Which of the following State has English as the only official language?

2022

Which of the following State has English as the only official language?

  1. A.

    Nagaland

  2. B.

    Sikkim

  3. C.

    Manipur

  4. D.

    Tripura

Attempted by 25 students.

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A

In Indian federal practice, each state is free to decide its own official language(s) for state government business; most states settle on the locally dominant language, but a linguistically diverse state with no single majority language may adopt English alone as its sole official language, with no additional state-recognised regional language sharing that status.

Nagaland's state Assembly proclaimed English the state's official language in 1967 -- four years after statehood (1963) -- and no additional regional language has ever been notified alongside it, a direct consequence of the state's highly diverse mix of Naga tribal languages, none of which commands a statewide majority.

Checking each offered state against the same 'only official language' test confirms the choice:

State

Official language(s)

Nagaland

English (sole official language, adopted 1967)

Sikkim

English, Nepali, and several scheduled/tribal languages (Bhutia, Lepcha, Limbu, and others) -- recognised jointly

Manipur

Meitei (Manipuri)

Tripura

Bengali, Kokborok, and English -- recognised jointly (not English alone)

Only Nagaland satisfies the 'only official language is English' condition, so it is the correct state.

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