Awards – GK Questions

Answer: 15

The Bharat Ratna medal, shaped like a peepal leaf and made of toned bronze, weighs approximately 15 grams. It is 35 mm in length, 30 mm in width, and 3 mm in thickness, with a sunburst design on the obverse.

Answer: True

In 2021, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports revised the Arjuna Award criteria to include emerging sports categories such as esports, adventure sports, and para-sports, reflecting the evolving landscape of competitive activities.

Answer: None won for Homeland

While 'Homeland' won multiple Emmy Awards, no Indian-origin producer was among the primary recipients. Indian-origin professionals have won Emmys in other categories and for other productions.

Answer: Three men

The Nobel Peace Prize medal depicts three men forming a bond of brotherhood, with the inscription 'Pro pace et fraternitate gentium' (For the peace and brotherhood of men), symbolizing unity and harmony among nations.

Answer: True

Following the recognition of esports as a multi-sport event by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, coaches of esports disciplines are now eligible for the Dronacharya Award, provided they meet the established criteria.

Answer: 1997

Arundhati Roy's debut novel 'The God of Small Things' was published in 1997 and won the Booker Prize the same year, becoming an international bestseller and landmark work of postcolonial literature.

Answer: Vajra

The Param Vir Chakra medal features the national emblem of India in the center, surrounded by four replicas of the Vajra (Indra's thunderbolt), symbolizing irresistible force and spiritual power in Hindu mythology.

Answer: False

The Padma Awards are announced on January 25, the eve of Republic Day (January 26), not on Republic Day itself. The actual conferment ceremony is held later, usually in March or April at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Answer: None of the above

As of 2024, no Indian-American journalist has won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. While several Indian-origin professionals have been nominated or won in other categories, this specific category remains unclaimed by an Indian-American.

Answer: Manila

The Ramon Magsaysay Award ceremony is held annually in Manila, Philippines, typically on August 31, the birth anniversary of former President Ramon Magsaysay, after whom the award is named.

Answer: False

The Jnanpith Award is conferred for outstanding contribution to literature in a single Indian language. A writer is recognized for their body of work in one specific language among the 22 languages eligible for the award.

Answer: Peacetime gallantry

The Kirti Chakra is India's second-highest peacetime military decoration, awarded for valour, courageous action, or self-sacrifice away from the field of battle. It is the peacetime equivalent of the Maha Vir Chakra.

Answer: None yet

As of 2024, no Indian actor has won an Academy Award for acting. Ben Kingsley, who won Best Actor for 'Gandhi' (1982), is of Indian descent but is a British citizen. Indian professionals have won in technical categories.

Answer: False

Unlike Padma Awards, Bharat Ratna nominations are not open to public recommendation through an online portal. Recommendations are made through a more restricted process involving high-level government and institutional channels.

Answer: Venkatraman Ramakrishnan

Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, an Indian-born British-American structural biologist, shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome, the cellular machine that translates genetic information into proteins.

Answer: Olympic medal

The Arjuna Award selection committee is typically headed by a former Olympic medalist or a sportsperson of eminence, along with other experts, to ensure fair and knowledgeable evaluation of candidates.

Answer: True

The Ashoka Chakra is indeed India's highest peacetime military decoration, awarded for valour, courageous action, or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield. It is the peacetime equivalent of the Param Vir Chakra.

Answer: Geetanjali Shree

Geetanjali Shree won the International Booker Prize in 2022 for her novel 'Tomb of Sand' (originally 'Ret Samadhi' in Hindi), translated by Daisy Rockwell. She became the first Indian author to win this prize for a Hindi-language work.

Answer: circular

The Padma Shri medal is circular in shape, made of bronze, with a centrally located lotus flower embossed on the obverse and the words 'Padma Shri' inscribed in Devanagari script above the lotus.

Answer: False

The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences was established in 1968 by Sweden's central bank (Sveriges Riksbank) and is funded separately from Alfred Nobel's original endowment, though it is awarded alongside the other Nobel Prizes.