UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Rahul Gandhi’s politics on the streets signals a new Opposition playbook

Q1. Under Article 239AA of the Constitution, how many State List subjects are placed outside the law-making competence of the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi?

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

Q2. The office of the Leader of the Opposition in each House of Parliament was given statutory recognition, together with salary and allowances, by which one of the following enactments?

  • A. The Salaries and Allowances of Members of Parliament Act, 1954
  • B. The Leaders and Chief Whips of Recognised Parties and Groups in Parliament (Facilities) Act, 1998
  • C. The Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977
  • D. The Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1959

Q3. The statutory Committee that recommends the appointment of the Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation consists of how many members in all?

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

Q4. An order prohibiting an assembly of persons at a specified place in an urgent case of apprehended danger is issued, under the criminal procedure law now in force, by which one of the following authorities and under which provision?

  • A. A District Magistrate or Sub-divisional Magistrate, under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023
  • B. A Judicial Magistrate of the first class, under Section 163 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973
  • C. The officer in charge of a police station, under Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023
  • D. A Sessions Judge, under Section 189 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023

Q5. In the criminal law now in force in India, the expression 'unlawful assembly' means which one of the following?

  • A. An assembly of persons that continues to remain in a public place after the officer in charge of the police station has commanded it to disperse
  • B. An assembly of persons held in a public place without prior written permission of the licensing authority having jurisdiction over that place
  • C. An assembly of persons in respect of which a prohibitory order in an urgent case of apprehended danger is in force in the locality concerned
  • D. An assembly of five or more persons whose common object is, among other things, to overawe the Government by criminal force or to resist the execution of any law

Q6. In the context of the obligation of the police to register a first information report, the expression 'cognizable offence' means an offence in which:

  • A. the police may investigate only after obtaining an order from the Magistrate having jurisdiction
  • B. the police may arrest without a warrant, but only after recording the reasons in writing and obtaining the sanction of a Magistrate
  • C. the police may arrest without a warrant, in accordance with the First Schedule or under any other law for the time being in force
  • D. the offence is exclusively triable by a Court of Session and is non-bailable in every case

Q7. In accounts of the origin of Vande Mataram, the term 'Bangadarshan' refers to which one of the following?

  • A. The standalone edition, brought out in 1882, of the novel in which the song appears
  • B. The literary journal in which the novel containing the song first appeared in serialised form
  • C. The musical setting given to the song by Rabindranath Tagore for a session of the Indian National Congress
  • D. The statement made by the President of the Constituent Assembly in 1950 on the status of the song

Q8. Consider the following statements about Vande Mataram: 1. It was composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in 1875. 2. The novel in which it appears, Anandamath, was published as a standalone book in 1882. 3. It is expressly named in the Constitution of India as the National Song of India. 4. On 24 January 1950 the President of the Constituent Assembly made a statement concerning its status. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. It was composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in 1875.
  2. The novel in which it appears, Anandamath, was published as a standalone book in 1882.
  3. It is expressly named in the Constitution of India as the National Song of India.
  4. On 24 January 1950 the President of the Constituent Assembly made a statement concerning its status.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 3 and 4 only
  • C. 2 and 4 only
  • D. 3 only

Q9. With reference to pellet-firing pump-action shotguns used as a crowd-control weapon in India, which one of the following statements is correct?

  • A. Their use is confined exclusively to the Central Reserve Police Force, no State police force being authorised to use them at all
  • B. They may be deployed only by the National Security Guard, and only in operations against armed militants
  • C. They were prohibited altogether for all crowd-control purposes by the Supreme Court in 2026, which ordered a complete switch to PAVA shells
  • D. They were first used by the Jammu and Kashmir Police in 2010 and are also used by the CRPF and its Rapid Action Force

Q10. Consider the following statements regarding the dharna held by the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha at the Parliament Street police station in August 2026: 1. It was held to demand registration of an FIR over pellet injuries suffered by Sahil Lochab at a students' protest against alleged irregularities in a national entrance examination. 2. Before going to the Parliament Street police station, the Leader of the Opposition had first approached the Mandir Marg police station along with the injured youth. 3. It followed a written complaint given by the injured youth on 14 August 2026, on which no FIR had been registered. 4. The police force manning the station where the dharna was held is administratively controlled entirely by the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Which of the statements given above is/are correctly identified?

  1. It was held to demand registration of an FIR over pellet injuries suffered by Sahil Lochab at a students' protest against alleged irregularities in a national entrance examination.
  2. Before going to the Parliament Street police station, the Leader of the Opposition had first approached the Mandir Marg police station along with the injured youth.
  3. It followed a written complaint given by the injured youth on 14 August 2026, on which no FIR had been registered.
  4. The police force manning the station where the dharna was held is administratively controlled entirely by the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
  • A. 1 and 4 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 3 and 4 only