How many languages were initially included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution?
- A.14
- B.18
- C.16
- D.22
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, 14. When the Constitution came into force in 1950 the Eighth Schedule listed 14 languages. Option B is wrong because 18 was the count reached only in 1992, after the 71st Amendment added Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali to the 15 that existed then. Option C is wrong because 16 was never a stage in the list at all; the count went from 14 to 15 in 1967 when the 21st Amendment added Sindhi, and then straight to 18. Option D is wrong because 22 is the present number, reached in 2003 when the 92nd Amendment added Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali. Candidates lose this question by reading the word initially carelessly and answering with the current figure, so read the stem twice: 14 at the start, 22 today.
Read the full article: Languages and Scripts of India: Eighth Schedule and PYQs
Practice Questions
View allWhich of the following is not a language family existing in India?
- A.Tibeto-Burman
- B.African-Asian
- C.Dravidian
- D.Austro-Asian
Show answer
There is no language family by that name in India. The Afro-Asiatic family, which the name echoes, covers Arabic, Hebrew and the Berber and Cushitic languages of West Asia and North Africa, and no Indian language belongs to it.
Read the full explanation →Which of these languages belong to the Dravidian language family?
- A.Kannada
- B.Hindi
- C.Oriya
- D.Manipuri
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Kannada is one of the four major Dravidian languages, the others being Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam, and it is the official language of Karnataka.
Read the full explanation →The languages spoken in Jharkhand and parts of central India mainly belong to which of the following language family?
- A.Indo-European family
- B.Austro-Asiatic family
- C.Tibeto-Burman family
- D.Dravidian family
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The tribal languages of Jharkhand and the neighbouring belt of central and eastern India, namely Santali, Mundari, Ho and Kurukh's neighbours in the Munda group, belong to the Austro-Asiatic family, whose Indian branch is called Munda.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following languages is one of the two official languages of Uttar Pradesh?
- A.Urdu
- B.Awadhi
- C.Bundeli
- D.Bagheli
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Under Article 345 a State may adopt any language in use within it as its official language, and Uttar Pradesh has adopted Hindi as its official language and Urdu as its second official language.
Read the full explanation →In which amendment to the Constitution were Bodo, Dogri, Santhali and Maithili added to the list of recognised languages?
- A.73rd Constitution Amendment Act of 1992
- B.92nd Constitution Amendment Act of 2003
- C.103rd Constitution Amendment Act, 2018
- D.101st Constitution Amendment Act, 2016
Show answer
That amendment added four languages, Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali, to the Eighth Schedule and took the count from 18 to 22, where it stands.
Read the full explanation →