Top Awards & Honors for SSC & Railway Exams: Download Free PDF

If you are preparing for SSC (CGL, CHSL, MTS) or Railway (RRB NTPC, Group D) exams, you already know that the General Awareness section is a game-changer. It is vast, and many students feel completely lost. But let me tell you a big secret: the examiner does not want you to read everything! They have a few favorite topics, and “Awards & Honors” is right at the top of that list. You can comfortably expect 1 to 2 direct questions from this single topic in almost every shift. Many students make the mistake of reading big, boring books to memorize thousands of names. But the truth is, the exam board only asks about the highest awards, the “first” winners, or very famous recent winners. To make your preparation super easy, we have explained this topic in the simplest words and provided the top exam-level questions below.

What to Study in Awards & Honors? (Explained in Simple Words)

You do not need to memorize every single local award. For SSC and Railway exams, you only need to divide this huge topic into five very simple categories:

• Civilian Awards: This is the highest honor given by the Indian Government to normal citizens. Read about the Bharat Ratna (the absolute highest) and the Padma Awards (Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri). Just remember the first winners and the recent famous winners.
• Sports Awards: Exams love sports! Focus on the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna (highest sports award), Arjuna Award (for good players), and Dronacharya Award (only given to coaches or gurus).
• Cinema Awards: You only need to remember two main things here: the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (the biggest film award in India) and the Oscar Awards at the world level.
• Literature Awards: For writers and poets. The absolute highest is the Jnanpith Award, followed by the Saraswati Samman and the Vyas Samman.
• World Level Awards: The Nobel Prize is the king here. Memorize the names of Indians who have won it. Also, read a little about the Ramon Magsaysay Award.

If you just keep your focus strictly on these five areas, you will easily secure your marks without any extra burden!

Important Awards & Honors Questions for SSC & Railway

Now that you know the basics, let us test your preparation! Grab a pen and try to solve these top highly repeated exam-level questions below. Do not forget to download your free PDF for more practice.

Q1. Which is the highest civilian award in India?

(A) Padma Vibhushan
(B) Bharat Ratna
(C) Param Vir Chakra
(D) Padma Shri

Answer: (B) Bharat Ratna

Explanation: Bharat Ratna is the absolute highest civilian award in India, given for exceptional service to the nation. It was started in the year 1954.

Q2. Who was the first Indian to receive the Nobel Prize?

(A) C.V. Raman
(B) Mother Teresa
(C) Rabindranath Tagore
(D) Amartya Sen

Answer: (C) Rabindranath Tagore

Explanation: Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for his famous collection of poems called “Gitanjali”.

Q3. The ‘Dronacharya Award’ is given to which group of people?

(A) Best Sportsmen
(B) Scientists
(C) Sports Coaches
(D) Film Actors

Answer: (C) Sports Coaches

Explanation: Just like Guru Dronacharya in the Mahabharata, this award is exclusively given to the best sports coaches and trainers in India.

Q4. Which award is considered the highest honor in the field of Cinema in India?

(A) National Film Award
(B) Filmfare Award
(C) Dadasaheb Phalke Award
(D) IIFA Award

Answer: (C) Dadasaheb Phalke Award

Explanation: Named after the father of Indian cinema, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award is the highest official recognition for film personalities in India.

Q5. The ‘Jnanpith Award’ is given for outstanding contribution in which field?

(A) Science
(B) Literature
(C) Social Work
(D) Journalism

Answer: (B) Literature

Explanation: The Jnanpith Award is the oldest and highest Indian literary award, given to authors writing in Indian languages.

Q6. Which award is famously known as the “Nobel Prize of Asia”?

(A) Booker Prize
(B) Pulitzer Prize
(C) Kalinga Prize
(D) Ramon Magsaysay Award

Answer: (D) Ramon Magsaysay Award

Explanation: Given in the memory of the former Philippine President, this award is considered Asia’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize.

Q7. Who was the first woman to receive the Bharat Ratna?

(A) Mother Teresa
(B) Indira Gandhi
(C) Lata Mangeshkar
(D) Sarojini Naidu

Answer: (B) Indira Gandhi

Explanation: Indira Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India, was the very first woman to be honored with the Bharat Ratna in 1971.

Q8. The ‘Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award’ was earlier known by which name?

(A) Arjuna Award
(B) Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award
(C) Ekalavya Award
(D) Dhyan Chand Lifetime Award

Answer: (B) Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award

Explanation: It is the highest sporting honor in India. In 2021, the government renamed it to honor the legendary hockey player Major Dhyan Chand.

Q9. The ‘Saraswati Samman’ is given annually for outstanding prose or poetry in which language?

(A) Only Hindi
(B) Only Sanskrit
(C) Any recognized Indian language
(D) Only English

Answer: (C) Any recognized Indian language

Explanation: The Saraswati Samman is given for excellent literary work written in any of the 22 Indian languages listed in Schedule VIII of the Constitution.

Q10. The ‘Kalinga Prize’ is awarded globally by UNESCO for popularizing which field?

(A) Science
(B) Arts
(C) Peace
(D) Music

Answer: (A) Science

Explanation: The Kalinga Prize is a very prestigious international award given by UNESCO for excellent work in making science popular among normal people.

5 Simple Tips to Prepare Awards & Honors

You do not need to mug up everything blindly. Just play smart. Here are 5 easy and practical tricks to master this topic quickly:

• Focus on the “Firsts”: SSC and Railway boards are obsessed with history! Always remember who won the first Bharat Ratna, the first Nobel Prize, and the first Jnanpith Award. These are fixed static questions.
• Filter the Current Affairs: When Padma Awards are announced, over 100 people get them. Do not memorize 100 names! Only learn the names of famous sportsmen, popular politicians, or big actors who got the award.
• Make a 1-Page Chart: Write the name of the award on the left side, and the field (like Science, Sports, Books) on the right side. Stick it near your bed and look at it for just 2 minutes every night.
• Connect Names with Faces: If an actor wins an Oscar or a cricketer wins the Khel Ratna, search their photo on your phone. Visual memory helps your brain remember things 10 times faster.
• Give Daily Short Quizzes: Do not read GK like a boring newspaper. Take a simple 10-question mock test daily on your mobile phone. Seeing the wrong answer turns it into a permanent memory!

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FAQs: Awards & Honors Questions for SSC & Railway Exams

1. Is “Awards & Honors” a really important topic for exams?

Yes, absolutely! It is a core part of the Static GK section. You will definitely see 1 or 2 direct questions from this topic in the General Awareness section of almost every shift.

2. Should I memorize all the winners of the Padma Awards every year?

No, that is a big mistake. You only need to memorize the winners of the Padma Vibhushan (the highest among them), and any famous sports person or celebrity who received the Padma Shri or Padma Bhushan.

3. Do they ask about international awards too?

Yes. You should definitely know about the Nobel Prize winners (especially Indians), the Oscars (if an Indian movie wins), and the Ramon Magsaysay Award.

4. How is this topic different from Current Affairs?

“Who was the FIRST person to win Bharat Ratna?” is Static GK. “Who won the Bharat Ratna THIS YEAR?” is Current Affairs. The exam asks both, so you must prepare the old facts and the latest 1-year news.

5. Is there a negative marking for wrong GK answers?

Yes. In all SSC and Railway exams, there is a strict negative marking (usually 1/3rd or 1/4th) for every incorrect answer. If you have completely forgotten the winner’s name in the exam hall, do not guess blindly.