UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Cabinet approves alteration of the name of the State of “Kerala” to “Keralam”

Q1. Which of the following are correctly identified as features of the procedure under Article 3 for altering the name of an existing State?

  1. The President must refer the Bill to the State Legislature for expressing its views within the period specified in the reference.
  2. The views expressed by the State Legislature are binding on Parliament.
  3. The Bill can be introduced in Parliament only on the recommendation of the President.
  4. Such a Bill must invariably be ratified by not less than one-half of the State Legislatures before receiving Presidential assent.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q2. The State of Kerala, formed in 1956 on a linguistic basis, was created by merging how many distinct territorial units?

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

Q3. With reference to the process of renaming Kerala as 'Keralam', which of the following statements are correct?

  1. The Kerala Legislative Assembly first passed a renaming resolution in 2023 and passed a fresh unanimous resolution on 24 June 2024.
  2. The Union Cabinet approved the proposal to alter the name of the State in February 2026.
  3. The instrument through which the change is to be effected is the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026.
  4. Following the Union Cabinet's approval, the Bill was immediately passed by both Houses of Parliament and received Presidential assent.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q4. As of the Union Cabinet's 2026 approval, how many times had the Kerala Legislative Assembly passed a resolution seeking to rename the State as 'Keralam'?

  • A. Once
  • B. Twice
  • C. Thrice
  • D. Four times

Q5. Which of the following was the most recent full State (not a Union Territory) whose name was officially altered prior to the Kerala-to-Keralam proposal?

  • A. Tamil Nadu (from Madras)
  • B. Uttarakhand (from Uttaranchal)
  • C. Puducherry (from Pondicherry)
  • D. Odisha (from Orissa)

Q6. The change of the State's name from 'Orissa' to 'Odisha' in the First Schedule of the Constitution was effected through which of the following?

  • A. The Orissa (Alteration of Name) Act, 2011
  • B. The Constitution (Ninety-sixth Amendment) Act, 2011
  • C. The States Reorganisation Act, 1956
  • D. The Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956

Q7. The First Schedule of the Constitution of India primarily contains which of the following?

  • A. The forms of oaths and affirmations for constitutional functionaries
  • B. The names of the States and Union Territories and the specification of their territories
  • C. The list of languages recognised by the Constitution
  • D. The allocation of seats to States in the Rajya Sabha

Q8. Article 3 of the Constitution empowers Parliament to make how many distinct kinds of changes with respect to the States?

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

Q9. In renaming Orissa as Odisha in 2011, how many Schedules of the Constitution were amended?

  • A. One
  • B. Two
  • C. Three
  • D. Four

Q10. Under the current proposal to align the State's official English name with its Malayalam name, 'Keralam' is to be substituted for 'Kerala' in how many Schedules of the Constitution?

  • A. One
  • B. Two
  • C. Three
  • D. Four