Which language was the first to be given the status of a classical language of India, in 2004?
- A.Sanskrit
- B.Telugu
- C.Tamil
- D.Kannada
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, Tamil. Tamil was declared a classical language in 2004, the first language to receive the status, on the strength of its ancient Sangam literature and an independent literary tradition. Option A is wrong because Sanskrit received the status in 2005, a year after Tamil, which makes it the commonest wrong answer here since candidates assume the oldest language must have been recognised first. Option B is wrong because Telugu was recognised in 2008. Option D is wrong because Kannada was recognised in the same year as Telugu, 2008. Malayalam followed in 2013 and Odia in 2014, and in 2024 the status was extended to Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali. Keep the classical list separate from the Eighth Schedule list, because Pali and Prakrit are classical languages but are not in the Eighth Schedule.
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 →