20. Who was the first Indian woman to win the Booker Prize?
[RRB NTPC CBT-I, 12 Jan 2021, Shift 1]
A) Anita Desai
B) Amrita Pritam
C) Arundhati Roy
D) Sarojini Naidu
Answer: C) Arundhati Roy
Explanation: Arundhati Roy received the 1997 Booker Prize for her debut novel The God of Small Things. She became the first Indian woman to win the award, drawing international attention to Indian English-language fiction.
19. Who was the first woman cricketer to play 200 One Day International matches?
[RRB JE CBT-I, 1 Jun 2019, Shift 2]
A) Deepti Sharma
B) Jhulan Goswami
C) Charlotte Edwards
D) Mithali Raj
Answer: D) Mithali Raj
Explanation: Mithali Raj became the first woman cricketer to appear in 200 One Day Internationals in February 2019, during a match against New Zealand. The former Indian captain also became one of the most prolific run-scorers in women’s international cricket.
18. Who was India’s first woman Chief Election Commissioner?
[MPPSC General Studies 2019]
A) R. M. Nikam
B) Kiran Bedi
C) V. S. Ramadevi
D) G. D. Das
Answer: C) V. S. Ramadevi
Explanation: V. S. Ramadevi briefly served as India’s Chief Election Commissioner in 1990 and became the first woman to hold the post. She later served as Governor of Karnataka and had a career in public administration.
17. Who was the first Indian woman to become President of the Indian National Congress?
[WBCS Prelims 2019]
A) Annie Besant
B) Mirabehn
C) Sarojini Naidu
D) Sarala Devi Chaudhurani
Answer: C) Sarojini Naidu
Explanation: Sarojini Naidu presided over the Congress’s Kanpur session in 1925. The question specifically says first Indian woman; Annie Besant was first woman president overall, at Calcutta in 1917, but was British-born.
16. Who became the first woman President of India?
[RRB Group D, 31 Oct 2018, Shift 2]
A) Prerna Patil
B) Smita Patil
C) Indira Gandhi
D) Pratibha Patil
Answer: D) Pratibha Patil
Explanation: Pratibha Devisingh Patil became the first woman President of India in 2007 and served until 2012. Before the presidency, she had served as Governor of Rajasthan and had a long political career.
15. Who captained the Indian women’s cricket team in its first Test match era?
[RRB Group D, 22 Oct 2018, Shift 2]
A) Harmanpreet Kaur
B) Shantha Rangaswamy
C) Jhulan Goswami
D) Mithali Raj
Answer: B) Shantha Rangaswamy
Explanation: Shantha Rangaswamy became the first captain of the Indian women’s Test cricket team in 1976. She played an important role during the early years of the country’s international women’s cricket and later contributed to administration.
14. Who was India’s first Woman Grandmaster in chess?
[RRB Group D, 9 Oct 2018, Shift 3]
A) S. Vijayalakshmi
B) Padmini Rout
C) Koneru Humpy
D) Kruttika Nadig
Answer: A) S. Vijayalakshmi
Explanation: Chess player S. Vijayalakshmi earned the Woman Grandmaster title in 2001 and became the first Indian woman to do so. She earned multiple national titles and inspired a generation of Indian women chess players.
13. Who is popularly called India’s first female blade runner?
[RRB Group D, 9 Oct 2018, Shift 3]
A) Shalini Saraswathi
B) Kiran Kanojia
C) Sirichandana
D) Dipti Basker
Answer: B) Kiran Kanojia
Explanation: Kiran Kanojia became widely known as India’s first female blade runner. A para-athlete, she took up running with a prosthetic blade and became a visible example of participation in endurance sports after limb loss.
12. Which climber became the first woman to summit Everest twice in one season in 2017?
[RRB Group D, 4 Oct 2018, Shift 1]
A) Anshu Jamsenpa
B) Malavath Poorna
C) Arunima Sinha
D) Premlata Agrawal
Answer: A) Anshu Jamsenpa
Explanation: Anshu Jamsenpa achieved two Everest summits within a few days in May 2017. The mountaineer from Arunachal Pradesh became renowned for this record-setting double ascent and for having reached the summit multiple times.
11. Which woman lawyer became the first to be directly elevated from the Bar to the Supreme Court as a judge?
[RRB Group D, 17 Sep 2018, Shift 2]
A) Vrinda Grover
B) Menaka Guruswamy
C) Meenakshi Arora
D) Indu Malhotra
Answer: D) Indu Malhotra
Explanation: Indu Malhotra became the first woman advocate directly appointed as a judge of India’s Supreme Court in 2018. Her achievement differs from M. Fathima Beevi’s earlier distinction as the first woman Supreme Court judge.
