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 the seventh most spoken language in India?

  1. Kannada

  2. Malayalam

  3. Odia

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

Kannada is spoken by over 4% of the population and is the official language of Karnataka.

Multiple choice

Which of the following languages is not spoken by a significant number of Indian Jamaicans?

  1. Punjabi

  2. Marathi

  3. Telugu

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

Marathi is not spoken by a significant number of Indian Jamaicans, unlike the other options.

Multiple choice

Which of the following languages is not spoken by a significant number of Indian Jamaicans?

  1. Gujarati

  2. Malayalam

  3. Bengali

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

Oriya is not spoken by a significant number of Indian Jamaicans, unlike the other options.

Multiple choice

What is the primary language of the ancient Tamil Sangam literature?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Tamil

  3. Prakrit

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

The ancient Tamil Sangam literature, a collection of poetic works, is primarily written in the Tamil language, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of the Tamil people.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by the Christian community in Goa?

  1. Konkani

  2. Marathi

  3. Portuguese

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

Konkani is spoken by the Christian community in Goa, as it is the predominant language of the state.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is an East Indian language?

  1. Telugu

  2. Kannada

  3. Assamese

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

Assamese is an East Indian language spoken primarily in the state of Assam, India.

Multiple choice

Which East Indian language is closely related to Sanskrit?

  1. Maithili

  2. Bengali

  3. Odia

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

Bengali is closely related to Sanskrit and shares many similarities in grammar and vocabulary.

Multiple choice

Which East Indian language has a rich tradition of Vaishnava literature and poetry?

  1. Odia

  2. Assamese

  3. Maithili

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

Assamese has a rich tradition of Vaishnava literature and poetry, including the works of Srimanta Sankardeva.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a famous Tamil grammar text from the Sangam period?

  1. Tolkappiyam

  2. Nannul

  3. Iraiyanar Akapporul

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

Tolkappiyam is a famous Tamil grammar text from the Sangam period.

Multiple choice

What is the linguistic relationship between Nicobarese and other languages in the region?

  1. Closely related to Hindi

  2. Related to Tamil

  3. Part of the Austroasiatic family

  4. Unrelated to other languages
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Nicobarese belongs to the Austroasiatic language family, which includes languages spoken in Southeast Asia and parts of South Asia.

Multiple choice

Which language is used for communication between different Nicobarese dialects?

  1. English

  2. Hindi

  3. Car Nicobar

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

The Car Nicobar dialect is used as a lingua franca for communication between speakers of different Nicobarese dialects.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by the majority of the population in Sri Lanka?

  1. Sinhala

  2. Tamil

  3. English

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

Sinhala is the official language of Sri Lanka and is spoken by the majority of the population. Tamil is also recognized as an official language and is widely spoken in the northern and eastern parts of the country.

Multiple choice

Which language group includes the languages spoken in the Lakshadweep Islands?

  1. Dravidian

  2. Indo-European

  3. Austroasiatic

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

The languages spoken in the Lakshadweep Islands belong to the Dravidian language family. These languages, such as Malayalam and Mahl, are closely related to other Dravidian languages spoken in southern India.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is NOT an East Indian language?

  1. Bengali

  2. Hindi

  3. Odia

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

Telugu is a Dravidian language, while Bengali, Hindi, and Odia are Indo-Aryan languages.

Multiple choice

What was the name of the Pallava dynasty's official language?

  1. Sanskrit

  2. Tamil

  3. Telugu

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

Tamil was the official language of the Pallava dynasty, and it was used in their inscriptions and literary works.