, on the advice of the Chief Justice of India
  • D. Parliament, by a resolution of both Houses

Q8. On the basis of 2011 Census figures underlying the 2026 delimitation proposals, consider the following pairings of a State with its projected change in Lok Sabha seats: 1. Uttar Pradesh — gain in seats 2. Tamil Nadu — loss of seats 3. Bihar — gain in seats 4. Kerala — gain in seats Which of the above pairings is/are NOT correctly matched?

  1. Uttar Pradesh — gain in seats
  2. Tamil Nadu — loss of seats
  3. Bihar — gain in seats
  4. Kerala — gain in seats
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 4 only

Q9. On the 2011 Census basis proposed in 2026, by how many seats would Tamil Nadu's Lok Sabha representation fall from its present 39?

  • A. 3
  • B. 5
  • C. 7
  • D. 9

Q10. The decadal Census of India, including Census 2027, is conducted under the Census Act, 1948 by which one of the following?

  • A. The Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, under the Ministry of Home Affairs
  • B. The National Statistical Office, under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
  • C. The Central Statistics Office, under NITI Aayog
  • D. The Unique Identification Authority of India, under the Ministry of Electronics and IT

Q11. Article 82 of the Constitution provides for the readjustment, upon completion of each Census, of the allocation of seats and the division into territorial constituencies of which one of the following bodies?

  • A. The House of the People (Lok Sabha)
  • B. The Council of States (Rajya Sabha)
  • C. The State Legislative Assemblies
  • D. The State Legislative Councils