UPSC Prelims 2014 GS Paper I · Q8 of 100 History easy

Consider the following languages : 1. Gujarati 2. Kannada 3. Telugu Which of the above has/have been declared as 'Classical Language/Languages' by the Government?

  1. (a) 1 and 2 only
  2. (b) 3 only
  3. (c) 2 and 3 only ✓ UPSC's answer
  4. (d) 1, 2 and 3

Why the answer is (c)

• Kannada (2) and Telugu (3) were declared classical languages in 2008, joining Tamil (2004) and Sanskrit (2005); Malayalam (2013) and Odia (2014) followed.

• Gujarati (1) has not been given classical status.

• Hence 2 and 3 only, option (c).

Why the other options are wrong

(a) 1 and 2 only
Gujarati is not classical; Telugu is.
(b) 3 only
Kannada is also a classical language.
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Gujarati is not a classical language.

Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2014, held on 24 August 2014. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.

Reading the answer is not the same as getting it right under a clock. Practise this question with UPSC's negative marking, and anything you miss goes into an error notebook until you get it right twice.

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