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 language is spoken by the Bengali community in Kerala?

  1. Bengali

  2. Odia

  3. Assamese

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

Bengali is spoken by the Bengali community in Kerala, who are concentrated in the major cities of the state.

Multiple choice

Which of the following languages is scheduled in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Urdu

  3. Tamil

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

Urdu is one of the 22 languages scheduled in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

Multiple choice

Which of the following languages is spoken in the state of Tamil Nadu?

  1. Tamil

  2. Telugu

  3. Kannada

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

Tamil is the official language of the state of Tamil Nadu.

Multiple choice

Which of the following languages is spoken in the state of Karnataka?

  1. Kannada

  2. Telugu

  3. Tamil

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

Kannada is the official language of the state of Karnataka.

Multiple choice

Which of the following languages is spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh?

  1. Telugu

  2. Tamil

  3. Kannada

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

Telugu is the official language of the state of Andhra Pradesh.

Multiple choice

Which of the following languages is spoken in the state of Kerala?

  1. Malayalam

  2. Tamil

  3. Kannada

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

Malayalam is the official language of the state of Kerala.

Multiple choice

Which Indian language has the largest number of speakers outside of India?

  1. Hindi

  2. Punjabi

  3. Tamil

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

Hindi has the largest number of speakers outside of India, with over 120 million speakers worldwide. This is due to the large number of Indian immigrants who have settled in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

Multiple choice

Which Indian language has been the most successful in terms of gaining new speakers outside of India?

  1. Hindi

  2. Punjabi

  3. Tamil

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

Hindi has been the most successful in terms of gaining new speakers outside of India, due to its status as the official language of India and its widespread use in Bollywood films and music.

Multiple choice

Which Indian language has the largest number of speakers in the United States?

  1. Hindi

  2. Punjabi

  3. Tamil

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

Hindi has the largest number of speakers in the United States, with over 600,000 speakers. This is due to the large number of Indian immigrants who have settled in the United States from Hindi-speaking regions of India.

Multiple choice

Which Indian language has the largest number of speakers in Canada?

  1. Hindi

  2. Punjabi

  3. Tamil

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

Punjabi has the largest number of speakers in Canada, with over 500,000 speakers. This is due to the large number of Indian immigrants who have settled in Canada from Punjabi-speaking regions of India.

Multiple choice

Which Indian language has the largest number of speakers in Australia?

  1. Hindi

  2. Punjabi

  3. Tamil

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

Hindi has the largest number of speakers in Australia, with over 200,000 speakers. This is due to the large number of Indian immigrants who have settled in Australia from Hindi-speaking regions of India.

Multiple choice

In what language was the Bijaganita originally written?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Prakrit

  3. Tamil

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

The Bijaganita was originally written in Sanskrit, the classical language of ancient India.

Multiple choice

Which language family is the primary ancestor of most Central Indian languages?

  1. Indo-Aryan

  2. Dravidian

  3. Munda

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

The Indo-Aryan language family is the primary ancestor of most Central Indian languages, including Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, and Bengali, among others.

Multiple choice

Which Central Indian language is considered the oldest living language in the world?

  1. Tamil

  2. Sanskrit

  3. Marathi

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

Gondi, a Dravidian language spoken in Central India, is considered one of the oldest living languages in the world, with its roots dating back to ancient times.

Multiple choice

Which Central Indian language is known for its rich literary tradition and is considered a classical language of India?

  1. Marathi

  2. Gujarati

  3. Kannada

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

Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language, is considered a classical language of India and has a rich literary tradition, including sacred texts, epics, and philosophical works.