General Awareness ยท Civics Polity

Indian and Sri Lankan Languages

3,062 Questions

Indian and Sri Lankan languages cover various linguistic families, regional dialects, and official state languages. A significant focus is placed on Dravidian languages and their distinctive scripts. Strengthen your general awareness of regional language distribution for upcoming tests.

Dravidian language familyOfficial state languagesRegional Indian dialectsSri Lankan languagesLinguistic communities

Indian and Sri Lankan Languages Questions

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language is considered the oldest?

  1. Tamil

  2. Kannada

  3. Malayalam

  4. Telugu
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Tamil is generally considered the oldest Dravidian language, with a rich literary tradition dating back several centuries.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language has the most extensive literary tradition?

  1. Tamil

  2. Telugu

  3. Kannada

  4. Malayalam
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Tamil has the most extensive literary tradition among Dravidian languages, with a rich body of ancient literature dating back to the Sangam period.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language is known for its distinctive whistled speech?

  1. Tamil

  2. Telugu

  3. Kannada

  4. Kodava Takk
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Kodava Takk, a Dravidian language spoken in the Kodagu region of India, is known for its distinctive whistled speech, used for long-distance communication.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to describe the Dravidian languages' unique grammatical features?

  1. Dravidian Morphology

  2. Dravidian Syntax

  3. Dravidian Phonology

  4. Dravidian Prosody
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The term 'Dravidian Morphology' is used to describe the unique grammatical features of Dravidian languages, including agglutinative morphology and the use of case markers.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language is known for its rich vocabulary of classical Sanskrit loanwords?

  1. Tamil

  2. Telugu

  3. Kannada

  4. Malayalam
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Telugu has a rich vocabulary of classical Sanskrit loanwords, reflecting its long history of interaction with Sanskrit and other Indo-Aryan languages.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language is known for its distinctive script, different from the other Dravidian languages?

  1. Tamil

  2. Telugu

  3. Kannada

  4. Malayalam
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Tamil has a distinctive script, different from the other Dravidian languages, which use variations of the Brahmi script.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language is known for its rich tradition of folk literature and oral storytelling?

  1. Tamil

  2. Telugu

  3. Kannada

  4. Malayalam
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Kannada has a rich tradition of folk literature and oral storytelling, with a vast collection of folk tales, legends, and ballads.

Multiple choice

Which writing system is used for the majority of languages in India?

  1. Devanagari

  2. Tamil

  3. Telugu

  4. Kannada
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Devanagari is used for the majority of languages in India, including Hindi, Marathi, and Nepali.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a characteristic of modern Indian languages?

  1. They are all tonal languages.

  2. They all have a complex system of verb conjugation.

  3. They all have a large number of loanwords from Sanskrit.

  4. They all have a rich oral tradition.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Modern Indian languages have a complex system of verb conjugation, with many different tenses, moods, and aspects.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is not a characteristic of modern Indian languages?

  1. They are all spoken in India.

  2. They all have a written script.

  3. They all have a long history.

  4. They all have a large number of speakers.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Not all modern Indian languages have a long history. Some, such as Maithili and Bhojpuri, are relatively new languages.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a major language family of modern Indian languages?

  1. Indo-Aryan

  2. Dravidian

  3. Sino-Tibetan

  4. Austroasiatic
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Indo-Aryan language family is the largest language family in India, with over 700 million speakers.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a major Dravidian language spoken in India?

  1. Tamil

  2. Telugu

  3. Kannada

  4. Malayalam
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
Correct answer
Explanation

Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam are all major Dravidian languages spoken in India.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a characteristic of the Indo-Aryan languages?

  1. They all have a complex system of verb conjugation.

  2. They all have a large number of loanwords from Sanskrit.

  3. They all have a rich oral tradition.

  4. All of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The Indo-Aryan languages all have a complex system of verb conjugation, a large number of loanwords from Sanskrit, and a rich oral tradition.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a characteristic of the Dravidian languages?

  1. They all have a complex system of verb conjugation.

  2. They all have a large number of loanwords from Sanskrit.

  3. They all have a rich oral tradition.

  4. They all have a retroflex series of consonants.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The Dravidian languages all have a retroflex series of consonants, which are pronounced with the tongue curled back towards the roof of the mouth.

Multiple choice

Which of the following languages has been influenced by Persian?

  1. Hindi

  2. Urdu

  3. Bengali

  4. Tamil
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Urdu has been heavily influenced by Persian, with many words and phrases borrowed from the Persian language.