1. Who among the following was honoured with the 29th Saraswati Samman?
a. Vasdev Mohi
b. K Siva Reddy
c. Padma Sachdev
d. Mahabaleshwar Sail
S-a
EXPLANATION-
• Noted Sindhi writer Vasdev Mohi will be honoured with 29th Saraswati Samman. He has been selected for his short stories collection:- Chequebook, published in 2012.
• This short stories collection talks about the agonies and sufferings of marginalized sections of the society. He has authored 25 books of poetry, stories and translations. He has also received the Sahitya Akademi Award.
• Saraswati Samman a literary recognition given annually by the KK Birla Foundation.
• It carries a cash award of 15 lakh rupees, a citation and a plaque.
• The Saraswati Samman is an annual award for outstanding prose or poetry literary works in any of the 22 languages of India listed in Schedule VIII of the Constitution of India.
2. Who among the following was named as the ICC ODI cricket of the year?
a. Rohit Sharma
b. Virat Kohli
c. Jasprit Bumrah
d. Shikhar Dhawan
S-a
EXPLANATION-
• In the 16th edition of International Cricket Council (ICC) Awards, Rohit Sharma was named ODI cricket of the year.
• Rohit Sharma became ODI Cricketer of the Year for the first time. At the same time, Virat Kohli bagged Spirit of Cricket award.
• England’s World Cup winning allrounder Ben Stokes won the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers trophy for the Cricketer of the Year, While Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins became the best Test cricketer of the year, taking 59 wickets in 2019.
3. Who among the following received the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s Polly Umrigar Award?
a. Virat Kohli
b. Jasprit Bumrah
c. Mahendra Singh Dhoni
d. Rohit Sharma
S-b
EXPLANATION-
• Indian pacer Jasprit Jasbirsingh Bumrah has received the highest prize of Indian cricket – the prestigious Polly Umrigar Award for the best international cricketer (2018-19) in men’s category.
• The award carries a citation, trophy & cheque for Rs. 15 lakhs.
• Poonam Yadav clinched the top prize in women’s category and was awarded the best international cricketer.
4. Who is the first-ever hockey player to win the prestigious 'World Games Athlete of the Year' award?
a. Gurjit Kaur
b. Manpreet Singh
c. Rani Rampal
d. Hardik Singh
S-c
EXPLANATION-
• Rani Rampal, captain of Indian women’s hockey team, became the first hockey player in the world to win the prestigious ‘World Games Athlete of the Year’ Award.
• This award is given for outstanding performance, social concern, and good behavior. People across the world select the winner through voting.
• She is called the 'queen' of Indian hockey. She was the youngest player (15 years) of the Indian hockey team participating in the 2010 World Cup.
5. Who is the first Indian woman to become a professional footballer after being signed by Rangers FC?
a. Bala Devi
b. Aditi Chauhan
c. Maymol Rocky
d. Bembem Devi
S-a
EXPLANATION-
• Bala Devi is the first Indian woman to become a professional footballer after being signed by Rangers FC.
• Bala is the current top scorer for the Indian national women's team, netting an impressive 52 times in 58 games since 2010, which also makes her the top international goal scorer in the South Asian region.
• She has a prolific scoring record with over 100 goals in 120 games in domestic football. She has been the top scorer in the Indian Women's League for the past two seasons and has also been named as All India Football Federation (AIFF) Women's Player of the Year twice, in 2015 and 2016.
