Alankara Key Dispute: ଉପମା or ରୂପକ in Four Lines
While finalising the answer key for the annual Odia paper, a team in Sambalpur debates Question 11(b), which carries 2 marks. Students were given four lines - 'ମୁଖ ଚନ୍ଦ୍ର ପରି ଉଜ୍ଜ୍ୱଳ', 'କର କମଳ ଝଲସଇ', 'ତୁ ମୋ ଜୀବନର ଦୀପ', 'ମେଘ ଦୌଡ଼ି ଆସେ ପରି' - and asked to name the alankara in each. The draft key says ଉପମା, ରୂପକ, ରୂପକ, ଉପମା. A senior teacher objects that line 2 must be ଉପମା because 'କର' is being compared to 'କମଳ', only the comparison is implied. A third member calls line 3 ଅତିଶୟୋକ୍ତି because a person cannot be a lamp. Twenty-eight of 71 scripts wrote ଉପମା for line 2. The key must be checked against the textbook's definition of ରୂପକ before submission tomorrow morning.
1. Resolve the four lines and write the corrected key with a one-line justification for each.
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Corrected key:
- 'ମୁଖ ଚନ୍ଦ୍ର ପରି ଉଜ୍ଜ୍ୱଳ' - ଉପମା. ଉପମେଯ (ମୁଖ), ଉପମାନ (ଚନ୍ଦ୍ର), ଉପମା-ବାଚକ (ପରି) and ସାଧାରଣ ଧର୍ମ (ଉଜ୍ଜ୍ୱଳତା) are all present and separate.
- 'କର କମଳ ଝଲସଇ' - ରୂପକ. There is no ପରି/ଭଳି and no stated ଅଭେଦ; କର and କମଳ are simply identified, which is ଅଭେଦ ଆରୋପ.
- 'ତୁ ମୋ ଜୀବନର ଦୀପ' - ରୂପକ. The addressee is not said to be like a lamp; the two are fused into one image. ଅତିଶୟୋକ୍ତି would require deliberate hyperbole, which is not the device here.
- 'ମେଘ ଦୌଡ଼ି ଆସେ ପରି' - ଉପମା. 'ପରି' marks an explicit comparison with an implied runner; the comparison is open, not fused.
Test to apply: the presence of a comparison word and a separately stated common quality gives ଉପମା; identification without a comparison word gives ରୂପକ.
2. Twenty-eight students wrote ଉପମା for 'କର କମଳ ଝଲସଇ'. Decide the mark and say what the size of that group tells you.
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Mark: 0 for that line (half of the 2 marks, since each line carries 0.5). Allowing both labels would make the item untestable: the whole point of asking for ରୂପକ is that the student can detect an identification that has no comparison word. Accepting ଉପମା here would mean accepting an answer that the textbook definition contradicts.
But 28 out of 71 (about 39 per cent) is a teaching signal, not a marking problem. That level of error usually means students were taught 'comparison = ଉପମା' as a slogan without the second half of the rule. Do not change the key; instead, reteach with a two-column table of paired lines ('ଚନ୍ଦ୍ର ପରି ମୁଖ' versus 'ମୁଖ ଚନ୍ଦ୍ର') and ask students to underline the comparison word or show that it is absent. The definition, and the key, stay fixed; the instruction changes.
3. The senior teacher wants the item accepted as either ଉପମା or ରୂପକ to protect the students' average. How do you respond, and what evidence would make you change the key?
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Decline, and separate the two questions being mixed. The average is not evidence about what the line contains; if the key is widened for the average, the same argument will be available for every grammar item in the paper, and the result stops meaning anything about alankara knowledge.
The one legitimate reason to change the key is that the prescribed textbook names this very construction differently. So check the chapter's own worked examples before submission: if the textbook prints 'କର କମଳ' and labels it ରୂପକ, the key stands and the students' answers are wrong. If the textbook treats such implied comparisons under ଉପମା, the key must follow the textbook, because students can only be examined on what they were taught. Record whichever finding applies in the moderation note.