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 spoken in the state of Maharashtra?

  1. Telugu

  2. Kannada

  3. Tamil

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

Marathi is the official language of the state of Maharashtra.

Multiple choice

What is the primary language used in Carnatic devotional music?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Tamil

  3. Telugu

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

Telugu is the primary language used in Carnatic devotional music, although other languages like Sanskrit, Tamil, and Kannada are also used.

Multiple choice

Which language is considered the most widely spoken East Indian language?

  1. Hindi

  2. Bengali

  3. Marathi

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

Hindi is the most widely spoken East Indian language, with over 400 million native speakers.

Multiple choice

Which East Indian language is known for its rich classical literature and is often referred to as the 'language of the gods'?

  1. Hindi

  2. Sanskrit

  3. Marathi

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

Sanskrit is known for its rich classical literature and is often referred to as the 'language of the gods' due to its historical significance in Hinduism and other Indian religions.

Multiple choice

Which East Indian language is spoken by the majority of the population in the state of Maharashtra, India?

  1. Hindi

  2. Bengali

  3. Marathi

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

Marathi is the primary language spoken by the majority of the population in the state of Maharashtra, India.

Multiple choice

Which East Indian language is known for its distinct 'Bangla' script and is spoken in the eastern region of the Indian subcontinent?

  1. Hindi

  2. Bengali

  3. Marathi

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

Bengali is known for its distinct 'Bangla' script and is spoken in the eastern region of the Indian subcontinent, including Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal.

Multiple choice

Which East Indian language is known for its distinct 'Devanagari' script and is widely spoken in northern and central India?

  1. Hindi

  2. Bengali

  3. Marathi

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

Hindi is known for its distinct 'Devanagari' script and is widely spoken in northern and central India, serving as the official language of the Indian Union.

Multiple choice

Which Indian language has the largest number of speakers?

  1. Hindi

  2. Bengali

  3. Telugu

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

Hindi has the largest number of speakers in India, with over 400 million native speakers.

Multiple choice

Which Indian language is spoken by the largest number of people outside India?

  1. Hindi

  2. Bengali

  3. Telugu

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

Hindi is spoken by the largest number of people outside India, with over 100 million speakers worldwide.

Multiple choice

Which Indian language has the oldest literary tradition?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Tamil

  3. Telugu

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

Sanskrit has the oldest literary tradition in India, dating back to the 2nd millennium BCE.

Multiple choice

Which Indian language is spoken by the largest number of people in Australia?

  1. Hindi

  2. Punjabi

  3. Telugu

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

Punjabi is spoken by the largest number of people in Australia, with over 200,000 speakers.

Multiple choice

What was the official language of the Nayak kingdom?

  1. Tamil

  2. Telugu

  3. Kannada

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

Tamil was the official language of the Nayak kingdom, reflecting the cultural and linguistic heritage of the region.

Multiple choice

Which language family do Dravidian languages belong to?

  1. Indo-European

  2. Sino-Tibetan

  3. Austronesian

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

Dravidian languages form a distinct language family, independent of other major language families such as Indo-European or Sino-Tibetan.

Multiple choice

What is the approximate number of Dravidian languages spoken today?

  1. 20

  2. 50

  3. 70

  4. 100
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

There are approximately 70 Dravidian languages spoken today, with varying degrees of mutual intelligibility.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language has the largest number of speakers?

  1. Tamil

  2. Telugu

  3. Kannada

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

Telugu is the most widely spoken Dravidian language, with over 80 million native speakers primarily in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.