Awards & Honours Mixed Quiz: Set 31

The correct answer is C, Article 18. Article 18 abolishes titles: the State may not confer any title that is not a military or academic distinction, and a citizen may not accept a title from a foreign state. This is why the imperial honours and prefixes such as Sir, Rai Bahadur and Khan Bahadur ended with independence, and why the Bharat Ratna and the Padma awards are not to be used as titles before a name. Option A is wrong because Article 14 guarantees equality before the law. Option B is wrong because Article 17 abolishes untouchability, which candidates often confuse with the abolition of titles since the two Articles stand next to each other. Option D is wrong because Article 19 contains the six freedoms, including speech and association.

The correct answer is C, 1900. Queen Victoria instituted the Kaiser-i-Hind Medal in 1900 for distinguished public service in India, and unlike the orders of chivalry it was open to any person of any rank, Indian or European, man or woman, in gold, silver and bronze classes. Option A is wrong because 1878 is the year of the Order of the Indian Empire and the Order of the Crown of India. Option B is wrong because 1911 is the year of the Delhi Durbar at which Indian soldiers were made eligible for the Victoria Cross. Option D is wrong but is the closest trap: 1920 is the year Mahatma Gandhi returned the medal he had received in 1915, so a candidate who remembers only the renunciation may give the date of that act instead of the institution.

The correct answer is B, the Lalit Kala Akademi. The national academy of art, set up in 1954 and working from Rabindra Bhavan in New Delhi, holds the National Exhibition of Art and gives the National Akademi Awards to the works selected in it, covering painting, sculpture, graphic art and allied forms; it also elects its own Fellows. Option A is wrong because the Sangeet Natak Akademi deals only with the performing arts, giving the Akademi Puraskar, the Fellowship and the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar. Option C is wrong because the Sahitya Akademi is the academy of letters and gives awards in the recognised Indian languages along with the Bhasha Samman and translation prizes. Option D is wrong because the Indian Council for Cultural Relations carries Indian culture abroad through chairs, centres and exchanges, and is not an awarding academy for the visual arts.

The correct answer is B, Madhya Pradesh. The Tansen Samman was instituted by the Government of Madhya Pradesh in 1980 for Hindustani classical music and is presented at the Tansen Samaroh held every year at Behat near Gwalior, where the memorial of Tansen stands. Madhya Pradesh also gives the Kalidas Samman, the Tulsi Samman for folk and tribal art, the Lata Mangeshkar Award for light music and the Kabir Samman for poetry, so the state is the single most productive source of questions in this chapter. Option A is wrong because Uttar Pradesh gives the Yash Bharati and Bharat Bharati honours instead. Option C is wrong because Rajasthan's cultural awards are administered through its own akademis and do not include this samman. Option D is wrong because Maharashtra's state honours do not include the Tansen Samman, although Gwalior gharana musicians have long worked in Maharashtra.

The correct answer is A, Reita Faria. Reita Faria won Miss World in 1966 and was the first Indian and indeed the first Asian woman to hold the title. She was a medical student from Bombay, used the prize to complete her studies and practised as a doctor instead of entering films, which makes her story a favourite with question setters. Option B, Aishwarya Rai, won Miss World much later, in 1994, and is the second Indian to do so. Option C, Sushmita Sen, is a strong distractor because she also won in 1994, but her title was Miss Universe, not Miss World, and she was the first Indian to win that one. Option D, Diana Hayden, won Miss World in 1997, the third Indian winner. The order of India's Miss World winners is Reita Faria, Aishwarya Rai, Diana Hayden, Yukta Mookhey, Priyanka Chopra and Manushi Chhillar.

The correct answer is B, Do Bigha Zamin. Bimal Roy's film about a farmer who goes to Calcutta to pull a rickshaw took the first Filmfare Award for Best Film, and Bimal Roy took the first award for Best Direction for the same film. Option A, Baiju Bawra, is the closest distractor, because Meena Kumari won the first Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her role in it. Option C, Mother India, came later and is remembered instead as the first Indian film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Option D, Awara, directed by Raj Kapoor, won no Filmfare Award for Best Film. Remember the first set together: Do Bigha Zamin for film and direction, Dilip Kumar for Daag, and Meena Kumari for Baiju Bawra.

The correct answer is B, Sushmita Sen. Sushmita Sen won Miss Universe in 1994 at Manila in the Philippines, the first Indian to take that crown, and in the same year Aishwarya Rai won Miss World, so 1994 is the year India held both titles. Option A, Lara Dutta, won Miss Universe in 2000 at Nicosia in Cyprus and is therefore the second Indian winner, not the first. Option C, Harnaaz Sandhu, won Miss Universe in 2021 at Eilat in Israel, ending a gap of twenty one years, and is the third Indian winner. Option D, Yukta Mookhey, won Miss World in 1999 and belongs to the other pageant altogether, which is the standard trap in this question. India's three Miss Universe winners, in order, are Sushmita Sen in 1994, Lara Dutta in 2000 and Harnaaz Sandhu in 2021.

The correct answer is C, West Bengal. The Government of West Bengal instituted Banga Bibhushan and Banga Bhushan in 2011 to honour people from the state in fields such as literature, music, cinema, sport, science and social service, with Banga Bibhushan ranked above Banga Bhushan. The word Banga itself is the Bengali name of the region, which is the quickest clue in the question. Option A, Odisha, runs its own set of state honours and does not use these names. Option B, Bihar, and option D, Assam, are also wrong; Assam's honours are the Assam Baibhav, Assam Saurav and Assam Gaurav set of 2021, which is a common mix-up because Baibhav and Bibhushan sound alike. West Bengal's older literary honour is a separate award, the Rabindra Puraskar, instituted in 1950.

The correct answer is B, Eric Morley. Eric Morley organised the first Miss World contest in the United Kingdom in 1951 as part of the Festival of Britain, intending it as a single event; its success made it an annual pageant. Option A, Julia Morley, is his wife, who has led the Miss World organisation since his death and is associated with the Beauty with a Purpose charitable programme, so she runs the pageant but did not found it. Option C, Donald Trump, owned the rival Miss Universe Organization from 1996 to 2015, a different contest and a much later period. Option D, Catalina Swimwear, is the American swimwear brand connected with the beginning of Miss Universe in 1952, again the other pageant. Fix the pair in memory: Miss World 1951 with Eric Morley in Britain, Miss Universe 1952 with a swimwear company in California.

The correct answer is B, Ministry of Home Affairs, which administers the Jeevan Raksha Padak series along with the police, fire service, home guard and correctional service medals and the Kabir Puraskar. Option A is wrong because the Ministry of Defence deals with the gallantry Chakras and the distinguished service decorations of the armed forces, not with the civilian life-saving awards. Option C is wrong because the Ministry of Women and Child Development runs the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, under which bravery by children is now recognised, which makes it the most plausible wrong answer here. Option D is wrong because the Ministry of Culture handles cultural honours and institutions rather than awards for courage. Grouping the awards by ministry is the quickest way to answer a whole set of questions on this topic.

The correct answer is B, 1994. In 1994 Sushmita Sen won Miss Universe at Manila and Aishwarya Rai won Miss World at Sun City in South Africa, the first time India held both crowns in a single year. Option A, 1966, is the year of Reita Faria's Miss World win, India's first in any international pageant, but India had no Miss Universe title then. Option C, 2000, is the second such double year, when Lara Dutta won Miss Universe and Priyanka Chopra won Miss World, and Dia Mirza added Miss Asia Pacific; it is the strongest distractor because the question asks for the first time. Option D, 2017, is the year of Manushi Chhillar's Miss World win, which came alone. Remember the two double years as 1994 and 2000, and keep 1994 as the first of them.

The correct answer is B, Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. Born on 5 September 1888, Radhakrishnan was a philosopher and teacher who became the first Vice President and the second President of India, and the day is observed in his honour at his own suggestion that his birthday be marked as Teachers' Day. Option A, Dr Rajendra Prasad, was the first President of India and his birth anniversary, 3 December, is not a teachers' day. Option C, Dr Zakir Husain, was the third President and an educationist associated with Jamia Millia Islamia, which makes him a plausible wrong answer. Option D, Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, was the eleventh President and a teacher by inclination; his birthday, 15 October, is observed as World Students' Day, so candidates must not swap the two days.

The correct answer is A, Manushi Chhillar. Manushi Chhillar of Haryana won Miss World in 2017 at Sanya in China, bringing the title back to India after a gap of seventeen years since Priyanka Chopra's win in 2000. Option B, Harnaaz Sandhu, won Miss Universe in 2021 and belongs to the other pageant, which makes her the commonest wrong answer here. Option C, Nicole Faria, won Miss Earth in 2010 and was the first Indian to win that title, a third pageant of the Big Four; her surname also invites confusion with Reita Faria, who won Miss World in 1966 and is not related to her. Option D, Dia Mirza, won Miss Asia Pacific in 2000, in the same year as the Indian wins at Miss Universe and Miss World. Matching each name to its own pageant is the whole task in this question.

The correct answer is B, a United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Congo. Salaria, of the 3rd battalion of the 1st Gorkha Rifles, was serving with the United Nations force in the Congo in 1961 when he led a small party against a much larger armed group blocking a vital road near Elisabethville; he was killed in the action, and his is the only Param Vir Chakra awarded for a deed performed in a United Nations mission rather than in a war fought by India. Option A, the Sino-Indian war of 1962, produced three awards, to Dhan Singh Thapa, Joginder Singh and Shaitan Singh, and the nearness of the year makes it the strongest distractor. Option C, Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka in 1987, produced the award to Major Ramaswamy Parameswaran of 8 Mahar. Option D, the liberation of Goa in 1961, falls in the same year as the Congo action but produced no Param Vir Chakra.

The correct answer is B, Miss World. Beauty with a Purpose is the charitable arm and the motto of the Miss World organisation, introduced in the nineteen seventies, under which contestants present social projects in their own countries and the work counts in the judging. Option A, Miss Universe, has used several slogans over the years but not this one, and its identity is tied to its American origin in 1952 rather than to a charity programme. Option C, Miss Earth, founded in the Philippines in 2001, is the pageant built around environmental awareness, and its winners campaign on climate and conservation; the theme is close enough to make it a tempting answer. Option D, Miss International, held mainly in Japan since 1960, promotes goodwill and cultural exchange. Pairing each pageant with its own theme separates the four quickly.

The correct answer is B, 1984. Satyajit Ray, the Bengali director of Pather Panchali and the rest of the Apu trilogy, received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1984. Option A is wrong because 1974 is a decade too early, and the recipient of that year belongs to the earlier group of pioneers. Option C is wrong because 1992 is the year in which Bhupen Hazarika was honoured; 1992 is also the year Ray received the Bharat Ratna and an honorary Academy Award shortly before his death, which is precisely why this option is placed here. Option D is wrong because 1996 is the year of Sivaji Ganesan, the Tamil actor. Separating Ray's Phalke award of 1984 from his Bharat Ratna of 1992 is the whole point of this question.

The correct answer is B, Long Beach, California. The first Miss Universe contest was held at Long Beach in California in 1952, organised by an American swimwear company that wanted to promote its products, and Armi Kuusela of Finland was crowned the first Miss Universe. Option A, New York, is where the pageant's organisation was later based for many years, which is why it feels like the right answer, but the first contest was not held there. Option C, Miami, has hosted later editions of the pageant and is strongly associated with pageantry in the United States, again a later connection. Option D, Los Angeles, is in the same state as Long Beach and only a short distance away, which makes it the most difficult option to rule out; the contest was specifically at Long Beach. The year 1952 and the city Long Beach should be learnt together.

The correct answer is C, Miss Earth. Nicole Faria won Miss Earth in 2010 and was the first and so far the only Indian to take that crown. Miss Earth was founded in the Philippines in 2001 and is built around environmental awareness, so its winners spend the year campaigning on conservation and climate. Option A, Miss World, has been won by six Indians between 1966 and 2017, so no win in 2010 could have been a first. Option B, Miss Universe, had already been won by Sushmita Sen in 1994 and Lara Dutta in 2000, so 2010 is not a first there either. Option D, Miss International, is the fourth of the Big Four, held mainly in Japan since 1960, and India has not won it. The surname Faria is the deliberate trap, since Reita Faria won Miss World in 1966 and the two are unrelated.

The correct answer is B, Bangalore. The Miss World contest of 1996 was held at Bangalore, the first time the pageant came to India, and it is remembered as much for the protests and the court proceedings around it as for the contest itself; it became a standard example in debates on the commercialisation of beauty. Option A, Mumbai, hosted the pageant much later, in 2024, so it is the second Indian host city and the trap for candidates who remember only the more recent event. Option C, New Delhi, has hosted the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games but not Miss World. Option D, Hyderabad, hosted the only Afro-Asian Games in 2003 and many other international events, but not this pageant. Keep the pair in mind as Bangalore 1996 first and Mumbai 2024 second.

The correct answer is B, Priyanka Chopra won Miss World and Lara Dutta won Miss Universe. The year 2000 was the second time India held both crowns, with Priyanka Chopra crowned Miss World at London and Lara Dutta crowned Miss Universe at Nicosia in Cyprus; Dia Mirza also won Miss Asia Pacific the same year. Option A reverses the two names and is the exact trap the question is built on, so read the titles before the names. Option C is wrong because no contestant has won both titles, which are held in different countries by different organisations in the same year. Option D is wrong on the first half: Yukta Mookhey won Miss World in 1999, the year before, though the Lara Dutta half of the statement is correct. A half correct option is the most dangerous kind in a matching question.