States PCS: Punjab GK Questions for PPSC Examinations
For all Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) exams including PCS, Cooperative Inspector, Naib Tehsildar, and others.
1. Which Punjab district had the highest population in the 2011 Census?
[A] Amritsar
[B] Patiala
[C] Ludhiana
[D] Jalandhar
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Ludhiana]
Notes:
In the 2011 Census, Ludhiana ranked as Punjab’s most populous district with 3,487,882 residents. It is renowned as an industrial and textile hub, contributing significantly to Punjab’s economy, and surpasses Amritsar, Jalandhar, and Patiala in population size according to official census data.
2. Who wrote the Persian chronicle ‘Zafarnamah Ranjit Singh’?
[A] Ilahi Bakhsh
[B] Raja Ranjit Singh
[C] Diwan Amar Nath
[D] Bhagat Singh
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Correct Answer: C [Diwan Amar Nath]
Notes:
Diwan Amar Nath authored ‘Zafarnamah Ranjit Singh’ in Persian, detailing Ranjit Singh’s rule. The chronicle, in four parts, records military exploits and court life. First published 1928, translated into Punjabi in 1983. It is a valuable source on Sikh and Punjab history.
3. Who was the historical owner of the 17th-century copper urn known as the Ganga Sagar?
[A] Rai Kahla
[B] Maharaja Ranjit Singh
[C] Guru Gobind Singh
[D] Guru Nanak Dev
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Correct Answer: C [Guru Gobind Singh]
Notes:
The Ganga Sagar is a 17th-century copper urn owned by Guru Gobind Singh. He drank milk from it in Raikot, Punjab, in 1705. The urn was later gifted to Rai Kahla, the local Nawab, and has been preserved by his descendants.
4. Who authored the Persian chronicle “Umdat-ut-Tawarikh” as a historiographer of the Sikh Empire from Punjab?
[A] Sohan Lal Suri
[B] Raja Rammohan Roy
[C] Bhagat Singh
[D] Max Arthur Macauliffe
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Correct Answer: A [Sohan Lal Suri]
Notes:
Sohan Lal Suri, the court historian of the Sikh Empire, authored the Persian chronicle Umdat-ut-Tawarikh. His work, written around 1811-1851, is a vital source for Sikh history and is now preserved at the Royal Asiatic Society, London.
5. Who established the Kanhaiya Misl, one of the major Sikh Misls in Punjab?
[A] Jai Singh Sandhu
[B] Amar Singh
[C] Haqiqat Singh
[D] Mehtab Singh
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Correct Answer: A [Jai Singh Sandhu]
Notes:
Kanhaiya Misl was founded by Jai Singh Sandhu of Kanha village. It became one of the twelve prominent Sikh Misls in Punjab, active in major regional conflicts, and was later led by Sada Kaur, who allied with Ranjit Singh and contributed to the unification of Punjab.
6. Which Majha city is famed as the birthplace of Sikhism?
[A] Gurdaspur
[B] Tarn Taran
[C] Pathankot
[D] Amritsar
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Correct Answer: D [Amritsar]
Notes:
Amritsar, in Punjab’s Majha region, is deeply associated with Sikhism, housing Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple). Founded by Guru Ram Das in 1577, it is considered the spiritual center of Sikhism, with other Majha cities like Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur, and Pathankot nearby but not holding this distinction.
7. Who edited the Punjabi daily Nawan Zamana from 1963 to 2015?
[A] Baldev Raj Chopra
[B] Jagjit Singh Anand
[C] Amrita Pritam
[D] Giani Zail Singh
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Correct Answer: B [Jagjit Singh Anand]
Notes:
Jagjit Singh Anand (1921-2015) was a Punjabi communist leader and editor of Nawan Zamana (1963-2015). He was a Rajya Sabha MP, founder of Kendriya Punjabi Lekhak Sabha, received Soviet Land Nehru Award (1965) and Punjab Journalist of the Year (1971).
8. Which Punjabi poet won the 2013 Sahitya Akademi Award for ‘Nirvaan’?
[A] Amrita Pritam
[B] Surjit Patar
[C] Manmohan
[D] Gurdial Singh
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Correct Answer: C [Manmohan]
Notes:
Manmohan, a renowned Punjabi poet and linguist, received the 2013 Sahitya Akademi Award for his debut novel ‘Nirvaan,’ notable for exploring existential themes within Punjabi literature.
9. Who won the 2000 Sahitya Akademi Award for Punjabi book Chauthi Koot?
[A] Amrita Pritam
[B] Gurdial Singh
[C] Dalip Kaur Tiwana
[D] Waryam Singh Sandhu
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Correct Answer: D [Waryam Singh Sandhu]
Notes:
Waryam Singh Sandhu, born 1945, won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2000 for his Punjabi short story collection Chauthi Koot. Two stories were adapted into the film The Fourth Direction (2015). He returned his award in 2019 as protest. He retired as a lecturer from Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar.
10. Who won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1993 for ‘Hanere Vich Sulghdi Varnmala’?
[A] Amrita Pritam
[B] Shiv Kumar Batalvi
[C] Prof. Puran Singh
[D] Surjit Patar
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Surjit Patar]
Notes:
Surjit Patar, noted Punjabi poet from Jalandhar, won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1993 for ‘Hanere Vich Sulghdi Varnmala’. He was also awarded Padma Shri in 2012 and translated works of Lorca, Brecht and others. Served as President, Punjab Arts Council.
