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 vibrant festivals?

  1. Telugu Festivals

  2. Kannada Festivals

  3. Tamil Festivals

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

All of the South Indian languages have vibrant festivals.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is the official language of Andhra Pradesh?

  1. Telugu

  2. Hindi

  3. English

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

Telugu is the official language of Andhra Pradesh, as per the Andhra Pradesh Official Language Act, 1966.

Multiple choice

What is the official language of Karnataka?

  1. Kannada

  2. Tulu

  3. Konkani

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

Kannada is the official language of Karnataka, as per the Karnataka Official Language Act, 1963.

Multiple choice

Which language is the official language of Kerala?

  1. Malayalam

  2. Tamil

  3. Kannada

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

Malayalam is the official language of Kerala, as per the Kerala Official Language Act, 1969.

Multiple choice

Which script is used to write the Kannada language, and is one of the major Dravidian scripts?

  1. Brahmi

  2. Devanagari

  3. Kannada

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

Kannada is a script that originated in India around the 10th century CE. It is used to write the Kannada language, which is spoken by over 40 million people in India. Kannada is characterized by its rounded letters and distinct vowel signs.

Multiple choice

Which script is used to write the Telugu language, and is one of the major Dravidian scripts?

  1. Brahmi

  2. Devanagari

  3. Kannada

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

Telugu is a script that originated in India around the 11th century CE. It is used to write the Telugu language, which is spoken by over 80 million people in India. Telugu is characterized by its rounded letters and distinct vowel signs.

Multiple choice

Which script is used to write the Malayalam language, and is one of the major Dravidian scripts?

  1. Brahmi

  2. Devanagari

  3. Kannada

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

Malayalam is a script that originated in India around the 13th century CE. It is used to write the Malayalam language, which is spoken by over 35 million people in India. Malayalam is characterized by its rounded letters and distinct vowel signs.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is the most important language of the Chera Dynasty?

  1. Tamil

  2. Malayalam

  3. Kannada

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

Tamil is the most important language of the Chera Dynasty.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is NOT a modern Indian language?

  1. Hindi

  2. Bengali

  3. Tamil

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

Latin is a classical language that is no longer spoken as a native language. Hindi, Bengali, and Tamil are all modern Indian languages that are spoken by millions of people in India.

Multiple choice

What is the most widely spoken modern Indian language?

  1. Hindi

  2. Bengali

  3. Tamil

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

Hindi is the most widely spoken modern Indian language, with over 400 million native speakers. It is the official language of India and is also spoken in many other countries in South Asia.

Multiple choice

Which modern Indian language is the closest to Sanskrit?

  1. Hindi

  2. Bengali

  3. Tamil

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

Hindi is the closest modern Indian language to Sanskrit, with over 60% of its vocabulary derived from Sanskrit. This is due to the fact that Hindi evolved from Prakrit, which was a Middle Indo-Aryan language that was derived from Sanskrit.

Multiple choice

Which modern Indian language was the first to develop a written literature?

  1. Tamil

  2. Sanskrit

  3. Hindi

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

Tamil was the first modern Indian language to develop a written literature, with the earliest Tamil inscriptions dating back to the 3rd century BCE. Sanskrit, Hindi, and Bengali all developed written literatures later.

Multiple choice

Which modern Indian language was the first to be used as a medium of instruction in schools?

  1. Hindi

  2. Bengali

  3. Tamil

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

Bengali was the first modern Indian language to be used as a medium of instruction in schools, with the first Bengali-medium school being established in 1817. Hindi, Tamil, and Marathi were all later used as media of instruction in schools.

Multiple choice

Which modern Indian language was the first to be used as the official language of an Indian state?

  1. Hindi

  2. Bengali

  3. Tamil

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

Bengali was the first modern Indian language to be used as the official language of an Indian state, with the state of West Bengal adopting Bengali as its official language in 1948. Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu were all later adopted as official languages of Indian states.

Multiple choice

Which modern Indian language is the most widely used in the Indian film industry?

  1. Hindi

  2. Bengali

  3. Tamil

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

Hindi is the most widely used language in the Indian film industry, with over 80% of films being produced in Hindi. Bengali, Tamil, and Telugu are also used in the Indian film industry, but to a lesser extent.