BSEB Matric Urdu (MIL) key terms

Urdu prose writing, covering short stories, essays and biographical sketches. In the BSEB syllabus it means the prose chapters studied for theme, character and author background.

A short story with plot, characters and a single dominant effect. Candidates analyse setting, conflict and character motivation, and distinguish it from a novel or a mere anecdote.

A character in a prose piece. Analysis requires naming traits, quoting supporting incidents, and judging whether the character is flat or round, static or developing.

The protagonist or central character around whom the action and conflict of a story are organised. Questions often ask how the story would change without this figure.

The background or setting of a narrative: time, place and social conditions. Setting shapes mood and often explains why characters behave as they do.

The subject or central topic of a prose piece or poem. Stating the topic precisely is the first step before discussing theme or message.

The main idea or thesis a text develops. It differs from topic: the topic is what the text is about, the main idea is the claim the writer makes about it.

The message or moral a writer conveys, often stated indirectly through events. Answers should link the message to specific incidents rather than assert it vaguely.

Satire and humour. Tanz is biting, corrective ridicule; Mizah is gentler comic amusement. Recognising which is used helps explain a writer's attitude toward his subject.

A lesson or warning drawn from a narrative, common in didactic prose. Examiners reward answers that show how the lesson arises from character choices and consequences.

Urdu verse poem, written in rhymed or free lines on a single theme. Unlike the ghazal, it usually has unity of subject and a clear progression of thought.

Simile: an explicit comparison using words such as jyun, manind or ki. Naming both compared things and the point of resemblance earns full marks in device questions.

Metaphor: a comparison in which one thing is stated as if it were another, with the comparison word omitted. Identifying the borrowed image and its intended effect is essential.

An allusion or indirect reference, often to a Qur'anic, historical or literary figure. It compresses a whole story into a phrase and assumes shared cultural knowledge.

A brief, unglossed reference to a well-known story, event or person, such as a prophet or a legendary lover. The reader must supply the full narrative to grasp the point.

The word or phrase repeated at the end of every line of a ghazal, after the qafiya. It fixes the rhyme pattern and often carries the poem's emotional key.

The rhyming word that immediately precedes the radeef in each couplet of a ghazal. All qafiyas must share the same final sound but differ in the preceding letters.

A lyric poem of usually five to fifteen couplets, each with its own thought, yet linked by a single rhyme scheme. Themes range from love and loss to mysticism and social comment.

The opening couplet of a ghazal, in which both lines carry the qafiya and radeef. It sets the tone and announces the emotional register of the whole poem.

The closing couplet of a ghazal, often containing the poet's pen name. Poets frequently use it to turn the poem toward a personal or philosophical reflection.

The pen name a poet inserts into the closing couplet of a ghazal. Recognising it helps identify authorship and sometimes signals a shift to direct address.

A couplet, the basic unit of Urdu poetry, made of two lines that together complete a single thought. A ghazal is a chain of such self-contained couplets.

A verse or couplet in classical Urdu poetry, used interchangeably with sher in most contexts. Bait-bazi is the practice of reciting verses on a given letter or theme.

Mystical or divine love, the Sufi reading of longing in which the beloved symbolises God. It contrasts with earthly love and is central to interpreting classical ghazals.

Earthly, human love taken at face value, as opposed to its allegorical mystical reading. Many verses support both interpretations, and good answers acknowledge the ambiguity.

A noun: the name of a person, place, thing or abstract idea. Candidates classify nouns as proper, common, collective or abstract, and check gender and number agreement.

A verb, the word expressing an action or state. Correct use requires matching the verb to the subject in person, number and gender.

The past tense verb form, denoting completed action, such as kiya, gaya or likha. Recognising it is essential in tense-conversion and sentence-transformation exercises.

The present or future imperfect verb form, expressing ongoing or forthcoming action, such as karta hai or karega. It pairs with time markers to fix the intended tense.

An adjective, a word describing a noun and agreeing with it in gender, number and case. Placement normally precedes the noun in Urdu.

A pronoun standing in for a noun, such as main, tum, woh or unhon ne. Choosing the right pronoun controls formality, respect and grammatical agreement.

Singular and plural number. Urdu plurals form by suffix changes and by oblique case endings, and verbs and adjectives must agree with the noun's number.

Masculine and feminine grammatical gender. Gender determines verb and adjective endings and is a frequent source of error in composition.

An idiom: a fixed phrase whose meaning cannot be deduced from its individual words. Using it correctly in a sentence is a standard grammar question.

A proverb or proverbial saying, a complete sentence carrying folk wisdom. It differs from an idiom in being a full statement rather than a substitutable phrase.

Vocabulary or a dictionary. Vocabulary questions test word meaning, synonyms, antonyms and correct usage in context.

A synonym: a word with a closely similar meaning. Exact equivalence is rare, so answers should note shades of meaning and register.

An antonym, a word of opposite meaning. Antonym questions often rely on context, since a word may have several opposites.

An essay or discursive composition. A good answer needs a clear introduction, ordered paragraphs each with one point, and a conclusion that returns to the question.

A letter, either personal or formal. Format matters: salutation, body, closing and signature, with tone adjusted to the relationship.

A formal application, usually addressed to an authority to request leave, admission or redress. It follows a fixed layout and uses polite, impersonal phrasing.

Translation, rendering a passage faithfully into English or Hindi. Accuracy of meaning comes first, then natural target-language grammar and idiom.

Comprehension: reading an unseen passage and answering questions on its content, inference and vocabulary. Answers should be in the candidate's own words.

A literary school or movement, such as the Delhi and Lucknow schools of Urdu poetry. Each has distinctive diction, themes and conventions.

A literary period or era, for example the classical, reformist or progressive age. Placing a writer in a period explains the concerns and style of the work.

The Progressive Writers' Movement, founded in the 1930s, which urged literature toward social reform and realism. Its writers addressed poverty, injustice and colonial rule.