Language Proficiency (Hindi, English, Urdu, Sanskrit)
What this domain tests
This section tests grammar, vocabulary, comprehension and usage in the language offered. Hindi candidates face sandhi, samas, muhavare and vyakaran; English candidates face tense, agreement, articles, prepositions and idioms; Urdu candidates face ism, fe’l, harf and muhavara; Sanskrit candidates face vibhakti, sandhi and samasa.
Core rules and concepts
- English subject–verb agreement: the verb agrees with the head noun, not the nearest noun. “One of the boys is absent.”
- Hindi sandhi: विद्या + आलय = विद्यालय (दीर्घ sandhi); identify the vowel combination before naming the sandhi.
- Hindi samas: classify by meaning and form, such as tatpurush and dvandva.
- Urdu grammar: identify ism (noun), fe’l (verb) and harf (particle); idioms must be understood as units, not word by word.
- Sanskrit: vibhakti endings mark case and number; sandhi changes at word boundaries.
Worked example
English: “One of the boys ___ absent.” Reasoning: The subject is “one”, singular, so the verb is “is”. “Boys” is the object of the preposition “of” and cannot control the verb. Answer: is.
Hindi: विद्या + आलय = विद्यालय. The final आ of विद्या and initial आ of आलय combine into a single दीर्घ आ, so it is दीर्घ sandhi.
Traps that cost marks
- Proximity agreement: matching the verb to the nearest plural noun.
- Translating an idiom literally instead of using its conventional meaning.
- Naming a sandhi without checking the actual vowel combination.
- In Sanskrit, ignoring dual and plural vibhakti forms.