Current Affairs chapter practice
Practise 80+ Books, Personalities and Obituaries in News MCQs for UPSC Prelims in Current Affairs, including 1+ previous year questions. The sample set below is shown with correct answers and explanations.
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A recent movie titled 'The Man Who Knew Infinity' is based on the biography of:
Explanation
Correct. The film The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015) is based on the biography of mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan and his collaboration with G. H. Hardy at Cambridge.
Which Indian personality's birth anniversary (October 31) is observed as 'Rashtriya Ekta Diwas' (National Unity Day)?
Explanation
Correct. October 31 is the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Rashtriya Ekta Diwas has been observed since 2014 to honour his role in unifying India's princely states.
M. S. Swaminathan, who passed away in September 2023, is often called the 'Father of the Green Revolution in India'. Which crop was central to the Green Revolution?
Explanation
Correct. The Green Revolution in India primarily focused on high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice, transforming India from a food-deficit nation to self-sufficient in foodgrain production.
Who among the following was the author of the book 'India Wins Freedom'?
Explanation
Correct. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad authored 'India Wins Freedom', published posthumously in 1959, recounting events leading to India's independence and partition.
Consider the following pairs: Book — Subject matter 1. The Second Sex — Feminist philosophy 2. The Prince — Political realism 3. A Theory of Justice — Social contract and distributive justice Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Explanation
Correct. 'The Second Sex' by Simone de Beauvoir (1949) is a feminist philosophy classic, 'The Prince' by Machiavelli (1532) is about political realism, and 'A Theory of Justice' by John Rawls (1971) presents a social contract theory of distributive justice.
Consider the following statements about Hilary Mantel, who passed away in 2022: 1. She was a British author. 2. She won the Booker Prize twice for her novels on Thomas Cromwell. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
Correct. Hilary Mantel was a British author who won the Booker Prize for 'Wolf Hall' (2009) and 'Bring Up the Bodies' (2012), both novels about Thomas Cromwell in Tudor England.
The book 'Midnight's Children' by Salman Rushdie is set against the backdrop of which historical event?
Explanation
Correct. 'Midnight's Children' (1981) uses the conceit of children born at the exact moment of India's independence (midnight, 15 August 1947) to narrate the nation's post-independence history.
Consider the following pairs: Book — Theme 1. Arthashastra — Statecraft and governance 2. Natyashastra — Performing arts 3. Charaka Samhita — Astronomy Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Explanation
Correct. Arthashastra deals with statecraft and Natyashastra with performing arts. Charaka Samhita deals with medicine (Ayurveda), not astronomy.
The book 'The White Tiger', which won the Man Booker Prize in 2008, was written by:
Explanation
Correct. Aravind Adiga won the 2008 Man Booker Prize for 'The White Tiger', a novel about class struggle in modern India told through the story of a village boy's rise.
The book 'Glimpses of World History' contains letters written by Jawaharlal Nehru to his daughter from prison. How many letters does it approximately contain?
Explanation
Correct. 'Glimpses of World History' (1934) comprises about 196 letters written by Nehru to his daughter Indira from various prisons between 1930 and 1933.
Consider the following pairs: Person — Country 1. Aung San Suu Kyi — Myanmar 2. Malala Yousafzai — Pakistan 3. Wangari Maathai — Kenya All three are Nobel Peace Prize laureates. Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Explanation
Correct. Aung San Suu Kyi (Myanmar, 1991 Nobel), Malala Yousafzai (Pakistan, 2014 Nobel), and Wangari Maathai (Kenya, 2004 Nobel) are all correctly matched with their countries.
Lata Mangeshkar, who passed away in February 2022, was the recipient of which of the following awards? 1. Bharat Ratna 2. Padma Bhushan 3. Dadasaheb Phalke Award Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Explanation
Correct. Lata Mangeshkar received the Padma Bhushan (1969), the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1989), and the Bharat Ratna (2001) among numerous other honours.
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