Awards and Honours
Awards and Honours tests civilian, military, literary, sports and international awards. The exam usually asks for the highest award in a category, the recipient, or the field associated with an award.
Core rules
- Civilian: Bharat Ratna is the highest, followed by Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. Bharat Ratna is not restricted to Indian citizens.
- Gallantry: Param Vir Chakra is the highest wartime award; Ashoka Chakra is the highest peacetime gallantry award.
- Literature: Jnanpith Award for Indian literature; Sahitya Akademi Awards for languages.
- Cinema: Dadasaheb Phalke Award for lifetime contribution.
- Sports: Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna (highest), Arjuna Award (athletes), Dronacharya Award (coaches), Dhyan Chand Award (lifetime achievement).
- International: Nobel Prizes in six categories; Booker Prize for fiction; Oscar for films.
Worked example
Which is higher: Padma Vibhushan or Padma Shri? Padma Vibhushan. Reasoning: the order is Bharat Ratna, then Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, so a lower-name Padma award is not automatically higher.
Traps
- Confusing civilian and military honours.
- Mixing Jnanpith with Sahitya Akademi.
- Assuming Bharat Ratna is only for Indians.
- Confusing the Nobel Peace Prize with the Literature Prize.
- Mixing Khel Ratna with Dronacharya Award, which is for coaches.