Explanation
- A
Odia
Odia was granted classical language status in 2014, the most recent such decision at the time of this paper. This option is the official key.
- B
Konkani
Konkani is in the Eighth Schedule but was not given classical status. This option is not the key.
- C
Bhojpuri
Bhojpuri is not an Eighth Schedule language and was not a classical language. This option is therefore wrong.
- D
Assamese
Assamese is an Eighth Schedule language; it did not have classical status in 2015 (that came much later). This option is not the key.
Summary. Official key is (a) Odia. In 2014 the Union accorded classical status to Odia, after Tamil, Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam. Konkani, Bhojpuri and Assamese were not in that 2014 classical list. ‘Recently’ in a 2015 paper points to Odia. Only (a) matches.
Same topic · past papers
UPSC has asked this before
These previous-year questions sit on the same topic. Open one to practise the earlier ask.
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2026 · Q19 · General Studies · 2 marks
Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur, the famous classical singer from Karnataka, represented the: