Who was the first person not of Indian nationality to be awarded the Bharat Ratna?
- A.Nelson Mandela
- B.Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
- C.Mother Teresa
- D.Dalai Lama
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, honoured in 1987. Known as the Frontier Gandhi, he led the non-violent Khudai Khidmatgar movement in the North-West Frontier Province and remained a citizen of Pakistan after partition, which makes him the first recipient who was not an Indian national.
Option A, Nelson Mandela, received the award in 1990 and was the second foreign recipient, so the order of the two is the point being tested. Option C, Mother Teresa, is the usual trap: she was born in Europe but had taken Indian citizenship well before she was honoured in 1980, so she does not answer a question about nationality. Option D, the Dalai Lama, has received other honours but not this one. Read such a question carefully, because born abroad and not an Indian citizen are two different conditions.
Read the full article: Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards: Rules and Firsts
Practice Questions
View allThe Bharat Ratna and the Padma awards were instituted in which year?
- A.1950
- B.1952
- C.1954
- D.1955
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Both honours were instituted on 2 January 1954 by President Dr. Rajendra Prasad, and the first Bharat Ratna was conferred in the same year on C. Rajagopalachari, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and C. V. Raman.
Read the full explanation →Which civilian award of India ranks immediately below the Bharat Ratna?
- A.Padma Shri
- B.Padma Vibhushan
- C.Padma Bhushan
- D.Ashoka Chakra
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The order of precedence of the civilian honours runs Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, and the Padma Vibhushan is given for exceptional and distinguished service.
Read the full explanation →Who were the first recipients of the Bharat Ratna in 1954?
- A.Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel and Rajendra Prasad
- B.C. Rajagopalachari, S. Radhakrishnan and C. V. Raman
- C.B. R. Ambedkar, C. V. Raman and Zakir Husain
- D.Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi and C. Rajagopalachari
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All three were honoured in 1954, the first year of the award. Rajagopalachari was the last Governor-General of India, Radhakrishnan was a philosopher who later became President, and Raman was the physicist who discovered the effect that carries his name.
Read the full explanation →Who was the first person to be awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously?
- A.Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
- B.Lal Bahadur Shastri
- C.B. R. Ambedkar
- D.Subhas Chandra Bose
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Until then the honour had been given only to living persons.
Read the full explanation →Who was the first woman to receive the Bharat Ratna?
- A.Mother Teresa
- B.Sarojini Naidu
- C.Indira Gandhi
- D.M. S. Subbulakshmi
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She was Prime Minister at the time, and the award followed the events of that year.
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