Geography · General Awareness

World Languages and Geography

2,320 Questions

World languages and geography explore the distribution of major language families, official languages, and native speakers across different continents. The questions cover linguistic demographics in Africa, Europe, and the Americas. This topic is frequently asked in UPSC, SSC, and State PSC general studies papers.

Official languagesLanguage familiesWidely spoken languagesRegional languagesLinguistic geography

World Languages and Geography Questions

Multiple choice softskills communication
  1. TURKISH

  2. FRENCH

  3. GERMAN

  4. ARABIC

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

This appears to be a word association or specific trivia question where 'Turkish' is the intended associate for 'Coffee'. Turkish coffee is a world-renowned preparation method, making it a primary association.

Multiple choice softskills communication
  1. GERMAN

  2. FRENCH

  3. PORTUGESE

  4. TELGU

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The word 'quartz' originates from German, specifically from Middle High German 'quarz.' German mineralogy contributed significantly to geological terminology as Germany was a center for mining and mineral studies during the medieval and early modern periods.

Multiple choice softskills communication
  1. DUTCH

  2. SPANISH

  3. HINDI

  4. MALAY

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Cigar comes from Spanish 'cigarro', possibly derived from Mayan 'sikar' (to smoke). Tobacco and smoking terminology entered European languages through Spanish colonialism in the Caribbean.

Multiple choice softskills communication
  1. LATIN

  2. CELTIC

  3. FRENCH

  4. ARABIC

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Programme comes from French 'programme', which itself derives from Greek 'programma'. French is the immediate source language through which English adopted this academic and administrative term.

Multiple choice technology packaged enterprise solutions
  1. first-generation

  2. second-generation

  3. third-generation

  4. forth-generation

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

SQR is a fourth-generation language (4GL) because it is closer to human languages and more intuitive than lower-level languages. 4GLs are designed to be more user-friendly and require less specialized programming knowledge.

Multiple choice technology programming languages
  1. Sixth Generation Language

  2. Third Generation Language

  3. Fifth Generation Language

  4. Fourth Generation Language

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

SAS (Statistical Analysis System) is a Fourth Generation Language (4GL). 4GLs are designed to be closer to human language and require less programming expertise than third-generation languages like C or Java. SAS provides high-level commands for data manipulation, statistical analysis, and reporting without requiring detailed procedural programming.

Multiple choice
  1. English (United)

  2. English (United States)

  3. English (United Kingdom)

  4. English (United City)

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

English (United States) is the default keyboard language for Windows installations in the US region. This is the most common default for English-language Windows installations globally.

Multiple choice
  1. widely

  2. elaborately

  3. obviously

  4. notoriously

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

'Widely' is the correct adverb to describe how extensively something is spread or distributed. 'Most widely spoken' is a standard collocation in English for describing language prevalence. 'Elaborately' means with great detail, 'obviously' means clearly, and 'notoriously' means famously for something negative. None of these fit the context of describing how many people speak a language.

Multiple choice
  1. Common speech

  2. Universal language

  3. Lingua franca

  4. Working language

  5. Language contact

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

A lingua franca, also known as bridge language, common language, trade language or vehicular language, is a language or dialect systematically  used to make communication possible between people who do not share a native language or dialect.

Multiple choice
  1. vernacular language

  2. II language

  3. Hindi

  4. English

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

NCF 2005 acknowledges that while mother tongue should be the primary medium of instruction at initial stages, English can be one of the languages used for learning activities that develop the child's awareness of the world, alongside the home language.