ASSEB HSLC Class 10 First Language Karbi key terms

A Tibeto-Burman language spoken mainly in the Karbi Anglong districts of Assam, India. It is the medium and subject of this First Language paper and is written in the Roman script in school textbooks.

A large branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family that includes Karbi along with many languages of Northeast India. Knowing this classification helps candidates answer language-origin questions accurately.

The parent language family to which Karbi ultimately belongs. Questions may ask candidates to place Karbi within this family and distinguish it from Indo-Aryan languages such as Assamese.

The Latin alphabet used to write Karbi in printed textbooks and examinations. Candidates must be confident in reading and writing Karbi words in this script, including diacritics used by some authors.

The accepted system of spelling and writing conventions for a language. In Karbi, spelling consistency matters in grammar and composition answers, where marks are lost for careless variation.

A reading-comprehension text not taken from the prescribed textbook. Candidates read it and answer questions testing literal understanding, inference, vocabulary in context, and the writer's purpose.

The central point a passage or paragraph communicates, usually stated or implied in a single sentence. Identifying it is the first step in answering summary and title-selection questions.

A conclusion drawn from evidence in the text rather than stated directly. Candidates must support inferences with clues from the passage, not with personal opinion or outside knowledge.

Information surrounding an unfamiliar word that helps readers guess its meaning. Using context clues is a standard technique for vocabulary questions on unseen passages.

A word with a meaning close to another word. Synonym questions test whether candidates can match a passage word to an equivalent expression without changing the sense.

A word whose meaning is opposite to another word. Antonym items require careful reading because the correct answer must contrast with the given word in the same sense used in the text.

A short restatement of a text's key points in the writer's own words. A good summary keeps the original order of ideas and omits examples and repetition.

Rewording a passage while keeping its meaning unchanged. Paraphrasing is required in comprehension answers and in translation tasks where literal rendering would sound unnatural.

A prose or poetry piece listed in the official syllabus and studied in class. Examination questions on prescribed texts expect knowledge of plot, characters, themes, and the author's background.

The central idea or message a literary work explores, such as courage, loss, or social change. Theme questions ask candidates to state the idea and support it with evidence from the text.

A description of a character's personality, motives, and role in a story, supported by incidents from the text. Examiners reward specific textual evidence over vague adjectives.

The main character whose actions and choices drive a narrative forward. Identifying the protagonist helps candidates answer questions about conflict, motivation, and resolution.

The character or force that opposes the protagonist and creates the central conflict. Antagonists may be people, social customs, or natural circumstances rather than villains.

The struggle between opposing forces in a story, whether person against person, society, nature, or self. Naming the conflict type sharpens answers about plot development.

The point of highest tension in a narrative, where the main conflict reaches its decisive moment. Questions often ask candidates to locate the climax and explain why it matters.

The outcome that follows the climax, showing how the conflict is settled or left open. A strong answer explains what changed for the characters and what the ending suggests.

The time and place in which a story unfolds, including social conditions that shape events. Setting questions reward attention to details such as village life, season, or historical period.

The emotional mood created by a text through description, diction, and pacing. Candidates should link atmosphere to specific words rather than simply calling a passage sad or happy.

The writer's or speaker's attitude toward the subject, revealed through word choice and phrasing. Tone differs from atmosphere, which is the feeling the reader receives.

A gap between what is said or expected and what actually happens or is meant. Recognizing irony prevents candidates from answering literal questions incorrectly on prose and poetry.

Writing that uses humour, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose faults in people or society. Satire questions ask what is being criticised and which techniques carry the criticism.

The lesson a story or poem teaches about right conduct or human nature. A moral answer should be stated generally and then tied to a specific event in the text.

A short narrative, often with animal characters, that conveys a moral lesson. Fables appear in supplementary readers and are frequently tested through moral and character questions.

An additional textbook of longer stories or extracts studied alongside the main prose and poetry selections. Questions test comprehension of plot, character, and the value the story conveys.

A reader designed for extended independent reading, often containing abridged classics or short novels. Candidates should know the main events and characters well enough to answer short questions.

A deliberate deviation from literal language, such as simile, metaphor, or personification, used for effect. Poetry questions often ask candidates to identify a figure and explain its effect.

A comparison between two unlike things using words such as like or as. Candidates should quote the comparison exactly and explain which quality is being highlighted.

A comparison that states one thing is another without using like or as. Explaining a metaphor means unpacking the implied similarity rather than merely labelling it.

Giving human qualities to animals, objects, or abstract ideas. Poets use it to make description vivid, and candidates should identify the human quality being transferred.

The repetition of the same initial consonant sound in nearby words for rhythmic effect. Candidates should quote the repeated sound and comment on how it supports the poem's mood.

The pattern of end rhymes in a poem, usually shown with letters such as abab or aabb. Naming the scheme helps candidates discuss structure and stanza organisation.

A grouped set of lines in a poem, separated by spacing from other groups. Stanza questions ask about organisation, repetition, and how ideas develop across the poem.

A line or phrase repeated at intervals in a poem or song, often at the end of stanzas. Refrains emphasise key ideas and contribute to rhythm and memorability.

The grammatical categories of words, including noun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun, preposition, conjunction, and interjection. Identifying them is basic to grammar questions and error correction.

The form of a verb that shows the time of an action or state, such as present, past, or future. Tense consistency within a passage is a common grammar test point.

The rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person. Errors often appear with collective nouns, indefinite pronouns, and phrases between subject and verb.

The form of a verb showing whether the subject performs or receives the action, as in active and passive voice. Transformation questions require correct auxiliary and participle forms.

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

A fixed expression whose meaning cannot be worked out from its individual words. Idiom questions ask for the correct meaning and sometimes for a suitable sentence using the expression.

A short traditional saying that expresses a commonly held truth or piece of advice. Candidates may be asked to match a proverb to its meaning or complete a familiar saying.

A verb combined with a preposition or adverb to create a new meaning, such as give up or look after. These are frequently tested in fill-in-the-blank grammar items.

A structured piece of writing with an introduction, developed body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Marking rewards clear organisation, relevant content, and correct language.

A group of sentences developing one idea, usually beginning with a topic sentence. Cohesion within a paragraph is assessed in composition and summary tasks.

Composing formal or informal letters with correct layout, salutation, body, and closing. Formal letters require a polite register and a clear statement of purpose.

Producing a factual account of an event or issue, usually with a heading, byline, and ordered details. Reports should be objective and answer what, when, where, who, and why.

The linking of sentences and paragraphs through connectors, pronouns, and repeated ideas so a text reads smoothly. Examiners reward cohesion in essays and penalise disconnected sentences.

The quality of a piece of writing whose ideas follow a logical order and stay on topic. Coherence concerns overall structure, while cohesion concerns the links between sentences.

Rendering a text from one language into another while preserving meaning, tone, and register. Karbi papers may require translating passages between Karbi and English.

Correctness in writing words according to accepted conventions. In composition and translation, repeated spelling errors lower the language mark even when ideas are good.