First in India (Women) — Set 5

Correct Answer: A. Mary Kom

• **Mary Kom** = The first Indian woman to win a medal at the World Boxing Championships. • **2001** — She won a silver medal at the inaugural World Women's Boxing Championship in this year, marking her first world medal. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Sarita Devi: She is an acclaimed Indian boxer and World Champion (2006); Lekha K.C.: She is an Indian boxer who won a gold medal at the 2006 World Championships; Nikhat Zareen: She is a current world champion in boxing.

Correct Answer: A. Koneru Humpy

• **Koneru Humpy** = The first Indian woman to become a Grandmaster in Chess. • **2002** — She achieved the Grandmaster title in this year, becoming the youngest woman ever at that time to do so. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Harika Dronavalli: She is a prominent Indian chess Grandmaster, achieving the title in 2011; Tania Sachdev: She is an Indian chess player who holds the titles of International Master and Woman Grandmaster; Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi: She was the first Indian woman to achieve the title of Woman Grandmaster.

Correct Answer: B. Amrita Pritam

• **Amrita Pritam** = The first woman to win the Sahitya Akademi Award. • **1956** — She won the award in this year for her seminal work, a collection of poems titled 'Sunehade'. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Mahadevi Varma: She was a renowned Hindi poet and recipient of the Jnanpith Award (1982); Krishna Sobti: She was a celebrated Hindi fiction writer and Jnanpith Awardee (2017); Nirmal Verma: He was a distinguished Hindi writer and Sahitya Akademi Awardee (1985), but not a woman.

Correct Answer: D. None of these

• **None of these** = The Pritzker Architecture Prize has not been won by any Indian woman (or any Indian) to date. • **2004** — Zaha Hadid was the first woman globally to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize in this year. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Zaha Hadid: She was the first woman globally to win the Pritzker Prize, but was an Iraqi-British architect; Anupama Kundoo: She is an internationally recognized Indian architect; Sheila Sri Prakash: She is a prominent Indian architect and urban designer.

Correct Answer: C. Karnam Malleswari

• **Karnam Malleswari** = The first woman to win the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award. • **1994-95** — She was the first female recipient of India's highest sporting honor, then known as the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, in this period. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Saina Nehwal: She is a celebrated badminton player and Khel Ratna awardee (2010); Mary Kom: She is an acclaimed boxer and Khel Ratna awardee (2009); P. V. Sindhu: She is an Olympic medalist in badminton and Khel Ratna awardee (2016).

Correct Answer: A. Aditi Pant

• **Aditi Pant** = She was the first Indian woman to lead an expedition to Antarctica. • **1983** — She was part of the third Indian expedition to Antarctica in this year. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Aditi Pant: the correct answer; Sudipta Sengupta: a geologist who was the second Indian woman to visit Antarctica in 1983; Kanwal Vilku: not known for leading an Antarctica expedition; Meenakshi Wadhwa: a planetary scientist known for her work on meteorites, not Antarctica expeditions.

Correct Answer: B. Kartiki Gonsalves

• **Kartiki Gonsalves** = She directed 'The Elephant Whisperers' and won an Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject. • **2023** — Her film won the Oscar in this year, making it the first Indian production to win in this category. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Guneet Monga: she was the producer of 'The Elephant Whisperers' and shared the award; Mira Nair: a renowned Indian filmmaker known for 'Monsoon Wedding'; Aparna Sen: an acclaimed Indian filmmaker and actress.

Correct Answer: B. Shivangi

• **Shivangi** = She became the first woman pilot of the Indian Navy. • **2019** — She joined naval operations in Kochi to fly Dornier surveillance aircraft in this year. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Shubhangi Swaroop: among the first batch of women officers inducted into the Indian Navy's Naval Armament Inspection (NAI) branch, not a pilot; Avani Chaturvedi: one of the first three women fighter pilots of the Indian Air Force; Gunjan Saxena: one of the first Indian Air Force women pilots in combat, known for her service during the Kargil War.

Correct Answer: A. Tanvi Shah

• **Tanvi Shah** = She won the Grammy Award in 2010 for the song 'Jai Ho' from Slumdog Millionaire. • **2010** — She won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media in this year. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Anoushka Shankar: a renowned sitarist and composer, nominated multiple times for a Grammy but did not win first among Indian women; Neeti Mohan: a popular playback singer; Shreya Ghoshal: an acclaimed playback singer.

Correct Answer: C. Geeta Phogat

• **Geeta Phogat** = She was the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in wrestling. • **2010** — She won her gold medal at the Delhi Commonwealth Games in this year. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Babita Phogat: won silver and bronze medals at Commonwealth Games; Vinesh Phogat: won multiple gold medals at Commonwealth Games but after Geeta; Sakshi Malik: won a bronze medal at the Olympics and gold at Commonwealth Games but after Geeta.