Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Gymnastics
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
Dipa Karmakar created history for India by qualifying for the Rio Olympic Games in a sport where the country had almost no Olympic level presence before. This question checks whether you can identify that sport, an important milestone widely covered in the news and in exam oriented current affairs notes. It also highlights the growth of women participation in non traditional sports in India.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The central concept is recognising Dipa Karmakar as a trailblazing gymnast. She became the first Indian female gymnast to qualify for the Olympic Games, and her performances in the vault event drew global attention. Archery, boxing and badminton already had established Indian women competitors at earlier Olympics, so the phrase "first Indian woman to have qualified" for Rio in a specific sport clearly signals a less traditional discipline, which in this case is gymnastics.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that Dipa Karmakar is best known for her performances on the gymnastics vault, particularly the very difficult Produnova vault.Step 2: Remember that she made history by qualifying for the Rio 2016 Olympics, becoming the first Indian woman gymnast to do so.Step 3: Examine the options: Archery, Boxing, Badminton and Gymnastics.Step 4: Note that India already had women participants in archery, boxing and badminton in earlier Olympics, so these cannot fit the "first to qualify" description for Rio in that sense.Step 5: Therefore, the only correct match is Gymnastics.
Verification / Alternative check:
Exam capsules and sports news around 2016 repeatedly highlighted Dipa Karmakar as India's first woman Olympic gymnast, emphasising how unusual it was for India to compete in artistic gymnastics at that level. Her fourth place finish in the vault final at Rio further fixed her identity as a gymnast in public memory. No sources describe her as an archer, boxer or badminton player, confirming that gymnastics is her sport.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Archery is closely linked to Indian athletes such as Deepika Kumari. Boxing is associated with Mary Kom, L. Sarita Devi and others. Badminton is dominated by names like Saina Nehwal and P. V. Sindhu. All these sports had already seen Indian women participants in earlier Olympics even before Rio 2016. Therefore, although they are important disciplines, they do not describe Dipa Karmakar's historic qualification.
Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to rush through the question and pick a familiar sport like badminton or boxing simply because Indian women have been successful there. Another pitfall is to ignore the keyword "first" and assume any Olympic participation. Reading carefully and associating Dipa Karmakar with the Produnova vault and artistic gymnastics makes it easy to choose the correct option in exams.
Final Answer:
Dipa Karmakar became the first Indian woman to qualify for the Rio Olympic Games in Gymnastics.
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