How many Lalit Kala Akademi Awards were announced at the 65th National Exhibition of Art?

The correct answer is 6,175 artworks. These came from two thousand four hundred and ninety-five artists spread across twenty-seven States and Union Territories, which is why option A is a trap: that number counts the artists, not the works. Option C names the works the first-tier jury shortlisted for display at the exhibition, a much smaller set drawn from the total entries. Option D does not appear in the announcement at all. The chain of numbers is worth memorising in order: entries received, then works shortlisted for display, then works given awards. The wide participation across twenty-seven States and Union Territories is what the Akademi points to as proof of the exhibition's national character. The Akademi presents the show as a boost to the creative economy as well, since works on display are sold and artists earn from them directly.

The correct answer is 270. Selection for this exhibition happens in two stages. The first-tier jury went through the entries and shortlisted two hundred and seventy artworks for presentation at the show. A separate second-tier jury was then constituted to choose the award-winning works, and it picked twenty artworks by twenty artists. Options A, B and D are not figures given in the announcement. Remember that the shortlisted works cover painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing and mixed media, and that the artists used materials ranging from terracotta, ceramic and teak wood to white marble, oxidised copper, oil and acrylic on canvas, watercolour wash and etching, a spread the Akademi treats as a sign of continuing experiment in Indian visual art. The two-stage process is itself a fair question: first-tier jury for display, second-tier jury for the awards.

The correct answer is art. The Lalit Kala Akademi is the National Academy of Art and works under the Ministry of Culture, and it is this body that organises the National Exhibition of Art every year along with the Lalit Kala Akademi Awards. Option A describes the field of the national academy for the performing arts, which is a different institution. Option B points to the academy concerned with letters and literature. Option D refers to bodies dealing with crafts and handloom, which are separate again. For the examination, tie the Akademi to three things at once: the field of visual art, the annual National Exhibition of Art now in its sixty-fifth edition, and the twenty awards announced this year to twenty artists. The exhibition is held annually and is counted among the most prestigious shows of contemporary visual art in the country.

The correct answer is Ekta Nagar, Kevadia. The 72nd National Film Awards were conferred there, in Gujarat, and it was the first time the ceremony had been taken out of the national capital. The site was chosen for its association with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and with national unity, and the President said the choice suited a ceremony that celebrates the cultural and national unity of the country. The Governor of Gujarat, Acharya Devvrat, and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel both described hosting the event as a matter of pride for the state. New Delhi is wrong because this edition deliberately moved away from Delhi, where earlier ceremonies were held. Mumbai is wrong because, although it is the centre of the Hindi film industry, it did not host this ceremony. Gandhinagar is wrong because it is the capital of Gujarat, while the awards were given at Ekta Nagar in Kevadia.

The correct answer is Anant Nag. President Droupadi Murmu presented the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024 to the veteran Kannada actor at the 72nd National Film Awards at Ekta Nagar, Kevadia, in Gujarat. Accepting it, Anant Nag spoke of a childhood in an ashram, a move to Mumbai where the stage gave him his first role, and a run of nearly 50 plays before he turned to cinema. He later worked with the director Shyam Benegal, chose Kannada films and made Bengaluru his karmabhoomi, and he had received the Padma Bhushan from the same President a year earlier. Mammootty is wrong because he shared the Best Actor award for Bramayugam. Sanjay Mishra is wrong because he was named Best Supporting Actor for Bhakshak. Randeep Hooda is wrong because he was praised for his first film as a director, Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, and not for a lifetime honour.