Easy Level – GK Questions

C.V. Raman first documented the inelastic scattering of light (the Raman Effect) on 28 February 1928 at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Calcutta. India declared 28 February as National Science Day in 1987 to mark this discovery. Raman received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930.

Tagore received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for Gitanjali — a collection of devotional poems he translated into English prose himself during a voyage to England in 1912. The Swedish Academy described the verse as profoundly sensitive and fresh. He was the first Asian person to win a Nobel Prize of any kind.

Han Kang is a South Korean author. She won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life. Her internationally known works include The Vegetarian and Human Acts.

María Corina Machado of Venezuela won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her tireless work promoting democratic rights and for unifying a divided political opposition around the demand for free elections and a peaceful transition from authoritarian rule. The Norwegian Nobel Committee called her "one of the most extraordinary examples of civilian courage in Latin America in recent times."

John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton won the 2024 Physics Nobel for discoveries that enabled machine learning through artificial neural networks. Hinton, sometimes called the "godfather of AI," left Google in 2023 to speak openly about the risks of the technology he helped create.

Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese organisation of atomic bomb survivors (hibakusha) from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, won the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize. Founded in 1956, they have spent nearly seven decades giving personal testimony about the devastation caused by nuclear weapons, contributing to the global nuclear taboo.

Jessie Buckley won the Best Actress Oscar for her role as Agnes, William Shakespeare's partner, in Hamnet. Her win made her the first Irish woman ever to take the Best Actress Oscar.

Michael B. Jordan won the Best Actor Oscar for his dual performance as Smoke and Stack in Sinners, Ryan Coogler's supernatural thriller set in the Jim Crow-era South. It was his first Oscar nomination and first win.

One Battle After Another, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, won the Best Picture Oscar at the 98th Academy Awards on 15 March 2026. The film won six awards in total that night — the most of any film at the ceremony.

Mamta Kalia's memoir Jeete Jee Allahabad centres on Allahabad (now Prayagraj), a city long associated with Hindi literary circles. The book won the 2025 Sahitya Akademi Award for Hindi.

Navtej Sarna's novel Crimson Spring won the 2025 Sahitya Akademi Award for English. Sarna, a former IFS officer who served as India's Ambassador to the US, had been writing fiction alongside his diplomatic career.

The awards were announced on 16 March 2026, months after the Akademi had to cancel its original December 2025 press conference when the Ministry of Culture asked for a review of the awards process.

The Padma Vibhushan is the second-highest civilian honour in India, ranking after the Bharat Ratna (the highest). Padma Bhushan is the third and Padma Shri is the fourth-highest civilian honour.

Alka Yagnik was conferred the Padma Bhushan in 2026 for her distinguished contribution to Indian playback singing. She is among the 13 Padma Bhushan awardees of 2026. The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian honour in India.

Late Bollywood legend Dharmendra Singh Deol was conferred the Padma Vibhushan posthumously in 2026 for his exceptional contribution to Indian cinema spanning over six decades. He is among the 5 Padma Vibhushan awardees of 2026.

The Government of India announced 131 Padma Awards for 2026, comprising 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri. The list includes 16 posthumous and 19 women awardees.

According to recent policy statements, India has moved beyond merely adopting foreign technologies and is now actively participating in developing frontier technologies while helping shape their future direction in multiple sectors globally.

The press release confirms that MAHA on Water is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Jal Shakti and ANRF launched to promote cutting-edge research in priority areas such as water resources management.

The sacred relics belonged to Arahant Sariputta and Arahant Mahamoggallana, who were indeed the chief disciples of Gautama Buddha. This airlift was part of India's cultural diplomacy efforts.

The inaugural India-Australia Defence Ministers' Dialogue was held in Australia in October 2025, not in India. The second dialogue was held in New Delhi in June 2026.