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
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English
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Maori
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Spanish
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Sign language
A,B,D
Correct answer
Explanation
New Zealand has three official languages: English (the primary language of government and business), Maori (te reo Maori, the indigenous language), and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL). These were officially recognized through various acts of parliament. Spanish is not an official language of New Zealand.
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Atearoa
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Otearoa
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Aotearoa
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Aotear
C
Correct answer
Explanation
New Zealand's indigenous Maori name is Aotearoa, which translates to 'land of the long white cloud' in the Maori language. This is the official native language name for the country.
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Mandarin
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Cantonese
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English
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Chinese
A
Correct answer
Explanation
Mandarin Chinese, specifically Standard Chinese (Putonghua), is the official language of China and is used in government, education, and media throughout the country.
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Spanish
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Mandarian
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Hindi
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English
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Chinese Mandarin
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English
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Hindi
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Spanish
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French
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English
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German
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Spanish
C
Correct answer
Explanation
German is the mother tongue of the largest number of EU citizens, with approximately 16% of the EU population speaking it as their first language. This is due to Germany's large population (83 million) combined with German speakers in Austria, Belgium, and other countries. English is the most widely spoken overall but not the most native language.
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English
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French
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Russian
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Hindi
D
Correct answer
Explanation
Hindi is the correct answer because it is not one of the six official languages of the United Nations. The official UN languages are English, French, Russian, Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic. Despite having millions of speakers, Hindi is not an official UN language for official communications and documents.
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Urdu
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Greek
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Combodian
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Hawaiian
C
Correct answer
Explanation
The Khmer alphabet (used in Cambodia, misspelled as 'Combodian') has 74 letters, making it one of the largest alphabets in the world. Urdu, Greek, and Hawaiian have significantly fewer letters in their writing systems.
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Hindi
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French
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Mandarin
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English
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German
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Dutch
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French
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Swiss
A
Correct answer
Explanation
Liechtenstein's official language is German, as it is a small German-speaking country between Switzerland and Austria. The country uses Swiss German dialects in daily life but Standard German for official purposes. Dutch and French are official languages of neighboring countries, and Swiss is a nationality, not a language.
B
Correct answer
Explanation
Ethnologue and linguistic databases estimate approximately 7,100 living languages worldwide. Including distinct dialects and regional variations, the total reaches around 9,000. The 6,000 and 4,000 options are too low, while 1,000 is far too few.
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Hindi
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French
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English
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German
C
Correct answer
Explanation
English is widely recognized as having the largest vocabulary among major languages, with estimates exceeding 170,000 words in current use and over 600,000 technical terms. This results from extensive borrowing from Latin, Greek, French, and other languages.
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Hindi
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French
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English
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German
C
Correct answer
Explanation
English has the largest vocabulary of any language, with estimates ranging from 170,000 words in common use to over 1 million including technical terms. This vast vocabulary results from English's history of borrowing words from many languages during periods of conquest and trade, as well as its adoption as a global lingua franca in science, business, and technology.
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Greek
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Latin
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Russian
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English
A
Correct answer
Explanation
The word 'galaxy' originates from the Greek word 'galaxias' (γαλαξίας), meaning 'milky,' which refers to the Milky Way's appearance as a band of light. Latin uses a different root, and the term predates both Russian and English as established scientific vocabulary. English adopted the word via Greek and Latin influences.
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Aramaic
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Hebrew
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Tahoma
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Koine Greek
B
Correct answer
Explanation
The Old Testament, which makes up about 3/4 of the Bible, was written primarily in Hebrew. Some portions (Daniel, Ezra) are in Aramaic, and the New Testament is in Koine Greek. The Hebrew Bible is the largest single component.