Bihar Intermediate English (BSEB) common mistakes
Bihar Intermediate English (BSEB) · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
When answering a prose lesson question such as 'What did the author mean by...', the candidate retells the plot of the story instead of stating the theme or the author's purpose.
Under time pressure, plot is the easiest thing to recall, and many candidates have memorised summaries rather than the central idea of each lesson. They treat any prose question as a cue to narrate.
What to do instead
Before writing, underline the key word in the question (theme, purpose, character, significance) and write a one-sentence direct answer first, then add one supporting detail from the text. Practise by writing the central idea of each prescribed lesson in a single sentence and checking it against the question type.
In poetry answers, the candidate identifies the poem's central idea but cannot explain how a figure of speech (metaphor, personification, alliteration, simile) creates that effect, offering only the label.
Figures of speech are taught as definitions to be memorised, so candidates can name them but have not practised linking the device to meaning. They also confuse one device with another under exam pressure.
What to do instead
For each prescribed poem, make a three-column table: device, exact phrase quoted from the poem, and effect on meaning or tone. In answers, always quote the phrase and state what it makes the reader feel or understand, never just name the device.
On supplementary reader questions, the candidate gives a vague answer such as 'It was a very interesting story about a boy' without naming characters, events, or the moral, because they skimmed the non-detailed text and relied on guesswork.
The supplementary reader is often treated as optional reading, so candidates have only a general impression. They then pad answers with evaluative words instead of content.
What to do instead
Read each supplementary text once for story and once for character names, key incidents, and the moral. Keep a one-page fact sheet per text (characters, setting, conflict, resolution, theme) and revise only that sheet in the final week.
In an unseen comprehension passage, the candidate copies whole sentences from the passage as the answer, including material that does not address the question, and runs over the word limit.
Copying feels safe because the words are from the text, and candidates fear that paraphrasing will introduce errors. They also misread 'answer in your own words' instructions.
What to do instead
Read the questions before the passage, then answer each in one short sentence using your own wording, keeping only proper nouns and technical terms from the text. Check each answer against the question word (why, how, when) before moving on.
The candidate uses the wrong tense in grammar transformation items, for example keeping the present tense when converting direct speech to reported speech, or failing to shift tense when the reporting verb is in the past.
Reported speech and tense rules are memorised as isolated formulas, and candidates apply them mechanically without checking the reporting verb or the time expressions in the sentence.
What to do instead
For every narration item, first mark the reporting verb and its tense, then apply the backshift rule, then adjust pronouns, time and place words. Do ten items daily and write out each step rather than jumping to the answer.
The candidate changes the voice of a sentence but leaves the object pronoun or the auxiliary verb wrong, for example writing 'A letter was wrote by him' or omitting 'by' where the agent is retained.
Candidates change the main verb to the past participle but forget to change the auxiliary 'be' to match the original tense, and they do not check subject-verb agreement after the swap.
What to do instead
Use a fixed three-step routine: identify tense and object, form the correct 'be' auxiliary for that tense, then add the past participle and the agent. Verify agreement between the new subject and the verb before writing the final answer.
In translation items, the candidate translates word by word, producing Hindi that follows English word order or English that follows Hindi word order, with literal idioms that make no sense.
Candidates translate at the level of individual words rather than meaning units, and they lack practice with common idiomatic equivalents in both directions.
What to do instead
Translate sentence by sentence, first identifying the meaning unit, then recasting it in the natural word order of the target language. Build a personal list of twenty common idioms and their equivalents in both directions and revise it weekly.
In letter and essay writing, the candidate produces a single unparagraphed block, uses the wrong salutation or closing for the letter type, and exceeds or falls short of the required length.
Candidates write under time pressure without planning, and many have never internalised the format conventions (formal versus informal salutation, subject line, complimentary close) as a checklist.
What to do instead
Spend two minutes planning: note the format elements, three or four body points, and a closing. Write in short paragraphs with one idea each, and practise the formal and informal letter formats until the layout is automatic.
In précis writing, the candidate copies sentences from the passage or includes examples and illustrations, so the précis is nearly as long as the original and lacks a title.
Candidates confuse summarising with selecting sentences, and they have not practised the discipline of compressing ideas into their own words while preserving the argument.
What to do instead
Read the passage twice, underline the main idea of each paragraph, then write one sentence per underlined idea in your own words. Count the words, aim for about one-third of the original, and add a short title that captures the central idea.
In vocabulary and usage items, the candidate chooses a word by its general feel rather than by its precise meaning or collocation, for example confusing 'affect' with 'effect' or 'principal' with 'principle', and guesses at prepositions and articles.
Vocabulary is revised as isolated word lists without context, so candidates know approximate meanings but not the grammatical patterns or collocations that determine correct use.
What to do instead
Learn words in phrases and sentences, noting the preposition or article that accompanies them (e.g. 'depend on', 'an honest man'). Keep an error log of confused pairs and revise it before the exam rather than rereading word lists.