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 largest number of people in the state of Karnataka?

  1. Kannada

  2. Telugu

  3. Tamil

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

Kannada is the official language of Karnataka and is spoken by over 60% of the population.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by the largest number of people in the state of Kerala?

  1. Malayalam

  2. Tamil

  3. Kannada

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

Malayalam is the official language of Kerala and is spoken by over 90% of the population.

Multiple choice

What was the primary language of instruction at ancient Indian mathematical institutions?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Prakrit

  3. Tamil

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

Sanskrit was the primary language of instruction at ancient Indian mathematical institutions. It was the language of scholars and intellectuals, and many mathematical texts and treatises were written in Sanskrit.

Multiple choice

Which language is the most widely used on radio in India?

  1. Hindi

  2. English

  3. Bengali

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

Hindi is the most widely used language on radio in India, with over 40% of all radio broadcasts being in Hindi.

Multiple choice

Which language is the most popular for radio dramas in India?

  1. Hindi

  2. Bengali

  3. Marathi

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

Hindi is the most popular language for radio dramas in India, with many popular radio dramas being broadcast in Hindi.

Multiple choice

Which language is the most popular for radio comedy shows in India?

  1. Hindi

  2. Tamil

  3. Telugu

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

Hindi is the most popular language for radio comedy shows in India, with many popular radio comedy shows being broadcast in Hindi.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by the Tamil people of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands?

  1. Tamil

  2. Jarawa

  3. Sentinelese

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

The Tamil language is spoken by the Tamil people, an ethnic group of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the language family to which the Tamil language belongs?

  1. Austroasiatic

  2. Austronesian

  3. Papuan

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

The Tamil language belongs to the Dravidian language family.

Multiple choice

What was the primary language used during the Vedic period?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Prakrit

  3. Pali

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

Sanskrit was the primary language used during the Vedic period, and it served as the language of religious texts and scholarly discourse.

Multiple choice

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

  1. Hindi

  2. Bengali

  3. Telugu

  4. Marathi
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.

Multiple choice

Which modern Indian language is known for its rich literary tradition and is often referred to as the 'language of the gods'?

  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 literary tradition and is often referred to as the 'language of the gods' due to its historical use in religious texts and classical literature.

Multiple choice

Which modern Indian language is known for its distinctive script and is spoken by over 70 million people in India?

  1. Telugu

  2. Kannada

  3. Malayalam

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

Telugu is known for its distinctive script and is spoken by over 70 million people in India.

Multiple choice

Which modern Indian language is known for its rich literary tradition and is spoken by over 60 million people in India?

  1. Kannada

  2. Malayalam

  3. Odia

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

Kannada is known for its rich literary tradition and is spoken by over 60 million people in India.

Multiple choice

Which modern Indian language is known for its distinctive script and is spoken by over 50 million people in India?

  1. Kashmiri

  2. Sindhi

  3. Konkani

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

Kashmiri is known for its distinctive script and is spoken by over 50 million people in India.

Multiple choice

In which regional language is the critically acclaimed film "Court" directed by Chaitanya Tamhane?

  1. Marathi

  2. Bengali

  3. Tamil

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

Court (2014) is a powerful Marathi film that explores the complexities of the Indian legal system and the struggles of a folk singer fighting for justice.