UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — SC refuses to stay proceedings against Nicobar project

Q1. With reference to the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. The Gram Sabha is the authority that initiates the process of determining the nature and extent of forest rights.
  2. The Gram Sabha may constitute committees for the protection of wildlife, forest and biodiversity.
  3. Forest rights recognised under the Act are heritable but are neither alienable nor transferable.
  4. Individual rights recognised over forest land held for self-cultivation are not subject to any area ceiling under the Act.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q2. A Scheduled Tribe community living in the interior forests of an island relies on hunting, gathering and the digging stick, has very low literacy, and its small population has stayed roughly constant for decades. Consider the following statements regarding this community: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. It would meet the criteria used to identify Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups.
  2. Under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, its claim can extend to community tenure over its habitat, not only to land it cultivates.
  3. Being identified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group would take it off the Scheduled Tribe list, since the two are separate categories.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only

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

  1. A tribal community that is neither a religious nor a linguistic minority can still claim the right under Article 29(1) to conserve its distinct culture.
  2. Article 29(2) prohibits denial of admission into educational institutions maintained by the State or receiving State aid on grounds only of religion, race, caste or language.
  • 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 National Green Tribunal (NGT) and tribunals in India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The NGT's jurisdiction is tied to the enactments listed in a schedule to its parent Act, which include the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 and the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
  2. The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 is one of the enactments listed in that schedule.
  3. According to the Supreme Court, a tribunal may examine the validity of statutory provisions but cannot rule on the constitutionality of its own parent statute.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 only

Q5. Consider the following assertion: Although the National Green Tribunal upheld the Environmental Clearance of the Great Nicobar project and rejected a review petition, a challenge to the project on Forest Rights Act grounds could still be heard by a High Court. Which of the statements given below support/supports the above assertion?

  1. The power of judicial review vested in High Courts under Article 226 is part of the basic structure and cannot be wholly ousted by creating a tribunal.
  2. Recognising the forest rights of forest dwellers is a question distinct from assessing the environmental impacts on which a clearance rests.
  3. The Environmental Clearance upheld by the NGT carried specific conditions to safeguard marine and terrestrial biodiversity.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 only
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q6. With reference to High Court jurisdiction over Union territories, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Parliament may by law constitute a High Court for a Union territory.
  2. Extending a State High Court's jurisdiction to a Union territory requires only an ordinary law of Parliament, not a constitutional amendment.
  3. Parliament may by law exclude a State High Court's jurisdiction from a Union territory or from a part of it.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q7. Consider the following features of a site proposed for a container transshipment hub: Which of the above strengthen the site's case specifically as a transshipment hub?

  1. A large, well-connected inland hinterland, since transshipment containers must be moved inland by road or rail from the hub.
  2. Natural water depth enough to berth large mainline vessels with little capital dredging.
  3. A small deviation from a major east–west trunk shipping route for mainline vessels calling at the port.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 1 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only