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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

What was the primary language spoken in ancient India?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Prakrit

  3. Tamil

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

Sanskrit was the primary language spoken in ancient India and was used for religious and literary purposes.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by the smallest number of people in Sri Lanka?

  1. Sinhala

  2. Tamil

  3. English

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

Malayalam is a language spoken by a small community in southern Sri Lanka. It is estimated to have only a few thousand speakers.

Multiple choice

Which script is used to write the majority of languages in India?

  1. Devanagari

  2. Telugu

  3. Tamil

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

Devanagari is the most widely used script in India, and is used to write Hindi, Sanskrit, Marathi, Nepali, and many other languages.

Multiple choice

Which script is used to write Tamil?

  1. Devanagari

  2. Telugu

  3. Tamil

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

Tamil is written in the Tamil script, which is a Dravidian script.

Multiple choice

Which script is used to write Telugu?

  1. Devanagari

  2. Telugu

  3. Tamil

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

Telugu is written in the Telugu script, which is a Dravidian script.

Multiple choice

Which script is used to write Kannada?

  1. Devanagari

  2. Telugu

  3. Tamil

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

Kannada is written in the Kannada script, which is a Dravidian script.

Multiple choice

Which script is used to write Malayalam?

  1. Devanagari

  2. Telugu

  3. Tamil

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

Malayalam is written in the Malayalam script, which is a Dravidian script.

Multiple choice

Which script is used to write Bengali?

  1. Devanagari

  2. Telugu

  3. Bengali

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

Bengali is written in the Bengali script, which is an Indo-Aryan script.

Multiple choice

Which script is used to write Odia?

  1. Devanagari

  2. Telugu

  3. Tamil

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

Odia is written in the Odia script, which is an Indo-Aryan script.

Multiple choice

Which script is used to write Prakrit?

  1. Devanagari

  2. Telugu

  3. Tamil

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

Prakrit is written in the Devanagari script, which is an Indo-Aryan script.

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 is the most widely spoken language in India, with over 400 million native speakers.

Multiple choice

Which Indian language has the largest number of internet users?

  1. Hindi

  2. Bengali

  3. Telugu

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

Hindi has the largest number of internet users in India, followed by Bengali and Telugu.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language is spoken by the largest number of people worldwide?

  1. Tamil

  2. Telugu

  3. Kannada

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

Telugu is the most widely spoken Dravidian language, with over 80 million native speakers primarily located in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language has a rich tradition of devotional literature, including the famous Thevaram hymns?

  1. Tamil

  2. Kannada

  3. Malayalam

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

Tamil has a long and distinguished history of devotional literature, with the Thevaram hymns, composed by the three great saints Appar, Sambandar, and Sundarar, holding a particularly significant place in the Tamil literary canon.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language has a unique script that is distinct from the other Dravidian languages?

  1. Telugu

  2. Malayalam

  3. Kannada

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

Tamil is the only Dravidian language that has its own unique script, known as the Tamil script, which has been in use for over 2,000 years.