ASSEB HSLC First Language Mizo key terms

A story: a narrative in prose that tells of events and people, real or imagined. In the Mizo syllabus the word covers fictional tales and the plot, setting and characters a writer builds.

The heading placed at the top of a piece, and also the central idea or subject a writer develops. In prose and poetry questions it usually means the main theme rather than the title alone.

The person who writes a book, article or passage. Questions often ask what the ziaktu means by a particular sentence, so the word points to the author's intention behind the text.

The connection between parts of a piece of writing, that is, how one sentence, paragraph or event leads into the next. Good inzawmna makes a passage easy to follow and is marked in composition.

A poem or song. The word covers both written verse and a sung composition, and in the syllabus it labels the poetry section as opposed to prose.

The words of a poem or song, as distinct from its tune. Questions on hla thu ask about the meaning of lines, the poet's feeling and the images used.

The person who composes a poem or song. In poetry answers, naming the phuahtu and stating what he or she intended is often the first mark-earning step.

A stanza or verse, that is, one grouped block of lines inside a poem or hymn. Counting chang and comparing one with another is a common way of analysing a poem's structure.

Language: the system of words and rules a community uses to speak and write. Mizo ṭawng is the language of the Mizo people and the medium in which this paper is answered.

A word: the smallest unit of language that can stand on its own and carry meaning. Grammar questions ask you to pick out thumal, count them, or replace one with another of similar meaning.

A sound or voice. In language study, aw means the spoken sounds that letters represent, and clear pronunciation depends on producing each aw properly.

Meaning: what a word, sentence or passage conveys. Comprehension and vocabulary questions often ask for the awmze of a word as used in a particular line, not its dictionary sense alone.

A fixed expression or idiom whose meaning cannot be worked out from the single words. Using ṭawngkam correctly makes Mizo writing natural, and explaining one is a common vocabulary question.

The basic rules of a language: how words are formed, ordered and changed. Studying thu bul means learning grammar consciously rather than repeating sentences correctly only by habit.

A verb: the word that shows what someone or something does or is. In Mizo grammar, identifying the thiltih in a sentence helps you decide its subject and its time of action.

A name, and in grammar the noun: the word class that names a person, place, thing or idea. Telling hming apart from thiltih is a basic parsing skill tested in the grammar section.

Translation: turning a piece of writing from one language into another while keeping the sense. A good thuletling reads naturally in the target language instead of copying the word order of the original.

A reading passage: the unseen text supplied in the comprehension section. You read it several times, note its main point, then answer questions using evidence from the thu chhiar itself.

A question. In comprehension the word covers the numbered items printed after the passage; each zawhna tells you what kind of information to look for and how much to write.

An answer. A full chhanna responds to the exact wording of the question, draws its information from the passage, and is written as your own sentence rather than copied blindly.

Thinking, thought, reflection. In comprehension, ngaihtuahna is needed to work out what a passage implies, to judge a character's motive, and to reach a conclusion the words only suggest.

A letter: a written message sent to a person or an office. Mizo composition questions test the layout, namely place and date, greeting, a body in paragraphs, closing and signature.

An application letter, written to ask for a post, admission or a favour. It follows formal letter layout and states clearly what is being applied for and why the writer is suitable.

A summary or précis: the main points of a longer piece rewritten briefly in your own words. Marks are given for covering the key ideas and for staying within the word limit.

Composing a piece of writing of your own, such as an essay. It covers planning, arranging paragraphs, giving reasons and examples, and ending with a conclusion that matches the question.

An explanation that makes an idea clear, usually by giving reasons, examples or detail. In essays and letters, hrilhfiahna is what turns a bare statement into a developed point.

A plan or outline prepared before writing: the points to be covered and the order they will follow. Five minutes of ruahmanna usually produces a better essay than starting to write straight away.

A proverb: a short traditional saying that carries advice or an observation about life. Quoting a thufing aptly strengthens a Mizo essay, and explaining one tests vocabulary knowledge.

The mind, thought or inner feeling. In literature questions rilru describes what a character is thinking or feeling, and the word also covers the mood that a poem creates.

To be happy, cheerful or glad. It describes a state of good spirits and is often set against lungngaih in poetry and in vocabulary exercises that ask for opposites.

Sorrow, sadness, grief. It names the heavy inner feeling caused by loss or trouble and is one of the commonest moods described in Mizo poetry and in reflective prose.

To be pleased or grateful about something. It appears in thanks, as in lawmthu, and in expressions of joy, and vocabulary questions often ask you to choose it against hlim.

Heavy in weight, and by extension serious, weighty or important. Said of a matter or a task, huai means it carries real consequence and must not be treated lightly.

Life: the way a person lives, and the experience of being alive. In essays and poetry, nun often carries moral weight, as in questions about good living and character.

Literature, literally 'words and songs', covering prose, poetry and the written heritage of a language. The phrase names the whole field that this paper examines.