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

What was the primary language of the Gupta Empire?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Prakrit

  3. Pali

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

Sanskrit was the primary language of the Gupta Empire, which ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent from around 320 to 550 CE. It was used in literature, art, and administration.

Multiple choice

What was the primary language of the Chola Empire?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Prakrit

  3. Pali

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

Tamil was the primary language of the Chola Empire, which ruled over much of southern India from around the 9th to the 13th century CE. It is one of the oldest Dravidian languages and has a rich literary tradition.

Multiple choice

What was the primary language of the Mughal Empire?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Prakrit

  3. Pali

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

Persian was the primary language of the Mughal Empire, which ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent from around 1526 to 1858 CE. It was used in administration, literature, and diplomacy.

Multiple choice

What was the primary language of the Maratha Empire?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Prakrit

  3. Marathi

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

Marathi was the primary language of the Maratha Empire, which ruled over much of central and western India from around 1674 to 1818 CE. It is an Indo-Aryan language that is still spoken by millions of people in India today.

Multiple choice

What was the primary language of the Sikh Empire?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Prakrit

  3. Punjabi

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

Punjabi was the primary language of the Sikh Empire, which ruled over much of the Punjab region in northern India from around 1799 to 1849 CE. It is an Indo-Aryan language that is still spoken by millions of people in India and Pakistan today.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a minority language spoken in the state of Karnataka?

  1. Kannada

  2. Hindi

  3. Telugu

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

Kannada is a minority language spoken in the state of Karnataka.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a minority language spoken in the state of Kerala?

  1. Malayalam

  2. Hindi

  3. Tamil

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

Malayalam is a minority language spoken in the state of Kerala.

Multiple choice

What is the language of the Brahma Sutras of Gandhi?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Hindi

  3. English

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

The Brahma Sutras of Gandhi was written in Sanskrit.

Multiple choice

In ancient India, the primary language of instruction was:

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Hindi

  3. Tamil

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

Sanskrit was the primary language of instruction in ancient Indian education.

Multiple choice

Which script is commonly associated with the Bhakti movement in medieval Indian literature?

  1. Devanagari

  2. Tamil

  3. Kannada

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

The Bhakti movement, a significant religious and cultural movement in medieval India, is often associated with the Devanagari script, which was used in many devotional texts and hymns.

Multiple choice

Which language is the most commonly spoken Indian language in Singapore?

  1. Tamil

  2. Hindi

  3. Malayalam

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

Tamil is the most commonly spoken Indian language in Singapore, with over 200,000 speakers.

Multiple choice

Which language is the second most commonly spoken Indian language in Singapore?

  1. Hindi

  2. Malayalam

  3. Punjabi

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

Hindi is the second most commonly spoken Indian language in Singapore, with over 100,000 speakers.

Multiple choice

Which language is the third most commonly spoken Indian language in Singapore?

  1. Malayalam

  2. Punjabi

  3. Telugu

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

Malayalam is the third most commonly spoken Indian language in Singapore, with over 50,000 speakers.

Multiple choice

Which language is the fourth most commonly spoken Indian language in Singapore?

  1. Punjabi

  2. Telugu

  3. Kannada

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

Punjabi is the fourth most commonly spoken Indian language in Singapore, with over 25,000 speakers.

Multiple choice

Which language is the fifth most commonly spoken Indian language in Singapore?

  1. Telugu

  2. Kannada

  3. Gujarati

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

Telugu is the fifth most commonly spoken Indian language in Singapore, with over 20,000 speakers.