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UPSC Prelims 2004 · World Geography · Countries, Rivers and Resources
Consider the following international languages: 1. Arabic 2. French 3. Spanish. The correct sequence of the languages given above in the decreasing order of the number of their speakers is
- (a) 03-01-02
- (b) 01-03-02
- (c) 03-02-01
- (d) 01-02-03
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (a) 03-01-02
Spanish (~480 million native) > Arabic (~370 million) > French (~80 million native).
Why the others are wrong
(b) Spanish has more native speakers than Arabic.
(c) Arabic has more speakers than French.
(d) Spanish has the most native speakers of the three.
The trap
French is widely spoken as a second language, but has far fewer native speakers.
🔒 Native speakers: Mandarin > Spanish > English > Hindi > Arabic > Bengali.
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