Famous Tamils Quiz – Questions with Answers
Famous Tamils: poets, scientists, leaders and artists
Tamil Nadu has produced a remarkable line of people who changed the way India thinks, sings, reads and learns. This free quiz brings many of them together in one place: classical poets like Thiruvalluvar, freedom fighters such as V. O. Chidambaram Pillai and Velu Nachiyar, scientists like C. V. Raman and Srinivasa Ramanujan, and modern achievers such as Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and Sundar Pichai. Every question has four options, and after the game you see a short explanation for each answer, so even a wrong guess teaches you something new.
What this quiz covers
- Poets and writers – Subramania Bharati, Bharathidasan and the legacy of Thiruvalluvar.
- Scientists and mathematicians – Nobel laureates and the self-taught genius from Erode who amazed Cambridge.
- Leaders and freedom fighters – from Kattabomman and Velu Nachiyar to Rajaji, Kamaraj and Periyar.
- Artists – the voice of M. S. Subbulakshmi and the dance academy Kalakshetra founded by Rukmini Devi Arundale.
A few facts to warm up
C. V. Raman, born near Tiruchirappalli, won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930 for his work on the scattering of light. India celebrates National Science Day on 28 February to mark his discovery of the Raman effect. Srinivasa Ramanujan, born in Erode and raised in Kumbakonam, had little formal training in advanced mathematics, yet his results are still studied by mathematicians today. His birthday, 22 December, is celebrated as National Mathematics Day.
Decades later, Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, born in Chidambaram, shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the ribosome. Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, the "Missile Man of India", rose from Rameswaram to become the 11th President of India and inspired millions of students through his autobiography Wings of Fire.
Tamil Nadu's freedom story is just as rich. V. O. Chidambaram Pillai started an Indian-owned shipping company to challenge British control of trade and is remembered as "Kappalottiya Thamizhan". Long before him, Velu Nachiyar of Sivaganga and Veerapandiya Kattabomman of Panchalankurichi stood up to the East India Company, and their courage is still celebrated in songs, films and statues across the state.
Learning about famous people is really learning about the choices they made – and that is what makes these stories worth remembering.
Tips to score higher
- Link people to places. Remembering that Bharati was born in Ettayapuram and lived for years in Pondicherry makes several questions easier.
- Learn the titles. Tamil culture loves honorific titles – "Mahakavi", "Kingmaker", "Arignar Anna", "Puratchi Kavignar". Titles are quiz favourites.
- Read the explanations. After each game, read why an answer was correct. The next time you meet the question, the fact will stick.
- Play little and often. One quick round a day works better than a long cramming session.
Keep exploring
If you enjoy this quiz, try the Tamil language and literature quiz for more on Thiruvalluvar, Bharati and the great epics, or the history quiz for kings and dynasties. Our post on Tamil Nadu GK questions with answers is a good warm-up too.
Ready? Play the famous Tamils quiz above and see how many you get right. In the TNChatZone app you can also collect coins for playing – just for fun, with no cash value – and chat about the answers with other quiz lovers.
All 23 questions with answers
Try to answer before you tap "Show answer".
-
Which former President of India was born in Rameswaram?
- A. K. R. Narayanan
- B. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
- C. R. Venkataraman
- D. Zakir Husain
Show answer
✅ A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, the 11th President of India, was born in Rameswaram in 1931.
-
Who is known as "Mahakavi" (the great poet)?
- A. Bharathidasan
- B. Kannadasan
- C. Subramania Bharati
- D. Vairamuthu
Show answer
✅ Subramania Bharati
Subramania Bharati is called Mahakavi Bharati for his patriotic and reformist poetry.
-
C. V. Raman won the Nobel Prize in 1930 in which field?
- A. Physics
- B. Chemistry
- C. Medicine
- D. Literature
Show answer
✅ Physics
Sir C. V. Raman received the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the scattering of light, known as the Raman effect.
-
National Science Day in India (28 February) marks the discovery of which effect?
- A. Doppler effect
- B. Raman effect
- C. Compton effect
- D. Photoelectric effect
Show answer
✅ Raman effect
National Science Day is celebrated on 28 February to mark C. V. Raman's discovery of the Raman effect in 1928.
-
Nobel laureate C. V. Raman was born near which city?
- A. Madurai
- B. Coimbatore
- C. Tiruchirappalli
- D. Tirunelveli
Show answer
✅ Tiruchirappalli
C. V. Raman was born in 1888 at Thiruvanaikaval, near Tiruchirappalli.
-
Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan was born in which town?
- A. Madurai
- B. Vellore
- C. Tirunelveli
- D. Erode
Show answer
✅ Erode
Srinivasa Ramanujan was born in Erode in 1887 and grew up in Kumbakonam.
-
National Mathematics Day (22 December) is celebrated on whose birth anniversary?
- A. Srinivasa Ramanujan
- B. C. V. Raman
- C. Aryabhata
- D. Homi J. Bhabha
Show answer
✅ Srinivasa Ramanujan
India celebrates National Mathematics Day on 22 December, the birthday of Srinivasa Ramanujan.
-
Srinivasa Ramanujan worked at Cambridge University with which English mathematician?
- A. Isaac Newton
- B. G. H. Hardy
- C. Alan Turing
- D. Charles Babbage
Show answer
✅ G. H. Hardy
Ramanujan wrote to G. H. Hardy in 1913, who invited him to Cambridge, where they worked together on number theory.
-
Who is popularly known as the "Missile Man of India"?
- A. Vikram Sarabhai
- B. Homi J. Bhabha
- C. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
- D. Satish Dhawan
Show answer
✅ A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam earned the title "Missile Man of India" for his work on India's missile and launch vehicle programmes.
-
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam served as which President of India?
- A. 9th
- B. 10th
- C. 12th
- D. 11th
Show answer
✅ 11th
Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam was the 11th President of India, serving from 2002 to 2007.
-
What is the title of A. P. J. Abdul Kalam's autobiography?
- A. Wings of Fire
- B. Ignited Minds
- C. India 2020
- D. My Experiments with Truth
Show answer
✅ Wings of Fire
Wings of Fire is Dr. Kalam's autobiography; Ignited Minds and India 2020 are other books he wrote.
-
Which Tamil Nadu leader was popularly called the "Kingmaker"?
- A. C. N. Annadurai
- B. C. Rajagopalachari
- C. K. Kamaraj
- D. M. Bhaktavatsalam
Show answer
✅ K. Kamaraj
K. Kamaraj was called the "Kingmaker" for his role in choosing Prime Ministers Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi in the 1960s.
-
C. N. Annadurai is popularly known by which title?
- A. Perunthalaivar
- B. Thanthai Periyar
- C. Puratchi Thalaivar
- D. Arignar Anna
Show answer
✅ Arignar Anna
C. N. Annadurai is affectionately called "Arignar Anna" (Anna the scholar) for his learning and oratory.
-
Who founded the Self-Respect Movement in Tamil Nadu?
- A. C. Rajagopalachari
- B. Periyar E. V. Ramasamy
- C. K. Kamaraj
- D. V. O. Chidambaram Pillai
Show answer
✅ Periyar E. V. Ramasamy
Periyar E. V. Ramasamy started the Self-Respect Movement in 1925 to promote social equality and rational thinking.
-
M. S. Subbulakshmi was a legendary singer of which music tradition?
- A. Hindustani
- B. Western classical
- C. Carnatic
- D. Ghazal
Show answer
✅ Carnatic
M. S. Subbulakshmi was one of the greatest Carnatic vocalists and was honoured with the Bharat Ratna in 1998.
-
Carnatic singer M. S. Subbulakshmi was born in which city?
- A. Thanjavur
- B. Chennai
- C. Kumbakonam
- D. Madurai
Show answer
✅ Madurai
M. S. Subbulakshmi was born in Madurai in 1916; the "M" in her name stands for Madurai.
-
Sundar Pichai, who grew up in Chennai, became the CEO of which company?
- A. Google
- B. Microsoft
- C. Apple
- D. Amazon
Show answer
✅ Google
Sundar Pichai, who studied in Chennai and at IIT Kharagpur, became CEO of Google in 2015 and later of its parent company Alphabet.
-
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, born in Chidambaram, won the 2009 Nobel Prize in which field?
- A. Physics
- B. Chemistry
- C. Medicine
- D. Economics
Show answer
✅ Chemistry
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome.
-
Who founded Kalakshetra, the famous arts academy in Chennai?
- A. T. Balasaraswati
- B. M. S. Subbulakshmi
- C. Rukmini Devi Arundale
- D. Annie Besant
Show answer
✅ Rukmini Devi Arundale
Rukmini Devi Arundale founded Kalakshetra in 1936 to teach and preserve Bharatanatyam and other traditional arts.
-
How tall is the Thiruvalluvar Statue at Kanyakumari, including its pedestal?
- A. 101 feet
- B. 133 feet
- C. 120 feet
- D. 150 feet
Show answer
✅ 133 feet
The statue stands 133 feet tall, matching the 133 chapters of the Thirukkural.
-
Mahakavi Subramania Bharati was born in which town?
- A. Kumbakonam
- B. Srivilliputhur
- C. Ettayapuram
- D. Tirunelveli
Show answer
✅ Ettayapuram
Subramania Bharati was born in Ettayapuram in 1882, in present-day Thoothukudi district.
-
Subramania Bharati lived for about ten years in which French-ruled town to escape British arrest?
- A. Karaikal
- B. Mahe
- C. Chandernagore
- D. Pondicherry
Show answer
✅ Pondicherry
Bharati moved to French-ruled Pondicherry in 1908 and wrote many of his famous works there.
-
Poet Bharathidasan took his pen name out of admiration for whom?
- A. Subramania Bharati
- B. Thiruvalluvar
- C. Kambar
- D. Avvaiyar
Show answer
✅ Subramania Bharati
Kanaka Subburathinam called himself Bharathidasan, meaning "servant (disciple) of Bharati", in honour of Subramania Bharati.
Play the quiz and win coins
The TNChatZone app gives you coins for every right answer, a weekly leaderboard, and chat rooms full of quiz lovers.
▶ Get it on Google Play