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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 of the following is a Dravidian language?

  1. Tamil

  2. Telugu

  3. Kannada

  4. Malayalam

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Tamil is a Dravidian language, belonging to the Dravidian language family.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is the most widely spoken language in South India?

  1. Telugu

  2. Kannada

  3. Malayalam

  4. Tamil

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

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

Multiple choice

Which of the following is the most widely spoken language in Central India?

  1. Hindi

  2. Marathi

  3. Telugu

  4. Kannada

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Hindi is the most widely spoken language in Central India, with over 200 million speakers.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is the most widely spoken language in the Lakshadweep Islands?

  1. Hindi

  2. Malayalam

  3. Tamil

  4. Lakshadweep

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Malayalam is the most widely spoken language in the Lakshadweep Islands, with over 50,000 speakers.

Multiple choice

What is the primary language used in Mohiniyattam dance compositions?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Malayalam

  3. Tamil

  4. Hindi

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The primary language used in Mohiniyattam dance compositions is Malayalam, the official language of Kerala, where the art form originated.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by the second largest number of people in India?

  1. Bengali

  2. Telugu

  3. Marathi

  4. Tamil

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Bengali is spoken by 8.6% of the Indian population, making it the second most widely spoken language in the country.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by the fourth largest number of people in India?

  1. Marathi

  2. Tamil

  3. Gujarati

  4. Kannada

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Marathi is spoken by 7.1% of the Indian population, making it the fourth most widely spoken language in the country.

Multiple choice

What percentage of the Indian population speaks Tamil?

  1. 5.9%

  2. 6.5%

  3. 7.1%

  4. 7.7%

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Tamil is spoken by 5.9% of the Indian population, making it the fifth most widely spoken language in the country.

Multiple choice

Which South Indian language has the largest number of speakers?

  1. Telugu

  2. Kannada

  3. Tamil

  4. Malayalam

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Telugu is the largest spoken language in South India, with over 80 million speakers.

Multiple choice

Which South Indian language is the official language of the state of Tamil Nadu?

  1. Telugu

  2. Kannada

  3. Tamil

  4. Malayalam

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Tamil is the official language of the state of Tamil Nadu, and is spoken by over 70 million people.

Multiple choice

Which South Indian language is the official language of the state of Karnataka?

  1. Telugu

  2. Kannada

  3. Tamil

  4. Malayalam

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Kannada is the official language of the state of Karnataka, and is spoken by over 40 million people.

Multiple choice

Which South Indian language is the official language of the state of Andhra Pradesh?

  1. Telugu

  2. Kannada

  3. Tamil

  4. Malayalam

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Telugu is the official language of the state of Andhra Pradesh, and is spoken by over 80 million people.

Multiple choice

Which South Indian language is the official language of the state of Kerala?

  1. Telugu

  2. Kannada

  3. Tamil

  4. Malayalam

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Malayalam is the official language of the state of Kerala, and is spoken by over 35 million people.

Multiple choice

Which South Indian language is the official language of the state of Telangana?

  1. Telugu

  2. Kannada

  3. Tamil

  4. Malayalam

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Telugu is the official language of the state of Telangana, and is spoken by over 80 million people.

Multiple choice

Which South Indian language is the official language of the state of Puducherry?

  1. Telugu

  2. Kannada

  3. Tamil

  4. Malayalam

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Tamil is the official language of the state of Puducherry, and is spoken by over 1 million people.