General Awareness ยท Civics Polity

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 language is spoken by the Sri Lankan Malays in Sri Lanka?

  1. Sinhala

  2. Tamil

  3. Sri Lankan Malay
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Sri Lankan Malay is spoken by the Sri Lankan Malays, descendants of Malay traders and settlers.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by the Sri Lankan Chettiars in Sri Lanka?

  1. Sinhala

  2. Tamil

  3. Chettiar
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Chettiar is spoken by the Sri Lankan Chettiars, a Tamil-speaking community from South India.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by the Sri Lankan Bohras in Sri Lanka?

  1. Sinhala

  2. Tamil

  3. Bohra
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Bohra is spoken by the Sri Lankan Bohras, a Muslim community from Gujarat, India.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by the Sri Lankan Memons in Sri Lanka?

  1. Sinhala

  2. Tamil

  3. Memoni
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Memoni is spoken by the Sri Lankan Memons, a Muslim community from Kutch, India.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by the Sri Lankan Parsis in Sri Lanka?

  1. Sinhala

  2. Tamil

  3. Parsi
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Parsi is spoken by the Sri Lankan Parsis, a Zoroastrian community from Persia.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is NOT a Dravidian language?

  1. Telugu

  2. Kannada

  3. Marathi

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

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

Multiple choice

What is the approximate number of Dravidian languages spoken worldwide?

  1. 20

  2. 72

  3. 250

  4. 300
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

There are approximately 250 Dravidian languages spoken worldwide, primarily in South Asia.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language has the largest number of native speakers?

  1. Telugu

  2. Kannada

  3. Tamil

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

Telugu has the largest number of native speakers among Dravidian languages, with over 80 million speakers.

Multiple choice

What is the primary region where Dravidian languages are spoken?

  1. North India

  2. South India

  3. East India

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

Dravidian languages are predominantly spoken in South India, including the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language is recognized as a classical language in India?

  1. Telugu

  2. Kannada

  3. Tamil

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

Tamil is recognized as a classical language in India, along with Sanskrit.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language is spoken in 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.

Multiple choice

What is the script used for writing most Dravidian languages?

  1. Devanagari

  2. Tamil script

  3. Kannada script

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

The Tamil script is used for writing most Dravidian languages, including Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language is spoken in 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.

Multiple choice

What is the approximate number of speakers of the Telugu language?

  1. 50 million

  2. 70 million

  3. 80 million

  4. 90 million
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Telugu has approximately 80 million native speakers.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language is spoken in 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.