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 spoken in Sri Lanka?

  1. Dhivehi

  2. Sinhala

  3. Tamil

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

Sinhala is the Dravidian language spoken in Sri Lanka.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to refer to the Dravidian languages spoken in Eastern India?

  1. Northern Dravidian

  2. Central Dravidian

  3. Southern Dravidian

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

The term 'Eastern Dravidian' is used to refer to the Dravidian languages spoken in Eastern India, such as Telugu and Kannada.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language is spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India?

  1. Tamil

  2. Telugu

  3. Kannada

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

Telugu is the Dravidian language spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to refer to the Dravidian languages spoken in Southern India?

  1. Northern Dravidian

  2. Central Dravidian

  3. Southern Dravidian

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

The term 'Southern Dravidian' is used to refer to the Dravidian languages spoken in Southern India, such as Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language is spoken in the state of Karnataka in India?

  1. Tamil

  2. Telugu

  3. Kannada

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

Kannada is the Dravidian language spoken in the state of Karnataka in India.

Multiple choice

What is the term used to refer to the Dravidian languages spoken in Western India?

  1. Northern Dravidian

  2. Central Dravidian

  3. Southern Dravidian

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

The term 'Western Dravidian' is used to refer to the Dravidian languages spoken in Western India, such as Tulu and Kodava.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language is spoken in the state of Kerala in India?

  1. Tamil

  2. Telugu

  3. Kannada

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

Malayalam is the Dravidian language spoken in the state of Kerala in India.

Multiple choice

Which of the following regional languages emerged as a significant literary language during the medieval period in India?

  1. Bengali

  2. Marathi

  3. Telugu

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

During the medieval period, several regional languages, including Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, and Kannada, gained prominence as literary languages, contributing to the growth of regional literature in India.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is an East Indian language?

  1. Hindi

  2. Bengali

  3. Marathi

  4. Telugu

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

East Indian languages are a group of languages spoken in the eastern part of India. They include Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, and Tamil.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a characteristic feature of East Indian languages?

  1. Tonal languages

  2. Vowel harmony

  3. Retroflex consonants

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

East Indian languages are characterized by tonal languages, vowel harmony, and retroflex consonants.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is an example of a vowel harmony language in East India?

  1. Hindi

  2. Bengali

  3. Marathi

  4. Telugu

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

Telugu is an example of a vowel harmony language in East India. In Telugu, the vowels in a word must agree in terms of their frontness or backness.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is an example of a language with retroflex consonants in East India?

  1. Hindi

  2. Bengali

  3. Marathi

  4. Kannada

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

Hindi is an example of a language with retroflex consonants in East India. Retroflex consonants are pronounced with the tongue curled back towards the roof of the mouth.

Multiple choice

Which language is the official language of Sri Lanka?

  1. Sinhala

  2. Tamil

  3. English

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

Sinhala is the official language of Sri Lanka, as specified in the Sri Lankan constitution. It is also the national language of Sri Lanka and is widely spoken throughout the country.

Multiple choice

Which language is the most widely used language in business in Sri Lanka?

  1. Sinhala

  2. Tamil

  3. English

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

Sinhala is the most widely used language in business in Sri Lanka, as it is the official language of the country. It is also the national language of Sri Lanka and is widely spoken throughout the country.

Multiple choice

What is the primary language of the Vedas?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Prakrit

  3. Pali

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

The primary language of the Vedas is Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-European language.