190. Who won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for James?
[UPPSC PCS Prelims — 2025]
(A) Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
(B) Percival Everett
(C) Jason Roberts
(D) Susie Ibarra
Answer: (B) Percival Everett
Explanation: Percival Everett received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for James, his reimagining of Huckleberry Finn from Jim’s perspective. The Pulitzer Prizes are administered by Columbia University and recognise journalism, literature, drama and music.
189. Which literary award was linked to the honour given to lyricist and poet Gulzar in 2025?
[RRB NTPC Undergraduate CBT-I — 2025]
(A) Padma Bhushan
(B) Padma Shri
(C) Padma Vibhushan
(D) Jnanpith Award
Answer: (D) Jnanpith Award
Explanation: Gulzar received recognition through the 58th Jnanpith Award, shared with Sanskrit scholar Rambhadracharya. The Jnanpith honours outstanding literary achievement across eligible Indian languages. Gulzar is also well known for screenwriting, song lyrics and poetry.
188. The Jnanpith honour presented to Jagadguru Rambhadracharya in May 2025 was which numbered award?
[RRB NTPC Undergraduate CBT-I — 2025]
(A) 52nd
(B) 48th
(C) 58th
(D) 62nd
Answer: (C) 58th
Explanation: Jagadguru Rambhadracharya, a Sanskrit scholar and spiritual teacher, was one of the recipients of the 58th Jnanpith Award. The number refers to the award edition, not the calendar year when the investiture ceremony was held.
187. Who received the 2025 Football Writers’ Association Men’s Footballer of the Year award?
[RRB NTPC Undergraduate CBT-I — 2025]
(A) Mohamed Salah
(B) Erling Haaland
(C) Bukayo Saka
(D) Harry Kane
Answer: (A) Mohamed Salah
Explanation: Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian forward playing for Liverpool, was selected by football writers for his outstanding performances in the 2024–25 English season. This award is distinct from both the Premier League Golden Boot and the Ballon d’Or.
186. Who received the Freedom to Publish honour at the 2025 British Book Awards?
[RRB NTPC Undergraduate CBT-I — 2025]
(A) Hilary Mantel
(B) J. K. Rowling
(C) Salman Rushdie
(D) Margaret Atwood
Answer: (D) Margaret Atwood
Explanation: Canadian author Margaret Atwood received recognition for championing freedom of expression and publication. She wrote The Handmaid’s Tale, a novel frequently discussed in debates on censorship, political power and women’s rights.
185. Which biochemist won the 1958 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for research on the structure of insulin?
[RRB NTPC Undergraduate CBT-I — 2025]
(A) Frederick Sanger
(B) Eduard Buchner
(C) Carl Neuberg
(D) Rosalind Franklin
Answer: (A) Frederick Sanger
Explanation: Frederick Sanger established the amino-acid sequence of insulin, revealing how proteins possess a definite sequence. He subsequently won a second Chemistry Nobel in 1980 for DNA sequencing techniques, making him a rare two-time laureate.
184. The 1908 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine recognised Paul Ehrlich for work in which area?
[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I — 2025]
(A) Discovery of penicillin
(B) Sulpha-drug antibacterial effects
(C) Textile dye manufacture
(D) Immunology
Answer: (D) Immunology
Explanation: Paul Ehrlich shared the 1908 medicine prize with Ilya Mechnikov for studies of immunity. Ehrlich’s side-chain theory helped explain antibody activity. His later work on Salvarsan is associated with the beginnings of targeted chemotherapy.
183. In which year did Paul Ehrlich receive the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine?
[RRB NTPC Undergraduate CBT-I — 2025]
(A) 1905
(B) 1901
(C) 1908
(D) 1913
Answer: (C) 1908
Explanation: Paul Ehrlich shared the 1908 Nobel Prize with Ilya Mechnikov for research on immunity. Ehrlich later developed Salvarsan, an early treatment for syphilis. The examination year is 2025, while the Nobel award date being tested is 1908.
182. Which Padma Shri 2025 recipient trained women in the traditional Bengali dhak percussion art?
[SSC CGL Tier-I — 2025]
(A) Sheen Kaaf Nizam
(B) Gokul Chandra Das
(C) Farooq Ahmad Mir
(D) Shyam Bihari Agrawal
Answer: (B) Gokul Chandra Das
Explanation: Gokul Chandra Das is a dhak artist associated with Bengali folk percussion. His work opened opportunities for women in an occupation long dominated by men. His Padma Shri recognition was recorded in the art category.
181. Which of the following Padma awardee and field pairs is correct?
[SSC CGL Tier-I — 2025]
(A) Dinesh Saini — Environment
(B) Gokul Chandra Das — Folk Music
(C) Geeta Devi — Agriculture
(D) Farooq Ahmad Mir — Literature
Answer: (B) Gokul Chandra Das — Folk Music
Explanation: Gokul Chandra Das received the Padma Shri for contributions to folk percussion and training women as dhak players. The other pairings mix up the recipient’s actual work or field, making this a matching question rather than mere name recall.
