SSC CGL 2024 Tier-I · 9 September 2024, Shift 2 · General Awareness · Question 15 of 100

Text as printed on a candidate's response sheet for this shift; answer per SSC's tentative key as marked on that sheet. Solution last reviewed 5 September 2026.

Where this paper and its answers come from

SSC does not publish CGL question papers or a public answer key. The questions and options here are reproduced as printed on a candidate's own response sheet for this shift — the Commission's text, unchanged. Each answer is SSC's tentative key as marked on that sheet; SSC allowed challenges to it and never publishes a final key. The solutions are written by UnlockIAS.

At which Olympics did Gagan Narang win a bronze medal?

(a)Beijing 2008
(b)London 2012
(c)Athens 2004
(d)Rio 2016

Answer

Why

Correct — B. Gagan Narang won bronze in the men's 10 m air rifle at London 2012, and it was India's first medal of those Games.

It remained the only Olympic podium of his career.

Note the pairing SSC leans on: the same event gave Abhinav Bindra gold four years earlier at Beijing 2008. These items turn on which Games, not which event.

Why the others are wrong

(a)
Beijing 2008 — Narang competed at Beijing 2008 but did not reach the podium. India's air-rifle medal there was Abhinav Bindra's gold, the country's first individual Olympic gold in any sport.
(c)
Athens 2004 — India took exactly one medal at Athens 2004 — Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore's silver in men's double trap. No air-rifle medal was won there.
(d)
Rio 2016 — India won no shooting medal at Rio 2016. Its two medals that year were P.V. Sindhu's badminton silver and Sakshi Malik's wrestling bronze.

Concept

India's Olympic shooting record is short enough to memorise as a list, which is exactly why SSC sets it.

Athens 2004 — Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, silver, double trap.
Beijing 2008 — Abhinav Bindra, gold, 10 m air rifle.

London 2012 — Gagan Narang, bronze, 10 m air rifle.
London 2012 — Vijay Kumar, silver, 25 m rapid fire pistol.

Then a drought: no shooting medal at Rio 2016 or Tokyo 2020.

Paris 2024 — Manu Bhaker, two bronzes, and Swapnil Kusale, bronze.

Narang's bronze came early in the London programme, which is why it is remembered as India's first medal of those Games rather than for the score.

Key facts

Gagan Narang won bronze in the men's 10 m air rifle at London 2012, India's first medal of those Games.
Vijay Kumar won silver in the men's 25 m rapid fire pistol at the same London 2012 Games.
Abhinav Bindra's 10 m air rifle gold at Beijing 2008 is India's only individual Olympic gold in shooting.
India won no shooting medal at Rio 2016 or Tokyo 2020.

Study next

India's Olympic medal tally Games by Games, Athens 2004 to Paris 2024Indian medallists by shooting event — 10 m air rifle, 25 m rapid fire pistol, 50 m rifle 3 positionsKhel Ratna and Arjuna Award winners from shooting

Common traps

Swapping Narang and Bindra — same event, but Bindra's is the Beijing 2008 gold and Narang's the London 2012 bronze.
Assuming every Games brought India a shooting medal. Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 brought none.

SSC matches a medallist to the Games or to the event, and keeps returning to the same short list of Indian shooters. Learn each name with three tags: year, event, metal.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.