Firsts in India & World Questions with Solutions
This topic covers the first persons and events in India and the world: the first Indian to win a Nobel Prize, the first woman to hold major offices, the first to climb Everest or reach space, and India's first institutions, newspapers, railways and satellites. It also covers the largest, longest, highest and smallest records in India and the world. These are pure memory questions, so revise them as short lists by theme: first women, first in sports, first in science and space, and first in governance. Be careful with the exact wording, such as 'first Indian' versus 'first person of Indian origin', or 'first woman President' versus 'first woman Prime Minister', since options are often designed to exploit this. Practise the firsts in India and the world questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.
- Q1.
Who was the first Chief Justice of India?
A. H.J. KaniaB. B.K. MukherjeaC. M. Patanjali SastriD. Mehr Chand MahajaneasyAsked in SSC +1View solution › - Q2.
Who was the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal?
A. Mary KomB. P.T. UshaC. Karnam MalleswariD. Saina NehwaleasyAsked in SSC +1View solution › - Q3.
Who was the first woman of Indian origin to go to space?
A. Valentina TereshkovaB. Kalpana ChawlaC. Sirisha BandlaD. Sunita WilliamseasyAsked in SSC +1View solution › - Q4.
Who was the first Indian to win an Oscar (Academy Award)?
A. Bhanu AthaiyaB. Resul PookuttyC. Satyajit RayD. A.R. RahmaneasyAsked in SSCView solution › - Q5.
Which airport became the first airport in India (and the world) to be fully powered by solar energy?
A. Kempegowda International Airport, BengaluruB. Cochin International Airport, KeralaC. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, MumbaiD. Indira Gandhi International Airport, DelhieasyAsked in SSCView solution › - Q6.
Who was the first Indian to swim across the English Channel, in 1958?
A. Arati SahaB. Mihir SenC. Bula ChaudhuryD. Taranath ShenoyeasyAsked in SSCView solution › - Q7.
India's first artificial satellite, launched into space in 1975, was:
A. AryabhataB. APPLEC. RohiniD. BhaskaraeasyAsked in SSCView solution › - Q8.
Who is the first person from a tribal community to become the President of India?
A. Droupadi MurmuB. Ram Nath KovindC. Pratibha PatilD. K. R. NarayananeasyAsked in SSCView solution › - Q9.
Which was the first product in India to get a Geographical Indication (GI) tag?
A. Alphonso mangoB. Mysore silkC. Darjeeling teaD. Basmati riceeasyAsked in SSCView solution › - Q10.
Who was the first woman President of Sri Lanka?
A. Chandrika KumaratungaB. Sirimavo BandaranaikeC. Sheikh HasinaD. Benazir BhuttoeasyAsked in SSCView solution › - Q11.
The Bhadla Solar Park, rated as the world's largest photovoltaic solar park when it was completed, is in which state?
A. GujaratB. RajasthanC. KarnatakaD. Andhra PradesheasyAsked in SSCView solution › - Q12.
Who became the world's first female amputee to climb Mount Everest?
A. Malavath PurnaB. Bachendri PalC. Premlata AgarwalD. Arunima SinhaeasyAsked in SSCView solution › - Q13.
Who was the first Health Minister of independent India?
A. Sarojini NaiduB. Rajkumari Amrit KaurC. Vijaya Lakshmi PanditD. Sushila NayareasyAsked in SSCView solution › - Q14.
Who was India's first woman President?
A. Sucheta KripalaniB. Indira GandhiC. Pratibha PatilD. Sarojini NaidueasyAsked in SSC +1View solution › - Q15.
The first newspaper in India was published by:
A. James Augustus HickyB. Bal Gangadhar TilakC. James Silk BuckinghamD. Raja Ram Mohan RoyeasyAsked in SSCView solution › - Q16.
Who was the first woman Governor in independent India?
A. Vijaya Lakshmi PanditB. Sarojini NaiduC. Padmaja NaiduD. Sucheta KripalanieasyAsked in SSCView solution › - Q17.
The chief guest at India's first Republic Day celebrations (1950) was the President of:
A. NepalB. YugoslaviaC. IndonesiaD. EgypteasyAsked in SSCView solution › - Q18.
India's first human spaceflight programme is called:
A. MangalyaanB. GaganyaanC. ShukrayaanD. ChandrayaaneasyAsked in SSCView solution › - Q19.
Which is the first garden-tomb in the Indian subcontinent?
A. Safdarjung's TombB. Akbar's Tomb at SikandraC. Taj MahalD. Humayun's TombeasyAsked in SSCView solution › - Q20.
Who was the first Indian Army officer to be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal?
A. Arjan SinghB. K. M. CariappaC. K. S. ThimayyaD. Sam ManekshaweasyAsked in SSCView solution ›