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 eleventh largest number of Indian diaspora in Nepal?

  1. Telugu

  2. Kannada

  3. Malayalam

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

Telugu is the eleventh most widely spoken language among the Indian diaspora in Nepal, with approximately 5,000 speakers.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by the twelfth largest number of Indian diaspora in Nepal?

  1. Kannada

  2. Malayalam

  3. Tamil

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

Kannada is the twelfth most widely spoken language among the Indian diaspora in Nepal, with approximately 2,000 speakers.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by the thirteenth largest number of Indian diaspora in Nepal?

  1. Malayalam

  2. Tamil

  3. Assamese

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

Malayalam is the thirteenth most widely spoken language among the Indian diaspora in Nepal, with approximately 1,000 speakers.

Multiple choice

Which unscheduled language is spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh?

  1. Bodo

  2. Santhali

  3. Odia

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

Telugu is an unscheduled language spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

Multiple choice

Which unscheduled language is spoken in the state of Karnataka?

  1. Bodo

  2. Santhali

  3. Kannada

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

Kannada is an unscheduled language spoken in the state of Karnataka.

Multiple choice

Which unscheduled language is spoken in the state of Tamil Nadu?

  1. Bodo

  2. Santhali

  3. Tamil

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

Tamil is an unscheduled language spoken in the state of Tamil Nadu.

Multiple choice

Which unscheduled language is spoken in the state of Kerala?

  1. Bodo

  2. Santhali

  3. Malayalam

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

Malayalam is an unscheduled language spoken in the state of Kerala.

Multiple choice

Sanskrit belongs to which language family?

  1. Indo-European

  2. Dravidian

  3. Sino-Tibetan

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

Sanskrit is a member of the Indo-European language family, sharing common roots with languages like English, Greek, and Latin.

Multiple choice

The ancient Tamil language, spoken in southern India, is written in which script?

  1. Brahmi

  2. Devanagari

  3. Tamil

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

The Tamil language has its own unique script, known as the Tamil script, which has been in use for over 2,000 years.

Multiple choice

The ancient Telugu language, spoken in southern India, is written in which script?

  1. Brahmi

  2. Devanagari

  3. Tamil

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

The Telugu language is written in the Telugu script, which is distinct from other Indian scripts and has its own unique characters.

Multiple choice

The ancient Kannada language, spoken in southern India, is written in which script?

  1. Brahmi

  2. Devanagari

  3. Kannada

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

The Kannada language is written in the Kannada script, which has been in use for over 1,000 years.

Multiple choice

The ancient Malayalam language, spoken in southern India, is written in which script?

  1. Brahmi

  2. Devanagari

  3. Kannada

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

The Malayalam language is written in the Malayalam script, which is closely related to the Kannada script.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a Central Indian language?

  1. Marathi

  2. Hindi

  3. Telugu

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

Gondi is a Central Indian language spoken in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a characteristic feature of Central Indian languages?

  1. Tonal languages

  2. Use of ergative case

  3. Subject-verb-object word order

  4. All of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Central Indian languages are typically tonal languages, use the ergative case, and have a subject-verb-object word order.

Multiple choice

How have Central Indian languages been influenced by other languages?

  1. Through trade and commerce

  2. Through migration and settlement

  3. Through cultural exchange

  4. All of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Central Indian languages have been influenced by other languages through trade and commerce, migration and settlement, and cultural exchange.