UPSC Prelims 2015 · Question 75 of 98
UPSC Prelims 2015 question on Odia Classical Language
- ExamUPSC CSE
- Year2015
- PaperGeneral Studies Paper I
- SubjectArt and Culture
- TopicLiterature
- DifficultyEasy
- TypeDirect
Which one of the following was given classical language status recently?
Show answer
Answer: A. Odia
Verdict
The answer is Odia. Odia was accorded classical language status in 2014.
Analysis
Odia was recognised as a classical language in 2014, and the case for it rested partly on it being the first language from the Indo-Aryan linguistic group to receive the status, with a literary tradition distinct from Hindi, Sanskrit, Bengali and Telugu. Before Odia the classical languages were Tamil, recognised in 2004, followed by Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam. Konkani, Bhojpuri and Assamese had not received the status at the time this paper was set, though Assamese was recognised subsequently.
Source
The Hindu report on Odia receiving classical language status.
How to crack it
The list grows over time, so store it as a dated sequence rather than as a set, and note the structural point the news made: every earlier classical language was Dravidian or Sanskrit, so Odia broke the pattern as the first Indo-Aryan entrant. Structural facts of that kind are what newspapers report and what examiners lift. Whenever a recognition or designation is announced, log the year and what made it a first.