UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Centre’s demography panel to send questionnaire to States

Q1. With reference to the High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes (HLCDC), consider the following identifications of its personnel: 1. Durga Shankar Mishra — a retired Indian Administrative Service officer serving as a Member. 2. Balaji Srivastava — a retired Indian Police Service officer serving as a Member. 3. Shamika Ravi — an economist serving as a Member. 4. Prakash Prabhakar Navlekar — the Member Secretary of the Committee. Which of the above are correctly identified?

  1. Durga Shankar Mishra — a retired Indian Administrative Service officer serving as a Member.
  2. Balaji Srivastava — a retired Indian Police Service officer serving as a Member.
  3. Shamika Ravi — an economist serving as a Member.
  4. Prakash Prabhakar Navlekar — the Member Secretary of the Committee.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q2. Apart from its Chairman and its Member Secretary, how many Members does the High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes (HLCDC) have?

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

Q3. With reference to the 'Demographic Mission', consider the following statements: 1. It was announced by the Prime Minister in his Independence Day address of 15 August 2025. 2. It was described as a 'High-Powered Demography Mission'. 3. It was framed around concerns of infiltration and illegal migration in border areas. 4. It was announced as an initiative to be steered by the Ministry of External Affairs. Which of the above are correctly identified?

  1. It was announced by the Prime Minister in his Independence Day address of 15 August 2025.
  2. It was described as a 'High-Powered Demography Mission'.
  3. It was framed around concerns of infiltration and illegal migration in border areas.
  4. It was announced as an initiative to be steered by the Ministry of External Affairs.
  • A. 1 and 4 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q4. On which occasion did the Prime Minister announce the 'Demographic Mission'?

  • A. The 2026 Republic Day address
  • B. The 79th Independence Day address from the Red Fort (15 August 2025)
  • C. The Union Budget 2025-26 presentation
  • D. A NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting in 2025

Q5. Which one of the following is the nodal authority responsible for conducting the Census of India?

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

Q6. In the context of Census 2027, the term 'self-enumeration' refers to which one of the following?

  • A. Residents submitting their own household details online through a dedicated portal before the enumerator's field visit
  • B. Enumerators counting their own households first as a training exercise
  • C. Each State independently conducting and tabulating its own census
  • D. Automatic population counting drawn from the Aadhaar database without any field enumeration

Q7. Under Article 81, and before the changes proposed by the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, the maximum strength of the Lok Sabha is fixed at how many members?

  • A. Exactly 543
  • B. 545
  • C. 550
  • D. 552

Q8. With reference to the freeze on readjustment of Lok Sabha seats, consider the following statements: 1. The 42nd Amendment Act, 1976 froze the allocation of Lok Sabha seats among States on the basis of the 1971 Census. 2. The 84th Amendment Act, 2001 extended this freeze until the publication of the first Census taken after the year 2026. 3. Articles 81 and 82 deal, respectively, with the composition of the Lok Sabha and the readjustment of seats after each Census. 4. The freeze on seat allocation was originally introduced by the 84th Amendment Act on the basis of the 2001 Census. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The 42nd Amendment Act, 1976 froze the allocation of Lok Sabha seats among States on the basis of the 1971 Census.
  2. The 84th Amendment Act, 2001 extended this freeze until the publication of the first Census taken after the year 2026.
  3. Articles 81 and 82 deal, respectively, with the composition of the Lok Sabha and the readjustment of seats after each Census.
  4. The freeze on seat allocation was originally introduced by the 84th Amendment Act on the basis of the 2001 Census.
  • A. 4 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 2 and 4

Q9. In the context of electoral rolls, the 'Special Intensive Revision (SIR)' is best described as which one of the following?

  • A. A house-to-house intensive re-verification of the entire electoral roll requiring fresh enumeration of electors, rather than a routine summary revision
  • B. A one-time correction limited only to spelling and address errors in the existing roll
  • C. A revision that can be ordered only by the concerned State Government, not the Election Commission
  • D. A revision confined to adding newly eligible 18-year-old voters ahead of an election

Q10. In the 2025 Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, enumeration forms were distributed to approximately how many electors?

  • A. About 5 crore
  • B. About 6.5 crore
  • C. About 8 crore
  • D. About 10 crore

Q11. With reference to the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 as compared with the earlier legal framework, consider the following statements: 1. It repealed and replaced the Foreigners Act, 1946. 2. It consolidated four earlier laws, including the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 and the Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939. 3. Unlike the earlier laws, it shifted the subject of immigration and foreigners from the Union List to the State List. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. It repealed and replaced the Foreigners Act, 1946.
  2. It consolidated four earlier laws, including the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 and the Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939.
  3. Unlike the earlier laws, it shifted the subject of immigration and foreigners from the Union List to the State List.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q12. Around the time of Census 2011, consider the following statements regarding Total Fertility Rate (TFR): 1. Bihar had a TFR above the national average. 2. Uttar Pradesh had a TFR above the national average. 3. Kerala had a TFR above the national average. 4. Rajasthan had a TFR above the national average. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. Bihar had a TFR above the national average.
  2. Uttar Pradesh had a TFR above the national average.
  3. Kerala had a TFR above the national average.
  4. Rajasthan had a TFR above the national average.
  • A. 3 only
  • B. 1 and 3
  • C. 3 and 4
  • D. 4 only
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