ASSEB HSLC Garo MIL key terms

The name the Garo people use for themselves, meaning 'hill people'. It appears throughout Garo prose and poetry and often signals pride in hill identity and ancestral heritage.

The name commonly used in English and in official contexts for the A·chik people and their language. It labels the MIL subject and the community whose literature the textbook presents.

The hereditary head of a Garo clan who holds custodial authority over clan land. In prose selections the nokma often appears as a figure of tradition, hospitality and social responsibility.

The major Garo harvest festival honouring the deity Misi Saljong, celebrated with drums and dancing. Prose and poetry selections often use it to mark thanksgiving, community bonding and cultural continuity.

The Garo deity associated with crops, fertility and the harvest, thanked especially during Wangala. Selections that describe agricultural life may refer to this figure as the giver of plenty.

The traditional Garo religion followed before and alongside Christianity, centred on spirits and ritual specialists. Prose about change in Garo society often contrasts songsarek customs with modern Christian practice.

The traditional Garo boys' dormitory where young men slept, learned skills and were taught clan customs. Prose selections set in villages may use it to show how traditional education and discipline worked.

The Garo matrilineal clan or lineage traced through the mother. Texts about marriage, inheritance and social duty often turn on mahari membership and the obligations it creates.

The Garo social rule by which descent, clan name and property pass through the mother's line, while the mother's brother holds authority. Prose selections often explain or debate this custom.

The central idea or message a literary work conveys, such as love of nature, social change or respect for elders. Stating the theme requires moving from plot details to the underlying insight.

The lesson a story or poem teaches about right conduct, often stated directly in fables and folk tales. Questions asking what the selection teaches usually expect a moral expressed in one clear sentence.

The methods a writer uses to build a person in a story: description, action, speech, and how others react. Good answers cite evidence from the text rather than only naming the character's qualities.

The main character whose fortunes the reader follows and whose choices drive the plot. In examination answers, identifying the protagonist helps organise plot summary and discussion of theme.

The ordered sequence of events in a narrative, usually built from an opening situation, a complication, a climax and a resolution. Retelling the plot should be brief and selective, not a full reproduction.

The point of greatest tension or decision in a narrative, after which the outcome becomes clear. Exam questions on plot structure often ask candidates to locate the climax and justify the choice.

A traditional story passed down orally, often featuring animals, spirits or clever villagers. Garo prose selections include such tales, and questions may ask for the moral or cultural value they carry.

The body of stories, songs and sayings preserved by memory and speech rather than writing. Understanding it explains why many Garo selections repeat formulas and include refrains or direct address.

A line or phrase repeated at intervals in a poem or song, often at the end of stanzas. In Garo poetry the refrain usually carries the emotional key and helps oral performance.

A grouped set of lines in a poem, separated from other groups by spacing. Counting stanzas and lines is a basic step in describing form before discussing imagery or meaning.

The matching of final sounds in words at the ends of lines or within lines. Identifying rhyme schemes helps candidates describe the sound pattern of a Garo poem accurately.

The pattern of stressed and unstressed beats that gives a poem its movement. In Garo verse, rhythm is closely tied to song and dance, so reading aloud reveals it best.

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses and creates pictures in the reader's mind. Answers about imagery should quote the words used and name the sense they affect.

A comparison between two unlike things using words such as 'like' or 'as'. It differs from metaphor in keeping the comparison explicit, which makes it easy to identify in exam passages.

A comparison that states one thing is another without using 'like' or 'as'. Spotting metaphor requires noticing when a word is used beyond its literal sense.

Giving human qualities to animals, objects or natural forces, as when a river is said to sing. Poets use it to make landscape feel alive and to carry emotion through description.

The repetition of the same initial consonant sound in nearby words, which draws attention and pleases the ear. It is common in Garo proverbs and song lines and is easy to point out.

The textbook component containing longer prose pieces for extended reading practice beyond the main lessons. Questions on it test overall understanding, sequence of events and response to characters.

Reading quickly for general sense rather than for every word, used when time is short or the gist is enough. It is tested through questions on main idea and overall purpose.

Reading rapidly to grasp the main idea or overall structure, often by looking at headings, first sentences and conclusions. It is the right technique for matching a passage to a title.

Moving the eyes quickly over a text to locate a specific detail such as a date, name or figure. Unlike skimming, it does not aim at general understanding but at one target item.

A conclusion drawn from clues in the text rather than from a statement made outright. Comprehension questions using 'suggest', 'imply' or 'most likely' usually require inference.

The most important point a paragraph or passage makes, which the other sentences support. It is often stated in a topic sentence but may need to be summarised by the reader.

Information in the surrounding words or sentences that helps a reader work out the meaning of an unfamiliar word. Using context clues is tested when a passage contains a difficult expression.

A word with a meaning close to that of another word, such as 'begin' and 'start'. Vocabulary items often ask candidates to choose the closest synonym of a word from the lesson.

A word opposite in meaning to another, such as 'generous' and 'stingy'. Antonym questions test whether a candidate knows both the meaning and the word class of the given item.

The classes into which words are grouped by their grammatical job: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction and interjection. Naming the class correctly is a common grammar item.

The form of a verb that shows the time of an action or state, such as present, past and future. Errors in tense are frequently tested through fill-in and correction items.

The rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person, as in 'the bird sings' versus 'the birds sing'. Long subjects and collective nouns are the usual traps in this item.

The form of a verb showing whether the subject performs the action (active) or receives it (passive). Transformation questions ask candidates to change sentences between the two voices.

The reporting of someone's speech, either directly in quotation marks or indirectly without them. Changing narration requires adjusting pronouns, tense and time words consistently.

A letter written in a polite, impersonal style to an official, editor or institution, following a fixed layout of address, subject, salutation, body and closing. It avoids contractions and slang.

A personal letter to a relative or friend, written in a relaxed, conversational tone and including personal news and feelings. The layout is simpler and the greeting and closing are warmer.

A formal written request for a post, leave or permission, structured with sender's address, date, recipient, subject, body and closing. The body must state the purpose early and politely.

A piece of continuous writing on a given topic, organised into introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion. Marks depend on relevance, clear structure, correct grammar and appropriate vocabulary.

Dividing a piece of writing into units, each developing one idea and usually beginning with a topic sentence. Clear paragraphing is one of the quickest ways to raise a composition mark.

A brief plan listing the main points of an essay or letter in order before writing begins. Spending a few minutes on an outline prevents repetition and keeps the answer on topic.

A shortened version of a passage that keeps its essential meaning in the writer's own words and in about one-third of the length. It must not add opinion or copy long phrases.

A brief restatement of the main points of a text, usually in the reader's own words and without illustrative detail. It differs from precis chiefly in being less strictly regulated in length.