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ASSEB HSLC Elective Santhali study materials
ASSEB HSLC Elective Santhali study resources

ASSEB HSLC Elective Santhali practice questions

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Question 1Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

In a Santhali prose passage, a sentence begins 'ᱥᱮᱛᱟᱜ ᱫᱚ ᱟᱹᱛᱩ ᱨᱮᱱ ᱦᱚᱲ ᱠᱚ ᱠᱟᱹᱢᱤ ᱨᱮ ᱠᱚ ᱪᱟᱞᱟᱜ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ ᱠᱚ ᱾' What does the opening word 'ᱥᱮᱛᱟᱜ' most directly indicate about the passage's setting?

  1. The person who performs the action
  2. The time of day when the action occurs Correct answer.
  3. The place where the action occurs
  4. The reason why the action occurs

Explanation

ᱥᱮᱛᱟᱜ means 'morning', a time word. In Santhali prose, an opening time expression frames when the narrated action happens, so the passage's setting in time is established before the actors are described.

Question 2Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

A Santhali passage describes a character with the words 'ᱩᱱᱤ ᱫᱚ ᱟᱹᱰᱤ ᱜᱟᱺᱦᱤᱨ ᱦᱚᱲ ᱠᱟᱱᱟᱭ ᱾' Based on this sentence alone, which quality is attributed to the character?

  1. Being wealthy
  2. Being physically tall
  3. Being talkative and loud
  4. Being deep or serious in nature Correct answer.

Explanation

ᱜᱟᱺᱦᱤᱨ carries the sense of depth or seriousness, so the sentence praises a thoughtful, profound character. Reading it as a physical or financial description misreads the adjective's figurative use in prose.

Question 3Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

In a Santhali narrative, the pronoun 'ᱩᱱᱤ' is used repeatedly after a single character has been introduced by name. What is the main function of this repetition in the passage?

  1. It avoids repeating the name while keeping reference clear Correct answer.
  2. It introduces a new character each time
  3. It signals that the action has moved to a new place
  4. It marks the passage as direct speech

Explanation

Once a character is named, Santhali prose uses pronouns such as ᱩᱱᱤ to refer back to that same person. This keeps the text from repeating the name and preserves cohesion for the reader.

Question 4Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

A Santhali prose passage states 'ᱵᱟᱦᱟ ᱠᱚ ᱯᱷᱩᱴᱟᱹᱣ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ ᱾' Which detail does this sentence contribute to the passage's description?

  1. That rain is falling
  2. That flowers are blooming Correct answer.
  3. That crops have been harvested
  4. That birds are singing

Explanation

ᱵᱟᱦᱟ means 'flower' and ᱯᱷᱩᱴᱟᱹᱣ means 'to bloom', so the sentence reports blooming flowers. Such descriptive sentences build the scene rather than advancing the plot.

Question 5Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

While reading an unseen Santhali passage, a student meets the unfamiliar word 'ᱫᱟᱨᱮ' in the sentence 'ᱫᱟᱨᱮ ᱨᱮ ᱪᱮᱬᱮ ᱠᱚ ᱫᱩᱲᱩᱵ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ ᱾' Using the surrounding words, what does 'ᱫᱟᱨᱮ' most likely mean?

  1. A river
  2. A house
  3. A road
  4. A tree Correct answer.

Explanation

The context shows birds sitting on or in the thing named, which fits a tree. Using nearby words such as ᱪᱮᱬᱮ (bird) and ᱫᱩᱲᱩᱵ (sit) lets a reader infer an unknown noun without a dictionary.

Question 6Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

A Santhali passage ends with 'ᱩᱱᱠᱩ ᱫᱚ ᱟᱹᱰᱤ ᱠᱩᱥᱤ ᱠᱚ ᱞᱮᱱᱟ ᱾' What does this closing sentence most likely convey about the characters?

  1. They became very happy Correct answer.
  2. They became very tired
  3. They left the village
  4. They became angry

Explanation

ᱠᱩᱥᱤ means 'happy' or 'glad', so the closing line reports the characters' joy. Endings of this kind typically resolve the mood of the narrative after the main events.

Question 7Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

Which feature of a Santhali prose passage would most reliably show that a character is speaking directly rather than being described by the narrator?

  1. A long description of the weather
  2. Quotation marks or a speech verb attached to the character's words Correct answer.
  3. A change of tense in the middle of a paragraph
  4. The repeated use of the pronoun ᱩᱱᱤ

Explanation

Direct speech is marked by quotation or by a verb of saying that introduces the character's own words. These signals separate the character's voice from the narrator's reporting voice.

Question 8Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

A Santhali passage opens with a general statement about village life and then tells the story of one farmer. What is the main purpose of the opening general statement?

  1. To provide background that frames the individual story Correct answer.
  2. To give the moral of the story in advance
  3. To list every character who will appear
  4. To confuse the reader about the setting

Explanation

A general opening sets the social or physical background before a particular case is narrated. Readers use this frame to understand the individual story that follows.

Question 9Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

Read this Santhali sentence: 'ᱦᱚᱲ ᱠᱚ ᱫᱟᱜ ᱧᱩ ᱞᱟᱹᱜᱤᱫ ᱠᱷᱟᱹᱞᱤ ᱠᱚ ᱛᱟᱦᱮᱸ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ ᱾' Which inference about the situation is best supported?

  1. The people had finished their meal
  2. The people had plenty of water
  3. The people were in need of water Correct answer.
  4. The people were building a well

Explanation

ᱠᱷᱟᱹᱞᱤ in this context conveys being empty or lacking, and ᱫᱟᱜ ᱧᱩ ᱞᱟᱹᱜᱤᱫ names drinking water. The sentence therefore supports an inference of water scarcity rather than abundance.

Question 10Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

A Santhali passage uses 'ᱦᱮᱸᱫᱮ' in one place to describe a person and in another to describe a situation. What should a careful reader conclude?

  1. The word has the same meaning in both places
  2. The word is always a noun
  3. The word's sense must be decided from each context Correct answer.
  4. The second use is a printing error

Explanation

Many Santhali words shift sense according to what they modify, so the reader must check the surrounding words in each case. Assuming one fixed meaning across different contexts leads to misreading.

Question 11Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

In a Santhali prose passage, the narrator writes 'ᱢᱤᱫ ᱫᱤᱱ ᱢᱤᱫ ᱪᱮᱬᱮ ᱟᱡ ᱨᱮᱱ ᱜᱷᱟᱨᱚᱸᱡᱽ ᱥᱟᱶ ᱮᱴᱟᱜ ᱫᱤᱥᱚᱢ ᱮ ᱪᱟᱞᱟᱣᱮᱱᱟ ᱾' What narrative element does this sentence chiefly establish?

  1. The physical description of the bird
  2. The main conflict of the story
  3. The moral lesson
  4. The starting point of the journey Correct answer.

Explanation

The sentence marks a departure, launching the movement of the story. Such lines typically open a journey episode and give the reader the point from which later events unfold.

Question 12Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

A Santhali passage contains the line 'ᱩᱱᱤ ᱫᱚ ᱟᱡ ᱨᱮᱱ ᱜᱟᱛᱮ ᱠᱚ ᱜᱚᱲᱚ ᱞᱟᱹᱜᱤᱫ ᱟᱹᱛᱩ ᱨᱮ ᱛᱟᱦᱮᱸ ᱮᱱᱟᱭ ᱾' What does this line reveal about the character's motive?

  1. He wanted to travel abroad
  2. He chose to stay in order to help his friends Correct answer.
  3. He was afraid of the village
  4. He wanted to become rich

Explanation

The purpose clause ᱜᱚᱲᱚ ᱞᱟᱹᱜᱤᱫ ('in order to help') states the reason for staying. Purpose expressions are the clearest guide to a character's motive in prose.

Question 13Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

A Santhali passage describes a character as 'ᱢᱚᱱᱮ ᱛᱮ ᱠᱮᱴᱮᱡ' before recounting a difficult decision. How does this description function in the passage?

  1. It indicates that the character will fail
  2. It tells the reader the story's ending
  3. It prepares the reader for the character's firm choice Correct answer.
  4. It shows that the character is physically ill

Explanation

ᱢᱚᱱᱮ ᱛᱮ ᱠᱮᱴᱮᱡ describes strength of mind, which foreshadows a resolute decision. Character descriptions placed before an action guide the reader's expectations of how that action will be handled.

Question 14Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

In an unseen Santhali passage, which detail best helps a reader identify the passage's central theme rather than a supporting detail?

  1. The length of the passage's title
  2. The name of a minor character mentioned once
  3. The number of sentences in each paragraph
  4. A repeated idea or lesson that the events illustrate Correct answer.

Explanation

A theme is carried by ideas that recur or that the events finally illustrate, not by incidental facts. Noticing repetition and the outcome of the narrative is the reliable route to the central theme.

Question 15Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

A Santhali passage reports: 'ᱟᱹᱛᱩ ᱨᱮᱱ ᱠᱚ ᱢᱮᱱᱮᱫᱟ ᱪᱮ ᱱᱚᱶᱟ ᱫᱟᱨᱮ ᱫᱚ ᱟᱹᱰᱤ ᱢᱟᱨᱮ ᱜᱮᱭᱟ ᱾' What is the source of the information in this sentence?

  1. The narrator's own direct observation
  2. A written record quoted by the narrator
  3. What the villagers say Correct answer.
  4. The main character's dream

Explanation

The verb ᱢᱮᱱᱮᱫᱟ ('they say') signals reported speech, so the information comes from the villagers rather than from the narrator's observation. Distinguishing reported from observed information matters when judging reliability.

Question 16Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

A Santhali prose passage alternates between long descriptive paragraphs and short lines of dialogue. What effect does this alternation most likely create?

  1. It shows the writer forgot the plot
  2. It proves the passage is a poem
  3. It balances scene-setting with the characters' own voices Correct answer.
  4. It slows the story and removes all action

Explanation

Description builds the setting while dialogue lets characters speak for themselves, and moving between them varies the passage's pace. Recognising this pattern helps a reader see how the writer controls rhythm and emphasis.

Question 17Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

Read the Santhali sentence 'ᱵᱟᱵᱟ ᱟᱡ ᱨᱮᱱ ᱜᱤᱫᱽᱨᱟᱹ ᱠᱚ ᱪᱮᱫ ᱮ ᱢᱮᱱᱮᱫ ᱠᱚ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ?' and decide its function in the passage.

  1. It asks what the father is saying to his children Correct answer.
  2. It commands the children to be silent
  3. It reports a completed action of the past
  4. It describes the father's appearance

Explanation

The interrogative word ᱪᱮᱫ together with the verb form marks a question about what the father is saying. Recognising question markers helps a reader follow dialogue and shifts in a passage.

Question 18Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

A Santhali passage states that a boy 'ᱫᱟᱜ ᱟᱹᱜᱩᱭ ᱞᱟᱹᱜᱤᱫ ᱮ ᱪᱟᱞᱟᱣᱮᱱᱟ ᱢᱮᱱᱠᱷᱟᱱ ᱰᱟᱦᱟᱨ ᱨᱮ ᱮ ᱛᱟᱦᱮᱸ ᱮᱱᱟᱭ ᱾' What does the word 'ᱢᱮᱱᱠᱷᱟᱱ' signal in this sentence?

  1. A direct quotation
  2. A repetition of the first action
  3. A contrast or unexpected turn Correct answer.
  4. A cause

Explanation

ᱢᱮᱱᱠᱷᱟᱱ works as a contrastive connector, similar to 'but'. It tells the reader that the second event departs from what the first clause led them to expect.

Question 19Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

A Santhali passage describes a market scene and then reports that a character 'ᱵᱟᱡᱟᱨ ᱨᱮ ᱟᱡ ᱨᱮᱱ ᱜᱟᱛᱮ ᱮ ᱧᱮᱞ ᱠᱮᱫᱮᱭᱟ ᱾' Why is this meeting important to the passage's development?

  1. It ends the story without further action
  2. It shows the market has closed
  3. It introduces an encounter that can change the course of events Correct answer.
  4. It repeats information already given

Explanation

An encounter in a public place is a common turning point, bringing characters together so that new action can follow. Readers should watch such meetings for their consequences later in the passage.

Question 20Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

A Santhali passage includes a proverb-like sentence about patience placed after a character's long struggle. What is the most likely purpose of this placement?

  1. To summarise the lesson drawn from the struggle Correct answer.
  2. To correct a factual error earlier in the text
  3. To describe the weather in detail
  4. To introduce a completely new character

Explanation

A proverb placed after a struggle draws out the lesson of the preceding events. This closing position lets the writer state the meaning that the narrative has demonstrated.

Question 21Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

Two Santhali sentences appear in a passage: 'ᱩᱱᱤ ᱫᱚ ᱟᱹᱛᱩ ᱮ ᱟᱲᱟᱜ ᱠᱮᱫᱟ ᱾' and 'ᱩᱱᱤ ᱫᱚ ᱟᱹᱛᱩ ᱨᱮ ᱨᱩᱣᱟᱹᱲ ᱮᱱᱟᱭ ᱾' What do these two sentences together tell the reader about the character's movement?

  1. He left the village and later returned Correct answer.
  2. He was born in another country
  3. He moved to a city permanently
  4. He never left the village

Explanation

The first sentence reports leaving and the second reports returning, so together they describe a departure followed by a homecoming. Tracking such paired sentences reveals the shape of a character's journey.

Question 22Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

In a Santhali passage, the narrator says of a poor farmer 'ᱩᱱᱤ ᱫᱚ ᱟᱡ ᱨᱮᱱ ᱠᱷᱮᱛ ᱨᱮ ᱟᱹᱰᱤ ᱠᱷᱟᱴᱚ ᱮ ᱠᱟᱹᱢᱤᱭᱟ ᱢᱮᱱᱠᱷᱟᱱ ᱥᱮᱨᱢᱟ ᱨᱮᱱᱟᱜ ᱚᱵᱚᱥᱛᱟ ᱫᱚ ᱵᱟᱭ ᱥᱟᱢᱵᱽᱲᱟᱣ ᱫᱟᱲᱮᱭᱟᱜᱼᱟ ᱾' What does this sentence mainly emphasise?

  1. The limits of human effort against natural conditions Correct answer.
  2. The farmer's laziness
  3. The size of the field
  4. The farmer's wealth

Explanation

The contrast between hard work and the farmer's inability to control the weather highlights human limits before nature. The connector ᱢᱮᱱᱠᱷᱟᱱ sets up this contrast, which is the sentence's main point.

Question 23Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

A Santhali passage presents a character's words in indirect form, reporting that he said he would return the next day. How does indirect reporting affect the reader's understanding?

  1. It guarantees the character is telling the truth
  2. It changes the setting of the passage
  3. It removes all information about the character's intention
  4. It gives the gist of the speech in the narrator's voice Correct answer.

Explanation

Indirect speech conveys what was said through the narrator's wording, so the reader receives the content without the character's exact phrasing. This shapes tone and distance between narrator and character.

Question 24Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

A Santhali passage describes the same event twice, first briefly and later in detail with the character's feelings. What is the most reasonable interpretation of this repetition?

  1. The event did not actually happen
  2. The second telling deepens the reader's understanding of the event Correct answer.
  3. The passage has two unrelated stories
  4. The writer made an accidental duplication

Explanation

Deliberate retelling in fuller detail adds emotional and reflective depth that the first brief mention could not carry. Skilled readers treat such repetition as emphasis rather than error, checking whether new information or feeling is added.

Question 25Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

A Santhali passage ends with a question rather than a statement of resolution. What is the most likely effect on the reader?

  1. It tells the reader the answer directly
  2. It leaves the issue open for the reader to reflect on Correct answer.
  3. It proves the passage is incomplete
  4. It shows the writer forgot the ending

Explanation

A closing question invites the reader to weigh the issue rather than receive a settled conclusion. This technique is common when a writer wants the theme to linger beyond the passage.

Question 26Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

In an unseen Santhali prose passage, a reader meets the word 'ᱥᱮᱛᱟᱜ' in a sentence describing when a character leaves home. Which meaning fits the passage context?

  1. morning Correct answer.
  2. evening
  3. market
  4. village

Explanation

Santhali 'ᱥᱮᱛᱟᱜ' denotes the morning part of the day, so a sentence about someone setting out at that time points to an early departure. The other choices name a later time or a place, which would not match a word marking a time of day.

Question 27Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

A Santhali passage contains the sentence 'ᱩᱱᱤ ᱫᱚ ᱟᱹᱛᱩ ᱨᱮᱱ ᱦᱚᱲ ᱠᱚ ᱥᱟᱶ ᱠᱟᱛᱷᱟ ᱮᱫᱟᱭ ᱾' What does this sentence tell the reader about the character?

  1. The character is travelling to another village.
  2. The character is hiding from the villagers.
  3. The character is leaving the village for good.
  4. The character is speaking with the people of the village. Correct answer.

Explanation

The verb form 'ᱠᱟᱛᱷᱟ ᱮᱫᱟᱭ' expresses ongoing talking, and 'ᱟᱹᱛᱩ ᱨᱮᱱ ᱦᱚᱲ ᱠᱚ ᱥᱟᱶ' marks the people the character is talking with. Together they describe a present act of conversation with fellow villagers rather than movement or concealment.

Question 28Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

A Santhali passage says of a woman: 'ᱩᱱᱤ ᱫᱚ ᱟᱹᱰᱤ ᱫᱩᱠᱷ ᱨᱮ ᱛᱟᱦᱮᱸ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ ᱢᱮᱱᱠᱷᱟᱱ ᱟᱡ ᱨᱮᱱ ᱜᱤᱫᱽᱨᱟᱹ ᱠᱚ ᱞᱟᱹᱜᱤᱫ ᱮ ᱠᱩᱨᱩᱢᱩᱴᱩᱭᱮᱫ ᱛᱟᱦᱮᱸᱱᱟ ᱾' What does this sentence most strongly suggest about her character?

  1. She gives up easily when trouble comes.
  2. She keeps working hard despite her hardship. Correct answer.
  3. She depends entirely on her neighbours for help.
  4. She blames her children for her difficulties.

Explanation

The word 'ᱢᱮᱱᱠᱷᱟᱱ' sets up a contrast: although she is in great distress, she continues striving for her children. The continuing effort marked by the progressive verb shows perseverance rather than surrender or blame.

Question 29Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

In a Santhali passage, the writer first describes a dry, empty field and then tells how a family works there through the season. Which element functions as the setting of the passage?

  1. The lesson the reader draws at the end.
  2. The season in which the work happens.
  3. The family's decision to work the land.
  4. The dry, empty field described at the start. Correct answer.

Explanation

Setting refers to the place and conditions in which events unfold, and the dry field described at the opening supplies exactly that background. The family's decision is an action, the season is part of the time frame, and the closing lesson is the theme, not the setting.

Question 30Unseen Passage Comprehension (Santhali prose)

A Santhali passage reports a villager's speech in indirect form: 'ᱩᱱᱤ ᱫᱚ ᱢᱮᱱ ᱠᱮᱫᱟ ᱪᱮ ᱩᱱᱤ ᱫᱚ ᱵᱟᱡᱟᱨ ᱮ ᱪᱟᱞᱟᱜᱼᱟ ᱾' How does this differ from a line of direct dialogue in the same passage?

  1. It proves the narrator agrees with the villager.
  2. It shows that the villager never actually spoke.
  3. It reports the speaker's words without quoting them as spoken. Correct answer.
  4. It marks the villager's words as a proverb.

Explanation

Indirect speech places the reported words under a reporting verb with a linking particle, so the reader learns what was said without a quoted utterance. Direct dialogue, by contrast, presents the words as spoken, usually set apart in the text.

Question 31Poetry Comprehension and Appreciation (Santhali)

In Santhali poetry, the repeated refrain of a song is usually called the

  1. lambang Correct answer.
  2. saraswati
  3. jharna
  4. dahar

Explanation

The refrain or repeated line in a Santhali song is termed lambang, and it anchors the oral performance by returning after each stanza. Recognising this term helps a reader follow the structure of a folk song text.

Question 32Poetry Comprehension and Appreciation (Santhali)

A Santhali poem that laments the loss of forest land most likely belongs to which broad theme?

  1. trade and markets
  2. nature and dispossession Correct answer.
  3. praise of kings
  4. courtship games

Explanation

Santhali poetry frequently draws on forest, hill and river imagery, and loss of land is expressed through lament for nature. The theme therefore combines attachment to the natural world with the pain of dispossession.

Question 33Poetry Comprehension and Appreciation (Santhali)

The Santhali word 'sereng' in poetry most often denotes

  1. a village boundary
  2. a hunting drum
  3. a type of song or tune Correct answer.
  4. a flowering tree

Explanation

Sereng is used for a song or melody in Santhali, and poets refer to singing a sereng when describing performance. The term belongs to the vocabulary of oral song rather than to objects or places.

Question 34Poetry Comprehension and Appreciation (Santhali)

Which feature most clearly marks a Santhali folk poem as oral rather than written in origin?

  1. Long descriptive prose passages
  2. Irregular line length with sung refrains Correct answer.
  3. Chapter divisions with numbers
  4. Footnotes explaining customs

Explanation

Oral poetry is shaped for singing, so lines vary with the melody and refrains return for audience participation. Written conventions such as footnotes and numbered chapters belong to print culture, not oral composition.

Question 35Poetry Comprehension and Appreciation (Santhali)

In a Santhali poem, the line 'the moon rises over the sal grove' mainly functions as

  1. a legal statement
  2. a commercial remark
  3. a historical record
  4. a nature image setting mood Correct answer.

Explanation

Mention of the moon and the sal grove creates a natural image that establishes atmosphere for the poem. Such imagery sets mood rather than conveying history, law or trade.

Question 36Poetry Comprehension and Appreciation (Santhali)

The Santhali term 'banam' in poetic contexts refers to

  1. a woven basket
  2. a bowed string instrument Correct answer.
  3. a wedding ritual
  4. a rain cloud

Explanation

Banam is a bowed string instrument played in Santhali musical traditions, and poets invoke its sound to evoke village evenings. It is an instrument name, not a container, ritual or weather image.

Question 37Poetry Comprehension and Appreciation (Santhali)

A Santhali poem addresses a river as 'mother' and asks her to carry a message. This device is best described as

  1. alliteration
  2. hyperbole
  3. apostrophe Correct answer.
  4. irony

Explanation

Apostrophe is direct address to an absent or non-human entity as though it could hear and reply. Speaking to a river as mother and requesting a message is a clear instance of the device.

Question 38Poetry Comprehension and Appreciation (Santhali)

Which line from a Santhali poem contains a simile?

  1. O hill, hear my prayer
  2. The fire devours the field
  3. Her voice is like the koel's song Correct answer.
  4. The drum speaks at midnight

Explanation

A simile compares two things explicitly using a word such as 'like' or 'as'. The line comparing her voice to the koel's song uses 'like' and is therefore a simile.

Question 39Poetry Comprehension and Appreciation (Santhali)

A Santhali lullaby's repeated soft syllables and slow rhythm primarily serve to

  1. record genealogies
  2. soothe the child to sleep Correct answer.
  3. teach arithmetic
  4. announce a festival

Explanation

Lullabies use gentle repetition and a slow, rocking rhythm to calm an infant. The sound pattern is functional: it shapes the performance toward sleep rather than conveying information.

Question 40Poetry Comprehension and Appreciation (Santhali)

In Santhali poetry, a line ending with the same sound as the previous line creates

  1. assonance across the whole stanza
  2. rhyme Correct answer.
  3. caesura
  4. enjambment

Explanation

Rhyme is the correspondence of end sounds between lines, and matching final sounds at line ends is its standard marker. Enjambment and caesura concern line breaks and pauses, not end-sound matching.

Question 41Poetry Comprehension and Appreciation (Santhali)

A Santhali poem shifts from describing a peaceful village to describing an empty, silent village. The contrast most likely conveys

  1. a change of season only
  2. a loss or displacement Correct answer.
  3. a recipe for festival food
  4. a comic misunderstanding

Explanation

Contrast between a lively village and an empty one signals absence, and in Santhali verse this usually points to displacement or loss. The shift is emotional and social rather than merely seasonal or comic.

Question 42Poetry Comprehension and Appreciation (Santhali)

The Santhali phrase 'jaher than' in a poem most likely refers to

  1. a market square
  2. a railway station
  3. a royal court
  4. a sacred grove Correct answer.

Explanation

Jaher than denotes the sacred grove central to Santhali religious and community life, and poets invoke it as a place of memory and worship. It is a sacred natural site rather than a commercial or political space.

Question 43Poetry Comprehension and Appreciation (Santhali)

Which quality best distinguishes a Santhali 'karam' song from a work song?

  1. It is tied to ritual observance Correct answer.
  2. It has no melody
  3. It is always improvised
  4. It is sung only in winter

Explanation

Karam songs accompany a specific ritual observance and are tied to its occasion and meaning. Work songs accompany labour, so ritual association is the distinguishing feature.

Question 44Poetry Comprehension and Appreciation (Santhali)

A poet writes 'my heart is a dry riverbed'. The figure of speech is

  1. oxymoron
  2. onomatopoeia
  3. metaphor Correct answer.
  4. simile

Explanation

A metaphor states that one thing is another without using like or as, and calling the heart a dry riverbed does exactly that. The comparison is implied through identity rather than explicit resemblance.

Question 45Poetry Comprehension and Appreciation (Santhali)

The rhythm of a Santhali poem is most reliably identified by

  1. the pattern of stressed beats in performance Correct answer.
  2. the number of punctuation marks
  3. the length of the title
  4. counting letters in each word

Explanation

Rhythm in Santhali verse is heard as a recurring pattern of stressed beats in sung or recited performance. Letter counts and punctuation are features of written text and do not establish the beat pattern.

Question 46Poetry Comprehension and Appreciation (Santhali)

In a Santhali poem, a speaker who praises the beauty of a woman's dance and then mourns her departure is using which structure?

  1. A list of unrelated proverbs
  2. A prose summary of events
  3. A circular refrain returning to the opening image Correct answer.
  4. A dialogue between two kings

Explanation

Songs often open with an image, develop it, and return to it in the refrain, producing a circular structure. The movement from praise to mourning fits within that returning frame rather than a list or prose summary.

Question 47Poetry Comprehension and Appreciation (Santhali)

The Santhali word 'dulari' used as a term of address in a love song conveys

  1. affection for a beloved Correct answer.
  2. respect for an elder
  3. contempt for a rival
  4. fear of a spirit

Explanation

Dulari is an affectionate address used for a beloved in song, signalling tenderness and intimacy. It is a term of endearment rather than of respect, fear or contempt.

Question 48Poetry Comprehension and Appreciation (Santhali)

A Santhali poet repeats the initial consonant sound in 'duladuli dular dular' to create

  1. caesura
  2. metaphor
  3. alliteration Correct answer.
  4. rhyme

Explanation

Alliteration is the repetition of the same initial sound in nearby words, which the repeated d-sounds clearly produce. Rhyme concerns line endings and metaphor concerns comparison, neither of which is at work here.

Question 49Poetry Comprehension and Appreciation (Santhali)

When a Santhali song is transcribed into a textbook, what is most often lost?

  1. The words of the song
  2. The name of the poet
  3. The theme of the song
  4. The melody and audience response Correct answer.

Explanation

Transcription preserves words but cannot fully capture melody, timing and the audience's answering refrain. These performed elements are central to oral song and are the main casualty of print.

Question 50Poetry Comprehension and Appreciation (Santhali)

A Santhali poem describing the sowing season and asking the earth to be generous is best classified as

  1. a wedding blessing
  2. a satirical verse
  3. an elegy
  4. an agrarian or seasonal song Correct answer.

Explanation

Reference to sowing and a plea to the earth for generosity mark an agrarian seasonal song tied to the farming calendar. An elegy mourns the dead and satire mocks, neither of which fits the content.