Module 1 Quiz: Tamil Sounds, Script, and Survival Greetings

Type: Quiz

Questions

Which Tamil phrase is a polite, all-purpose greeting suitable at any time of day?
- Vanakkam (வணக்கம்)
- Kaalai vanakkam (காலை வணக்கம்)
- Namaste
- Saptiya? (சாப்பிட்டியா?)
The Tamil writing system is best described as...
- an alphabet with separate letters for every consonant and vowel sound without inherent vowel
- an abugida (alphasyllabary) where consonants carry an inherent 'a'
- an abjad that primarily writes consonants
- a logographic system like Chinese
In Tamil, how do you write the bare consonant 'k' without the inherent vowel?
- Add the pulli (virama) to க to get க்
- Use the aytham (ஃ) before க
- Double the consonant as க்க
- Replace க with ங
How many basic independent vowels (uyirezhuthu) are in Tamil?
- 5
- 7
- 12
- 18
Which statement about the letter ழ is correct?
- It represents a unique retroflex approximant often transliterated as 'zh'
- It's identical in sound to ல (la)
- It is silent at the end of words
- It represents the 'sa' sound
What is the usual direction of Tamil text?
- Right to left
- Left to right
- Top to bottom
- Alternating direction by line
Which phrase politely asks 'How are you?' to an elder or stranger?
- Eppadi irukka? (எப்படி இருக்க?)
- Naan nalla irukkiren (நான் நல்லா இருக்கிறேன்)
- Eppadi irukkinga? (எப்படி இருக்கிறீர்கள்?)
- Nee nalla irukkiya? (நீ நல்லா இருக்கியா?)
Which of the following means 'Thank you' in Tamil?
- Dayavu seithu (தயவு செய்து)
- Sari (சரி)
- Nandri (நன்றி)
- Mannikkavum (மன்னிக்கவும்)
When the short i-sign (ி) is added to க, which syllable is formed?
- கே (kē)
- கு (ku)
- கீ (kī)
- கி (ki)
How many basic consonants (meyyezhuthu) are part of the standard Tamil set?
- 12
- 21
- 36
- 18