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Consider the following statements about ancient Indian languages.
1. Pali was widely spoken in Magadha.
2. The Tripitaka of Buddhism were also written in Pali.
3. Among the Dravidian group, Kannada is the oldest language.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
  • a)
    1, 3
  • b)
    1, 2
  • c)
    2, 3
  • d)
    1, 2, 3
Correct answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?
Most Upvoted Answer
Consider the following statements about ancient Indian languages. 1. ...
Explanation:
The correct answer is option 'B' (1, 2).

Statement 1: Pali was widely spoken in Magadha.
Pali was an ancient language closely related to Sanskrit. It was widely spoken in Magadha, which was an important region in ancient India. Magadha was the center of political and cultural activities during the time of the Buddha, and Pali was the language used by the Buddha and his disciples to communicate and propagate his teachings.

Statement 2: The Tripitaka of Buddhism were also written in Pali.
The Tripitaka is the sacred scripture of Buddhism, and it is written in Pali. The Tripitaka consists of three parts - the Vinaya Pitaka (rules for monastic discipline), the Sutta Pitaka (discourses of the Buddha), and the Abhidhamma Pitaka (philosophical and psychological analysis). These texts were initially passed down orally, but they were later written down in Pali.

Statement 3: Among the Dravidian group, Kannada is the oldest language.
This statement is incorrect. Among the Dravidian languages, Tamil is considered to be the oldest language. Tamil has a rich literary tradition dating back more than 2,000 years, and it is one of the classical languages of India. Kannada, on the other hand, is also a Dravidian language, but it is not the oldest language in the group.

To summarize:
- Pali was widely spoken in Magadha, an important region in ancient India.
- The Tripitaka, the sacred scripture of Buddhism, was written in Pali.
- Kannada is not the oldest language among the Dravidian group; Tamil holds that distinction.

Therefore, the correct statements are 1 and 2, making option 'B' the correct answer.
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Community Answer
Consider the following statements about ancient Indian languages. 1. ...
  • Pali: It was widely spoken in Magadha. It was popular during the fifth-first century BC. It is closely related to Sanskrit, and the texts in Pali were written generally in Brahmi script.
  • The Tripitaka of Buddhism were also written in Pali. It serves as the lingua franca of Theravada Buddhism. It is believed that Buddha himself did not speak in Pali but gave his preachings in Ardha-magadhi language.
The four major languages of the Dravidian group are:
  • Telugu (numerically the largest of all Dravidian languages)
  • Tamil (the oldest and purest form of language)
  • Kannada
  • Malayalam (smallest and the youngest of the Dravidian group).
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Consider the following statements about ancient Indian languages. 1. Pali was widely spoken in Magadha.2. The Tripitaka of Buddhism were also written in Pali.3. Among the Dravidian group, Kannada is the oldest language.Which of the above statements is/are correct?a) 1, 3b) 1, 2c) 2, 3d) 1, 2, 3Correct answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?
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