UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — What did SCOTUS rule on birthright citizenship?

Q1. In upholding birthright citizenship in 2026, how did the U.S. Supreme Court's majority interpret the phrase 'subject to the jurisdiction thereof' in the Citizenship Clause?

  • A. It excludes every child whose parents are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents
  • B. It excludes only narrow categories such as children of accredited foreign diplomats and of hostile occupying forces
  • C. It requires that at least one parent must themselves have been born within the United States
  • D. It applies exclusively to persons who acquire citizenship by naturalisation

Q2. The Citizenship Clause that guarantees birthright citizenship in the United States was adopted through which constitutional amendment, and in which year was it ratified?

  • A. Thirteenth Amendment, ratified 1865
  • B. Fourteenth Amendment, ratified 1868
  • C. Fifteenth Amendment, ratified 1870
  • D. Nineteenth Amendment, ratified 1920

Q3. In United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898), the Court recognised certain narrow exceptions to birthright citizenship. Which of the following are correctly identified as such exceptions?

  1. Children born to accredited foreign diplomats.
  2. Children born to members of an invading or occupying hostile army.
  3. Children born on foreign public (sovereign) ships.
  4. Children born to lawful permanent resident immigrants.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1 and 4 only

Q4. Who authored the majority opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court in United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898)?

  • A. Justice Horace Gray
  • B. Chief Justice Melville Fuller
  • C. Justice John Marshall Harlan
  • D. Justice Stephen J. Field

Q5. Which one of the following best describes the class of U.S.-born children whom Executive Order 14160 sought to deny citizenship documents?

  • A. All children born abroad to U.S.-citizen parents
  • B. Children born after 19 February 2025 to mothers unlawfully present, or lawfully but temporarily present, where the father was neither a citizen nor a lawful permanent resident
  • C. Children born in the U.S. to any parent holding a temporary visa, irrespective of the other parent's status
  • D. Children born in the U.S. to lawful permanent residents after 2025

Q6. Executive Order 14160 sought to withhold U.S. passports from affected children; the issuance of U.S. passports is administered by which of the following?

  • A. U.S. Department of State
  • B. U.S. Department of Homeland Security
  • C. Social Security Administration
  • D. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Q7. The provisions relating to citizenship in the Constitution of India (Part II) are contained in how many Articles?

  • A. 5
  • B. 6
  • C. 7
  • D. 11

Q8. Under the Citizenship Act, 1955, Indian citizenship can be acquired through how many distinct modes?

  • A. 3
  • B. 4
  • C. 5
  • D. 6

Q9. In the United States, the power of judicial review — invoked to strike down Executive Order 14160 — is exercised by which of the following?

  • A. The Supreme Court and the lower federal courts
  • B. The United States Congress
  • C. The Office of the Attorney General
  • D. The Federal Election Commission