In which year was an act passed in Sri Lanka to recognise only Sinhala as the country’s official language?

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1955

1956

1965

1966

answer is B.

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Detailed Solution

In 1956 an act was passed in Sri Lanka to recognise only Sinhala as the country’s official language. Sri Lanka obtained independence in 1948. The country’s composition was such that Sinhala speakers formed 74 per cent of its population, and Tamil speakers included 18 per cent. Most of the Sinhala speakers were Buddhists, while most of the Tamil speakers were Hindus or Muslims. After Sri Lanka obtained independence, the leaders of the Sinhala community sought to secure dominance over the government by adopting a series of majoritarian measures to establish their supremacy. As part of this, an Act was passed in 1956 to recognise Sinhala as the only official language, thereby disregarding Tamil. Sinhala speakers were given preference for government jobs and university positions. The Tamil speakers thus felt alienated.

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