Indian Culture & Heritage·Prelims Questions

Pali and Prakrit — Prelims Questions

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Version 1Updated 7 Mar 2026

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Q1medium

Which of the following statements about Pali and Prakrit languages is/are correct? 1. Pali is the canonical language of Theravada Buddhism. 2. Ardhamagadhi is a prominent dialect of Pali. 3. Ashokan inscriptions were primarily written in Sanskrit. Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Q2medium

Which of the following literary works is NOT primarily associated with Prakrit language?

Q3medium

Consider the following pairs: 1. Pali : Theravada Buddhism 2. Ardhamagadhi : Jainism 3. Shauraseni : Ashokan Edicts Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

Q4easy

Which of the following statements best describes the term 'Apabhramsha' in the context of ancient Indian languages?

Q5easy

With reference to the linguistic evolution in ancient India, consider the following sequence: 1. Old Indo-Aryan 2. Middle Indo-Aryan 3. New Indo-Aryan Which of the following languages correctly represents its respective stage in the above sequence?