Prelims 2014 · archive
EasyConsider the following languages:
- 1.Gujarati
- 2.Kannada
- 3.Telugu
Which of the above has/have been declared as ‘Classical Language/Languages’ by the Government?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) 2 and 3 only
Kannada and Telugu were declared classical languages in 2008; Gujarati has never been.
- ✗ 1. Gujarati has not been given classical status.
- ✓ 2. Kannada was recognised in 2008.
- ✓ 3. Telugu was recognised in 2008.
- • Since then Since then Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali were added on 3 October 2024, making 11 classical languages; Gujarati is still not one (PIB).
Remember · In 2014: Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia. Gujarati: never.
Sources
- PIB explainer, Classical Languages of India (Oct 2025) ↗ “Six languages - Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Odia—were recognised as Classical Languages between 2004 and 2014.”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2014, General Studies paper. UPSC did not publish an answer key for 2014: the answer shown is the one the sources above support. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 24 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·