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 of the following languages is closely related to Persian?

  1. Hindi

  2. Urdu

  3. Bengali

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

Urdu is closely related to Persian, and it shares many similarities in grammar and vocabulary.

Multiple choice

What is the official language of the state of Tamil Nadu?

  1. Hindi

  2. Urdu

  3. Bengali

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

Tamil is the official language of the state of Tamil Nadu, and it is spoken by the majority of the population.

Multiple choice

Which language family is predominantly spoken in Central India?

  1. Indo-Aryan

  2. Dravidian

  3. Austroasiatic

  4. Sino-Tibetan
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Indo-Aryan languages, a branch of the Indo-European language family, are widely spoken in Central India, including Hindi, Marathi, and Gujarati.

Multiple choice

Which Central Indian language is known for its unique Devanagari script?

  1. Hindi

  2. Marathi

  3. Gujarati

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

Hindi, the official language of India, is written in the Devanagari script, which is characterized by its distinctive characters and conjuncts.

Multiple choice

Which Central Indian language is closely related to Sanskrit?

  1. Marathi

  2. Gujarati

  3. Oriya

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

Marathi, spoken in the state of Maharashtra, shares a close linguistic affinity with Sanskrit, the ancient language of India.

Multiple choice

Which Central Indian language is known for its rich literary tradition?

  1. Gujarati

  2. Oriya

  3. Bengali

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

Gujarati, spoken in the state of Gujarat, boasts a vibrant literary tradition, with notable poets like Narsinh Mehta and Umashankar Joshi.

Multiple choice

Which Central Indian language is influenced by Dravidian languages?

  1. Oriya

  2. Bengali

  3. Assamese

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

Oriya, spoken in the state of Odisha, has been influenced by Dravidian languages, particularly Telugu, due to historical and geographical proximity.

Multiple choice

Which Central Indian language is known for its distinct nasalization?

  1. Marathi

  2. Gujarati

  3. Oriya

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

Bengali, spoken in the state of West Bengal, is characterized by its distinct nasalization, which adds a unique melodic quality to the language.

Multiple choice

Which Central Indian language is known for its unique script called Ol Chiki?

  1. Santali

  2. Munda

  3. Ho

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

Santali, spoken by the Santal tribe, is written in the Ol Chiki script, which was developed in the 19th century.

Multiple choice

Which Indian language is used in religious ceremonies and rituals by the Indian diaspora in Vietnam?

  1. Hindi

  2. Tamil

  3. Punjabi

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

Tamil is the primary language used in religious ceremonies and rituals by the Indian diaspora in Vietnam, particularly among the Tamil-speaking community, which has a strong cultural and religious connection to India.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language is spoken by the largest number of people?

  1. Tamil

  2. Telugu

  3. Kannada

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

Telugu is the most widely spoken Dravidian language, with over 80 million speakers primarily located in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India.

Multiple choice

In Dravidian languages, case marking is primarily expressed through:

  1. Postpositions

  2. Prepositions

  3. Infixes

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

Dravidian languages predominantly use postpositions to mark case relationships between nouns and other elements in a sentence.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language exhibits a unique phenomenon called 'vowel harmony'?

  1. Tamil

  2. Kannada

  3. Malayalam

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

Tulu, spoken in the southwestern region of India, is known for its vowel harmony, where the vowels in a word or phrase tend to assimilate to a common quality.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language has a rich tradition of classical literature dating back to the Sangam period?

  1. Tamil

  2. Telugu

  3. Kannada

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

Tamil has a rich literary tradition, with its earliest works dating back to the Sangam period (3rd century BCE to 3rd century CE).

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language has a unique writing system called 'Grantha'?

  1. Tamil

  2. Telugu

  3. Kannada

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

Tamil has a unique writing system called 'Grantha', which is derived from the ancient Brahmi script and has been in use for over 2,000 years.