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 Indian diaspora in the Los Angeles metropolitan area?

  1. Hindi

  2. Gujarati

  3. Punjabi

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

Gujarati is the most widely spoken language by the Indian diaspora in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, with over 300,000 speakers.

Multiple choice

What was the primary language used by the Hoysalas?

  1. Kannada

  2. Sanskrit

  3. Tamil

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

Kannada was the primary language used by the Hoysalas, and they contributed to the development of Kannada literature.

Multiple choice

Which language family is predominantly spoken in Central India?

  1. Indo-Aryan

  2. Dravidian

  3. Austroasiatic

  4. Sino-Tibetan
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Indo-Aryan language family, a branch of the Indo-European family, is the most widely spoken in Central India, encompassing languages like Hindi, Marathi, and Gujarati.

Multiple choice

What is the primary language of the Vedas?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Tamil

  3. Hindi

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

The Vedas are written in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language.

Multiple choice

What is the primary language of the Panchatantra?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Tamil

  3. Hindi

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

The Panchatantra was originally written in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language.

Multiple choice

What is the primary language of the Jataka Tales?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Tamil

  3. Pali

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

The Jataka Tales were originally written in Pali, an ancient Indo-Aryan language.

Multiple choice

What is the primary language of the Ayurveda texts?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Tamil

  3. Hindi

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

The Ayurveda texts were originally written in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language.

Multiple choice

Which language is the most widely spoken among the Indian diaspora in Malaysia?

  1. Tamil

  2. Malayalam

  3. Telugu

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

Tamil is the most widely spoken language among the Indian diaspora in Malaysia, with over 1 million speakers.

Multiple choice

What is the second most widely spoken language among the Indian diaspora in Malaysia?

  1. Malayalam

  2. Telugu

  3. Punjabi

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

Malayalam is the second most widely spoken language among the Indian diaspora in Malaysia, with over 500,000 speakers.

Multiple choice

The dialect spoken in the southern region of India, known for its distinct Dravidian influences, is:

  1. Telugu

  2. Kannada

  3. Malayalam

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

Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and parts of Sri Lanka.

Multiple choice

Which language family is the primary source of East Indian languages?

  1. Indo-Aryan

  2. Austroasiatic

  3. Tibeto-Burman

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

The Indo-Aryan language family is the primary source of East Indian languages, with a majority of the languages belonging to this family.

Multiple choice

What is 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?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Tamil

  3. Kannada

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

Sanskrit is known for its rich classical literature, including the Vedas, Upanishads, and the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Multiple choice

Which East Indian language is spoken in the state of Maharashtra?

  1. Marathi

  2. Hindi

  3. Bengali

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

Marathi is the official language of the state of Maharashtra and is spoken by over 80 million people.

Multiple choice

Which East Indian language is spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh?

  1. Telugu

  2. Hindi

  3. Bengali

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

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