UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Online Ticket Booking for ASI Monuments & Museums Now Live on ONDC Network
Q1. Who served as the first Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India, established in 1861?
- A. Alexander Cunningham
- B. John Marshall
- C. James Prinsep
- D. Mortimer Wheeler
Q2. The Archaeological Survey of India, which administers centrally protected monuments under the AMASR Act, 1958, functions under which one of the following Union ministries?
- A. Ministry of Culture
- B. Ministry of Tourism
- C. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
- D. Ministry of Education
Q3. With reference to the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), consider the following statements:
1. ONDC was incorporated as a Section 8 (non-profit) company, whereas UPI is operated by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
2. Unlike UPI, which is a payments system, ONDC is an open network for digital commerce built on the Beckn protocol.
3. ONDC was incorporated under the Ministry of Culture, whereas UPI was launched under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- ONDC was incorporated as a Section 8 (non-profit) company, whereas UPI is operated by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
- Unlike UPI, which is a payments system, ONDC is an open network for digital commerce built on the Beckn protocol.
- ONDC was incorporated under the Ministry of Culture, whereas UPI was launched under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q4. With reference to the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), consider the following statements:
1. It is a private non-profit Section 8 company.
2. It is an initiative of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
3. Its consumer beta was first opened to buyers in Bengaluru.
4. It was incorporated by the Reserve Bank of India.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- It is a private non-profit Section 8 company.
- It is an initiative of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
- Its consumer beta was first opened to buyers in Bengaluru.
- It was incorporated by the Reserve Bank of India.
- A. 1 and 3
- B. 2 only
- C. 4 only
- D. 3 and 4
Q5. In the context of ASI monument and museum tickets being made available on the ONDC network (January 2026), which one of the following best describes the significance of ONDC being an 'open network'?
- A. A single seller-side ticketing backend can be reached through multiple independent consumer (buyer) applications without bespoke integration with each
- B. It is a single government-owned mobile app through which all monument tickets must exclusively be purchased
- C. It is a proprietary payment gateway operated only by the Ministry of Culture
- D. It is a physical network of computerised ticket counters linked by leased lines at each monument
Q6. The onboarding of the Archaeological Survey of India's complete inventory of monuments and museums onto the ONDC network was technically enabled by which one of the following entities?
- A. NSDL Database Management Limited (NDML)
- B. National Informatics Centre (NIC)
- C. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC)
- D. Protean eGov Technologies Limited
Q7. In January 2026, India Post (Department of Posts) joined the ONDC network as a 'Logistics Service Provider (LSP)'. In this role, India Post primarily:
- A. Provides delivery and fulfilment services for orders placed across the ONDC network
- B. Acts as the buyer-side application on which consumers browse and place orders
- C. Fixes the retail prices of goods sold by sellers on the network
- D. Serves as the settlement bank for all monetary transactions on the network
Q8. With reference to India Post's integration with the ONDC network in January 2026, consider the following statements:
1. India Post joined ONDC as a Logistics Service Provider.
2. India Post's first order booked through ONDC was delivered in January 2026.
3. India Post onboarded ONDC as a buyer-side consumer application for retail shopping.
4. India Post was the first government entity to act as a logistics service provider on ONDC.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- India Post joined ONDC as a Logistics Service Provider.
- India Post's first order booked through ONDC was delivered in January 2026.
- India Post onboarded ONDC as a buyer-side consumer application for retail shopping.
- India Post was the first government entity to act as a logistics service provider on ONDC.
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 3 only
- C. 2 and 4
- D. 4 only
Q9. Under the AMASR (Amendment and Validation) Act, 2010, the grant of permission for construction activity in the 'regulated area' around a centrally protected monument is the responsibility of which one of the following bodies?
- A. National Monuments Authority
- B. Archaeological Survey of India
- C. National Culture Fund
- D. Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH)
Q10. Under the AMASR Act, 1958 (as amended), the term 'prohibited area' in relation to a centrally protected monument refers to:
- A. An area extending up to 100 metres from the protected limits, where construction is generally not permitted
- B. An area extending up to 200 metres from the protected limits, where construction is generally not permitted
- C. An area up to 300 metres beyond the monument, where construction is allowed only with prior permission
- D. Only the area enclosed within the boundary walls of the monument itself
Q11. Initiatives such as UPI and ONDC are frequently described as 'Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)'. Which one of the following best captures the defining characteristic of DPI?
- A. A set of open, interoperable and shared digital systems that enable delivery of services at scale
- B. Digital systems that are always owned and operated solely by the Union Government with no private participation
- C. Proprietary platforms that can never be accessed by private application developers
- D. Physical infrastructure such as fibre-optic cables laid exclusively by public sector undertakings
Q12. Consider the following pairs regarding the Archaeological Survey of India's ticketing system:
1. Year ASI e-ticketing was first introduced — 2015
2. Early technology partner for ASI e-ticketing — IRCTC
3. Concession on an Indian visitor's ticket booked via ONDC apps — ₹5
4. Nodal ministry for the ASI — Ministry of Tourism
Which of the pairs given above is/are NOT correctly matched?
- Year ASI e-ticketing was first introduced — 2015
- Early technology partner for ASI e-ticketing — IRCTC
- Concession on an Indian visitor's ticket booked via ONDC apps — ₹5
- Nodal ministry for the ASI — Ministry of Tourism
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 4 only
- C. 3 and 4
- D. 2 only