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 Indian language is spoken by the Bengali community in Myanmar?

  1. Tamil

  2. Telugu

  3. Hindi

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

The Bengali community in Myanmar primarily speaks Bengali, as they have historical ties to the Bengal region of India and Bangladesh.

Multiple choice

What is the primary language of the Vedas?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Hindi

  3. Tamil

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

The Vedas were composed in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that is still used in religious and scholarly contexts in India.

Multiple choice

What is the primary script used to write Central Indian languages?

  1. Devanagari

  2. Gujarati

  3. Tamil

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

Devanagari is the primary script used to write Central Indian languages, including Hindi, Marathi, and Gujarati.

Multiple choice

Which Central Indian language has a significant influence from Dravidian languages?

  1. Marathi

  2. Gujarati

  3. Hindi

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

Chhattisgarhi has a significant influence from Dravidian languages, particularly in its vocabulary and grammar, due to its geographical proximity to Dravidian-speaking regions.

Multiple choice

What is the characteristic feature of Central Indian languages in terms of their syntax?

  1. Subject-verb-object word order

  2. Postpositions

  3. Gender system

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

Central Indian languages typically have a subject-verb-object word order, which means that the subject of a sentence comes before the verb and the object comes after the verb.

Multiple choice

Which Central Indian language has a significant influence from Sanskrit?

  1. Marathi

  2. Gujarati

  3. Hindi

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

Hindi has a significant influence from Sanskrit, particularly in its vocabulary and grammar, due to its historical association with the Sanskrit language.

Multiple choice

Which Indo-Aryan language is written in the Kannada script?

  1. Hindi

  2. Urdu

  3. Bengali

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

Kannada is written in the Kannada script, which is also used for other Dravidian languages.

Multiple choice

Which Indo-Aryan language is written in the Telugu script?

  1. Hindi

  2. Urdu

  3. Bengali

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

Telugu is written in the Telugu script, which is also used for other Dravidian languages.

Multiple choice

Which Indo-Aryan language is written in the Malayalam script?

  1. Hindi

  2. Urdu

  3. Bengali

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

Malayalam is written in the Malayalam script, which is also used for other Dravidian languages.

Multiple choice

What is the primary language used in Classical Sanskrit Drama?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Prakrit

  3. Tamil

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

Classical Sanskrit Drama is primarily performed in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language.

Multiple choice

What is the official language of Sri Lanka?

  1. Sinhala

  2. Tamil

  3. English

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

Sinhala and Tamil are the two official languages of Sri Lanka, representing the country's two main ethnic groups.

Multiple choice

Which South Indian language has the most speakers outside of India?

  1. Telugu

  2. Tamil

  3. Kannada

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

Telugu is the most widely spoken South Indian language outside of India, with significant populations in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

Multiple choice

Which South Indian language is spoken by the largest number of people in Malaysia?

  1. Tamil

  2. Telugu

  3. Kannada

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

Tamil is the most widely spoken South Indian language in Malaysia, with a significant population of Tamil speakers in the country.

Multiple choice

Which South Indian language is spoken by the largest number of people in Singapore?

  1. Tamil

  2. Telugu

  3. Kannada

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

Tamil is the most widely spoken South Indian language in Singapore, with a significant population of Tamil speakers in the country.

Multiple choice

Which South Indian language is spoken by the largest number of people in South Africa?

  1. Tamil

  2. Telugu

  3. Kannada

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

Tamil is the most widely spoken South Indian language in South Africa, with a significant population of Tamil speakers in the country.