GK Questions and Answers on First Prime Minister of India

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India and one of the most popular freedom fighters of our country. Born on 14th November 1889 in Allahabad, he had a lot of love for kids, which is the reason behind the celebration of his birthday as Children’s Day in our country every year! He ruled the country for almost 17 years and helped in building giant industries, modern universities, and science centres in India. Do you think you know it all about Chacha Nehru, his books, and the freedom movement? Are you sure you can pass this quiz by giving correct answers to all seven questions? In this article, we will do just that and more!

Who Was Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru?

Before you begin answering the questions, let us first learn a bit about the historical personality of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

Jawaharlal Nehru came from a very rich Kashmiri Pandit family. His father Motilal Nehru was a famous lawyer and also took part in the freedom struggle. Young Jawaharlal was sent to study at elite institutions such as Harrow and Cambridge University, and he prepared himself to become a lawyer like his father.

However, when he returned to India in 1912, he realised the pain which the common Indians were undergoing under the colonial rule of the British. He decided to give up his luxurious lifestyle and join Mahatma Gandhi in the quest of attaining freedom. Nine times Nehru was put in jail by the British government for protesting and remained in jail for more than 3,000 days!

Major Contributions as India's First Prime Minister

When India gained its independence on 15th August 1947, Nehru was sworn in as India's first Prime Minister. It was really difficult for Nehru at that time because India was poor and required roads, schools, and industries.

There were some significant contributions by him to India:

• Science and technology promotion: Nehru had strong faith in science as a tool to fight against poverty in India. He played an important role in the foundation of the first Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) and the space programme.
• Construction of large dams: He always regarded modern large dams such as the Bhakra Nangal Dam as 'temples of modern India' due to the fact that they supplied water for agriculture and power to homes.
• Writer: During his prison life under the Britishers, he penned down some very famous books like 'The Discovery of India' and 'Glimpses of World History' on plain paper and pen.
• Non-aligned movement (NAM): At the time of the Cold War among the major world powers, Nehru announced he would remain neutral for the sake of peace in the world.

GK Quiz On Jawaharlal Nehru

Now that you've refreshed your memory about Chacha Nehru, let’s see how many of these general knowledge questions you can answer correctly!

Q1. On which date do we celebrate Children's Day across India every year to mark the birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru?

a) October 2

b) November 14

c) December 25

Ans.: b) November 14

Explanation: Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was born on November 14, 1889, at Allahabad. Since Pandit Nehru had such a love for children that he was fondly referred to as "Chacha Nehru" by the children, his birthday is celebrated as Children's Day in India.

Q2. Which famous book did Jawaharlal Nehru write while he was imprisoned in Ahmednagar Fort jail between 1942 and 1945?

a) The Discovery of India

b) My Experiments with Truth

c) Anandamath

Ans.: a) The Discovery of India

Explanation: This book entitled “The Discovery of India” was written by Nehru when he was imprisoned by the British for taking part in the “Quit India Movement". The book is about Indian history, culture, and philosophy from ancient days until the British era.

Q3. What was the name of Jawaharlal Nehru's father, who was also a very famous lawyer and leader in the Indian National Congress?

a) Chittaranjan Das

b) Motilal Nehru

c) Lala Lajpat Rai

Ans.: b) Motilal Nehru

Explanation: He was the son of Motilal Nehru, a very successful lawyer of Allahabad who sacrificed his luxuries to become part of the freedom movement. He was also twice the President of the Indian National Congress.

Q4. Jawaharlal Nehru gave a world-famous speech on the midnight of August 14-15, 1947, when India became free. What is that historic speech called?

a) Tryst with Destiny

b) Give Me Liberty

c) Quit India Speech

Ans.: a) Tryst with Destiny

Explanation: As soon as India achieved its freedom at midnight, Nehru gave his famous speech which was called “Tryst with Destiny”. It was called one of the greatest speeches of the 20th century.

Q5. What is the name of the memorial site (samadhi) in New Delhi where Jawaharlal Nehru was cremated after his death in 1964?

a) Raj Ghat

b) Shantivan

c) Vijay Ghat

Ans.: b) Shantivan

Explanation: The death anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru falls on 27th May 1964. His memorial in New Delhi is named Shantivan which stands for 'the Forest of Peace'. It has a lot of lovely green trees around it.

Q6. Which famous historic session of the Indian National Congress in 1929 was presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru, where "Purna Swaraj" (Complete Independence) was declared as the main goal?

a) Lahore Session

b) Surat Session

c) Belgaum Session

Ans.: a) Lahore Session

Explanation: It was in December 1929 when the Congress party met in Lahore under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru, who was very young back then. It was in this meeting that they passed the resolution for Purna Swaraj or complete independence.

Q7. Who was Jawaharlal Nehru's only daughter, who later went on to become the very first woman Prime Minister of India?

a) Sarojini Naidu

b) Indira Gandhi

c) Vijayalakshmi Pandit

Ans.: b) Indira Gandhi

Explanation: Jawaharlal Nehru married Kamala Kaul in 1916, and their only child was named Indira Priyadarshini (later known as Indira Gandhi). Her early life was influenced by the politics of her father and she eventually became the Prime Minister of India.