In which year did the Indian national football team make its first appearance at the Olympic Games?

Introduction / Context:
This question belongs to the sports history segment of general knowledge. It focuses on the Olympic debut of the Indian national football team. Knowing milestone years for different sports helps in answering a wide variety of exam questions on sports achievements and timelines.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• We are asked for the year of the first Olympic appearance of the Indian football team.
• The options are 1936, 1948, 1952 and 1956.
• We assume the event being discussed is the official Olympic football tournament.
• We rely on the historical fact that India first played Olympic football in 1948 at the London Olympics.

Concept / Approach:
The approach is pure recall of sports history. The Indian football team qualified for and played its first Olympic football competition in 1948, well after the country had gained independence. Remembering the combination of London 1948 and the barefoot Indian players is a popular mnemonic used in exam preparation.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that India did not feature in Olympic football in the pre independence period when European teams dominated. Step 2: Remember that post independence, India participated in the 1948 London Olympics, where the football team played against France. Step 3: Connect this memory with the fact that this was India first appearance in Olympic football. Step 4: Match this year to the options provided. Step 5: Select 1948 as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can cross check this information from standard sports history resources or even the Olympic records for football. They clearly show that India made its football debut at the 1948 London Olympics. Later participations, such as Helsinki 1952 and Melbourne 1956, came after this first appearance, so they cannot be correct answers.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
1936: This year relates to the Berlin Olympics, but India did not yet send a football team then, so it is incorrect here.
1952: India did play football in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, but that was not the first time; it was a later appearance.
1956: The Melbourne 1956 Olympics saw a famous semi final run by India, but again this was after 1948 and therefore not the first appearance.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes confuse the year of India first Olympic appearance with later achievements like the 1956 semi final performance. Another mistake is to assume that pre independence participation must have happened in 1936, which is historically inaccurate for football. Fixing the 1948 London link in memory helps avoid these errors during the exam.

Final Answer:
The Indian national football team first appeared at the Olympic Games in the year 1948.