UPSC CSE Prelims
Awards & Honours Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

Detailed Explanation:

Statement 1 — Correct. The four Grand Slam tournaments (Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon, and US Open) collaborate through a shared governance structure called the Grand Slam Board (GSB). It coordinates activities of mutual interest including:

• Maintaining the unified Grand Slam Rule Book
• Officiating standards
• Managing relationships with ATP, WTA, and ITF

Statement 2 — Incorrect. Entry is NOT open to all internationally ranked players above age 14. According to the Grand Slam Rule Book's "Open Competition" section, a player must have a ranking of 500 or better. Simply being internationally ranked and above 14 is insufficient.

Statement 3 — Incorrect. While each tournament draw has a fixed maximum number of wild card slots (e.g., 8 in a 128-player draw), the official Rule Book features a "No Limitation" clause — there is no restriction on how many wild cards a specific individual can be granted over time.

Key Tricks:

• Statement 2 traps: age criterion alone is not enough — ranking ≤ 500 is also required
• Statement 3 traps: confuses per-draw slot limit (fixed) with per-player lifetime limit (none)

Detailed Explanation:

✅ Statement I: Correct The inaugural Kho Kho World Cup was held in New Delhi, India, from January 13-19, 2025.

❌ Statement II: Incorrect India defeated Nepal 54-36 (not 78-40) to win the men’s final.

❌ Statement III: Incorrect India beat Nepal 78-40 (not 54-36) in the women’s final.

Additional Context: 24 countries participated, and the event was organized by the Kho Kho Federation of India with the International Kho Kho Federation.

Therefore, only Statement I is correct.

Detailed Explanation:

Statement I is Incorrect: The 45th Chess Olympiad (2024) is a team-based tournament played in a Swiss-system format, not an individual knockout competition with a "final" match. While India won the gold medal and Gukesh Dommaraju won individual gold on Board 1, he did not defeat Ian Nepomniachtchi in a final; Russian teams were suspended from the 2024 Olympiad by FIDE.

Statement II is Correct: Abhimanyu Mishra, an American chess player, became the world's youngest Grandmaster in June 2021 at the age of 12 years, 4 months, and 25 days, breaking the previous record held by Sergey Karjakin.

Detailed Explanation:

Statement I — Incorrect. The President of India is NOT a member of the Jury.

Statement II — Correct. The Prime Minister of India is the Chairperson of the Jury.

Statement III — Correct. The Chief Justice of India (or a Supreme Court judge nominated by CJI) is a Jury member.

Statement IV — Correct. The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha (or leader of the largest opposition party) is a Jury member.

So only PM, CJI, and Leader of Opposition are on the Jury — President is NOT.

Gandhi Peace Prize

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 2 — Only two

The question asks to identify correctly matched pairs of sports awards with their descriptions. Out of the four pairs given, only Pair 1 (Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award) and Pair 3 (Dronacharya Award) are correctly matched, making the correct answer 'Only two'.

✅ Pair 1 – Correct: Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award is indeed given for the most spectacular and outstanding performance by a sportsperson over a period of the last four years.

❌ Pair 2 – Incorrect: Arjuna Award is given for outstanding performance over the previous four years (not lifetime achievement); the Dhyan Chand Award is given for lifetime achievement in sports.

✅ Pair 3 – Correct: Dronacharya Award is correctly described as an award to honour eminent coaches who have successfully trained sportspersons or teams.

❌ Pair 4 – Incorrect: Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar is given to corporate entities, NGOs, and sports bodies for sports promotion and development (not to individual sportspersons after retirement).

📝 Short Notes: National Sports Awards of India

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 2 — Only two

The 44th Chess Olympiad 2022 was indeed India's first time hosting this prestigious event, held in Mamallapuram near Chennai. The official mascot was correctly named 'Thambi' (Tamil for younger brother). However, the trophies are reversed: the Open section receives the Hamilton-Russell Cup, while the Women's section receives the Vera Menchik Cup (named after the first Women's World Chess Champion).

✅ Statement 1 – Correct: The 44th Chess Olympiad 2022 was the first time India hosted this event, held in Mamallapuram/Chennai from July 28 to August 9, 2022.
✅ Statement 2 – Correct: The official mascot was named 'Thambi', a Tamil word meaning 'younger brother', representing Tamil Nadu's culture and hospitality.
❌ Statement 3 – Incorrect: The Open section trophy is the Hamilton-Russell Cup, not the Vera Menchik Cup.
❌ Statement 4 – Incorrect: The Women's section trophy is the Vera Menchik Cup, not the Hamilton-Russell Cup.

📝 Short Notes: Chess Olympiad Trophies

• 44th Chess Olympiad 2022: First held in India at Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu (July 28 – August 9, 2022)
• Record Participation: Nearly 190 teams in Open and over 160 teams in Women's section
• First-ever Torch Relay: The Olympic torch was carried across multiple Indian cities before the event
• Multiple Indian Teams: As host nation, India fielded multiple teams in both sections
• Winners 2022: Open section - Uzbekistan; Women's section - Ukraine

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 4 — Neither 1 nor 2

The finalists for the ICC World Test Championship (2019-2021) were determined based on the Percentage of Points (PCT) earned, not the absolute number of matches won. This system was adopted to ensure fairness given the varying number of matches played by different teams due to COVID-19 disruptions.

❌ Statement 1 – Incorrect: The finalists were decided by the Percentage of Points (PCT) earned from total points contested, not by the number of matches won.

❌ Statement 2 – Incorrect: New Zealand was ranked ahead of England due to a higher PCT (70.0% vs 64.1%), even though England won more matches (11) than New Zealand (7) during the tournament cycle.

📝 Short Notes: ICC World Test Championship

• Format: The ICC World Test Championship is a league competition for Test cricket, featuring the top nine Test-playing nations competing over a two-year cycle.
• Points System (2019-2021): Teams earned 120 points for a win, 60 for a draw, 40 for a tie, and 0 for a loss in each Test series.
• Percentage of Points (PCT): PCT = (Points Won / Points Contested) × 100. This metric was used for rankings to account for unequal matches played.
• COVID-19 Impact: The pandemic led to series cancellations and postponements, making PCT the fairest ranking criterion instead of absolute points or wins.
• Inaugural Final (2021): New Zealand defeated India at Southampton to become the first World Test Champions.
• Qualified Teams (2019-2021): India (PCT 72.2%) and New Zealand (PCT 70.0%) qualified for the final.

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 2 — 2 only

This question tests knowledge about the 32nd Summer Olympics held in Tokyo in 2021. Statement 1 is incorrect as the official motto was different, while Statement 2 correctly identifies the new sports added to the Games.

❌ Statement 1 – Incorrect: The official motto for the 32nd Summer Olympics (Tokyo 2020) was "United by Emotion", not "A New World". The motto "A New World" was used for the Rio Olympics 2016.

✅ Statement 2 – Correct: Under new IOC rules, Tokyo Olympics included six new sports: Baseball/Softball, Surfing, Skateboarding, Karate, and Sport Climbing, along with new mixed-team events in traditional sports.

📝 Short Notes: Tokyo 2020 Olympics (32nd Summer Olympics)

• Year & Location: Held in Tokyo, Japan in 2021 (postponed from 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic)
• Official Motto: "United by Emotion"
• New Sports Added: Sport Climbing, Surfing, Skateboarding, Karate, Baseball, and Softball (6 new sports)
• Innovation: First Olympics to allow host cities to propose additional sports under new IOC flexibility rules
• Other Additions: New mixed-team events in traditional sports like athletics, swimming, and judo; new forms of basketball (3x3) and cycling (BMX freestyle)
• Context: Rio 2016 Olympics used the motto "A New World" and was the 31st Summer Olympics

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 4 — 1, 2 and 3

The question asks to identify statements that are not correct. All three statements contain inaccuracies regarding Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards. Statement 1 incorrectly classifies these awards as titles under Article 18(1), Statement 2 incorrectly mentions a single suspension, and Statement 3 incorrectly states a maximum limit of five awards.

❌ Statement 1 – Incorrect: Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards are not titles under Article 18(1) of the Constitution; they are civilian honors that do not confer any legal privileges or status, as clarified by judicial interpretation.

❌ Statement 2 – Incorrect: Padma Awards were suspended not once but four times—in 1978, 1979, 1993, and 1997—due to various controversies and government decisions.

❌ Statement 3 – Incorrect: The general guideline restricts Bharat Ratna to a maximum of three recipients per year, not five; this limit was exceeded in 1999 (four awards) and 2024 (five awards).

📝 Short Notes: Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 3 — 1 and 3 only

The Laureus World Sports Awards, instituted in 2000, have honored exceptional athletes across various sports. Statement 2 is incorrect because tennis players, not Formula One drivers, have dominated the awards.

✅ Statement 1 – Correct: Tiger Woods won the inaugural Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award in 2000 at Monte Carlo, becoming the first-ever recipient of this prestigious honor.

❌ Statement 2 – Incorrect: Tennis players have won the Sportsman of the Year award 11 times (Roger Federer-5, Rafael Nadal-2, Novak Djokovic-4), while Formula One drivers won only 4 times (Michael Schumacher-2, Sebastian Vettel-1, Lewis Hamilton-1), making tennis the dominant sport, not Formula One.

✅ Statement 3 – Correct: Roger Federer holds the record with five Laureus World Sportsman of the Year awards (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2018), making him the most decorated individual in this category.

📝 Short Notes: Laureus World Sports Awards

• Inception: Established in 2000 by Daimler and Richemont to honor sporting excellence worldwide
• First Ceremony: Held in Monte Carlo, Monaco in 2000
• Main Categories: Sportsman of the Year, Sportswoman of the Year, Team of the Year, Breakthrough of the Year, Comeback of the Year, Sporting Moment of the Year
• Record Holders: Roger Federer (5 Sportsman awards), Serena Williams (5 Sportswoman awards)
• Voting: Winners selected by the Laureus World Sports Academy comprising over 70 legendary athletes
• Indian Winners: Sachin Tendulkar (2011 for Indian cricket team's World Cup win), Vishwanathan Anand (nominated multiple times)

Detailed Explanation:

Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development 2014 was awarded to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

The award recognized ISRO's Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) success and contributions to peaceful uses of outer space and international cooperation. The prize included a Rs. 1 Crore cash award, trophy, and citation.