30. Which of these 2005 UPSC awardee pairings were correct:
(1) Champa Devi Shukla–Goldman Environmental Prize,
(2) P. Sri Ramachandrudu–Vachaspati Puraskar,
(3) Ela Bhatt–Lal Bahadur Shastri Award,
(4) Upamanyu Chatterjee–Lalit Kala Ratna?
[UPSC CSE Prelims — 2005]
(A) 3 and 4 only
(B) 1, 2 and 3
(C) 1 and 2 only
(D) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer: (B) 1, 2 and 3
Explanation: The first three combinations relate to environment activism, Sanskrit scholarship and public service respectively. Upamanyu Chatterjee is a novelist and was not the Lalit Kala Ratna recipient, so that fourth matching is incorrect.
29. As of the 2005 CGPSC examination, who had NOT yet received Bharat Ratna?
[CGPSC Prelims — 2005]
(A) Atal Bihari Vajpayee
(B) Lata Mangeshkar
(C) A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
(D) Satyajit Ray
Answer: (A) Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Explanation: Atal Bihari Vajpayee received the Bharat Ratna only in 2015; at the time of this 2005 examination he had not received it. The date makes the historical answer different from a present-day general-knowledge question.
28. Who among J. R. D. Tata, Acharya Narendra Dev, Satyajit Ray and C. Subramaniam had NOT received Bharat Ratna?
[Uttarakhand PCS Prelims — 2005]
(A) Acharya Narendra Dev
(B) Satyajit Ray
(C) C. Subramaniam
(D) J. R. D. Tata
Answer: (A) Acharya Narendra Dev
Explanation: J. R. D. Tata and Satyajit Ray received Bharat Ratna in 1992, and C. Subramaniam received it in 1998. Socialist thinker Acharya Narendra Dev was not a Bharat Ratna recipient.
27. Shirin Ebadi, recipient of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize, is from which country?
[UPSC CSE Prelims — 2004]
(A) Libya
(B) Nigeria
(C) Iran
(D) Iraq
Answer: (C) Iran
Explanation: Iranian lawyer Shirin Ebadi received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 for work defending democracy and human rights, especially the rights of women and children. She was the first Iranian and the first Muslim woman to receive the award.
26. Kalidas Samman is awarded for distinguished contribution to which field?
[MPPSC Special Prelims — 2004]
(A) Games
(B) Peace
(C) Medicine
(D) Art
Answer: (D) Art
Explanation: Kalidas Samman is instituted by the Madhya Pradesh government to recognise excellence in classical music, dance, theatre and visual arts. It celebrates the cultural heritage associated with Sanskrit poet Kalidasa rather than sports or medicine.
25. Which musician among the choices received Bharat Ratna?
[MPPSC Special Prelims — 2004]
(A) Amjad Ali Khan
(B) Verghese Kurien
(C) Sarvepalli Gopal
(D) Ravi Shankar
Answer: (D) Ravi Shankar
Explanation: Sitar exponent Pandit Ravi Shankar received Bharat Ratna in 1999. His contribution to popularising Indian classical music across the world distinguished him from the other prominent personalities in the question.
24. Which Urdu poet was a recipient of the Jnanpith Award?
[MPPSC Prelims — 2004]
(A) Bhagwat Rawat
(B) Gyan Ranjan
(C) Firaq Gorakhpuri
(D) Makhanlal Chaturvedi
Answer: (C) Firaq Gorakhpuri
Explanation: Firaq Gorakhpuri won the Jnanpith Award in 1969 for his contributions to Urdu poetry, particularly his collection Gul-e-Naghma. The Jnanpith honours literary achievement across recognised Indian languages.
23. For which work did Ramon Magsaysay laureate Sandeep Pandey receive recognition?
[UPSC CSE Prelims — 2003]
(A) Environmental protection
(B) Education and livelihood projects for Dalits
(C) Promotion of communal harmony
(D) Prevention of child marriage
Answer: (B) Education and livelihood projects for Dalits
Explanation: Sandeep Pandey co-founded the education organisation Asha for Education and worked with disadvantaged rural communities, including Dalits, to expand educational opportunity. He received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2002 for emergent leadership.
22. Who received the national award for excellence in public administration and management sciences from the President of India in 2002?
[UPSC CSE Prelims — 2003]
(A) N. R. Narayana Murthy
(B) Rahul Bajaj
(C) Kumar Mangalam Birla
(D) Ratan Tata
Answer: (A) N. R. Narayana Murthy
Explanation: Infosys co-founder N. R. Narayana Murthy was recognised for managerial excellence and contributions to Indian information technology. The award highlighted achievements in management and public administration rather than a Nobel or Padma designation.
21. What was the cash component of the Arjuna Award according to the 2003 examination?
[CGPSC Prelims — 2003]
(A) ₹3 lakh
(B) ₹75,000
(C) ₹5 lakh
(D) ₹1.5 lakh
Answer: (A) ₹3 lakh
Explanation: The 2003 examination tested the award’s cash component at that historical time. Sports-award cash prizes have since changed, so the answer should be read as a previous-year historical figure, not the current cash entitlement.
