On the basis of year of starting what will be the correct order from start to latest of following Awards ? 1. Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2. Dhyanchand Award 3. Arjuna Award 4. Dronacharya Award Codes :
- (a)1, 2, 3, 4
- (b)4, 3, 2, 1
- (c)3, 4, 1, 2
- (d)3, 2, 1, 4
Correct — C, '3, 4, 1, 2'. Ordered by the year each award was instituted: Arjuna Award (3) in 1961 → Dronacharya Award (4) in 1985 → Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (1) in 1991–92 → Dhyan Chand Award (2) in 2002. So the oldest of the four is the Arjuna Award and the newest is the Dhyan Chand (lifetime-achievement) Award. (The paper prints 'Dhyanchand'; the honour is the Dhyan Chand Award — and note the Khel Ratna itself was renamed the 'Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award' in 2021.)
- (a)1, 2, 3, 4 — Puts the Khel Ratna (1991) first and the Arjuna Award (1961) third — the reverse of the real timeline; the Arjuna Award is actually the oldest of the four.
- (b)4, 3, 2, 1 — Starts with Dronacharya (1985) and ends with the Khel Ratna (1991); it also places the Dhyan Chand Award (2002) before the Khel Ratna, so the sequence is jumbled.
- (d)3, 2, 1, 4 — Correctly begins with the Arjuna Award, but then puts the Dhyan Chand Award (2002) second and Dronacharya (1985) last — Dronacharya was instituted decades before the Dhyan Chand Award.
India's national sports honours were created at different times for different purposes. The Arjuna Award (1961) rewards consistent outstanding performance; the Dronacharya Award (1985) honours coaches; the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (1991–92) is the highest sporting honour for the single most outstanding performance; and the Dhyan Chand Award (2002) is a lifetime-achievement award. Knowing the founding years lets you sequence them.
The trap is assuming the 'highest' award — the Khel Ratna — must be the oldest. In fact it is one of the newer ones (1991), while the everyday Arjuna Award goes back to 1961. Anchor just two dates — Arjuna 1961 and Khel Ratna 1991 — and the order falls out.
- Arjuna Award — instituted 1961 (outstanding performance over years)
- Dronacharya Award — instituted 1985 (for coaches)
- Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award — instituted 1991–92 (highest sporting honour)
- Dhyan Chand Award — instituted 2002 (lifetime achievement); the Khel Ratna was renamed 'Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award' in 2021
- 1961 — Arjuna Award (outstanding performance)
- 1985 — Dronacharya Award (for coaches)
- 1991–92 — Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (highest sporting honour)
- 2002 — Dhyan Chand Award (lifetime achievement)
Oldest to newest: Arjuna (1961) → Dronacharya (1985) → Khel Ratna (1991–92) → Dhyan Chand (2002), i.e. the sequence 3, 4, 1, 2.
- Thinking the Khel Ratna, being the highest, is the oldest — it is one of the newest
- Confusing the Dhyan Chand Award (lifetime achievement, 2002) with the Dhyan Chand-renamed Khel Ratna (2021)
MPPSC and UPSC pose these as 'arrange by year', 'match award to purpose', or 'who won award X in year Y' — lock the founding year and purpose of each award.
Consider the following pairs with regard to sports awards : 1. Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award : For the most spectacular and outstanding performance by a sportsperson over period of last four years 2. Arjuna Award : For the lifetime achievement by a sportsperson 3. Dronacharya Award : To honour eminent coaches who have successfully trained sportspersons or teams 4. Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar : To recognize the contribution made by sportspersons even after their retirement. How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
- (a) Only one
- (b) Only two
- (c) Only three
- (d) All four
Answer(b) Only two — pairs 1 and 3 are correct (Khel Ratna for a 4-year outstanding performance; Dronacharya for coaches); the Arjuna Award is not a lifetime-achievement honour.
Same concept — the national sports awards (Khel Ratna, Arjuna, Dronacharya) and what each one is for, the very set of honours being sequenced here.
Which player was awarded the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award – 2022?
- (a) Manika Batra
- (b) Kamlesh Mehta
- (c) Sathiyan Gnanasekaran
- (d) Sharath Kamal
Answer(d) Sharath Kamal
Same award family — the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, one of the four honours being ordered here; MPPSC tests it as a recent-awardee question.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which of these national sports awards was instituted earliest?
- (a)Arjuna Award
- (b)Dronacharya Award
- (c)Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award
- (d)Dhyan Chand Award
Answer(a) Arjuna Award — instituted in 1961, the oldest of the four.
- practice — not a real PYQ
In 2021 the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award was renamed after which sportsperson?
- (a)Major Dhyan Chand
- (b)Milkha Singh
- (c)Dhanraj Pillay
- (d)K. D. Jadhav
Answer(a) Major Dhyan Chand — it became the 'Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award'.