Awards & Honours Mixed Quiz: Set 15

The correct answer is A, Major Somnath Sharma. He was awarded the Param Vir Chakra posthumously for the action at Badgam in Kashmir in November 1947, during the first conflict after independence, and the medal itself was instituted on 26 January 1950 with effect from 15 August 1947. Option B is wrong because Captain Vikram Batra received the Param Vir Chakra posthumously for the Kargil conflict of 1999. Option C is wrong because Subedar Joginder Singh was honoured for the conflict with China in 1962. Option D is wrong because Major Shaitan Singh was honoured for the battle of Rezang La in the same conflict of 1962. The design of the medal is credited to Savitri Khanolkar. Twenty-one Param Vir Chakras have been awarded, the majority of them posthumously, and the medal carries the state emblem surrounded by four replicas of Indra's Vajra.

The correct answer is C, the Param Vishisht Seva Medal. It is given for distinguished service of the most exceptional order, and the word Param marks the top step of every Indian series of decorations. Option A is wrong because the Vishisht Seva Medal is the third step of the same series, given for distinguished service of a high order. Option B is wrong because the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal stands in the middle, for distinguished service of an exceptional order. Option D is wrong because the Sena Medal is a separate award of the Army, instituted in 1960 for individual acts of gallantry or exceptional devotion to duty, with the Nao Sena Medal and the Vayu Sena Medal as its counterparts in the Navy and the Air Force. The three-step pattern is the key to the whole topic.

The correct answer is C, 31 October. The Sardar Patel National Unity Award is announced on 31 October, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, which is observed as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas or National Unity Day. Option A is wrong because the Padma awards are announced on the eve of Republic Day and conferred later, so 26 January belongs to a different set of honours. Option B is wrong: 2 October is the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and is observed as the International Day of Non Violence, but the Gandhi Peace Prize is not tied to that date. Option D is wrong because no civilian award in this chapter is announced on Independence Day; 15 August is the day gallantry awards are announced. Note also that the Patel award carries a medal and a citation and no cash, and at most three awards may be given in a year.

The correct answer is B, 1995. The Government of India instituted the International Gandhi Peace Prize in 1995, the year of the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, as an annual award for social, economic and political transformation achieved through non violence and other Gandhian methods. Option A, 1969, is wrong although it is a tempting year, because 1969 was the birth centenary of Mahatma Gandhi and no such prize was created then. Option C, 2001, is wrong; by that year the prize had already been given several times, including to Nelson Mandela and Grameen Bank for 2000. Option D, 1985, is wrong because that is the year the Indian National Congress instituted the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration, a party award and not a government one. Remember the pairing of 1995 with the 125th anniversary; it is the single most repeated fact from this chapter.

The correct answer is B, the Navy. The Sena Medal, the Nao Sena Medal and the Vayu Sena Medal were instituted in 1960 for individual acts of gallantry or exceptional devotion to duty, one for each service, and the word Nao in the name marks the Navy just as Vayu marks the Air Force. Option A is wrong because the Army's award is the plain Sena Medal. Option C is wrong because the Air Force award is the Vayu Sena Medal. Option D is wrong because the medal is not reserved for the Coast Guard, which has its own decorations for gallantry and distinguished service. A question in this shape is answered by translating the name, which is why the Hindi words in these titles are worth learning.

The correct answer is D, Vinesh Phogat. The wrestler Vinesh Phogat was nominated in 2019 for the Laureus World Sports Award in the Breakthrough of the Year category, the first Indian athlete to be shortlisted in that category. The nomination followed a remarkable 2018, in which she won gold at the Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast and then gold at the Asian Games in Jakarta, becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to win an Asian Games title. She had already received the Arjuna Award in 2016. The Laureus World Sports Awards, begun in 2000 by the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, are often called the Oscars of sport. Option A is wrong because Anirban Chatterji is not a Laureus nominee. Option B is wrong because Pankaj Advani, a world champion in billiards and snooker, was not on the list. Option C is wrong because the sprinter Dutee Chand, known for her legal fight over hyperandrogenism rules, was not nominated that year. Exam tip: Vinesh Phogat - Laureus nomination 2019, Asian Games gold 2018, Arjuna Award 2016.

The correct answer is B, one crore rupees. The Gandhi Peace Prize carries one crore rupees in cash, together with a citation, a plaque and a piece of traditional handicraft or handloom, and the money may be paid in any convertible currency because the prize is open to citizens of every country. Option A is wrong, and it is the trap in the question, because twenty five lakh rupees is the amount attached to the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development, given by the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust. Option C is wrong; no figure of fifty lakh rupees is attached to this prize. Option D is wrong because the award with no cash at all is the Sardar Patel National Unity Award, which carries only a medal and a citation. Keep the three amounts as a set so the options cannot mislead you.

The correct answer is B, Major Dhyan Chand. The country's highest sporting honour was renamed the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2021, after the hockey player whose birth anniversary on 29 August is observed as National Sports Day. Option A is wrong because Milkha Singh, the athlete known as the Flying Sikh, has no national award named after him. Option C is wrong because Kapil Dev captained the cricket team that won the World Cup in 1983 but has no award in his name. Option D is wrong because Dhanraj Pillay is a former hockey captain who received the Khel Ratna himself. Keep the family of sports awards clear: Khel Ratna as the highest, the Arjuna Award for consistently outstanding players, the Dronacharya Award for coaches and the Dhyan Chand Award for lifetime achievement.

The correct answer is B, saving or attempting to save a life. The series has three grades, the Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak, the Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak and the Jeevan Raksha Padak, and it is administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs and open to civilians, including children. Option A is wrong because distinguished service in an operation is rewarded by the Yudh Seva medals. Option C is wrong because work in literature and art is recognised by the Padma awards and by the awards of the national academies. Option D is wrong because gallantry in captivity is not a separate category; such acts are considered under the gallantry awards themselves. Notice once more the three-step pattern of Sarvottam, Uttam and the plain name. The award is announced by the Ministry and the certificate is signed on behalf of the President.

The correct answer is D, Afghanistan. The Amir Amanullah Khan Award is Afghanistan's highest civilian honour, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi received it in June 2016 at Herat, on the day he and President Ashraf Ghani opened the Afghan-India Friendship Dam, earlier called the Salma Dam, which India built on the Hari Rud. The honour is named after Amir Amanullah Khan, the ruler who won Afghanistan full control of its foreign affairs from the British in 1919. Option A is wrong, although Saudi Arabia did honour the Prime Minister in April 2016; its top award is the Order of King Abdulaziz Al Saud, a different decoration with a different name. Options B and C are wrong because neither Uzbekistan nor Iran gives an award of this name, and neither conferred its highest civilian honour on him in that year. Exam tip: Amir Amanullah Khan Award means Afghanistan, 2016, Herat and the Afghan-India Friendship Dam.

The correct answer is B. Kabir Puraskar was instituted in 1990 by the Ministry of Home Affairs to honour ordinary citizens who show physical or moral courage in saving the lives and property of members of another community, especially during communal disturbance. Option A is wrong; the awards for Hindi and other literature are the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Jnanpith Award, and the name Kabir misleads candidates into choosing a literary answer. Option C is wrong because no national award is given for research on medieval saints; the award is named after Kabir for his message of harmony between communities, not for scholarship about him. Option D is wrong because handloom work is recognised by the Sant Kabir Award for weavers, a different honour given by the textiles ministry, and the similarity of names is exactly what the question is testing.

The correct answer is A, Wildlife protection. The Amrita Devi Bishnoi National Award is given for outstanding courage and devotion in protecting wildlife. It was instituted by the Union environment ministry in 1994 and carries a cash prize with a citation. It is named after Amrita Devi Bishnoi, who in 1730 at Khejarli near Jodhpur clung to a khejri tree to stop the Maharaja's men from felling it; she and more than 360 other Bishnois died in that protest. The Bishnoi community, which follows the 29 rules laid down by Guru Jambheshwar, still guards the blackbuck, the chinkara and the khejri tree of the Thar desert, and the Khejarli sacrifice is remembered as an inspiration for the later Chipko movement. Option B is wrong because energy saving is rewarded by the National Energy Conservation Awards. Option C is wrong because broader environmental work is honoured by the Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar. Option D is wrong because biodiversity effort is recognised by the India Biodiversity Awards. Exam tip: tie Amrita Devi to Khejarli 1730, the khejri tree and the blackbuck of Rajasthan.

The correct answer is A, Republic Day and Independence Day. The two lists are announced on 26 January and on 15 August, and the medals are presented later at investiture ceremonies by the President, who is the Supreme Commander of the armed forces. Option B is wrong because Army Day on 15 January and Navy Day on 4 December are service days marked by parades and demonstrations, not the occasions for announcing the awards. Option C is wrong because Gandhi Jayanti on 2 October is not connected with military honours. Option D is wrong because Vijay Diwas on 16 December, kept for the victory of 1971, is a day of remembrance and not an announcement date. Padma awards are announced only on Republic Day. The names of the recipients appear in the Gazette of India along with the citation.

The correct answer is D, Ricky Kej. Ricky Kej won the Grammy for Best New Age Album at the 57th Grammy Awards in 2015 for Winds of Samsara, made with the South African flautist Wouter Kellerman. The album drew on the lives of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela and reached the top of the Billboard New Age chart in the United States, the first Indian album to do so. Kej is a Bengaluru-based composer who works on environmental themes and is a UNICEF and UNESCO goodwill figure; he won a second Grammy in 2022 for Divine Tides, made with Stewart Copeland of The Police. Option A is wrong because Mano Murthy composes for Kannada cinema and has not won a Grammy. Option B is wrong because Raghu Dixit is a Bengaluru folk-rock singer with no Grammy. Option C is wrong because Subhashish Ghosh has no link with this album. Exam tip: Winds of Samsara means Ricky Kej with Wouter Kellerman, Grammy 2015; Divine Tides means Ricky Kej with Stewart Copeland.

The correct answer is B, U Thant. The Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding was instituted by the Government of India in 1965 and administered by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, and its first recipient in that same year was U Thant of Burma, then Secretary General of the United Nations. Option A is wrong because Mother Teresa received the award later, in 1969. Option C is wrong because Nelson Mandela received it in 1979, many years before he became President of South Africa. Option D is wrong because Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, the Frontier Gandhi, also received the award but not as the first recipient, and he is better remembered in exams as the first non Indian to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, in 1987. Keep the award apart from the Gandhi Peace Prize of 1995.

The correct answer is B, the International Committee of the Red Cross, which received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1917 and 1944 for its work in the two World Wars and again in 1963, the centenary year of its founding. Option A is wrong because UNICEF, the United Nations children's fund, received the prize once, in 1965. Option C is wrong because Medecins Sans Frontieres, or Doctors Without Borders, received it once, in 1999. Option D is wrong because the World Food Programme received it once, in 2020, for feeding people in conflict zones. The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is the organisation with two prizes, in 1954 and 1981, so a question may also ask for that. Remember the numbers as three for the Red Cross and two for the UNHCR.

The correct answer is B, the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal for distinguished service in war. It is the second of the three Yudh Seva medals instituted in 1980, below the Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal and above the Yudh Seva Medal. Option A is wrong because the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal rewards distinguished service in peacetime and not gallantry. Option C is wrong because the Shaurya Chakra is the third of the peacetime gallantry awards, below the Ashoka Chakra and the Kirti Chakra, and has nothing to do with distinguished service. Option D is wrong because the Vir Chakra is the third wartime gallantry award, while saving a life brings a Jeevan Raksha Padak. Matching questions of this kind are decided by two words: Chakra or Seva, and Yudh or Vishisht.

The correct answer is C, 1952. The Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's national academy of music, dance and drama, was created by a government resolution of 31 May 1952 and formally inaugurated on 28 January 1953 by President Rajendra Prasad. It was the first of the three national academies; the Sahitya Akademi for literature and the Lalit Kala Akademi for fine arts followed in 1954. Its annual awards, the Akademi Puraskar, have been given to performing artists since 1952, which makes it the oldest national honour for the performing arts in India. The higher honour, the Akademi Ratna or Fellowship, was started in 1954. A is wrong because 1961 is the year the Arjuna Award for sports began. B is wrong because 1950 is when the Constitution came into force, not when the Akademi was formed. D is wrong because 1959 is the year the National School of Drama was set up, not the start of the awards. Exam tip: Sangeet Natak Akademi 1952 (awards from 1952); Sahitya Akademi and Lalit Kala Akademi 1954.

The correct answer is B, 20 August. The Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award, instituted in 1992 by the Indian National Congress, is presented on 20 August, the birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi, which is observed as Sadbhavana Diwas, and it recognises outstanding contribution to communal harmony, peace and goodwill. Option A is wrong because 19 November is the birth anniversary of Indira Gandhi and is observed as National Integration Day in some listings, not as Sadbhavana Diwas. Option C is wrong because 31 October is Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, on which the Sardar Patel National Unity Award is announced. Option D is wrong; 14 November is the birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru and is observed as Children Day in India. Link each award to the leader whose anniversary it falls on and this group becomes easy marks.

The correct answer is B, the popularisation of science. The Kalinga Prize was created at UNESCO in 1951 from a gift made by Biju Patnaik of Odisha, later the Chief Minister of that state, and it was first awarded in 1952; it honours a writer, editor, broadcaster or film maker who has helped explain science to ordinary people, and the first recipient was the French physicist Louis de Broglie. Option A is wrong because research in nuclear physics would be recognised by the Nobel Prize in Physics, not by this award. Option C is wrong because environmental law is not the field of the Kalinga Prize. Option D is wrong because engineering design is covered by prizes such as the Bhatnagar Prize in engineering sciences in India and the Infosys Prize in engineering and computer science.