Who was the first woman Prime Minister of India?
- A.Pratibha Devisingh Patil
- B.Sarojini Naidu
- C.Indira Gandhi
- D.Sucheta Kripalani
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, Indira Gandhi, who became Prime Minister in 1966 and was also the first woman to receive the Bharat Ratna, in 1971. Both facts are set from this chapter.
Option A, Pratibha Devisingh Patil, was the first woman President of India, taking office in 2007, and the President and the Prime Minister are the pair most often swapped in this question. Option B, Sarojini Naidu, was the first woman Governor of an Indian state, of Uttar Pradesh, and the first Indian woman to preside over the Indian National Congress, at Kanpur in 1925. Option D, Sucheta Kripalani, was the first woman Chief Minister of an Indian state, also of Uttar Pradesh. All four women hold a first of some kind, which is exactly why the examiner groups them; attach each name to its own office.
Read the full article: First in India: Men and Women in Office, Science and Sport
Practice Questions
View allWho was the first President of independent India?
- A.Jawaharlal Nehru
- B.Dr. Rajendra Prasad
- C.Dr. S. Radhakrishnan
- D.Dr. Zakir Husain
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He had presided over the Constituent Assembly that framed the Constitution and became the first President when the Constitution came into force in 1950.
Read the full explanation →Who was the first Indian to be awarded a Nobel Prize?
- A.C. V. Raman
- B.Mother Teresa
- C.Rabindranath Tagore
- D.Amartya Sen
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He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913 for Gitanjali and was the first Asian of any nationality to win a Nobel Prize, which is a second fact worth carrying.
Read the full explanation →Who was the first Indian to travel into space?
- A.Rakesh Sharma
- B.Kalpana Chawla
- C.Ravish Malhotra
- D.Sunita Williams
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The Indian Air Force pilot flew aboard the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz T-11 in 1984 under a joint programme and spent about a week on the Salyut 7 space station, becoming the first Indian citizen in space.
Read the full explanation →Who was the first woman judge of the Supreme Court of India?
- A.Justice Leila Seth
- B.Justice M. Fathima Beevi
- C.Justice Ruma Pal
- D.Justice Sujata Manohar
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The correct answer is B, Justice M. Fathima Beevi, who was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1989, about four decades after the court began work, and later served as Governor of Tamil Nadu.
Read the full explanation →Who was the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest wartime gallantry award?
- A.Major Somnath Sharma
- B.Naik Jadunath Singh
- C.Captain Vikram Batra
- D.Company Quartermaster Havildar Abdul Hamid
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He was decorated after his death for the action at Badgam in which his company held back the advance on the Srinagar airfield in November 1947, and his is the first name on the roll of the Param Vir Chakra.
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