80. Who among the following was the first Home Minister of independent India?
[SSC CGL Tier II (18 Jan 2025)]
A) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
B) Humayun Kabir
C) Abul Kalam Azad
D) Baldev Singh
Answer: A) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Explanation: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel served as independent India’s first Home Minister from 1947 until 1950, alongside his role as Deputy Prime Minister. Widely called the Iron Man of India, he played a leading role in integrating princely states.
79. Who was the first Muslim President of the Indian National Congress?
[70th BPSC Re-examination (4 Jan 2025)]
A) Hasrat Mohani
B) Badruddin Tyabji
C) Maulana Azad
D) More than one of the above
Answer: B) Badruddin Tyabji
Explanation: Badruddin Tyabji presided over the third Indian National Congress session, held in Madras in 1887. He was the organisation’s first Muslim president. W. C. Bonnerjee had presided over the inaugural Bombay session in 1885.
78. Who was the first Home Minister of India?
[Jammu and Kashmir Police Constable (1 Dec 2024)]
A) S. Radhakrishnan
B) Lal Bahadur Shastri
C) Rajendra Prasad
D) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Answer: D) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Explanation: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel served as independent India’s first Home Minister from 1947 until 1950, alongside his role as Deputy Prime Minister. Widely called the Iron Man of India, he played a leading role in integrating princely states. The alternatives in this paper refer to different people, records or offices and do not displace this historical first.
77. At which edition of the Asian Games did Neeraj Chopra become the first Indian to win javelin gold?
[SSC MTS (12 Nov 2024, Shift 3)]
A) Asian Games 2022
B) Asian Games 2014
C) Asian Games 2010
D) Asian Games 2018
Answer: D) Asian Games 2018
Explanation: Neeraj Chopra won the men’s javelin gold at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, becoming the first Indian to claim that event’s gold medal. The victory preceded his Olympic triumph at Tokyo 2020, held in 2021. The alternatives in this paper refer to different people, records or offices and do not displace this historical first.
76. Who was the first President of India who died while in office?
[WBPSC Miscellaneous (15 Sept 2024)]
A) V. V. Giri
B) Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
C) Zakir Husain
D) Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
Answer: C) Zakir Husain
Explanation: Zakir Husain, India’s third President, died in office on 3 May 1969. He was the first Indian President to die while serving. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed also died in office, but later, in February 1977.
75. Who was the first Indian to win the Nobel Prize in Physics?
[UP Police Constable Re-exam (31 Aug 2024, Shift 2)]
A) Homi Bhabha
B) C. V. Raman
C) S. Chandrasekhar
D) Satyendra Nath Bose
Answer: B) C. V. Raman
Explanation: C. V. Raman received the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics for discovering the Raman effect, the change in wavelength of light scattered by matter. He was the first Indian Nobel Physics laureate, whereas Tagore’s earlier Nobel was in Literature.
74. Who was the first Muslim President of the Indian National Congress?
[WBCS Mains History (18 Aug 2024)]
A) Badruddin Tyabji
B) M. A. Jinnah
C) Hakim Ajmal Khan
D) Abul Kalam Azad
Answer: A) Badruddin Tyabji
Explanation: Badruddin Tyabji presided over the third Indian National Congress session, held in Madras in 1887. He was the organisation’s first Muslim president. W. C. Bonnerjee had presided over the inaugural Bombay session in 1885. The alternatives in this paper refer to different people, records or offices and do not displace this historical first.
73. Who was the first Indian to win the Nobel Prize?
[Maharashtra Police Constable Jalgaon (7 Jul 2024)]
A) Rabindranath Tagore
B) Amartya Sen
C) Har Gobind Khorana
D) C. V. Raman
Answer: A) Rabindranath Tagore
Explanation: Rabindranath Tagore received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for his poetry, principally linked to Gitanjali. He was the first Indian Nobel laureate and the first non-European Literature laureate. The award was not for a discovery in physics.
72. By which sobriquet was Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first Home Minister, known?
[SSC CHSL Tier I (5 Jul 2024, Shift 4)]
A) Iron Man of India
B) Father of Indian Unrest
C) Grand Old Man of India
D) Morning Star of Indian Renaissance
Answer: A) Iron Man of India
Explanation: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel served as independent India’s first Home Minister from 1947 until 1950, alongside his role as Deputy Prime Minister. Widely called the Iron Man of India, he played a leading role in integrating princely states. The important distinction is the inaugural achievement, not later national fame or service in a related position.
71. Who was the first Deputy Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh?
[CGPSC Preliminary Exam (11 Feb 2024)]
A) Arun Sao
B) Mohan Markam
C) T. S. Singhdeo
D) Vijay Sharma
Answer: C) T. S. Singhdeo
Explanation: T. S. Singh Deo was appointed Chhattisgarh’s first Deputy Chief Minister in June 2023. The appointment preceded the state’s 2023 assembly election. The post is a political designation, distinct from the constitutionally specified office of Chief Minister.
