Languages & Scripts Questions with Solutions

32 questions13 easy16 medium3 hard

This topic covers the languages of India, the 22 languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, classical languages, official languages of states, scripts such as Brahmi, Kharosthi and Devanagari, and the most widely spoken languages of the world. Questions often ask which languages have classical status, which language is official in a particular state, or how many languages the Eighth Schedule contains. Remember the amendments that added languages to the Eighth Schedule (for example, the 92nd Amendment added Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali). Because the list of classical languages has grown over time, check the latest official count before your exam. Practise the languages and scripts questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

  1. Q1.

    Languages such as Nyishi, Apatani and Bokar are spoken in which state?

    A. MeghalayaB. MizoramC. Arunachal PradeshD. Nagaland
    mediumAsked in SSC +1View solution ›
  2. Q2.

    In which year was Odia designated a classical language of India?

    A. 2008B. 2014C. 2024D. 2004
    mediumAsked in SSCView solution ›
  3. Q3.

    Manikkavachakar, a devotee of Shiva, composed devotional songs in which language?

    A. TamilB. SanskritC. TeluguD. Kannada
    mediumAsked in SSCView solution ›
  4. Q4.

    The 'Pashto' language is spoken mainly in:

    A. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and TurkmenistanB. Iran, Iraq and SyriaC. Nepal, Bhutan and TibetD. Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran
    mediumAsked in SSCView solution ›
  5. Q5.

    Churahi, Mandeali and Keonthali are dialects spoken in which state?

    A. Jammu and KashmirB. Himachal PradeshC. UttarakhandD. Sikkim
    mediumAsked in SSCView solution ›
  6. Q6.

    What is the official language of Rajasthan?

    A. UrduB. RajasthaniC. HindiD. Marwari
    mediumAsked in RailwayView solution ›
  7. Q7.

    What are the first and second official languages of Telangana respectively?

    A. Urdu and TeluguB. Telugu and EnglishC. Telugu and HindiD. Telugu and Urdu
    mediumAsked in RailwayView solution ›
  8. Q8.

    Ao is a prominent language spoken in which state?

    A. NagalandB. Arunachal PradeshC. MizoramD. Meghalaya
    mediumAsked in RailwayView solution ›
  9. Q9.

    Which is the world's second largest language family by number of speakers?

    A. Sino-TibetanB. Niger-CongoC. Afro-AsiaticD. Austronesian
    mediumAsked in RailwayView solution ›
  10. Q10.

    Urdu is also referred to as:

    A. BrajbhashaB. PaliC. Dev BhashaD. Lashkari Zaban
    mediumAsked in RailwayView solution ›
  11. Q11.

    The word 'Cheetah' is derived from which language?

    A. PortugueseB. ArabicC. PersianD. Sanskrit
    mediumAsked in DefenceView solution ›
  12. Q12.

    The first translation of the Bhagavad Gita into English was done by:

    A. Max MüllerB. Charles WilkinsC. Edwin ArnoldD. William Jones
    mediumAsked in RailwayView solution ›
  13. Q13.

    Telugu Language Day is observed on 29 August, the birth anniversary of:

    A. Gidugu Venkata RamamurthyB. Potti SriramuluC. Kandukuri VeeresalingamD. Gurajada Apparao
    mediumAsked in SSCView solution ›
  14. Q14.

    The International Year of Indigenous Languages was observed by the United Nations in:

    A. 2016B. 2019C. 2008D. 2022
    mediumAsked in RailwayView solution ›
  15. Q15.

    The official languages of Afghanistan are:

    A. Dari and PashtoB. Pashto and BalochiC. Dari and UzbekD. Persian and Urdu
    mediumAsked in SSCView solution ›
  16. Q16.

    The official languages of Sri Lanka are:

    A. Sinhala and EnglishB. Sinhala and TamilC. Sinhala onlyD. Tamil and English
    mediumAsked in SSC +1View solution ›