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 known for its rich tradition of devotional literature?

  1. Telugu

  2. Kannada

  3. Tamil

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

Tamil is known for its rich tradition of devotional literature, with works like the Tirukkural and the Thevaram.

Multiple choice

Which South Indian language is known for its rich tradition of folk literature?

  1. Telugu

  2. Kannada

  3. Tamil

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

Kannada is known for its rich tradition of folk literature, with works like the Janapada Sahitya and the Vachana Sahitya.

Multiple choice

Which South Indian language is known for its rich tradition of classical music?

  1. Telugu

  2. Kannada

  3. Tamil

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

Malayalam is known for its rich tradition of classical music, with works like the Kathakali and the Mohiniyattam.

Multiple choice

Which South Indian language is known for its rich tradition of temple architecture?

  1. Telugu

  2. Kannada

  3. Tamil

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

Tamil is known for its rich tradition of temple architecture, with works like the Brihadeeswarar Temple and the Meenakshi Temple.

Multiple choice

Which South Indian language is known for its rich tradition of dance?

  1. Telugu

  2. Kannada

  3. Tamil

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

Malayalam is known for its rich tradition of dance, with works like the Kathakali and the Mohiniyattam.

Multiple choice

Which South Indian language is known for its rich tradition of martial arts?

  1. Telugu

  2. Kannada

  3. Tamil

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

Kannada is known for its rich tradition of martial arts, with works like the Silambam and the Kalaripayattu.

Multiple choice

The modern Indian languages are classified into how many major language families?

  1. 2

  2. 4

  3. 6

  4. 8
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The modern Indian languages are classified into four major language families: Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Austroasiatic, and Tibeto-Burman.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is an Indo-Aryan language?

  1. Hindi

  2. Tamil

  3. Telugu

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

Hindi is an Indo-Aryan language, belonging to the Indo-European language family.

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.