Sports and Games: UPSC Previous Year Questions (General Knowledge)
40 previous year UPSC Prelims questions on sports and games are on this page, from 1996 to 2009. UPSC asked about tennis tournaments and champions, cricket records, football tournaments and India’s Olympic record. The explanations give the result as it stood then, so some records have since changed.
Explanations state facts as of the year each question was asked; words like “recently” refer to that year.
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UPSC 2009General Knowledge · Sports and Games
Q1. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched?
Explanation
Pair (b) is incorrectly matched: Pamela Jelimo is a renowned Kenyan middle-distance runner, specializing in the 800 meters. At just 18, she made history by winning the Olympic gold medal in 2008, becoming the youngest Olympic champion in the 800 meters event.
Additional insight:
Barbora Spotakova: Czech javelin legend, 2x Olympic gold medalist (2008, 2012). (Neeraj Chopra: Indian javelin thrower, won India’s first Olympic track and field gold (Tokyo 2020).) Sanya Richards-Ross: American sprinter, Olympic gold medalist (2012), World Champion (2009). Yelena Isinbayeva: Russian pole vault legend, widely regarded as one of the greatest female pole vaulters.
UPSC 2009General Knowledge · Sports and Games
Q2. Who of the following is a football player?
Explanation
Nicolas Anelka is a retired French professional footballer who played as a forward for several top-tier clubs, including Arsenal, Real Madrid, and Chelsea.
UPSC 2009General Knowledge · Sports and Games
Q3. Among the following, which one is not a football club?
Explanation
Monte Carlo is the largest and most populous ward of the Principality of Monaco, a sovereign city-state located on the French Riviera. It is famous for its casinos, luxury hotels, and yacht-lined harbor, making it a popular destination for the wealthy and famous.
UPSC 2009General Knowledge · Sports and Games
Q4. Consider the following pairs: Persons Sport 1. Anand Pawar: Chess 2. Akhil Kumar: Boxing 3. Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia: Golf Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Explanation
Pair 1 is incorrectly matched: Anand Pawar is an Indian badminton player who has represented India in Thomas Cup, Sudirman Cup, and Asian Badminton Championships.
Pair 2 is correctly matched: Akhil Kumar is a renowned Indian boxer known for his "open guarded" style, winning multiple international and national awards, including the Arjuna Award in 2005.
Pair 3 is correctly matched: Shiv Shankar Prasad Chawrasia is an Indian professional golfer.
UPSC 2009General Knowledge · Sports and Games
Q5. When Leander Paes won the "mixed doubles" at the US Open in the year 2008, who of the following was his partner?
Explanation
In the 2008 US Open, Leander Paes won the Mixed Doubles Title partnering Cara Black from Zimbabwe. They defeated Liezel Huber (USA) and Jamie Murray (UK) with a score of 7-6(8-6), 6-4.
Additional insight:
In the 2016 French Open mixed doubles final, Leander Paes (India) and Martina Hingis (Switzerland) defeated Sania Mirza (India) and Ivan Dodig (Croatia) In the 2024 US Open men’s doubles final, Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson from Australia defeated Germany’s Kevin Krawietz and Tim Putz. In the 2024 US Open women’s doubles final, Lyudmyla Kichenok of Ukraine and Jeena Ostapenko of Latvia triumphed over France’s Kristina Mladenovic and China’s Zhang Shuai. In the 2024 US Open mixed doubles final, Italy’s Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori defeated Americans Taylor Townsend and Donald Young
UPSC 2008General Knowledge · Sports and Games
Q6. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the Indian football team’s performance in the Olympic Games?
Explanation
Option (d) is correct: India’s best performance in football at the Olympics came during the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. India became the first Asian country to reach the semi-finals in the Olympic Football Tournament. They beat Australia 4-2 in the quarter-finals but lost to Yugoslavia in the semi-finals.
Option (a), (b) and (c) are incorrect: India’s football team has participated in the Olympic Games, specifically in 1948, 1952, and 1956. They made appearances in the London, Helsinki, and Melbourne Olympics, respectively.
UPSC 2008General Knowledge · Sports and Games
Q7. Which one of the following countries won the Euro Football Tournament, 2004 held in Portugal?
Explanation
Greece won the Euro Football Tournament in 2004, which was held in Portugal. The UEFA European Football Championship (Euro) is a quadrennial tournament featuring 24 European men’s national teams, starting with a group stage and ending in a knockout phase to crown the champion. The tournament is typically held every four years. It is the second most-watched football tournament worldwide, after the FIFA World Cup.
Additional insight:
Germany hosted the 17th UEFA European Championship (Euro 2024) featuring 24 teams. Spain defeated England 2-1 to secure their record-breaking fourth European Championship title.
UPSC 2008General Knowledge · Sports and Games
Q8. Who among the following has been the Captain of the Indian team in Cricket Test Matches for the maximum number of times?
Explanation
Saurav Ganguly captained the Indian cricket team in Test matches for 49 times, which is the highest among the given options. Options (a), (b) and (d) are incorrect:
Sunil Gavaskar: Captained India in 47 Test matches.
Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi: Captained India in 40 Test matches. Mohammad Azharuddin: Captained India in 47 Test matches
Additional insight:
As of now, the cricketer who has captained the Indian cricket team in the most Test matches overall is Virat Kohli (68 Test matches from 2014 to 2022), surpassing previous captains. MS Dhoni captained India in 60 Test matches.
UPSC 2007General Knowledge · Sports and Games
Q9. Who among the following bowlers have taken more than 500 wickets in Test Cricket? 1. Wasim Akram 2. Richard Hadlee 3. Glen McGrath 4. Courtney Walsh Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Explanation
Glenn McGrath, with 563 wickets in 124 matches, was the leading fast-bowling wicket-taker. Wasim Akram (414 wickets in 104 Tests) and Richard Hadlee (431 wickets in 86 Tests) were among the greatest fast bowlers. Courtney Walsh became the first bowler to cross 500 wickets, finishing with 519 in 132 Tests.
UPSC 2007General Knowledge · Sports and Games
Q10. Parimarjan Negi has excelled in which one of the following games?
Explanation
Parimarjan Negi is a renowned Indian chess grandmaster. He became a Grandmaster (GM) in 2006 at the age of 13 years and 4 months, making him the youngest Indian to achieve the GM title at that time.
Answer key for these questions
Q
UPSC year
Correct answer
1
2009
(b) Pamela Jelimo: Weightlifting
2
2009
(d) Nicolas Anelka
3
2009
(d) Monte Carlo
4
2009
(b) 2 and 3 only
5
2009
(b) Cara Black
6
2008
(d) India entered the Semi Final
7
2008
(c) Greece
8
2008
(c) Saurav Ganguly
9
2007
(b) 3 and 4 only
10
2007
(c) Chess
What UPSC has tested in Sports and Games
Greece won the Euro Football Tournament held in Portugal in 2004.
Spain and the United States of America played the Davis Cup final in 2004.
When Leander Paes won mixed doubles at the 2008 US Open, his partner was Cara Black.
Hendrawan won the men’s singles title at the World Badminton Championships in 2001.
As of 2006, India’s last Olympic gold in hockey had been at Moscow in 1980.
Frequently asked questions
How many previous year UPSC questions are there on Sports and Games?
This page covers 40 previous year UPSC Prelims GS Paper-I questions on Sports and Games (General Knowledge), asked from 1996 to 2009. Each has the correct answer and an explanation.
Who won the Euro Football Tournament in 2004?
Greece, a surprise winner of the tournament, beat the hosts Portugal 1-0 in the final in Lisbon. It was Greece’s first major international football title, and the result was seen as one of football’s biggest upsets.
When did India last win an Olympic gold in hockey?
At Moscow in 1980, according to the question’s date of 2006. India later won its first individual Olympic gold when Abhinav Bindra won in shooting at Beijing in 2008, and hockey gold in 1980 remained the last for the team then.
Who partnered Leander Paes to win the 2008 US Open mixed doubles?
Cara Black of Zimbabwe. The pair beat Liezel Huber of the United States and Jamie Murray of Britain in the final to win the mixed doubles title at the 2008 US Open.
