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

Which of the following is not an official language of UN?

  1. Italian

  2. English

  3. Russian

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

The UN has 6 official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. Italian is not an official UN language. English, Russian, and Spanish are all official languages, making Italian the correct answer as the one that is NOT official.

Multiple choice

What is the official language of the African Union?

  1. African languages

  2. Arabics, Portuguese

  3. English, French

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

The African Union has official languages including Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Swahili, and other African languages. The question groups multiple languages under 'All of the above' which is the correct choice.

Multiple choice

The oldest surviving language in the world is

  1. French

  2. English

  3. Sanskrit

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

Sanskrit is considered one of the oldest surviving languages with a continuous documented history spanning over 3,500 years. While other ancient languages like Sumerian and Egyptian are older, they are no longer in use.

Multiple choice

Which is the largest spoken language in the world?

  1. French

  2. Spanish

  3. Mandarin

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

Mandarin Chinese has the largest number of native speakers in the world, exceeding 900 million. While English has more total speakers (including non-native), Mandarin remains the largest by native population.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is the native dialect of a specific population?

  1. Slang

  2. Vernacular

  3. Argot

  4. Sociolect

  5. Pidgin
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Vernacular and vernacular language are terms used to refer to the native language or native dialect of a specific population, especially in the context of a second or foreign language that is more widely spoken (such as a national or standard language, or a lingua franca).

Multiple choice

The official language of Afghanistan is

  1. Urdu

  2. Balochi

  3. Russian

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

Pashto and Dari are the two official languages of Afghanistan. Urdu is primarily spoken in Pakistan, while Russian and Balochi are not official languages of the nation.

Multiple choice

The official languages of the United Nations are

  1. African, Chinese, English, French, German and Spanish

  2. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish

  3. Arabic, Japanese, Chinese, English, French and German

  4. Chinese, English, French, Hindi, Japanese and Spanish
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The six official languages of the United Nations are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.

Multiple choice

The ethnic composition of Belgium is complex. Which of the following statements about Belgium is incorrect?

  1. People in the Flemish region of Belgium speak Dutch.

  2. People in the Wallonia region of Belgium speak German.

  3. Brussels, the capital city of Belgium, has 20% Dutch-speaking people.

  4. The minority French-speaking community of Belgium was a majority in the capital city.

  5. The minority French-speaking community was relatively rich and powerful in Belgium.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

No, as the people in the Wallonia region of Belgium speak French. Only 1% population of Belgium speak German.