Gallantry Awards — Set 1

Correct Answer: A. Param Vir Chakra

• **Param Vir Chakra** = India's highest wartime gallantry award, bestowed for the most conspicuous bravery in the presence of the enemy. • **Victoria Cross** — This British award was replaced by the Param Vir Chakra after India became a republic. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Maha Vir Chakra]: It is the second-highest wartime gallantry award; [Vir Chakra]: It is the third-highest wartime gallantry award; [Ashoka Chakra]: It is the highest peacetime gallantry award.

Correct Answer: C. Ashoka Chakra

• **Ashoka Chakra** = India's highest peacetime gallantry award, recognizing valor or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield. • **Param Vir Chakra** — The Ashoka Chakra is considered the peacetime equivalent of this highest wartime gallantry award. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Shaurya Chakra]: It is the third-highest peacetime gallantry award; [Kirti Chakra]: It is the second-highest peacetime gallantry award; [Sena Medal]: This medal is awarded for acts of exceptional devotion to duty or courage by Indian Army personnel.

Correct Answer: C. Maha Vir Chakra

• **Maha Vir Chakra** = India's second-highest wartime gallantry award, given for conspicuous acts of bravery in the presence of the enemy. • **'MVC'** — Recipients of this medal are entitled to use this abbreviation as a post-nominal title. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Vir Chakra]: It is the third-highest wartime gallantry award; [Kirti Chakra]: It is the second-highest peacetime gallantry award; [Shaurya Chakra]: It is the third-highest peacetime gallantry award.

Correct Answer: D. Maha Vir Chakra

• **Kirti Chakra** = This peacetime gallantry award is equivalent to the Maha Vir Chakra, recognizing conspicuous bravery not in the face of the enemy. • **Maha Vir Chakra** — The Kirti Chakra holds the same rank in peacetime as this award does during wartime. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Param Vir Chakra]: Ashoka Chakra is its peacetime equivalent; [Sena Medal]: This is an Army-specific award for devotion to duty or courage, not a direct equivalent to a higher wartime award; [Vir Chakra]: Shaurya Chakra is its peacetime equivalent.

Correct Answer: A. Major Somnath Sharma

• **Major Somnath Sharma** = He was the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, awarded posthumously for his bravery in the 1947 Indo-Pak war. • **1947** — Major Somnath Sharma received the Param Vir Chakra posthumously for his actions during the conflict of this year. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Captain Vikram Batra]: He was also a PVC recipient but not the first; [Major Shaitan Singh]: He was a PVC recipient for his actions in the 1962 Sino-Indian War; [Major Piru Singh]: He was a PVC recipient for his actions in the 1948 Indo-Pak War.

Correct Answer: A. Ashoka Chakra

• **Ashoka Chakra** = This is one of the peacetime gallantry awards that can be awarded to both military personnel and civilians for valor away from the battlefield. • **Three** — The Ashoka Chakra, Kirti Chakra, and Shaurya Chakra are the three peacetime gallantry awards that are open to civilians. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Param Vir Chakra]: This is a wartime gallantry award, exclusively for military personnel; [Maha Vir Chakra]: This is a wartime gallantry award, exclusively for military personnel; [Vir Chakra]: This is a wartime gallantry award, exclusively for military personnel.

Correct Answer: C. Plain Purple

• **Plain Purple** = The ribbon of the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest wartime gallantry award, is of this distinctive color. • **Bronze** — The medal itself is made of this metal and features four replicas of Indra's Vajra. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Dark Blue]: This is not the color of the Param Vir Chakra ribbon; [Saffron]: This color is not used for the Param Vir Chakra ribbon; [Green]: This color is not used for the Param Vir Chakra ribbon.

Correct Answer: D. Vir Chakra

• **Vir Chakra** = This is India's third-highest wartime gallantry decoration, awarded for acts of gallantry in the presence of the enemy across all services. • **Maha Vir Chakra** — The Vir Chakra follows this award in the order of precedence for wartime gallantry awards. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Shaurya Chakra]: This is the third-highest peacetime gallantry award; [Maha Vir Chakra]: This is the second-highest wartime gallantry award; [Kirti Chakra]: This is the second-highest peacetime gallantry award.

Correct Answer: A. 1950

• **1950** = The first three wartime gallantry awards – Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra, and Vir Chakra – were formally instituted by the Government of India in this year. • **January 26, 1950** — This is the date when the Indian government officially instituted the first three wartime gallantry awards. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [1947]: The awards were deemed effective from August 15, 1947, but formally instituted in 1950; [1954]: The Ashoka Chakra series of peacetime awards were instituted in this year; [1962]: This year saw the Sino-Indian War, but was not the institution year for these awards.

Correct Answer: C. Vir Chakra

• **Shaurya Chakra** = This peacetime gallantry award is equivalent to the Vir Chakra, recognizing valor or self-sacrifice not in direct combat with the enemy. • **Vir Chakra** — The Shaurya Chakra holds the same rank in peacetime as this award does during wartime. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Param Vir Chakra]: Ashoka Chakra is its peacetime equivalent; [Maha Vir Chakra]: Kirti Chakra is its peacetime equivalent; [Sena Medal]: This is an Army-specific award, not a direct equivalent to a higher wartime award.