Answer: Odia
Notes: The correct answer is [A] Odia. As of the 2014–2015 period, Odia was the most recent language to be inducted into the Classical Language category. As of 2026, the answer would have been Assamese.
- Odia (Statement A – Correct): In February 2014, the Union Cabinet officially classified Odia as a "Classical Language." It became the sixth language to receive this status, following Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam. To qualify, a language must have a high antiquity of its early texts (1500–2000 years) and a tradition that is original and not borrowed from another speech community.
- Konkani (Statement B – Incorrect): While Konkani is an official language under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, it has not been granted classical status.
- Bhojpuri (Statement C – Incorrect): Bhojpuri is currently categorized as a dialect of Hindi and is not included in the Eighth Schedule, let alone the Classical Language list.
- Assamese (Statement D – Incorrect): In 2015, Assamese had not yet been granted this status. However, it is important to note for current affairs that Assamese (along with Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, and Bengali) was approved for classical status by the Union Cabinet much later, in October 2024.
