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 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 of the following is NOT a major language used in Indian literature?

  1. Hindi

  2. Bengali

  3. English

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

While English is widely used in India, it is not a major language for literary expression compared to Hindi, Bengali, and Sanskrit.

Multiple choice

What is the primary language used in Carnatic Music?

  1. Hindi

  2. Telugu

  3. Tamil

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

Carnatic Music is predominantly sung in Tamil, although other languages like Telugu, Kannada, and Sanskrit are also used.

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.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by the majority of the Indian diaspora in Singapore?

  1. Tamil

  2. Hindi

  3. Malayalam

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

Tamil is spoken by the majority of the Indian diaspora in Singapore, with over 50% of the population speaking the language.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by the second largest group of the Indian diaspora in Singapore?

  1. Hindi

  2. Malayalam

  3. Punjabi

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

Hindi is spoken by the second largest group of the Indian diaspora in Singapore, with over 25% of the population speaking the language.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by the third largest group of the Indian diaspora in Singapore?

  1. Malayalam

  2. Punjabi

  3. Telugu

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

Malayalam is spoken by the third largest group of the Indian diaspora in Singapore, with over 10% of the population speaking the language.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by the fourth largest group of the Indian diaspora in Singapore?

  1. Punjabi

  2. Telugu

  3. Kannada

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

Punjabi is spoken by the fourth largest group of the Indian diaspora in Singapore, with over 5% of the population speaking the language.