Sandhi or Samasa? Moderating a Five-Item Split Question
At a Madhyama answer-script moderation meeting in a government upper primary school in Cuttack district, three teachers are re-checking 42 scripts of the Odia paper. Question 4 carries 5 marks and asks students to split five words into sandhi: ଦେବାଲୟ, ମହୋତ୍ସବ, ରାଜର୍ଷି, ପୁସ୍ତକାଳୟ, ନରାଧମ. The key prepared earlier by the head teacher gives ଦେବ+ଆଲୟ, ମହା+ଉତ୍ସବ, ରାଜା+ଋଷି, ପୁସ୍ତକ+ଆଳୟ, ନର+ଅଧମ and awards full marks for exactly these. During moderation one teacher points out that ଦେବାଲୟ and ପୁସ୍ତକାଳୟ are ତତ୍ପୁରୁଷ compounds in meaning, and that the chapter defines ସନ୍ଧି strictly as a sound change at a word junction. Another teacher argues that students met all five words inside the sandhi chapter and should not be penalised. Nine scripts have split ମହୋତ୍ସବ as ମହା+ଓତ୍ସବ, and 14 have written ରାଜର୍ଷି as ରାଜ+ଋଷି. The scripts must be finalised before the result upload at 4 p.m.
1. Classify the five items and settle what the key should accept as correct splits. Show how each judgement follows from the definitions of ସନ୍ଧି and ସମାସ.
Read the worked answer
Principle. ସନ୍ଧି is a sound change where two sounds meet; ସମାସ is a compound with one unified sense. The same surface word can display both, so the wording of the question decides what is being tested. Here the verb is 'ସନ୍ଧି ଛେଦ କର', so the test is whether the student can restore the pre-junction sounds.
- ଦେବାଲୟ = ଦେବ + ଆଲୟ; ଅ+ଆ → ଆ (ଦୀର୍ଘ). Accept. Its sense is ତତ୍ପୁରୁଷ, but the junction is a real vowel sandhi.
- ପୁସ୍ତକାଳୟ = ପୁସ୍ତକ + ଆଳୟ; ଅ+ଆ → ଆ. Accept.
- ମହୋତ୍ସବ = ମହା + ଉତ୍ସବ; ଆ+ଉ → ଓ (ଗୁଣ). Accept.
- ନରାଧମ = ନର + ଅଧମ; ଅ+ଅ → ଆ. Accept.
- ରାଜର୍ଷି = ରାଜା + ଋଷି; ଆ+ଋ → ଅର୍ (ଗୁଣ). Accept.
Rule for the key: award the mark whenever the split restores the two original sounds and the vowel change named or implied is correct. Reject only splits that copy the fused vowel back as an input.
2. Nine scripts wrote ମହା+ଓତ୍ସବ and 14 wrote ରାଜ+ଋଷି. Decide the mark for each group and justify both decisions.
Read the worked answer
Group A (ମହା+ଓତ୍ସବ, 9 scripts): 0 for that item. The test of a split is reversibility. If ମହା+ଓତ୍ସବ is rejoined, ଆ+ଓ gives ଔ, not ଓ; the student has written the result of the sandhi as if it were an input. This is the classic ଗୁଣ error and shows the rule was not applied, so partial credit would hide a conceptual gap.
Group B (ରାଜ+ଋଷି, 14 scripts): full mark. ଅ+ଋ also yields ଅର୍ under ଗୁଣ ସନ୍ଧି, so ରାଜ+ଋଷି is a legitimate split even though the textbook prints ରାଜା+ଋଷି. Both restore the junction sound; penalising the shorter stem would be punishing a defensible analysis.
Action: note both accepted forms against ରାଜର୍ଷି in the final key so that no re-checker reverses the decision, and record the ମହା+ଓତ୍ସବ error pattern for remedial teaching.
3. Should the original key be defended to students, or quietly replaced? Write the short notice to be pasted on the class board.
Read the worked answer
Quiet replacement is the wrong call: 14 students were marked against a key that was narrower than the grammar allows, and a silent change will surface later as a complaint. Moderation should be transparent about the rule, not about individual teachers.
Notice text (model):
ପ୍ରିୟ ଛାତ୍ରଛାତ୍ରୀ, ପ୍ରଶ୍ନ ୪ ରେ ରାଜର୍ଷି ପାଇଁ ରାଜା+ଋଷି ଏବଂ ରାଜ+ଋଷି ଉଭୟ ଉତ୍ତର ଗ୍ରହଣ କରାଯିବ, କାରଣ ଉଭୟରେ ଗୁଣ ସନ୍ଧି ହେଉଛି। ମହୋତ୍ସବ ପାଇଁ ମହା+ଓତ୍ସବ ଭୁଲ, କାରଣ ଓ ହେଉଛି ସନ୍ଧିର ଫଳ, ମୂଳ ଧ୍ୱନି ନୁହେଁ। ଅନ୍ୟ ପ୍ରଶ୍ନରେ କୌଣସି ପରିବର୍ତ୍ତନ ନାହିଁ।
The note names the grammar point, not the marker, and closes the door on a wider re-evaluation that the evidence does not support.