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 written using the Maithili Script?

  1. Maithili

  2. Hindi

  3. Sanskrit

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

The Maithili Script is used to write the Maithili language, which is spoken in the Mithila region of India.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language is predominantly spoken in the state of Tamil Nadu, India?

  1. Kannada

  2. Telugu

  3. Malayalam

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

Tamil is the primary language spoken in Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India, and is one of the major Dravidian languages.

Multiple choice

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

  1. Kannada

  2. Telugu

  3. Malayalam

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

Telugu is the primary language spoken in Andhra Pradesh, a state in southern India, and is one of the major Dravidian languages.

Multiple choice

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

  1. Kannada

  2. Telugu

  3. Malayalam

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

Kannada is the primary language spoken in Karnataka, a state in southern India, and is one of the major Dravidian languages.

Multiple choice

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

  1. Kannada

  2. Telugu

  3. Malayalam

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

Malayalam is the primary language spoken in Kerala, a state in southern India, and is one of the major Dravidian languages.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language is spoken in the state of Telangana, India?

  1. Kannada

  2. Telugu

  3. Malayalam

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

Telugu is the primary language spoken in Telangana, a state in southern India, and is one of the major Dravidian languages.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language is spoken in the state of Puducherry, India?

  1. Kannada

  2. Telugu

  3. Malayalam

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

Tamil is the primary language spoken in Puducherry, a union territory in southern India, and is one of the major Dravidian languages.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language is spoken in the state of Lakshadweep, India?

  1. Kannada

  2. Telugu

  3. Malayalam

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

Malayalam is the primary language spoken in Lakshadweep, a union territory in southern India, and is one of the major Dravidian languages.

Multiple choice

Which Indian language has the richest tradition of oral literature?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Tamil

  3. Hindi

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

Tamil literature boasts a vast and diverse collection of oral literature, including ancient epics, folk tales, and songs.

Multiple choice

Which Indian language has the oldest literary tradition?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Tamil

  3. Hindi

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

Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language, has the oldest literary tradition in India, dating back to the Vedic period.

Multiple choice

Which Indian language has the largest number of speakers?

  1. Hindi

  2. Bengali

  3. Telugu

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

Hindi, with over 500 million speakers, is the most widely spoken language in India.

Multiple choice

Which Indian language has the second largest number of speakers?

  1. Bengali

  2. Telugu

  3. Marathi

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

Bengali, with over 200 million speakers, is the second most widely spoken language in India.

Multiple choice

Which Indian language has the third largest number of speakers?

  1. Telugu

  2. Marathi

  3. Tamil

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

Telugu, with over 80 million speakers, is the third most widely spoken language in India.

Multiple choice

In what language was the Brihat Samhita written?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Prakrit

  3. Tamil

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

The Brihat Samhita was written in Sanskrit, which was the language of the learned in ancient India.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is not a classical language of India?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Tamil

  3. Kannada

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

Kannada is a Dravidian language, while Sanskrit, Tamil, and Telugu are all Indo-Aryan languages.