General Awareness: Famous Indian Personalities Quiz

1. The correct answer is 1. Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, this lady was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her humanitarian work. To which Indian city did she dedicate over forty years of her life tending to the needs of the poor, sick, orphaned and dying?

a) Kolkata
b) Darjeeling
c) Hyderabad
d) Chennai

The correct answer is a) Kolkata

2. The Financial Times named this business tycoon, born in Rajasthan, the 2006 Person of the Year. Who is this Indian businessman?

a) Lakshmi Mittal
b) Vijay Mallya
c) Arun Sarin
d) Mukesh Ambani

The correct answer is a) Lakshmi Mittal

3. This Grandmaster was the first Indian to win the FIDE World Chess Championship in 2000. He is ranked no.1 in the April 2007 FIDE rankings. Who is this chess player?

a) Viswanathan Anand
b) P. Harikrishna
c) Krishnan Sasikiran
d) Srinath Rao

The correct answer is a) Viswanathan Anand

4. Author of "The Argumentative Indian", this Indian Economist is noted for his work in welfare economics. Who is he?

a) Amartya Sen
b) Arindam Chaudhuri
c) Manmohan Singh
d) Jagdish Bhagwati

The correct answer is a) Amartya Sen

5. Acclaimed film maker Satyajit Ray's debut film "Pather Panchali" released in 1955 and was a great success. Which of these films did he NOT make?

a) Apur Sansar
b) Charulata
c) Mahanagar
d) Bawarchi

The correct answer is d) Bawarchi

6. Homi J. Bhabha was an Indian nuclear physicist, considered to be the father of India's nuclear weapons program. With the help of J.R.D. Tata, he established the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. How did he die?

a) Heart attack
b) Cancer
c) Natural death
d) Air crash

The correct answer is d) Air crash

7. Indian novelist, Anita Desai has been short-listed for the Booker Prize three times. Which of these works was NOT short-listed?

a) Fire on The mountain
b) In Custody
c) Clear Light of Day
d) Fasting, Feasting

The correct answer is a) Fire on The mountain

8. Ravi Shankar is a well-known Indian instrumentalist in the world. He is recognized for bringing the Indian classical music tradition to the West. This was done through his association with which of the following people?

a) George Harrison
b) John Lennon
c) Oprah Winfrey
d) Michael Jackson

The correct answer is a) George Harrison

9. Srinivasa Ramanujan was an Indian mathematician, considered to be one of the greatest mathematicians of all times. G.H. Hardy discovered him. In which year did he die?

a) 1920
b) 1924
c) 1887
d) 1901

The correct answer is a) 1920

10. Shahrukh Khan is a noted Indian actor. He is an actor, producer and a television host. Which of these production companies did he set up?

a) Balaji Telefilms
b) White Feather Films
c) Dreamz Unlimited
d) Percept Pictures

The correct answer is c) Dreamz Unlimited