Which country recently conferred its highest civilian honor 'Amir Amanullah Khan Award' to Prime Minister Narendra Modi?

The correct answer is D, Mamta Kalia. The Vyas Samman for 2017 went to the Hindi writer Mamta Kalia for her novel 'Dukham Sukham'. The Vyas Samman is given every year by the K.K. Birla Foundation for an outstanding Hindi work published in the previous ten years, and it carries a citation and a cash prize. The same foundation gives two other literary awards: the Saraswati Samman, open to a work in any language listed in the Eighth Schedule, and the Bihari Puraskar for writing from Rajasthan. Mamta Kalia is known for her Hindi stories and novels and has headed the Mahadevi Verma Srijan Peeth in Allahabad. Option A is wrong because Namita Gokhale writes in English and co-founded the Jaipur Literature Festival. Option B is wrong because Meena Kandasamy is an English-language poet and translator. Option C is wrong because Jhumpa Lahiri writes in English and won the Pulitzer Prize for 'Interpreter of Maladies'. Exam tip: Vyas Samman is for Hindi alone, while Saraswati Samman covers all Eighth Schedule languages.

The correct answer is C, M.S. Subbulakshmi. Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi, the Carnatic vocalist, received the Bharat Ratna in 1998 and was the first singer and the first musician of any kind to be given the award. She was also the first Indian musician to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award, in 1974, and she sang at the United Nations General Assembly in 1966. Her rendering of the Venkateswara Suprabhatam and of Vaishnava Jana To is still heard every morning in temples and homes. The Bharat Ratna, instituted in 1954, is India's highest civilian honour and is given for exceptional service in any field. Option A is wrong because Zakir Hussain is a tabla player who was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan, not the Bharat Ratna. Option B is wrong because A.R. Rahman, a composer, holds the Padma Bhushan. Option D is wrong because R.D. Burman, a music director, never received the Bharat Ratna. Exam tip: M.S. Subbulakshmi in 1998 was the first musician, and Lata Mangeshkar in 2001 the second singer to receive it.

The correct answer is B, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The National Film Awards are conferred by the Government of India through the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which appoints the juries for feature films, non feature films and writing on cinema and announces the results each year.

Option A, the Ministry of Culture, administers the Sangeet Natak Akademi, the Sahitya Akademi and the Lalit Kala Akademi, whose awards cover music, dance, drama, literature and the fine arts rather than cinema. Option C, the Ministry of Education, is concerned with schools, higher education and literacy programmes. Option D, the Ministry of Tourism, promotes travel and hospitality and confers its own awards on states and operators, none of which relate to films. An option naming a private film association or an industry federation is wrong for the same reason, because these are state honours.

The correct answer is A, Devika Rani. Devika Rani received the first Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1969. She worked at Bombay Talkies and is often described as the first lady of Indian cinema, and the fact that the first award went to an actress is exactly what examiners like to test.

Option B, Prithviraj Kapoor, was a towering figure of the early stage and screen and did receive the honour, but in a later year and posthumously. Option C, Sohrab Modi, the maker of historical films, also received the award later in its history. Option D, Nargis Dutt, is associated with the award for a film on national integration that carries her name, which is a different honour altogether and is placed here as a distractor.

The correct answer is B, Raja Harishchandra. Dhundiraj Govind Phalke made Raja Harishchandra in 1913, and it is recognised as the first full length Indian feature film. Its success established film making as an Indian enterprise and earned Phalke the title of father of Indian cinema.

Option A, Alam Ara, released in 1931 and directed by Ardeshir Irani, was the first Indian sound film, or talkie, so it marks a different milestone. Option C, Shyamchi Aai, the Marathi film directed by P. K. Atre, won the first Best Feature Film award at the National Film Awards for 1953. Option D, Kisan Kanya, made in 1937, was the first Indian film shot in colour processed in India, again a separate landmark that is often mixed with the others.