Jnanpith & Akademi — Set 1

Correct Answer: C. 1961

• **1961** = The Jnanpith Award was established by the Bharatiya Jnanpith trust. • **1965** — The first Jnanpith Award was presented, several years after its institution. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [1954]: Sahitya Akademi was established in this year; [1965]: This was the year the first Jnanpith Award was presented, not instituted; [1969]: This year is not associated with the institution of the Jnanpith Award.

Correct Answer: D. G. Sankara Kurup

• **G. Sankara Kurup** = He was a Malayalam poet who received the inaugural Jnanpith Award. • **1965** — This was the year G. Sankara Kurup received the inaugural Jnanpith Award for 'Odakkuzhal'. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Sumitranandan Pant]: He was a later recipient for Hindi literature; [Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa]: He was a Kannada writer who received the award later; [Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay]: He was a Bengali writer and a later Jnanpith recipient.

Correct Answer: C. 24

• **24** = The Sahitya Akademi Award recognizes excellence in this number of major Indian languages. • **22** — This number represents the scheduled languages of India, which are part of the recognized languages for the award. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [18]: This number is incorrect for the total recognized languages; [22]: This number represents the scheduled languages, but English and Rajasthani are also included; [25]: This number is higher than the actual number of languages recognized by Sahitya Akademi for awards.

Correct Answer: D. Sumitranandan Pant

• **Sumitranandan Pant** = He was the first Hindi poet to receive the Jnanpith Award for his work 'Chidambara'. • **1968** — He received the Jnanpith Award in this year for his poetic masterpiece. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Ramdhari Singh Dinkar]: He was also a Hindi poet and Jnanpith recipient but not the first for 'Chidambara'; [S.H. Vatsyayan]: He was a celebrated Hindi writer but not the first Jnanpith awardee for 'Chidambara'; [Mahadevi Varma]: She was a prominent Hindi poet but received the Jnanpith Award later for 'Yama'.

Correct Answer: C. New Delhi

• **New Delhi** = The Sahitya Akademi headquarters, 'Rabindra Bhavan', is located in this city. • **1954** — The Sahitya Akademi was inaugurated by the Government of India in this year to promote literary activities. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Kolkata]: While a major cultural hub, it is not the headquarters of Sahitya Akademi; [Mumbai]: This city is not the location for Sahitya Akademi's headquarters; [Chennai]: This city does not house the main headquarters of Sahitya Akademi.

Correct Answer: C. Ashapoorna Devi

• **Ashapoorna Devi** = She was the first woman to win the Jnanpith Award. • **1976** — This was the year she received the Jnanpith Award for her literary contributions. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Mahasweta Devi]: She was a notable Bengali writer but not the first woman Jnanpith awardee; [Amrita Pritam]: She was a prominent Punjabi writer but not the first woman Jnanpith awardee; [Mahadevi Varma]: She was a celebrated Hindi poet but received the award later.

Correct Answer: D. Sahitya Akademi

• **Sahitya Akademi** = This organization instituted the special 'Bhasha Samman' award. • **1996** — The Bhasha Samman award was introduced in this year to widen the scope of literary recognition. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Bharatiya Jnanpith]: This trust institutes the Jnanpith Award, not Bhasha Samman; [Lalit Kala Akademi]: This academy focuses on fine arts; [Sangeet Natak Akademi]: This academy focuses on performing arts.

Correct Answer: C. Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa

• **Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa** = He was the eminent Kannada writer who won the Jnanpith Award for 'Sri Ramayana Darshanam'. • **1967** — He received the Jnanpith Award in this year, becoming the first Kannada writer to receive it. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [U.R. Ananthamurthy]: He was also a celebrated Kannada writer and Jnanpith awardee but not the first for 'Sri Ramayana Darshanam'; [Girish Karnad]: He was a renowned Kannada playwright and actor but not the recipient for this work; [Masti Venkatesha Iyengar]: He was a prominent Kannada writer and Jnanpith awardee but not for this specific work.

Correct Answer: D. Goddess Saraswati

• **Goddess Saraswati** = A bronze replica of this deity, also known as Vagdevi, is presented to Jnanpith Award recipients. • **Vagdevi** — This is another name for Goddess Saraswati, representing learning and arts, whose replica is given. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Goddess Lakshmi]: She is associated with wealth and prosperity, not directly with literary awards; [Lord Vishnu]: He is a preserver deity, not linked to the Jnanpith trophy; [Lord Ganesha]: He is revered as the remover of obstacles, but his replica is not given in this award.

Correct Answer: D. R.K. Narayan

• **R.K. Narayan** = He was the first recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award in the English language category. • **1960** — He won the Sahitya Akademi Award in this year for his novel 'The Guide'. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Anita Desai]: She is a prominent English writer but not the first Sahitya Akademi Award recipient in English; [Mulk Raj Anand]: He was a famous Indian English writer but not the first recipient; [Raja Rao]: He was an acclaimed Indian English novelist but not the inaugural awardee.