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

  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 the Philippines, with a significant population of Tamil speakers in the country.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is not an Indo-Aryan language?

  1. Hindi

  2. Bengali

  3. Tamil

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

Tamil is a Dravidian language, while Hindi, Bengali, and Marathi are Indo-Aryan languages.

Multiple choice

Which Indo-Aryan language is spoken in Sri Lanka?

  1. Hindi

  2. Sinhala

  3. Tamil

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

Sinhala is the official language of Sri Lanka and is spoken by over 16 million people.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is NOT a Dravidian language?

  1. Kannada

  2. Telugu

  3. Marathi

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

Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language, while Kannada, Telugu, and Tamil are Dravidian languages.

Multiple choice

In which state of India is the Dravidian language Tulu primarily spoken?

  1. Karnataka

  2. Kerala

  3. Tamil Nadu

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

Tulu is predominantly spoken in the coastal districts of Karnataka, particularly in the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language has the largest number of native speakers?

  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 Dravidian language, with over 80 million native speakers primarily located in the state of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language is spoken in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu?

  1. Badaga

  2. Kota

  3. Toda

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

Toda is a Dravidian language spoken by the Toda people, an indigenous community primarily residing in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language is known for its unique whistling sounds?

  1. Kodava

  2. Tulu

  3. Konkani

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

Kodava, also known as Coorgi, is a Dravidian language spoken in the Kodagu district of Karnataka. It is renowned for its distinctive whistling sounds, which are used to communicate over long distances.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language is closely related to Kannada and is spoken in the northern districts of Tamil Nadu?

  1. Badaga

  2. Kota

  3. Toda

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

Badaga is a Dravidian language spoken by the Badaga people, an ethnic group primarily residing in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu. It is closely related to Kannada and shares many similarities in vocabulary and grammar.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language is spoken in the Lakshadweep Islands?

  1. Malayalam

  2. Tamil

  3. Konkani

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

Malayalam is the official language of the Lakshadweep Islands, a group of islands located in the Arabian Sea. It is also widely spoken in the neighboring state of Kerala.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language is known for its rich oral tradition and is spoken in the central districts of Tamil Nadu?

  1. Badaga

  2. Kota

  3. Toda

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

Kota is a Dravidian language spoken by the Kota people, an indigenous community primarily residing in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu. It is renowned for its rich oral tradition, including myths, legends, and folk tales.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language is spoken in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu and is closely related to Malayalam?

  1. Badaga

  2. Kota

  3. Toda

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

Irula is a Dravidian language spoken by the Irula people, an indigenous community primarily residing in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu. It is closely related to Malayalam and shares many similarities in vocabulary and grammar.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language is spoken in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands?

  1. Malayalam

  2. Tamil

  3. Konkani

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

Tamil is one of the official languages of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a group of islands located in the Bay of Bengal. It is spoken by a significant portion of the population, particularly in the northern and central islands.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language is spoken in the northern districts of Andhra Pradesh and is closely related to Telugu?

  1. Badaga

  2. Kota

  3. Toda

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

Badaga is a Dravidian language spoken by the Badaga people, an ethnic group primarily residing in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu. It is closely related to Telugu and shares many similarities in vocabulary and grammar.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language is spoken in the southern districts of Andhra Pradesh and is closely related to Tamil?

  1. Badaga

  2. Kota

  3. Toda

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

Irula is a Dravidian language spoken by the Irula people, an indigenous community primarily residing in the southern districts of Andhra Pradesh. It is closely related to Tamil and shares many similarities in vocabulary and grammar.