UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — National Household Travel Survey July, 2025 – June, 2026

Q1. With reference to the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS), 2025–26, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The survey was conducted by the National Statistics Office as part of a numbered National Sample Survey round, alongside another survey in the same round.
  2. Because the Ministry of Railways set the data requirement, the household canvassing for the survey was carried out by railway field staff.
  3. Because the survey was demand-driven, its findings are meant only for railway planning and not for decisions on urban bus routes or service scheduling.
  • A. 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1 only

Q2. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Although the National Household Travel Survey was undertaken to meet the data requirements of the Ministry of Railways, it recorded travel by road and air modes as well.
  2. A spatial demand matrix meant to explain why travellers choose a particular mode and destination requires observing travel across competing modes, not rail alone.
  • 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

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

  1. The National Household Travel Survey, 2025–26 is described as India's first all-India household travel survey, even though the National Sample Survey had earlier run domestic tourism surveys in its 65th and 72nd Rounds.
  2. The earlier NSS domestic tourism surveys covered only the urban sector and so could not be treated as all-India surveys.
  • 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. The earlier NSS domestic tourism rounds and the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS), 2025–26 differ in what they set out to capture. Consider the following estimates: Which of the above could be obtained from the NHTS but NOT from the earlier domestic tourism rounds?

  1. The share of school students who travel more than 1 km to their educational institution
  2. The main mode of transport used for overnight trips made for social purposes
  3. The distribution of workers' departure times for their daily commute
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 1 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q5. The National Household Travel Survey, 2025–26 reports that two-wheelers are the main mode of commute for 52.3% of urban workers. It also reports that metro, monorail, suburban rail and tram together carry 5.0% of urban worker commutes nationally, against 20.7% in Maharashtra, 16.5% in West Bengal and 14.4% in Delhi. Consider the following inferences: Which of the inferences given above can validly be drawn from these facts?

  1. Mass-transit systems in Maharashtra are more energy-efficient than those in other States.
  2. For urban workers, two-wheelers account for a larger share of commutes than all other main modes put together.
  3. Urban workers in Delhi use two-wheelers less than the national urban average.
  4. Taken together, urban areas outside Maharashtra, West Bengal and Delhi have a mass-transit share of worker commutes below 5%.
  • A. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 2 and 4 only

Q6. The National Household Travel Survey, 2025–26 counts a trip only if it exceeds 1 km. It reports that 61.9% of male workers and 41.9% of female workers make daily work trips of more than 1 km. Consider the following inferences: Which of the inferences given above can validly be drawn from these facts alone?

  1. Compared with male workers, a larger share of female workers either work within about 1 km of home or do not make a daily trip beyond that distance to work.
  2. Female workers who commute beyond 1 km spend more per month on commuting than male workers who do so.
  3. The gap between men and women arises primarily from the lack of safe public transport for women.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 only
  • D. 1 and 3 only

Q7. The National Household Travel Survey, 2025–26 recorded a trip only if the distance travelled exceeded 1 km. Compared with a survey that recorded every trip regardless of distance, the NHTS estimates are most likely to:

  • A. understate the share of walking in people's overall travel
  • B. understate the average duration of the trips recorded
  • C. understate the share of buses in people's overall travel
  • D. understate the share of two-wheelers in people's overall travel