Sports
Sports is one of the most reliable topics in the India General Knowledge section of the ADRE 3.0 Grade IV paper, because the questions are based on fixed facts and famous names. The examiner usually asks about the trophies associated with a particular game, the number of players in a team, the venue or the year of a major event, the awards given to sportspersons, and the Indian sportspersons who have won medals at the Olympic and the Asian Games. This page gathers the sports, the tournaments and trophies, the major international events and the famous Indian and Assamese sportspersons, so that the whole topic can be revised in one place.
Why Sports Is Important in the Syllabus
Sports tests general awareness of games, events and personalities. In the ADRE Grade IV General Knowledge paper, this topic appears both as static general knowledge, such as the number of players in a team, and as current affairs, such as the winners of a recent tournament. The questions are almost always one mark and one line. Because the facts are memorable and often repeated, this topic gives good returns for the time spent, and a candidate who keeps a clean list of trophies, tournaments and sportspersons can answer almost every question confidently.
Team Games and the Number of Players
Several questions in the examination are about the number of players in a team. A cricket team has eleven players, a football or hockey team has eleven players, a kabaddi team has seven players, a volleyball team has six players, a basketball team has five players, and a water polo team has seven players. Baseball and softball have nine players each. A hockey team has eleven players, including the goalkeeper. Knowing these numbers exactly is a quick way to earn marks, and questions sometimes combine this with the name of the playing field, such as the cricket pitch, the hockey field, the football ground and the volleyball court.
Important Tournaments and Trophies
The examination frequently asks which trophy belongs to which game. The Ranji Trophy, the Duleep Trophy, the Irani Cup, the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy are associated with cricket. The Santosh Trophy and the Durand Cup belong to football, and the Durand Cup is one of the oldest football tournaments in the world. In hockey, the Aga Khan Cup, the Beighton Cup and the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup are important. In badminton, the Thomas Cup is for men, the Uber Cup is for women and the Sudirman Cup is a mixed team event. In tennis, the Davis Cup is for men and the Federation Cup, now called the Billie Jean King Cup, is for women. The Ryder Cup and the Walker Cup are associated with golf, and the America's Cup belongs to yachting.
The Olympic Games and India's Achievements
The modern Olympic Games were first held in Athens in 1896 and are held once every four years. The five rings of the Olympic flag stand for the five continents, and the Olympic motto is Citius, Altius, Fortius, meaning faster, higher, stronger. India first took part in the Olympics in 1900, when Norman Pritchard won two silver medals. Major Dhyan Chand, called the wizard of hockey, won three Olympic gold medals in 1928, 1932 and 1936. India won its first individual Olympic gold in 2008, when Abhinav Bindra won the ten metre air rifle event at Beijing. Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal in the javelin throw at the Tokyo Games, and Lovlina Borgohain of Assam won a bronze medal in boxing at the same Games.
Famous Indian Sportspersons
A number of Indian sportspersons are asked frequently. Sachin Tendulkar is one of the greatest cricketers, and he was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2014. Kapil Dev captained India to the 1983 cricket World Cup, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni captained the team to the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 World Cup. Mary Kom is a famous boxer and a multiple-time world champion. P. V. Sindhu won a silver medal in badminton at the Rio Olympics and a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics. Milkha Singh was called the Flying Sikh, and P. T. Usha, called the Payyoli Express, is one of India's greatest track athletes. Viswanathan Anand is a world chess champion, and Dutee Chand is a famous sprinter.
Sportspersons of Assam and the North-East
Assam and the north-east have produced many famous sportspersons, and questions about them are common in the Assam competitive examinations. Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah was the first Assamese to win an Asian Games gold medal in athletics and Assam's first Arjuna Awardee. Hima Das, called the Dhing Express, won a gold medal in the 400 metre race at the World Under-20 Championships in 2018. Shiva Thapa is a well-known boxer of Assam, and Lovlina Borgohain won a bronze medal in boxing at the Tokyo Olympics. Dipa Karmakar of Tripura is famous for gymnastics, and Baichung Bhutia of Sikkim is a famous footballer. Remembering these names is especially useful because the examiners often combine sports with Assam's general knowledge.
Other Major Events and Terms
Besides the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games are held once every four years, and India hosted the Asian Games in New Delhi in 1951 and 1982 and the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010. The National Games of India are held within the country, and the Khelo India programme promotes young talent. Cricket has the World Cup in the fifty over format and the T20 World Cup in the twenty over format, and in 1983 and 2011 India won the fifty over World Cup. Terms such as a hat-trick, a googly, a duck, an LBW and a follow-on are associated with cricket, and this vocabulary is sometimes asked directly.
How This Topic Appears in the Examination
The topic is usually asked as one-mark objective questions. The common patterns are: which trophy is associated with which game, how many players are there in a team, who won a particular medal or tournament, in which year or city an event was held, and who among a list is associated with a sport. Because these facts are short, the topic can be revised quickly, and many questions repeat from previous year papers and mock tests. A candidate who has memorised the trophy list and the medal winners is unlikely to lose marks here.
Memory Tips
Group the trophies by game, so that all the football trophies can be revised together and all the hockey trophies together. Link every famous sportsperson with one sport: Dhyan Chand with hockey, Sachin Tendulkar with cricket, Milkha Singh with athletics and Anand with chess. Remember the first individual Olympic gold as Abhinav Bindra in 2008 and the javelin gold as Neeraj Chopra. Keep the north-eastern sportspersons in a separate short list, since they are asked often in Assam. A chart of games, trophies and players is the best revision aid for this topic.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Confusing the Ranji Trophy, which is for cricket, with the Santosh Trophy, which is for football.
- Mixing the Thomas Cup, for men's badminton, with the Uber Cup, for women's badminton.
- Forgetting that the first individual Olympic gold for India was won by Abhinav Bindra.
- Confusing the number of players in kabaddi, which is seven, with volleyball, which is six.
- Forgetting that the Durand Cup is a football tournament and the Aga Khan Cup a hockey tournament.
How to Prepare This Topic
- Prepare a table of games and the trophies associated with each.
- List the number of players and the playing field for the main team games.
- Learn the Indian medal winners at the Olympics, the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games.
- Note the famous sportspersons of Assam and the north-east with their sports.
- Read sports current affairs for the last year and attempt objective questions every week.
Additional Points to Remember
Hockey is popularly regarded as India's national game, although the Government of India has stated that no game has been formally notified as the national game. The Ranji Trophy is named after K. S. Ranjitsinhji, and it is the first-class cricket championship of India. The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis, and India has a long history in it. The Board of Control for Cricket in India governs cricket in the country, and the Indian Premier League is a popular T20 competition. The Olympic motto was recently expanded, and the Olympic rings remain the most recognised symbol of the Games.
Advanced Tips
When a question mentions a trophy, first decide which game it belongs to, because the trophy list is the most frequently tested part of this topic. When a question mentions a medal, remember the sport and the event, such as the javelin for Neeraj Chopra and boxing for Lovlina Borgohain. When a question mentions the north-east, think of Hima Das and Shiva Thapa for Assam. When a question mentions a tennis or badminton cup, remember whether it is for men, women or a mixed team. Keeping the games, the trophies and the players in three linked lists makes the topic easy to master.
Related Topics
Sports is closely related to the India General Knowledge topics of awards and honours, important days and dates, and the rivers, mountains and states of India. Sports awards such as the Khel Ratna, the Arjuna Award and the Dronacharya Award connect this topic directly with awards and honours. National Sports Day, observed on the birth anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand, connects it with important days. Sportspersons come from different states, which connects the topic with the states of India, and questions about Assamese sportspersons connect it with Assam's general knowledge. Studying these topics together gives a complete picture of sports in India.
Quick Revision Checklist
- A cricket team and a hockey team have eleven players and a kabaddi team has seven.
- The Ranji Trophy is for cricket and the Santosh Trophy is for football.
- The Thomas Cup is for men's badminton and the Uber Cup is for women's badminton.
- The Davis Cup is for men's tennis and the Durand Cup is a football tournament.
- Abhinav Bindra won India's first individual Olympic gold in 2008.
- Dhyan Chand is the hockey wizard, and Hima Das is the Dhing Express of Assam.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which trophy is associated with cricket in India?
The Ranji Trophy, the Duleep Trophy and the Irani Cup are associated with cricket in India.
Who was the first Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal?
Abhinav Bindra was the first Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal, in shooting at the Beijing Games in 2008.
Who is called the wizard of hockey?
Major Dhyan Chand is called the wizard of hockey, and he won three Olympic gold medals.
Which Assam sportsperson won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics?
Lovlina Borgohain of Assam won a bronze medal in boxing at the Tokyo Olympics.
For which sport is the Thomas Cup awarded?
The Thomas Cup is awarded in badminton and is the men's team championship.