Awards – MCQ – GK Questions

Answer: Anita Desai

Anita Desai was the first Indian author to be shortlisted for the Booker Prize, with her novel 'Clear Light of Day' in 1980. She was shortlisted three times before Salman Rushdie won in 1981.

Answer: None won specifically for rural development

While several Indian economists have contributed to rural development, none have won the Ramon Magsaysay Award specifically for this work. The award has recognized Indian activists, journalists, and social workers for community leadership.

Answer: No Indian film has won in this category

As of 2024, no Indian film has won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. 'Life of Pi' (2012), which won four Oscars including Best Visual Effects, was an American production directed by Ang Lee, though it had significant Indian involvement.

Answer: None won for Homeland

While 'Homeland' won multiple Emmy Awards, no Indian-origin producer was among the primary recipients. Indian-origin professionals have won Emmys in other categories and for other productions.

Answer: 1997

Arundhati Roy's debut novel 'The God of Small Things' was published in 1997 and won the Booker Prize the same year, becoming an international bestseller and landmark work of postcolonial literature.

Answer: None of the above

As of 2024, no Indian-American journalist has won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. While several Indian-origin professionals have been nominated or won in other categories, this specific category remains unclaimed by an Indian-American.

Answer: Peacetime gallantry

The Kirti Chakra is India's second-highest peacetime military decoration, awarded for valour, courageous action, or self-sacrifice away from the field of battle. It is the peacetime equivalent of the Maha Vir Chakra.

Answer: Venkatraman Ramakrishnan

Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, an Indian-born British-American structural biologist, shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome, the cellular machine that translates genetic information into proteins.

Answer: Geetanjali Shree

Geetanjali Shree won the International Booker Prize in 2022 for her novel 'Tomb of Sand' (originally 'Ret Samadhi' in Hindi), translated by Daisy Rockwell. She became the first Indian author to win this prize for a Hindi-language work.

Answer: Wartime gallantry

The Vir Chakra is India's third-highest military decoration awarded for acts of gallantry in the presence of the enemy on land, at sea, or in the air during wartime.

Answer: It recognizes contributions made in India

The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize recognizes outstanding research contributions made in India by scientists who are Indian citizens and working in India. It does not recognize work done abroad or by foreign nationals.

Answer: Avani Lekhara

Avani Lekhara, the Indian para-shooter who won gold at the Tokyo Paralympics 2020, received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2022, becoming one of the first para-athletes to receive the honor under its renamed title.

Answer: Lata Mangeshkar

Lata Mangeshkar received the Bharat Ratna in 2001 for her unparalleled contribution to Indian music. As of 2024, no male Bollywood actor has been awarded the Bharat Ratna.

Answer: All of the above

For the Booker Prize, the novel must be originally written in English, published in the UK or Ireland during the eligibility year, and the author should be a citizen of a Commonwealth country, Ireland, or Zimbabwe.

Answer: Rajendra Singh

Rajendra Singh, known as the 'Waterman of India', won the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2001 for his community-based work in water conservation and harvesting in the arid regions of Rajasthan.

Answer: No Indian film has won in this category

As of 2024, no Indian film has won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. 'Writing with Fire' (2022) and 'All That Breathes' (2023) were nominated but did not win in this category.

Answer: United States

The International Emmy Awards, presented by the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, honor excellence in television programming produced and originally aired outside the United States.

Answer: University Grants Commission

The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize selection is managed by CSIR with input from scientific academies and expert committees. The University Grants Commission (UGC) is not directly involved in the selection process.

Answer: Athletics

The first five recipients (1991-92 to 1995-96) were Viswanathan Anand (Chess), Geet Sethi (Billiards), Sachin Tendulkar (Cricket), Karnam Malleswari (Weightlifting), and Kunjarani Devi (Weightlifting). Athletics was not represented in this initial group.

Answer: A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam received the Bharat Ratna in 1997 for his exceptional contributions to India's space and missile programs, including the development of the SLV-III and Agni missile systems.