The U Thant Award, named after the former Secretary General of the United Nations, is an international honour given for outstanding contributions in which of the following areas?

Introduction / Context:
The U Thant Award is an international recognition named after U Thant, the third Secretary General of the United Nations, who was known for his efforts towards peace and understanding among nations. Questions about such awards often appear in general knowledge sections to test awareness of global honours beyond the more commonly known Nobel Prizes. Understanding what the U Thant Award specifically recognises helps connect the award to its underlying ideals and prevents confusion with other peace or service related honours.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The award in question is the U Thant Award.
• The options include social service, community leadership, journalism, and contribution to east west understanding.
• The question is asking for the primary area or reason for which the award is given.
• We assume the question reflects standard textbook descriptions of this award used in competitive exam preparation.

Concept / Approach:
The U Thant Award has been associated with individuals and organisations that demonstrate outstanding community leadership and commitment to peace, compassion, and humanitarian values. While social service and international understanding are related ideas, community leadership captures the award’s emphasis on individuals who inspire and lead communities towards peace, environmental protection, and human welfare. Journalism does not directly match the main description of this award and functions more as a distractor. Therefore, the best approach is to recall that the award highlights exemplary leadership in community and humanitarian initiatives rather than a narrow professional field or generic service label.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify that the question is about the specific purpose of the U Thant Award. Step 2: Recall that recipients are often chosen for strong leadership in promoting peace, environmental protection, and humanitarian values within their communities. Step 3: Compare the options and note that community leadership directly reflects the award focus on leading and inspiring groups of people. Step 4: Recognise that social service is a broader term and can apply to various kinds of work that are not necessarily linked to the award criteria. Step 5: Conclude that community leadership is the most accurate description of what the U Thant Award is given for.

Verification / Alternative check:
Verification can be done by checking lists of past U Thant Award recipients and reading descriptions of their work. Many of them are honoured for leadership roles in peace movements, environmental initiatives, and efforts to uplift communities. These descriptions repeatedly highlight leadership, vision, and moral influence rather than routine social service or professional journalism. Cross checking with reliable reference books or curated exam notes confirms that community leadership is the phrase most commonly associated with the award’s purpose.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Social service: Although many award recipients may be engaged in social service, the award wording and typical descriptions emphasise leadership and guiding others rather than simply providing service, so this option is too vague and not precise.
Journalism: The U Thant Award is not a specific media or journalism prize, so this option does not match the award’s primary focus and is presented only to mislead candidates who guess.
Contribution to east west understanding: While U Thant’s life and the United Nations mission involve fostering understanding between cultures, this phrase is more closely linked with other awards, and it is not the standard description used for the U Thant Award in exam oriented material.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent mistake is to choose social service because it sounds close to humanitarian work in general. Another pitfall is to misassociate the award with diplomatic initiatives and assume that contribution to east west understanding must be correct because of U Thant’s UN background. To avoid these errors, it is helpful to memorise the specific phrase community leadership for this award and associate it with people who lead by example in peace and humanitarian efforts rather than focusing only on generic charity work.

Final Answer:
The U Thant Award is given for outstanding community leadership, especially in promoting peace, humanitarian values, and environmental responsibility.