Geography ยท 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 language is spoken by the majority of the population of Madagascar?

  1. Malagasy

  2. French

  3. English

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

Malagasy is the official language of Madagascar and is spoken by the majority of the population.

Multiple choice

Which of these is an example of a pidgin language?

  1. Esperanto

  2. Tok Pisin

  3. Mandarin Chinese

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

Tok Pisin is an example of a pidgin language, which is a simplified language that develops when two or more groups of people need to communicate but do not share a common language.

Multiple choice

Which of these is an example of a creole language?

  1. Haitian Creole

  2. Jamaican Patois

  3. French

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

Haitian Creole is an example of a creole language, which is a language that develops when a pidgin language becomes the native language of a community.

Multiple choice

What is the most common language used in foreign language competitions?

  1. English

  2. French

  3. Spanish

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

English is the most common language used in foreign language competitions, followed by French, Spanish, and German.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by the eighth largest linguistic group in Rutland Island?

  1. Gujarati

  2. Punjabi

  3. Odia

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

Gujarati is spoken by approximately 0.25% of the population of Rutland Island, making it the eighth largest linguistic group on the island.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by the thirteenth largest linguistic group in Rutland Island?

  1. Nepali

  2. Konkani

  3. Manipuri

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

Nepali is spoken by approximately 0.005% of the population of Rutland Island, making it the thirteenth largest linguistic group on the island.

Multiple choice

What is the estimated number of languages spoken in the world today?

  1. Around 6,000

  2. Around 7,000

  3. Around 8,000

  4. Around 9,000
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

There are approximately 7,000 languages spoken in the world today, with many of them facing the threat of extinction due to various factors.

Multiple choice

What percentage of the world's languages are considered endangered?

  1. Around 25%

  2. Around 50%

  3. Around 75%

  4. Around 90%
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Approximately 50% of the world's languages are considered endangered, meaning they are at risk of disappearing due to factors such as language loss and assimilation.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a Sinitic language?

  1. Mandarin Chinese

  2. Cantonese

  3. Wu

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

Mandarin Chinese is the most widely spoken Sinitic language, with over 1 billion speakers. It is the official language of the People's Republic of China.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a Nung language?

  1. Nung

  2. Tay

  3. Thai

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

Nung is a Nung language, as are Tay, Thai, and Lao. The Nung languages are spoken in China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is an example of a language that exhibits digraphia?

  1. Arabic

  2. Chinese

  3. Japanese

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

Japanese is an example of a language that exhibits digraphia, with the use of three writing systems: kanji (Chinese characters), hiragana, and katakana, each serving different purposes and contexts in the written language.

Multiple choice

Which language is spoken by the people of the Kalasha region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan?

  1. Khowar

  2. Kalasha

  3. Burushaski

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

Kalasha is a Dardic language spoken by the people of the Kalasha region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

Multiple choice

Which language family does the Na-Dene language family belong to?

  1. Sino-Tibetan

  2. Austronesian

  3. Indo-European

  4. Na-Dene
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The Na-Dene language family is a distinct language family that is not related to any other language family.

Multiple choice

What are the two main branches of the Na-Dene language family?

  1. Athabaskan and Tlingit

  2. Apache and Navajo

  3. Haida and Tsimshian

  4. Chinook and Salish
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Athabaskan and Tlingit languages are the two main branches of the Na-Dene language family.

Multiple choice

Which language is the most widely spoken Athabaskan language?

  1. Navajo

  2. Apache

  3. Chipewyan

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

Navajo is the most widely spoken Athabaskan language, with over 170,000 speakers.