BSEB Matric English flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Main idea of a passage

The single point that the whole passage supports. It is usually stated in the opening or closing sentence, while middle sentences supply examples or evidence.

Inference in comprehension

A conclusion that follows necessarily from the passage though it is not stated directly. Options that merely repeat a stated fact are not inferences.

Tone versus mood

Tone is the writer's attitude towards the subject, such as ironic or sympathetic. Mood is the feeling the passage creates in the reader.

Rhyme scheme notation

End sounds of lines are labelled with letters: abab is alternate rhyme, aabb is couplet rhyme, and abba is enclosed rhyme.

Simile and metaphor

A simile compares using like or as. A metaphor states the comparison without like or as, saying one thing is another.

Personification

A figure in which a non-human thing, animal, or abstract idea is given human qualities, as when the wind whispers or death is called a king.

Alliteration

Repetition of the same initial consonant sound in nearby words, as in 'the sun sank slowly', used for rhythm and emphasis.

Central idea of a poem

The poet's message about life or human experience, expressed in one sentence. It differs from a summary, which lists events.

Refrain

A line or phrase repeated at intervals, typically at the end of each stanza, to reinforce the poem's theme or emotion.

Extract-based answer pattern

State what the extract says, place it in the context of the chapter, then explain the significance or theme it reveals.

Character trait with evidence

A full answer names the trait and cites the incident that shows it; the adjective alone earns only partial credit.

Symbol in a text

A concrete object that stands for an abstract idea, such as a locked door representing confinement or lost opportunity.

Climax and resolution

The climax is the point of highest tension where the conflict is decided. The resolution follows and shows the new situation after it.

Narrator versus author

The narrator tells the story and may be a character inside it, with limited knowledge. The author is the real writer outside the text.

Story answer structure

Give the incident, the character's response, the outcome, and the moral or theme. Four short sentences suit a three-mark question.

Present perfect use

Formed with has or have plus the past participle. It marks a past action with present relevance, or with since and for.

Passive voice formation

Use be plus the past participle. The active object becomes the subject, and the doer is introduced by 'by' if mentioned.

Tense shift in narration

When the reporting verb is in the past, the reported verb moves one step back: present to past, past to past perfect.

Reported time words

In indirect speech, today becomes that day, tomorrow becomes the next day, yesterday becomes the previous day, and this becomes that.

Either-or agreement

With either...or and neither...nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject, as in 'Neither the boys nor the teacher was present'.

Article with vowel sounds

Use 'an' before vowel sounds, not vowel letters: an hour, an honest man, but a university and a European.

Prepositions of time

Use in for months, years, and seasons; on for days and dates; at for clock times and fixed phrases such as at night.

Contextual synonym choice

Select the option closest in meaning in the sentence's particular sense, because a word like 'bright' changes meaning with context.

Idiom: once in a blue moon

Means very rarely or almost never. It is used for something that happens only on rare occasions, not for a lunar event.

Idiom: burn the midnight oil

Means to work or study late into the night. The oil refers to the fuel of an old lamp used after dark.

One-word: bibliophile

A person who loves or collects books. The prefix biblio- relates to books and -phile means a lover of something.

One-word: extempore

A speech or performance given without previous preparation. It describes the manner of delivery, not the content.

Hindi raha hai in English

The Hindi or Urdu continuous ending raha hai, rahi hai, or rahe hain maps to English be plus the -ing form, as in is going.

Postposition to preposition

Hindi and Urdu place the relation word after the noun, as in ghar mein. English places it before: in the house.

Formal letter order

Sender's address, date, receiver's address and designation, subject, salutation, body, complimentary close, and signature.

Notice format

Institution name, the word NOTICE, date, a short heading, a body of about fifty words, and the writer's name and designation.

Essay structure

An introduction stating the stand, two or three body paragraphs each with one point and an example, and a conclusion restating the stand.