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 majority of the population in the Maldives?

  1. Dhivehi

  2. Sinhala

  3. Tamil

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

Dhivehi is the official language of the Maldives and is spoken by the majority of the population.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by the majority of the population in 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 and is spoken by the majority of the population.

Multiple choice

Which language is closely related to Marathi and is spoken in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra?

  1. Hindi

  2. Gujarati

  3. Telugu

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

Varhadi is a language closely related to Marathi and is primarily spoken in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by the Kannada community in Maharashtra?

  1. Marathi

  2. Kannada

  3. Telugu

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

Kannada is the language spoken by the Kannada community in Maharashtra, who migrated from the Karnataka state of India.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by the Telugu community in Maharashtra?

  1. Marathi

  2. Telugu

  3. Kannada

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

Telugu is the language spoken by the Telugu community in Maharashtra, who migrated from the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states of India.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by the Tamil community in Maharashtra?

  1. Marathi

  2. Tamil

  3. Kannada

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

Tamil is the language spoken by the Tamil community in Maharashtra, who migrated from the Tamil Nadu state of India.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by the Malayalam community in Maharashtra?

  1. Marathi

  2. Malayalam

  3. Kannada

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

Malayalam is the language spoken by the Malayalam community in Maharashtra, who migrated from the Kerala state of India.

Multiple choice

What was the main language of the Kingdom of Cochin?

  1. Malayalam

  2. Tamil

  3. Kannada

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

The main language of the Kingdom of Cochin was Malayalam.

Multiple choice

Which language was primarily used in the Indus Valley Civilization?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Tamil

  3. Dravidian

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

The Indus Valley Civilization, which flourished around 2500-1900 BCE, is believed to have used a Dravidian language, as evidenced by inscriptions found at various sites.

Multiple choice

What was the primary language of the Vedic period in ancient India?

  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 Vedic period, which lasted from around 1500 to 500 BCE. It was used in religious texts, such as the Vedas and Upanishads, as well as in philosophical and scientific works.

Multiple choice

What was the primary language of the Mauryan Empire?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Prakrit

  3. Pali

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

Prakrit was the primary language of the Mauryan Empire, which ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent from around 322 to 185 BCE. It was a spoken language that was used in everyday communication and administration.

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 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

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.