The Nobel Peace Prize for the year 2016 was awarded to which world leader?

Introduction / Context:
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the most frequently asked topics in competitive examinations because it combines general knowledge, current affairs, and awareness of global leaders who contribute to peace processes. This question focuses on the Nobel Peace Prize for the year 2016, which was awarded to Juan Manuel Santos, the President of Colombia, for his efforts to end a long lasting civil war in his country. Knowing which leader received which Nobel Prize year helps candidates quickly answer fact based questions and also builds a mental timeline of major world events related to peace and conflict resolution.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The question is asking about the Nobel Peace Prize for the specific year 2016. - The options list several eminent people associated with different Nobel Prizes or global recognition. - Only one of the options is the correct Nobel Peace Prize laureate for 2016. - We assume the standard Nobel Committee decision for 2016 without any controversy for exam purposes.

Concept / Approach:
To answer this question correctly, the candidate needs to recall who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2016 and for what reason. A good way to remember such facts is to link the laureate with the major issue or conflict that was in the news. In this case, Juan Manuel Santos is closely associated with the peace agreement between the Government of Colombia and the FARC rebels, which aimed to end more than five decades of armed conflict. The other options are also Nobel laureates or globally known personalities, but in different categories or years, which makes them attractive distractors. By connecting each name with the correct field and year, we can logically eliminate the wrong options even if memory feels slightly weak.

Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Recall that the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded for efforts to end the civil war in Colombia. 2. Identify the leader associated with the Colombian peace process and the FARC peace agreement, which is Juan Manuel Santos. 3. Note that Oliver Hart and Bengt Holmstrom are economists who received the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 2016, not the Peace Prize. 4. Recognise that Svetlana Alexievich is a writer from Belarus who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2015, not the Peace Prize in 2016. 5. Therefore, among the given options, Juan Manuel Santos is the only correct match for the Nobel Peace Prize 2016.

Verification / Alternative check:
A simple verification method for such questions is to mentally group Nobel laureates by category. For 2016, candidates may recall that there was a pair of economists for the Economic Sciences award and a separate peace laureate for ending the Colombian war. Remembering that Juan Manuel Santos is a political leader and president, not an economist or author, aligns him clearly with the Peace Prize. Cross checking mentally that Oliver Hart and Bengt Holmstrom are strongly associated with contract theory, and Svetlana Alexievich with documentary style writing about Soviet and post Soviet life, further confirms that they belong to other Nobel categories and years. This cross linkage between name, profession, and field is a powerful way to verify answers in exams.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Oliver Hart is an economist who, along with Bengt Holmstrom, received the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 2016 for contributions to contract theory, not the Peace Prize. Bengt Holmstrom, like Oliver Hart, is also an economist linked to the same Economics Prize, not to peace negotiations in Colombia. Svetlana Alexievich is a writer who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2015 for her polyphonic writings, so she does not match the 2016 Peace Prize. Denis Mukwege is a Congolese doctor who later shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 for his work with victims of sexual violence, which does not correspond to the year 2016.

Common Pitfalls:
Many aspirants confuse Nobel laureates across years and categories because names, years, and fields are often learnt in bulk. Another common mistake is to quickly pick any Nobel laureate listed in the options without checking whether the category is Peace, Literature, or Economics. Some also mix the 2016 and 2018 Peace Prize winners because both relate to conflict and human suffering. To avoid these pitfalls, it is helpful to prepare a small table that maps Nobel Peace Prize winners year wise along with a single keyword for their main contribution, such as Colombia peace process for Juan Manuel Santos. Regular revision of such a table just before the exam greatly reduces confusion.

Final Answer:
The Nobel Peace Prize for the year 2016 was awarded to Juan Manuel Santos.