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

What is the primary factor that has contributed to the linguistic diversity of Dravidian languages?

  1. Geographical Isolation

  2. Cultural Exchange

  3. Political Fragmentation

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

Geographical isolation has been the primary factor contributing to the linguistic diversity of Dravidian languages, as different regions developed their own unique dialects and variations.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language has the most extensive vocabulary?

  1. Telugu

  2. Kannada

  3. Tamil

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

Telugu has the most extensive vocabulary among Dravidian languages, with a rich collection of words and phrases.

Multiple choice

What is the approximate number of Dravidian languages that are considered endangered or at risk of extinction?

  1. 10

  2. 20

  3. 30

  4. 40
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Approximately 30 Dravidian languages are considered endangered or at risk of extinction due to various factors such as language shift and cultural assimilation.

Multiple choice

Which Dravidian language has the most speakers outside of India?

  1. Telugu

  2. Kannada

  3. Tamil

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

Tamil has the most speakers outside of India, with significant populations in countries like Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, and Mauritius.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the ancient Indian language that is considered the ancestor of most modern Indo-Aryan languages?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Prakrit

  3. Pali

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

Sanskrit is an ancient Indo-Aryan language that served as the lingua franca of ancient India and is the ancestor of many modern Indo-Aryan languages.

Multiple choice

Which Indian language is gaining popularity for use in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning?

  1. Hindi

  2. Telugu

  3. Tamil

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

Hindi is the most widely spoken language in India and has a large number of resources available for Natural Language Processing and other Artificial Intelligence tasks.

Multiple choice

Which Indian language has the largest number of speakers?

  1. Hindi

  2. Telugu

  3. Tamil

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

Hindi is the most widely spoken language in India, with over 400 million native speakers.

Multiple choice

Which Indian language is the official language of the state of Tamil Nadu?

  1. Hindi

  2. Telugu

  3. Tamil

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

Tamil is the official language of the state of Tamil Nadu, and is spoken by over 70 million people.

Multiple choice

Which Indian language is the official language of the state of Andhra Pradesh?

  1. Hindi

  2. Telugu

  3. Tamil

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

Telugu is the official language of the state of Andhra Pradesh, and is spoken by over 80 million people.

Multiple choice

Which Indian language is the official language of the state of Karnataka?

  1. Hindi

  2. Telugu

  3. Tamil

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

Kannada is the official language of the state of Karnataka, and is spoken by over 40 million people.

Multiple choice

Which Indian language is the official language of the state of Kerala?

  1. Hindi

  2. Telugu

  3. Tamil

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

Malayalam is the official language of the state of Kerala, and is spoken by over 35 million people.

Multiple choice

Which Indian language has the richest literary tradition?

  1. Hindi

  2. Bengali

  3. Tamil

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

Tamil, one of the oldest classical languages in the world, has a rich literary tradition spanning over 2,000 years.

Multiple choice

What is the primary script used in the Indian constitution?

  1. Devanagari

  2. Tamil

  3. Telugu

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

Devanagari, a script derived from Brahmi, is the primary script used in the Indian constitution. It is also the official script of the Hindi language and is widely used in North India.

Multiple choice

Which script is used to write the Tamil language?

  1. Devanagari

  2. Tamil

  3. Telugu

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

The Tamil script, a Dravidian script, is used to write the Tamil language. It is one of the oldest scripts in India, dating back to the 3rd century BCE.

Multiple choice

What is the script used to write the Telugu language?

  1. Devanagari

  2. Tamil

  3. Telugu

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

The Telugu script, a Dravidian script, is used to write the Telugu language. It is one of the major scripts of South India and is spoken by over 75 million people.