UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat

Q1. With reference to the legal status of child marriages under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. When a child marriage is annulled by a decree of nullity, children conceived of that marriage lose the status of legitimacy.
  2. A child marriage after which the minor is sold or trafficked is void, and not merely voidable.
  3. The period within which the party who was a child may petition for annulment is reckoned from the date on which the marriage was solemnised.
  • A. 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 1 only
  • D. 2 only

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

  1. Under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, a child marriage solemnised in contravention of an injunction issued by a Magistrate is void ab initio.
  2. Under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, a child marriage is voidable at the option of the contracting party who was a child at the time of the marriage.
  • 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. With reference to the age thresholds for marriage in India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A marriage between a 20-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman is a child marriage under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.
  2. As of 2026, the minimum legal age of marriage for women under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 is 21 years, following the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021.
  3. The age below which a female counts as a 'child' under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 coincides with the general age of majority, whereas the threshold for a male exceeds it.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 1 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q4. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. The child marriage prevalence reported by the National Family Health Survey largely reflects marriages that took place several years before the survey, rather than marriages occurring in the survey year.
  2. The National Family Health Survey, in line with SDG indicator 5.3.1, measures prevalence as the share of women aged 20-24 years who were married before the age of 18.
  • 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

Q5. With reference to the preventive machinery under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. A Magistrate may issue an injunction prohibiting an arranged child marriage against any person, including a member of an organisation or an association of persons.
  2. Child Marriage Prohibition Officers are appointed by the Union Government for each district under the Act.
  3. The duties of a Child Marriage Prohibition Officer include collecting evidence for the effective prosecution of persons contravening the Act.
  4. A Child Marriage Prohibition Officer may move the court along with the child for annulment of a child marriage.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2, 3 and 4
  • C. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 3 and 4 only

Q6. Suppose the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 had been enacted as introduced. Consider the following possible consequences: Which of the consequences given above would have followed?

  1. A marriage between a 20-year-old woman and a 25-year-old man would have become a child marriage, voidable at the woman's option.
  2. The minimum age of marriage would have become the same for men and women.
  3. The general age of majority for women, for purposes such as contracting and voting, would also have risen to 21 years.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q7. With reference to the change from the Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929 to the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The 1929 Act penalised the solemnisation of child marriages but did not provide a remedy to annul a marriage once it had been solemnised.
  2. The 2006 Act repealed and replaced the 1929 Act, rather than being enacted as an amendment to it.
  3. The 2006 Act enables a court to order maintenance and residence for the female contracting party of an annulled child marriage until her remarriage.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q8. Consider the following data: According to NFHS-5 (2019-21), 23.3% of women aged 20-24 years had been married before the age of 18; according to NFHS-6 (2023-24), the corresponding figure was 20.1%. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above data alone?

  1. Roughly one in five women aged 20-24 years covered by NFHS-6 had been married before the age of 18.
  2. Child marriage prevalence fell in every State and Union Territory between NFHS-5 and NFHS-6.
  3. The absolute number of child marriages in India fell by about 3.2 per cent between the two surveys.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 2 and 3 only