80. Which pair of actions most directly advances sustainable development?
[RRB Group D, 10 Aug 2026, Shift 1]
- A. Expansion of renewable energy and afforestation
- B. Fossil-fuel dependence and forest clearance
- C. Industrial growth with uncontrolled waste disposal
- D. Groundwater overuse and non-recyclable plastics
Answer: A. Expansion of renewable energy and afforestation
Explanation: Renewable sources lower dependence on exhaustible fuels, while afforestation helps maintain carbon sinks, biodiversity and soil stability. Both support present welfare without needlessly weakening ecological resources available to future generations. The remaining combinations actively intensify environmental degradation.
79. Which three broad achievements form the Human Development Index?
[RRB NTPC (UG), 15 Jun 2026, Shift 3]
- A. Longevity, educational attainment and income
- B. Exports, savings and inflation
- C. Population, trade balance and defence spending
- D. Tax collections, output and employment
Answer: A. Longevity, educational attainment and income
Explanation: The HDI summarizes a long and healthy life, access to knowledge, and a decent living standard. Its operational indicators include life expectancy at birth, two schooling measures, and purchasing-power-adjusted gross national income per person, rather than production alone.
78. What was India’s position in the 2025 Sustainable Development Report’s SDG Index?
[RRB NTPC (UG), 16 Jun 2026, Shift 1]
- A. 120th
- B. 85th
- C. 110th
- D. 99th
Answer: D. 99th
Explanation: The Sustainable Development Report 2025 placed India 99th in its global SDG Index. This index assesses progress towards the 17 goals. Its ranking must not be confused with the UNDP Human Development Index, which measures a different set of development outcomes.
77. In which year was the Rangarajan expert group on poverty measurement constituted?
[RRB NTPC (UG), 20 Jun 2026, Shift 3]
- A. 2008
- B. 2010
- C. 2014
- D. 2012
Answer: D. 2012
Explanation: The Planning Commission set up the expert group chaired by C. Rangarajan in 2012. Its 2014 report proposed a revised consumption basket and higher poverty thresholds than the Tendulkar methodology, allowing comparison of poverty estimates under alternative methods.
76. Which set correctly names the five Ps associated with the 2030 Agenda?
[RRB JE CBT-I, 25 Feb 2026, Shift 2]
- A. People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership
- B. Population, Power, Production, Peace and Partnership
- C. People, Pollution, Profit, Power and Policy
- D. Poverty, Productivity, Protection, Planet and Politics
Answer: A. People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership
Explanation: The 2030 Agenda is organized around five interconnected themes: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership. They connect social inclusion and economic opportunity with ecological protection, effective institutions and international cooperation. These themes underpin the integrated character of the Sustainable Development Goals.
75. What position did India hold in the UNDP Human Development Report 2025 ranking?
[RRB Group D, 09 Jan 2026, Shift 3]
- A. 138th
- B. 125th
- C. 130th
- D. 141st
Answer: C. 130th
Explanation: The Human Development Report 2025 placed India at rank 130 out of 193 countries and territories, using 2023 data. This position concerns HDI, not the Sustainable Development Goals Index, and reflects combined health, schooling and income outcomes.
74. Which two measures represent the education dimension in the contemporary HDI?
[SSC CGL 2025 Tier-II, 19 Jan 2026]
- A. Adult literacy and primary enrolment
- B. Mean years of schooling and expected years of schooling
- C. Teacher-pupil ratio and school buildings
- D. University numbers and research grants
Answer: B. Mean years of schooling and expected years of schooling
Explanation: Modern HDI uses mean years of schooling for adults and expected schooling years for children entering education. The older literacy-and-enrolment combination was replaced in the revised index methodology, so the correct indicators must be understood in their historical context.
73. Assertion: Poverty lines differ across countries and periods. Reason: Essential needs vary by place and over time. Which is correct?
[UPPSC PCS Prelims 2025, GS-I]
- A. Both true, and the reason explains the assertion
- B. Both true, but the reason does not explain it
- C. Assertion true; reason false
- D. Assertion false; reason true
Answer: A. Both true, and the reason explains the assertion
Explanation: A poverty threshold reflects the cost of meeting accepted minimum needs. Prices, infrastructure, climate and expectations differ by region and period. Consequently, identical nominal income levels do not guarantee similar living conditions everywhere, making both statements causally connected.
72. Consider the Multidimensional Poverty Index:
(1) It was introduced in 2010.
(2) It identifies poverty solely by an income line of one dollar a day.
Which is correct?
[UPPSC PCS Prelims 2025, GS-I]
- A. Statement 1 only
- B. Statement 2 only
- C. Both statements
- D. Neither statement
Answer: A. Statement 1 only
Explanation: The global MPI began in 2010 through work by OPHI and UNDP. It identifies overlapping deprivations in health, education and living standards. Dollar-per-day thresholds instead belong to monetary poverty measurement, not the multidimensional index.
71. Choose the correct chronological sequence of Indian poverty-estimation studies and committees: Dandekar–Rath, Lakdawala, Tendulkar and Rangarajan.
[UPPSC PCS Prelims 2025, GS-I]
- A. Dandekar–Rath → Lakdawala → Tendulkar → Rangarajan
- B. Lakdawala → Dandekar–Rath → Rangarajan → Tendulkar
- C. Tendulkar → Dandekar–Rath → Lakdawala → Rangarajan
- D. Rangarajan → Tendulkar → Lakdawala → Dandekar–Rath
Answer: A. Dandekar–Rath → Lakdawala → Tendulkar → Rangarajan
Explanation: Dandekar and Rath published their influential analysis in 1971. The Lakdawala group followed in the early 1990s, the Tendulkar expert group was created in 2005, and the Rangarajan group in 2012. Their approaches progressively reviewed Indian poverty measurement.
70. Which two of the following were treated as NOT social indicators of poverty in the question: illiteracy, access to safe water, job opportunities and size of dwelling?
[UPPSC PCS Prelims 2025, GS-I]
- A. Illiteracy and water
- B. Job opportunities and dwelling size
- C. Water and dwelling size
- D. Illiteracy and job opportunities
Answer: B. Job opportunities and dwelling size
Explanation: Literacy and safe drinking water describe social deprivation directly. Employment opportunities are more commonly grouped with labour-market conditions, while dwelling size is an asset or housing measure. Indicators can overlap conceptually, but the original classification uses the latter pair.
69. Assertion: India’s SDG performance materially affects global SDG outcomes.
Reason: India contains roughly one-sixth of the world population.
Which is correct?
[UPPSC PCS Prelims 2025, GS-I]
- A. Both are true, and the reason explains the assertion
- B. Both are true, but unrelated
- C. Only the assertion is true
- D. Only the reason is true
Answer: A. Both are true, and the reason explains the assertion
Explanation: India represents a substantial portion of humanity. Changes in education, health, sanitation, livelihoods and consumption affecting such a large population can move global aggregate indicators appreciably. Its demographic weight therefore helps explain its importance to worldwide SDG achievement.
68. Assertion: Sustainable development protects the ability of future generations to meet needs.
Reason: Agenda 21 was adopted in 1995.
Select the correct combination.
[UPPSC PCS Prelims 2025, GS-I]
- A. Both true and related
- B. Assertion true, reason false
- C. Assertion false, reason true
- D. Both false
Answer: B. Assertion true, reason false
Explanation: Intergenerational responsibility is central to the widely used Brundtland understanding of sustainability. However, Agenda 21 was adopted at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, not 1995. The incorrect date makes the reason false despite the valid assertion.
67. Which objectives were especially prominent in India’s Sixth Five-Year Plan?
[SSC CGL, 26 Sep 2025, Shift 3]
- A. Heavy-industry expansion alone
- B. Exclusive emphasis on liberalisation
- C. Poverty reduction and technological modernization
- D. Only foreign-trade expansion
Answer: C. Poverty reduction and technological modernization
Explanation: The Sixth Plan, covering 1980–85, emphasized poverty removal together with improved productivity and modernization. Rural employment and self-employment interventions, including the IRDP, were important instruments. This differed from the earlier heavy-industry emphasis of the Second Plan.
66. What HDI value did the UNDP Human Development Report 2025 assign to India?
[RRB NTPC (UG), 12 Aug 2025, Shift 1]
- A. 0.690
- B. 0.676
- C. 0.685
- D. 0.700
Answer: C. 0.685
Explanation: The 2025 Human Development Report reported an HDI value of 0.685 for India, using 2023 observations. That score falls in the medium human-development category and combines health, education and purchasing-power-adjusted income, not only economic output.
65. Who is especially associated with developing the HDI alongside Amartya Sen?
[RRB NTPC (UG), 22 Aug 2025, Shift 1]
- A. Manmohan Singh
- B. Jean Drèze
- C. Kaushik Basu
- D. Mahbub ul Haq
Answer: D. Mahbub ul Haq
Explanation: Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq led the effort to create a people-centred development index with intellectual contributions from Amartya Sen and others. UNDP introduced it in the inaugural Human Development Report in 1990, expanding evaluation beyond national income.
64. Which indicator gives the share of people living below an identified poverty threshold?
[RRB NTPC (Graduate), 09 Jun 2025, Shift 2]
- A. Gini coefficient
- B. Unemployment rate
- C. Poverty headcount ratio
- D. Human Development Index
Answer: C. Poverty headcount ratio
Explanation: The headcount ratio divides the number of people whose consumption or income falls below a specified poverty line by the total population. The Gini coefficient measures distributional inequality instead; neither unemployment nor HDI directly gives this poverty percentage.
63. According to NITI Aayog estimates, how did India’s multidimensional-poverty headcount change from 2013–14 to 2022–23?
[RRB NTPC (Graduate), 12 Jun 2025, Shift 2]
- A. 29.17% to 11.28%
- B. 28% to 15%
- C. 30% to 12.5%
- D. 25% to 10%
Answer: A. 29.17% to 11.28%
Explanation: NITI Aayog estimated the multidimensional headcount at 29.17% for 2013–14 and 11.28% for 2022–23. These figures are estimates based on a multidimensional framework and should not be confused with monetary poverty estimates from household consumption surveys.
62. What proportion of Indians experienced multidimensional poverty in 2019–21 according to the National MPI 2023?
[RRB NTPC (Graduate), 10 Jun 2025, Shift 2]
- A. 14.96%
- B. 24.58%
- C. 22.67%
- D. 16.23%
Answer: A. 14.96%
Explanation: The National Multidimensional Poverty Index 2023 placed the 2019–21 headcount at 14.96%. Its indicators cover several kinds of deprivation across health, education and living standards. This percentage differs in scope from an income-based poverty headcount.
61. In World Bank data using the $2.15-a-day poverty line at 2017 PPP, what was India’s reported 2021 rate in the examined question?
[RRB NTPC (Graduate), 20 Jun 2025, Shift 1]
- A. 12.92%
- B. 15.00%
- C. 8.90%
- D. 10.50%
Answer: A. 12.92%
Explanation: The cited World Bank series reported 12.92% for the specified year and threshold. A poverty figure is inseparable from its reference year, purchasing-power parity base and cutoff; later methodological revisions can produce different values for the same broad concept.
60. On what date was UNDP’s 2025 Human Development Report released?
[RRB Group D, 26 Dec 2025, Shift 2]
- A. 1 June 2025
- B. 6 May 2025
- C. 20 March 2025
- D. 22 April 2025
Answer: B. 6 May 2025
Explanation: UNDP launched the Human Development Report 2025 on 6 May 2025. The report uses data for earlier reference years, making publication year and underlying statistical year distinct. This distinction matters when comparing ranks quoted in different examination questions.
59. Match the Five-Year Plans with their key themes:
A Fifth; B Seventh; C Ninth; D Eleventh.
Themes: 1 Faster and more inclusive growth; 2 Garibi Hatao; 3 Food, work and productivity; 4 Growth with social justice and equality.
[UPSC NDA-I (GAT), 13 Apr 2025]
- A. A-1, B-4, C-3, D-2
- B. A-2, B-3, C-4, D-1
- C. A-2, B-4, C-3, D-1
- D. A-1, B-3, C-4, D-2
Answer: B. A-2, B-3, C-4, D-1
Explanation: The Fifth Plan stressed Garibi Hatao; the Seventh focused on food, work and productivity; the Ninth emphasized growth with social justice; and the Eleventh sought faster, more inclusive growth. The sequence aligns each period with its declared planning objective.
58. What position did India occupy in the 2023–24 UNDP Human Development Report?
[SSC MTS, 11 Nov 2024, Shift 1]
- A. 132nd
- B. 130th
- C. 134th
- D. 129th
Answer: C. 134th
Explanation: The 2023–24 Human Development Report ranked India 134th among 193 countries and territories, using 2022 data. Ranks vary by report year, so this historical answer should not be replaced with India’s position in a newer UNDP publication.
57. Who first put forward the idea of a poverty line in pre-independence India?
[SSC MTS, 22 Oct 2024, Shift 3]
- A. Dadabhai Naoroji
- B. B. R. Ambedkar
- C. Mahatma Gandhi
- D. Jawaharlal Nehru
Answer: A. Dadabhai Naoroji
Explanation: Dadabhai Naoroji made early attempts to estimate a subsistence standard and Indian incomes during colonial rule. His economic critique linked widespread poverty with the drain of resources from India, making him central to the earliest discussion of a poverty threshold.
56. Which term denotes the minimum income or consumption threshold used to identify poverty?
[SSC CHSL Tier-I, 02 Jul 2024, Shift 3]
- A. Poverty limit
- B. Poverty bar
- C. Poverty band
- D. Poverty line
Answer: D. Poverty line
Explanation: A poverty line is a designated threshold of economic resources required for a minimally acceptable consumption standard. People below it are counted as poor under the selected methodology. Because needs and costs change, the threshold can vary over time and geography.
55. What was the reported rural poverty ratio in 2011–12 under the figure cited in the question?
[SSC Selection Post, 26 Jun 2024, Shift 2]
- A. 27.09%
- B. 13.04%
- C. 18.90%
- D. 25.70%
Answer: D. 25.70%
Explanation: The 25.7% figure is the rural poverty ratio for 2011–12 under the Tendulkar methodology. It comes from official estimates using consumption-expenditure data; it should not be described as a direct figure from the population census.
54. For which purpose was the Suresh Tendulkar Committee formed in 2005?
[SSC Selection Post, 20 Jun 2024, Shift 1]
- A. Economic liberalization
- B. Foreign policy review
- C. Revising poverty estimates
- D. Employment statistics alone
Answer: C. Revising poverty estimates
Explanation: The committee examined how India identified and counted people below the poverty line. It recommended updating the consumption basket and price adjustments, moving beyond rigid dependence on old calorie norms. Its report was submitted in 2009.
53. Which organizations jointly publish the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index?
[UPPSC PCS Prelims 2024, GS-I]
- A. World Bank and IMF
- B. OPHI and WHO
- C. World Bank and UNDP
- D. OPHI and UNDP
Answer: D. OPHI and UNDP
Explanation: The Global MPI is a joint publication of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative and the United Nations Development Programme. It quantifies simultaneous deprivations in education, health and living standards, rather than using a single income cutoff.
52. Assertion: Development includes improved welfare and living standards.
Reason: Rising per capita income alone cannot fully represent development.
Choose the relationship.
[UPPSC PCS Prelims 2024, GS-I]
- A. Both true, reason explains assertion
- B. Both true, reason unrelated
- C. Assertion true, reason false
- D. Assertion false, reason true
Answer: A. Both true, reason explains assertion
Explanation: Development concerns quality of life, freedom, services and capabilities, alongside income. Since per capita income averages over disparities and omits several dimensions of welfare, it is insufficient by itself. The reason therefore supports the wider development concept in the assertion.
51. How is a conventional poverty line usually determined in India?
[SSC GD Constable, 27 Feb 2024, Shift 2]
- A. Only through healthcare access
- B. By religious composition
- C. Through income or consumption levels
- D. Only through educational qualifications
Answer: C. Through income or consumption levels
Explanation: Traditional Indian poverty measurement compares household consumption expenditure with a defined minimum basket or threshold. Social indicators can reveal further deprivation, but the conventional monetary poverty line is based chiefly on economic resources rather than identity or schooling alone.
50. In Marxian analysis, which process is centrally associated with the persistence of poverty?
[MPPSC Assistant Professor (Sociology), 4 Aug 2024]
- A. Natural scarcity
- B. Cultural conflict alone
- C. Exploitation of labour
- D. Illiteracy alone
Answer: C. Exploitation of labour
Explanation: Marx emphasized the economic relationship in which owners of capital appropriate surplus value created by labour. This unequal relationship, rather than merely individual shortcomings, helps explain class inequality and material deprivation within a capitalist system in his analysis.
49. Assertion: Indian states performing well in HDI tend also to perform well in SDG rankings.
Reason: Education and health feature prominently in both frameworks.
Choose the relationship.
[UPPSC PCS Prelims 2024, GS-I]
- A. Both true, reason explains assertion
- B. Both true, but unrelated
- C. Only assertion true
- D. Only reason true
Answer: A. Both true, reason explains assertion
Explanation: HDI measures health, knowledge and income, while multiple SDG targets involve health, education and inclusive livelihoods. Their shared dimensions can generate a positive relationship across states. This does not make the indexes identical, but explains why their results can be correlated.
48. Which statement about HDI is incorrect?
[SSC CHSL Tier-I, 03 Aug 2023, Shift 2]
- A. HDI incorporates educational achievement
- B. A standard-of-living component is used
- C. Birth and death rates directly form a separate HDI component
- D. Life expectancy at birth represents health
Answer: C. Birth and death rates directly form a separate HDI component
Explanation: The HDI measures health through life expectancy at birth, knowledge through schooling, and living standards through GNI per capita. Crude birth and death rates are demographic indicators, not additional direct HDI components. Older formulations used different education and income proxies.
47. Arrange Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bhutan and Bangladesh from better to poorer HDI rank in the 2021–22 report.
[SSC CGL Tier-I, 18 Jul 2023, Shift 1]
- A. Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan
- B. Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bhutan, Bangladesh
- C. Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Bhutan
- D. Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka
Answer: B. Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bhutan, Bangladesh
Explanation: In the 2021–22 report, Sri Lanka ranked ahead of Maldives, which ranked ahead of Bhutan and Bangladesh. Here a numerically smaller rank denotes a better relative position. The ordering must be judged using the specifically cited report rather than current ranks.
46. Which statistical body supplies household-survey data underlying official poverty estimates in India?
[SSC CHSL Tier-I, 11 Aug 2023, Shift 1]
- A. Finance Ministry
- B. Reserve Bank of India
- C. Rural Development Ministry
- D. National Statistical Office
Answer: D. National Statistical Office
Explanation: The National Statistical Office and its former NSSO structure undertake large sample surveys, including household consumption expenditure. Poverty-estimating authorities use survey distributions with specified thresholds. Survey data collection and the choice of a poverty line are distinct activities.
45. Which measure is used as an input for estimating poverty from household spending?
[SSC CGL Tier-I, 19 Jul 2023, Shift 2]
- A. Average marginal utility
- B. Maximum support value
- C. Minimum support price
- D. Monthly per capita expenditure
Answer: D. Monthly per capita expenditure
Explanation: Monthly per capita expenditure is obtained by dividing household monthly consumption spending by household size. Comparing this figure with a defined poverty threshold helps estimate the share of people below the line, making it more relevant than farm support prices or utility concepts.
44. Which state had the highest multidimensional-poverty incidence in NITI Aayog’s first National MPI report of 2021?
[SSC CGL Tier-I, 14 Jul 2023, Shift 1]
- A. Bihar
- B. Madhya Pradesh
- C. Uttar Pradesh
- D. Mizoram
Answer: A. Bihar
Explanation: The first National Multidimensional Poverty Index, published by NITI Aayog in 2021, identified Bihar as having the highest headcount proportion among states. The measure reflects several simultaneous deprivations rather than only monetary poverty.
43. What urban monthly per-person poverty threshold was used in the 2011–12 Tendulkar-based all-India estimates?
[SSC CGL Tier-I, 21 Jul 2023, Shift 1]
- A. ₹3,000
- B. ₹1,000
- C. ₹2,000
- D. ₹1,500
Answer: B. ₹1,000
Explanation: The Tendulkar-based all-India urban poverty threshold for 2011–12 was approximately ₹1,000 monthly per person. Its rural counterpart was about ₹816. These are period-specific historical lines, not contemporary cost-of-living standards.
42. Which listed factors can contribute to poverty: low resource endowment, unequal income and asset distribution, and inadequate social services?
[SSC CGL Tier-II (AAO), 27 Oct 2023]
- A. First and third only
- B. First and second only
- C. All three
- D. Second and third only
Answer: C. All three
Explanation: Poverty can arise from limited productive resources, inequitable control of income and assets, and weak access to health and education. These mechanisms can reinforce one another, reducing earning opportunities and slowing improvements in living standards across generations.
41. Which are accepted categories of poverty among absolute, relative, subjective and functional poverty?
[UPPSC PCS Prelims 2023, GS-I]
- A. Absolute and functional
- B. Absolute, relative and subjective
- C. Subjective and functional only
- D. Absolute and relative only
Answer: B. Absolute, relative and subjective
Explanation: Absolute poverty refers to deprivation relative to a fixed minimum, relative poverty compares conditions within a society, and subjective poverty relies on perceived adequacy. Functional poverty was not included as a conventional category in this examination’s classification.
40. Consider the UN’s SDG monitoring process:
(1) The Secretary-General presents an annual SDG report drawing on official data.
(2) The Global Sustainable Development Report is produced once every quarter.
Which is correct?
[UPPSC PCS Prelims 2023, GS-I]
- A. Only statement 1
- B. Only statement 2
- C. Both
- D. Neither
Answer: A. Only statement 1
Explanation: The UN Secretary-General provides annual progress reports based on global and national indicator data. The Global Sustainable Development Report supports periodic high-level reviews, not a quarterly publication cycle. The claimed frequency therefore makes statement two incorrect.
39. What name is given to development that enlarges people’s choices and improves their lives?
[SSC CHSL, 15 Mar 2023, memory-based paper]
- A. Sustainable development
- B. Human development
- C. Regional development
- D. Sectoral development
Answer: B. Human development
Explanation: Human development focuses on enlarging people’s capabilities, freedoms and opportunities. Although sustainable development is related, human development specifically evaluates whether individuals can lead healthier, more knowledgeable and productive lives instead of treating rising output as an end in itself.
38. Which Madhya Pradesh city began a pioneering local SDG initiative with UN-Habitat in May 2023?
[SSC CHSL Tier-II, 02 Nov 2023, Shift 1]
- A. Ujjain
- B. Bhopal
- C. Indore
- D. Ratlam
Answer: B. Bhopal
Explanation: Bhopal adopted an initiative to localize the UN Sustainable Development Goals with support from UN-Habitat. Localization translates global targets into urban priorities and measurable municipal action involving services, resilience and inclusive planning.
37. In the passage, why is income poverty alone an incomplete measure of who is poor?
[UPSC CSE Prelims CSAT, 05 Jun 2022]
- A. It captures only one form of deprivation
- B. Other deprivations never relate to purchasing power
- C. Low income is always temporary
- D. Income affects choices only momentarily
Answer: A. It captures only one form of deprivation
Explanation: The passage treats well-being as broader than purchasing power. Social exclusion, missing opportunities and limited freedoms also damage life prospects. Counting only those who lack sufficient money can therefore overlook serious non-monetary disadvantages.
36. According to the passage, what is meant by “poverty of a life”?
[UPSC CSE Prelims CSAT, 05 Jun 2022]
- A. Deprivations arising from both low income and lack of genuine opportunities
- B. Only the condition of people in villages
- C. Only missed opportunities due to a single personal choice
- D. Exclusively permanent material deprivation
Answer: A. Deprivations arising from both low income and lack of genuine opportunities
Explanation: The passage argues that a person can be deprived not only by present resources but by limits on feasible ways of living. Social arrangements and personal circumstances restrict choice, so the broader concept of poverty includes capability deprivation.
35. Why does the passage question a poverty-counting method centred on purchasing power?
[UPSC CSE Prelims CSAT, 05 Jun 2022]
- A. It cannot distinguish rural and urban areas
- B. Every country follows the same threshold
- C. Poverty can only be measured by employment
- D. It overlooks deprivations beyond low income
Answer: D. It overlooks deprivations beyond low income
Explanation: An income-centred poverty measure asks whether a household can buy a minimum basket. The passage criticizes its narrowness, because lack of choices, resources and opportunities may persist even where simple expenditure thresholds do not reveal them.
34. Which poverty categories have been identified in UNDP’s development discussions?
[UPPSC Combined State Prelims, 12 Jun 2022]
- A. Income poverty alone
- B. Human poverty alone
- C. Both income and human poverty
- D. Neither
Answer: C. Both income and human poverty
Explanation: Income poverty concentrates on insufficient economic means, whereas human poverty concerns the deprivation of capabilities, opportunities and conditions for a dignified life. UNDP’s human-development perspective recognizes both, emphasizing that material resources alone do not describe well-being adequately.
33. Which researcher is well known for extensive empirical investigations of poverty in London?
[UPPSC Combined State Prelims, 12 Jun 2022]
- A. Henry Maine
- B. Henry George
- C. Kingsley Davis
- D. Charles Booth
Answer: D. Charles Booth
Explanation: Charles Booth investigated working-class livelihoods, occupation and deprivation in late nineteenth-century London. His systematic mapping and household studies are landmarks in empirical social research on poverty, long predating modern indices of multidimensional deprivation.
32. Which Indian poverty-alleviation programme among the choices began before 2000?
[RRB NTPC CBT-II, 15 Jun 2022, Shift 1]
- A. Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana
- B. Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana
- C. National Food for Work Programme
- D. Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojana
Answer: A. Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana
Explanation: Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana started in April 1999 and focused on organizing poor rural households for self-employment. The other named programmes were introduced after 2000. The question tests programme chronology rather than the size of poverty reduction.
31. What HDI rank was attributed to India in the 2020 index in the cited examination?
[RRB Group D, 17 Aug 2022, Shift 2]
- A. 131st
- B. 161st
- C. 135th
- D. 128th
Answer: A. 131st
Explanation: The examination used the published figure of 131st associated with India’s 2020 HDI reporting context. HDI rankings are year-specific and can be revised in subsequent editions, so historical questions must be answered according to the period they cite.
30. Under the Rangarajan methodology, what rural poverty ratio was estimated for India in 2011–12?
[SSC CGL Tier-I, 08 Dec 2022, Shift 2]
- A. 20.9%
- B. 30.9%
- C. 25.9%
- D. 35.9%
Answer: B. 30.9%
Explanation: The Rangarajan group estimated rural poverty at 30.9% for 2011–12. It used a higher poverty-line basket than the Tendulkar method, which yielded a lower rural headcount. Differences in poverty ratios can therefore come from methodology, not merely changes in living standards.
29. According to the Rangarajan group, what was the urban poverty ratio in 2011–12?
[SSC CGL Tier-I, 13 Dec 2022, Shift 4]
- A. 21.4%
- B. 26.4%
- C. 23.4%
- D. 28.4%
Answer: B. 26.4%
Explanation: The expert group estimated urban poverty at 26.4% under its proposed methodology for 2011–12. This figure is not interchangeable with estimates based on the older Tendulkar line. Poverty ratios should always identify the committee and reference year.
28. Which report is especially associated with popularising the concept of sustainable development?
[RRB NTPC CBT-I, 04 Mar 2021, Shift 2]
- A. Rio Declaration
- B. Brundtland Report
- C. Johannesburg Declaration
- D. Agenda 21
Answer: B. Brundtland Report
Explanation: The World Commission on Environment and Development published Our Common Future in 1987. Commonly called the Brundtland Report, it brought intergenerational needs into the development debate and became central to international sustainability policy.
27. What is Sustainable Development Goal 1?
[SSC MTS 2020 paper, 12 Oct 2021, Shift 3]
- A. No Poverty
- B. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- C. Reduced Inequalities
- D. Zero Hunger
Answer: A. No Poverty
Explanation: The first of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals is to end poverty in all its forms everywhere. Zero Hunger is Goal 2, reducing inequality is Goal 10, and industry and infrastructure is Goal 9.
26. Under the 2011–12 Tendulkar-based poverty estimate, what was the rural monthly threshold per person?
[SSC GD Constable, 16 Nov 2021, Shift 1]
- A. ₹816
- B. ₹752
- C. ₹1,000
- D. ₹687
Answer: A. ₹816
Explanation: The published 2011–12 Tendulkar threshold was approximately ₹816 per person per month in rural India. The corresponding urban cutoff was about ₹1,000. They are historically specified consumption thresholds and not standards appropriate for use in later years without adjustment.
25. Which 1987 document is closely identified with the global sustainable-development discussion?
[UPPSC Civil Services Prelims 2020, GS-I]
- A. First IPCC Assessment Report
- B. Our Common Future
- C. Second IPCC Assessment Report
- D. Fifth IPCC Assessment Report
Answer: B. Our Common Future
Explanation: Our Common Future was issued in 1987 by the World Commission on Environment and Development. Its explanation of sustainability stressed present needs, environmental limits and the welfare of future generations, establishing a widely cited framework for public policy.
24. Which approaches have been used to estimate poverty in India: headcount ratio, calorie intake, household consumption expenditure and per capita income?
[UPPSC Civil Services Prelims 2020, GS-I]
- A. Calorie and consumption only
- B. Headcount, calorie and consumption
- C. Consumption alone
- D. All four
Answer: B. Headcount, calorie and consumption
Explanation: Indian poverty exercises have long used consumption surveys, normative calorie references and headcount measures. Per capita income at a broad macroeconomic level is not equivalent to the distributional household-consumption approach that underlies these historical official estimates.
23. Which state led NITI Aayog’s SDG India Index for 2019–20?
[SSC CHSL, 19 Mar 2020, Shift 3]
- A. Andhra Pradesh
- B. Tamil Nadu
- C. Himachal Pradesh
- D. Kerala
Answer: D. Kerala
Explanation: Kerala topped the SDG India Index for 2019–20. The index was devised by NITI Aayog to monitor state and union-territory progress on sustainable development indicators, rather than to assign the global HDI ranks published by UNDP.
22. Which economist is associated with originating the human-development concept?
[CDS General Knowledge, 08 Sep 2019]
- A. Amartya Sen
- B. Mahbub ul Haq
- C. Sukhamoy Chakravarty
- D. G. S. Chaddha
Answer: B. Mahbub ul Haq
Explanation: Mahbub ul Haq spearheaded the human-development approach and the first UNDP Human Development Report in 1990. Amartya Sen’s capability perspective was a major intellectual influence. The distinction between the leader of the initiative and its contributors is important.
21. Assertion: Indian states’ HDI and SDG rankings tend to be positively related.
Reason: Health and education form important parts of both.
Which is correct?
[UPPSC Civil Services Prelims 2019, GS-I]
- A. Both true, reason explains assertion
- B. Both true, but unrelated
- C. Assertion true, reason false
- D. Assertion false, reason true
Answer: A. Both true, reason explains assertion
Explanation: Health and education contribute directly to HDI, while numerous SDG targets also monitor education and healthcare outcomes. This overlap can produce similar patterns across states, even though the SDGs cover more dimensions than HDI.
20. What kind of poverty compares a group’s living conditions with those prevailing in wider society?
[RPSC Senior Teacher Social Science, 17 Feb 2019]
- A. Enforced poverty
- B. Absolute poverty
- C. Relative poverty
- D. Culture of poverty
Answer: C. Relative poverty
Explanation: Relative poverty identifies deprivation compared with the typical living standard of a society. A person may meet physical survival requirements yet be considered relatively poor if resources are far below normal social participation standards. Absolute poverty uses a more fixed basic-needs threshold.
19. Which committee’s method was used to show a decline in India’s poverty incidence between 2004–05 and 2011–12?
[RPSC Senior Teacher Social Science, 17 Feb 2019]
- A. Ahluwalia Committee
- B. Dandekar–Rath Committee
- C. Tendulkar Committee
- D. Rangarajan Committee
Answer: C. Tendulkar Committee
Explanation: The Tendulkar methodology produced the official poverty comparison between 2004–05 and 2011–12 that showed a reduction in poverty incidence. Its broader consumption framework differed from older calorie-linked lines. Changes in poverty should therefore be interpreted with methodological continuity.
18. Which economists were associated with the development of HDI in 1990?
[RRB Group D, 28 Sep 2018, Shift 1]
- A. Mahbub Khan alone
- B. Aparna Sen alone
- C. Syed-ul-Haq alone
- D. Mahbub ul Haq and Amartya Sen
Answer: D. Mahbub ul Haq and Amartya Sen
Explanation: Mahbub ul Haq led the creation of the HDI, assisted intellectually by Amartya Sen and other scholars. Their work shifted development measurement toward life expectancy, education and living standards, which UNDP began presenting internationally in 1990.
17. Which institution formerly fixed and published India’s official poverty-line estimates?
[UPPSC Civil Services Prelims 2018, GS-I]
- A. Union Council of Ministers
- B. Lok Sabha
- C. Rajya Sabha
- D. Planning Commission
Answer: D. Planning Commission
Explanation: The Planning Commission historically estimated poverty ratios using specified lines and National Sample Survey consumption data. NITI Aayog subsequently succeeded the Planning Commission institutionally, but the answer must correspond to the historical administrative arrangement addressed by this examination.
16. Which sociologist is known for the “culture of poverty” concept?
[RPSC Senior Teacher Social Science, 29 Oct 2018]
- A. Oscar Lewis
- B. Gunnar Myrdal
- C. M. N. Srinivas
- D. McKim Marriott
Answer: A. Oscar Lewis
Explanation: Anthropologist Oscar Lewis popularized the culture-of-poverty concept through studies of disadvantaged communities. The concept concerns patterns of adaptation in deprivation, but it has also drawn criticism for underplaying structural barriers such as unequal opportunity and labour-market constraints.
15. Which district topped West Bengal’s district Human Development Index in the cited state report?
[WBCS Prelims 2017]
- A. Kolkata
- B. Purba Medinipur
- C. Bardhaman
- D. North 24 Parganas
Answer: A. Kolkata
Explanation: The West Bengal district Human Development Report’s older figures placed Kolkata first in the district HDI comparison. Urban advantages in educational access, income and services influenced the ranking. This is a period-specific state report rather than a contemporary district league table.
14. In what year was the Human Development Index first introduced?
[WBCS Prelims 2017]
- A. 1980
- B. 1990
- C. 1995
- D. 2000
Answer: B. 1990
Explanation: UNDP introduced the HDI with the first Human Development Report in 1990. Its aim was to provide a compact measure of well-being beyond GDP per person by combining health, schooling and income-related indicators.
13. Which traditional indicator was used prominently in earlier Indian poverty-line calculations?
[SSC Stenographer, 12 Sep 2017, Shift 2]
- A. House location
- B. Job type
- C. Calorie consumption
- D. Highest level of schooling
Answer: C. Calorie consumption
Explanation: Earlier Indian poverty estimation linked minimum consumption expenditure to benchmark calorie requirements, historically differentiated between rural and urban areas. Later methods, including the Tendulkar approach, revised the basket and reduced reliance on a single nutritional norm.
12. Who headed the expert group appointed in 2012 to reconsider Indian poverty measurement?
[UPPSC GIC Lecturer (Economics) 2017]
- A. C. Rangarajan
- B. Urjit Patel
- C. Meghnad Desai
- D. Jean Drèze
Answer: A. C. Rangarajan
Explanation: The 2012 group was led by C. Rangarajan. It submitted recommendations in 2014, proposing revised poverty thresholds that included broader food and non-food necessities. It followed the earlier expert group chaired by Suresh Tendulkar.
11. What proportion of India’s population was below the poverty line in 2011–12 by the Tendulkar methodology?
[RPSC Senior Teacher Social Science, 02 Jul 2017]
- A. 25.7%
- B. 21.9%
- C. 30.7%
- D. 38.2%
Answer: B. 21.9%
Explanation: The official Tendulkar-based all-India poverty headcount was 21.9% for 2011–12. The rural component was higher than the urban component. The Rangarajan group’s later alternative produced a different all-India estimate, illustrating the importance of the measurement basis.
10. Which organization publishes the annual global Human Development Report?
[CDS General Knowledge, 14 Feb 2016]
- A. World Trade Organization
- B. World Bank
- C. UNDP
- D. International Monetary Fund
Answer: C. UNDP
Explanation: The United Nations Development Programme publishes the Human Development Report. It includes the HDI and other indicators relating to human capabilities and inequality. WTO, IMF and World Bank issue different statistical and economic publications and are not its publisher.
9. Consider:
(1) The Club of Rome first proposed the SDGs in 1972.
(2) The SDGs are to be achieved by 2030.
Which is correct?
[UPSC CSE Prelims 2016, GS-I]
- A. Statement 1 only
- B. Statement 2 only
- C. Both
- D. Neither
Answer: B. Statement 2 only
Explanation: The SDGs were adopted by UN member states in 2015 for the period to 2030. The Club of Rome’s 1972 work concerned limits to growth and did not establish the SDGs. Consequently, the second statement alone is correct.
8. Which expert group proposed daily per-person poverty thresholds of roughly ₹32 rural and ₹47 urban?
[CGPSC Prelims General Studies 2016]
- A. Suresh Tendulkar Group
- B. C. Rangarajan Group
- C. Montek Singh Ahluwalia Group
- D. Bimal Jalan Group
Answer: B. C. Rangarajan Group
Explanation: The Rangarajan group’s 2014 report proposed higher 2011–12 poverty-line spending cutoffs than those under the Tendulkar method: about ₹32 daily in rural areas and ₹47 in urban areas. The figures refer to that historical estimation exercise.
7. For the Human Development Report 2015, consider:
India ranked 130/188;
HDI included longevity, education and income;
India ranked below the other BRICS states.
Which were correct?
[RPSC RAS Prelims 2016]
- A. First and second only
- B. Second and third only
- C. Second only
- D. All three
Answer: D. All three
Explanation: In the 2015 report, India was ranked 130 of 188. HDI involved health, knowledge and income, and India’s position was below the other BRICS members. Report-specific historical rankings should not be substituted with present-day figures.
6. What does “Rio+20 Conference” refer to?
[UPSC CSE Prelims 2015, GS-I]
- A. United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development
- B. WTO Ministerial Conference
- C. IPCC plenary conference
- D. Convention on Biological Diversity parties’ meeting
Answer: A. United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development
Explanation: Rio+20 was the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development held in Rio de Janeiro in 2012, twenty years after the 1992 Earth Summit. It addressed poverty reduction, green-economy pathways and international arrangements for sustainable development.
5. Which core dimensions form the basis of the Human Development Index?
[MPPSC State Service Prelims 2015]
- A. Health, education, employment and income
- B. Health, education and employment
- C. Health, education and standard of living
- D. Education, employment and living standards
Answer: C. Health, education and standard of living
Explanation: The HDI uses three dimensions: a long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living. Employment affects development indirectly, but it is not a separate basic dimension within the HDI formula.
4. Which body was the nodal agency for estimating poverty at the Indian national and state levels?
[UPPSC Civil Services Prelims 2014, GS-I]
- A. Finance Commission
- B. Ministry of Rural Development
- C. Ministry of Home Affairs
- D. Planning Commission
Answer: D. Planning Commission
Explanation: The Planning Commission historically coordinated official poverty-line estimations using household consumption survey data and state-specific price adjustments. This responsibility existed before the commission was replaced by NITI Aayog, so the historical institutional context determines the answer.
3. Which trio formed the conventional core of the Human Development Index?
[RPSC RAS Prelims 2013]
- A. Nutrition, quality of life and output
- B. Poverty, lifespan and educational access
- C. Life expectancy, education and per-person income
- D. Inflation, unemployment and income
Answer: C. Life expectancy, education and per-person income
Explanation: HDI combines longevity, knowledge and material standard of living. Its proxies have evolved: current methodology uses GNI per capita and two schooling indicators. Employment, inflation and nutrition are relevant to development but are not the three principal dimensions.
2. Which dimensions are covered by the UNDP–OPHI Multidimensional Poverty Index:
(1) household deprivations in education, health and living conditions,
(2) national PPP,
(3) fiscal deficit and GDP growth?
[UPSC CSE Prelims 2012, GS-I]
- A. Statement 1 only
- B. Statements 2 and 3
- C. Statements 1 and 3
- D. All three
Answer: A. Statement 1 only
Explanation: The MPI measures overlapping household disadvantages in schooling, health and standard-of-living indicators such as sanitation, electricity and housing. Macro variables like government deficits or exchange-rate-adjusted national output do not constitute its deprivation components.
1. The idea of development meeting present needs without endangering future needs is inherently linked with which concept?
[UPSC CSE Prelims 2010, GS-I]
- A. Social empowerment alone
- B. Inclusive growth alone
- C. Globalisation
- D. Carrying capacity
Answer: D. Carrying capacity
Explanation: Carrying capacity describes the ability of natural systems to sustain resource use and absorb pressures. Sustainable development requires keeping human activity compatible with such ecological limits so that present choices do not destroy future options.