ASSEB HSLC Urdu (MIL) key terms

The prose section of the Urdu syllabus, containing prescribed lessons whose themes, characters, and authorial purpose candidates must explain in their own words.

A single prescribed lesson or prose passage studied in class; questions may ask for its central idea, its sequence of events, or the lesson it teaches.

The main idea or central message of a lesson or poem, usually stated in one or two clear sentences rather than retold as a summary of events.

The subject or topic of a piece of writing; identifying it correctly is the first step in answering comprehension and appreciation questions.

The title of a lesson, poem, or composition; a good title is short, points to the content, and avoids full sentences.

The background or circumstances behind a text, such as the social conditions or the author's situation that shaped what was written.

A short quotation taken from a prescribed text; candidates must place it in context and explain its meaning in simple Urdu prose.

Explanation or commentary on a line or passage, unpacking its meaning, imagery, and effect rather than merely translating it into easier words.

The poetry section of the syllabus; prescribed poems must be understood in terms of theme, form, imagery, and the poet's emotional purpose.

The sense or meaning conveyed by a word, line, or stanza, including what is suggested beyond the literal wording.

The rhyming word or sound that recurs at the end of lines in a poem, forming the pattern that gives the verse its musical echo.

The identical word or phrase repeated immediately after the qafia at the end of successive lines, giving the poem a refrain-like repetition.

The metre of a poem, determined by the fixed pattern of long and short syllables; a line that breaks the metre is said to be out of behr.

Simile: an explicit comparison between two things using words such as 'like' or 'as', for example comparing a beloved's face to the moon.

Metaphor: a comparison in which one thing is spoken of as if it were another, without any word of likeness being stated.

Wordplay in which two words identical or nearly identical in sound carry different meanings, used for wit and emphasis in verse and prose.

A ghazal whose lines share only the qafia, with no repeated radeef phrase after it; candidates should not assume every ghazal has a radeef.

The supplementary reading component, in which a longer narrative or collection of sketches is studied for plot, character, and moral purpose.

A character in a story or lesson; answers about kirdar should describe traits supported by actions and words from the text, not opinions alone.

An incident or event in a narrative; questions often ask candidates to narrate the sequence of events in correct order and explain their significance.

A heading or sub-heading used to organise written work such as reports and longer essays, helping the reader follow the structure.

The grammar component of the syllabus, covering parts of speech, word formation, agreement, and correction of faulty sentences.

A noun: a word naming a person, place, thing, or abstract idea, such as 'kitab' (book), 'Lahore', or 'muhabbat' (love).

A verb: a word expressing an action or state, such as 'likhna' (to write) or 'hona' (to be); it must agree with its subject.

An adjective: a word describing a noun, such as 'accha' (good) or 'lamba' (long); in Urdu it normally precedes the noun it qualifies.

A pronoun: a word standing in place of a noun, such as 'main' (I), 'tum' (you), or 'woh' (he/she/that), used to avoid repetition.

A particle or function word such as 'aur' (and), 'ki' (of), or 'men' (in), which links words and shows relationships but does not stand alone as a subject.

A sentence: a complete unit of meaning containing at least a subject and a predicate, correctly ordered and ending with a full stop or question mark.

Correction, especially of faulty sentences; candidates must identify the error in agreement, case, or word choice and rewrite the sentence correctly.

A synonym: a word having the same or nearly the same meaning as another, such as 'khushi' and 'masti' for happiness; useful for vocabulary questions.

An antonym: a word opposite in meaning to another, such as 'din' (day) and 'raat' (night), frequently tested in vocabulary exercises.

Vocabulary or a dictionary; questions may ask for the meaning of a word as used in a prescribed passage rather than its rarest sense.

An idiom: a fixed expression whose meaning is not deducible from its individual words, such as 'aankh ka tara' meaning a cherished person.

A proverb: a short, well-known saying that carries a general truth or piece of advice, often used to illustrate a point in composition.

Composition: the writing component requiring essays, letters, or reports in clear, organised Urdu with an introduction, body, and conclusion.

An essay on a given topic, structured with a brief opening, developed paragraphs each making one point, and a concluding paragraph.

A letter; formal letters follow a set layout with sender's address, date, salutation, body, and closing, while informal letters are personal in tone.

A factual account of an event or issue, written in the third person with a heading, date and place, and a clear statement of what happened.

Translation: rendering a passage faithfully from Urdu into English or the reverse, preserving meaning, tense, and register rather than word-for-word substitution.

A summary or précis; it condenses a passage to about one-third of its length while keeping the main points and avoiding personal comment.