General Awareness ยท Civics Polity

Indian and Sri Lankan Languages

2,991 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 two languages does Malayalam originate from?

  1. Hindi and Turkish

  2. Tamil and Telugu

  3. Tamil and Sanskrit

  4. Telugu and Samskrit
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Malayalam evolved from a combination of Dravidian roots (specifically Old Tamil) and significant influence from Sanskrit. These two sources provided the vocabulary and grammatical structure for the language.

Multiple choice

The name Kerala is derived from which two words?

  1. Kara + ila

  2. Kera + Alayam

  3. Akkara + Alam

  4. Kairali + illam
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The name Kerala is widely believed to be derived from 'Kera' (coconut tree) and 'Alayam' (home or land), translating to the land of coconut trees.

Multiple choice

What language did the Aryans speak?

  1. Hindi

  2. Sanskrit

  3. Japanese

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

Sanskrit is the ancient Indo-Aryan language in which the Vedas and other classical Indian texts were written.

Multiple choice

In which language was the Ramayana originally written?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Hindi

  3. Tamil

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

The Ramayana was originally written in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language.

Multiple choice

What was the primary language used during the Vedic Period?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Prakrit

  3. Pali

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

Sanskrit was the primary language used during the Vedic Period and is considered a classical language of India.

Multiple choice

Which language family is the most widely spoken in India?

  1. Indo-Aryan

  2. Dravidian

  3. Austroasiatic

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

The Indo-Aryan language family is the most widely spoken in India, with over 70% of the population speaking an Indo-Aryan language.

Multiple choice

Which language family is the second most widely spoken in India?

  1. Dravidian

  2. Austroasiatic

  3. Sino-Tibetan

  4. Afro-Asiatic
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Dravidian language family is the second most widely spoken in India, with over 20% of the population speaking a Dravidian language.

Multiple choice

Which language family is the fifth most widely spoken in India?

  1. Afro-Asiatic

  2. Tai-Kadai

  3. Hmong-Mien

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

The Afro-Asiatic language family is the fifth most widely spoken in India, with over 1% of the population speaking an Afro-Asiatic language.

Multiple choice

Which language is the most widely spoken in India?

  1. Hindi

  2. Bengali

  3. Telugu

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

Hindi is the most widely spoken language in India, with over 40% of the population speaking it as their first language.

Multiple choice

Which language is the second most widely spoken in India?

  1. Bengali

  2. Telugu

  3. Marathi

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

Bengali is the second most widely spoken language in India, with over 8% of the population speaking it as their first language.

Multiple choice

Which language is the third most widely spoken in India?

  1. Telugu

  2. Marathi

  3. Tamil

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

Telugu is the third most widely spoken language in India, with over 7% of the population speaking it as their first language.

Multiple choice

Which language is the fourth most widely spoken in India?

  1. Marathi

  2. Tamil

  3. Gujarati

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

Marathi is the fourth most widely spoken language in India, with over 7% of the population speaking it as their first language.

Multiple choice

Which language is the fifth most widely spoken in India?

  1. Tamil

  2. Gujarati

  3. Kannada

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

Tamil is the fifth most widely spoken language in India, with over 6% of the population speaking it as their first language.

Multiple choice

What is the primary language used in Kathakali performances?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Hindi

  3. Malayalam

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

Kathakali performances are traditionally conducted in Malayalam, the official language of Kerala.

Multiple choice

What is the traditional language used for the lyrics in Kathakali performances?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Hindi

  3. Malayalam

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

The lyrics in Kathakali performances are traditionally written in Sanskrit, a classical language of India.