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 spoken by the fourth largest group of Indian Trinidadians and Tobagonians?

  1. Tamil

  2. Telugu

  3. Marathi

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

Tamil is the fourth most common language spoken by Indian Trinidadians and Tobagonians, with over 25,000 speakers.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by the fifth largest group of Indian Trinidadians and Tobagonians?

  1. Telugu

  2. Marathi

  3. Gujarati

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

Telugu is the fifth most common language spoken by Indian Trinidadians and Tobagonians, with over 10,000 speakers.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by a very small number of Indian Trinidadians and Tobagonians?

  1. Gujarati

  2. Punjabi

  3. Malayalam

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

Gujarati is spoken by a very small number of Indian Trinidadians and Tobagonians, with less than 5,000 speakers.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by an extremely small number of Indian Trinidadians and Tobagonians?

  1. Punjabi

  2. Malayalam

  3. Kannada

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

Punjabi is spoken by an extremely small number of Indian Trinidadians and Tobagonians, with less than 1,000 speakers.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by a tiny number of Indian Trinidadians and Tobagonians?

  1. Malayalam

  2. Kannada

  3. Odia

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

Malayalam is spoken by a tiny number of Indian Trinidadians and Tobagonians, with less than 500 speakers.

Multiple choice

Which language is recognized as the official language of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep?

  1. Malayalam

  2. Hindi

  3. English

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

Malayalam is the official language of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, as per the Official Languages Act, 1963.

Multiple choice

What is the official language of the Union Territory of Puducherry?

  1. Tamil

  2. English

  3. French

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

Tamil is the official language of the Union Territory of Puducherry, as per the Official Languages Act, 1963.

Multiple choice

What was the primary language written using the Hoysala script?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Kannada

  3. Tamil

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

The Hoysala script was primarily used to write the Kannada language.

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, along with Tamil.

Multiple choice

Which South Indian language is spoken by the smallest number of people outside of India?

  1. Tulu

  2. Kodava

  3. Konkani

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

Beary is a Dravidian language spoken by the Beary people, a Muslim community primarily residing in the coastal districts of Karnataka, India. It is estimated that there are only a few thousand Beary speakers outside of India, primarily in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

Multiple choice

Which of the following South Indian languages is spoken by the largest number of people outside of India?

  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 outside of India, with significant populations in countries such as Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, and South Africa. This is largely due to historical migrations and the establishment of Tamil communities in these regions.

Multiple choice

Which South Indian language is primarily spoken in the state of Karnataka, India?

  1. Tulu

  2. Kodava

  3. Konkani

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

Kannada is the official language of the state of Karnataka, India, and is spoken by the majority of the population. It is a Dravidian language with a rich literary and cultural history.

Multiple choice

Which South Indian language is spoken by the Kodava people of Karnataka, India?

  1. Tulu

  2. Kodava

  3. Konkani

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

Kodava is a Dravidian language spoken by the Kodava people, an ethnic group primarily residing in the Kodagu district of Karnataka, India. It is closely related to Kannada and has a unique vocabulary and grammatical structure.

Multiple choice

Which South Indian language is spoken by the Tuluva people of Karnataka, India?

  1. Tulu

  2. Kodava

  3. Konkani

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

Tulu is a Dravidian language spoken by the Tuluva people, an ethnic group primarily residing in the coastal districts of Karnataka, India. It is closely related to Kannada and Malayalam and has a rich cultural and literary tradition.

Multiple choice

Which South Indian language is spoken by the Konkani people of Karnataka, India?

  1. Tulu

  2. Kodava

  3. Konkani

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

Konkani is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Konkani people, an ethnic group primarily residing in the coastal districts of Karnataka, India, as well as in the state of Goa. It has a rich literary and cultural history and is closely related to Marathi.