Kerala Plus Two Urdu (DHSE) cheat sheet

Nasr lessons in the Plus Two Urdu course typically include essays, biographical sketches and short stories; identify each lesson's genre first because appreciation points differ (essay = argument and style, sketch = personality and incident, story = plot, character, theme).

For every prose lesson, record the author's full name, birthplace, key works and literary period; DHSE questions frequently pair a lesson with its author and ask for one other work.

Theme (markazi khayal) must be stated in one sentence; supporting points are then drawn from the text, not from general knowledge.

Character analysis answers follow a fixed pattern: introduction, physical and moral traits with textual evidence, role in the plot, and the author's purpose in creating the character.

Style (usloob) features to name in prose answers: saadgi (simplicity), tamsil (illustration), iqtibas (quotation), tanqeed (criticism), hazl-o-mazaah (wit and humour), and khitaab (direct address).

Essay-type lessons usually carry a social or reformist message; state the reformist intent explicitly, since examiners award marks for identifying the maqsad-e-musannif (author's purpose).

Biographical sketches (maktub / sawaneh) are tested on chronology: keep a short timeline of events for each personality lesson rather than memorising prose passages.

Quotations (iqtibas) from prose lessons are usually asked as 'explain with reference to context'; prepare one key sentence per lesson and be ready to give its context and significance.

Nazm appreciation requires four elements: markazi khayal (central idea), tashreeh (line-by-line explanation), sanaati aur asaleeb (devices and style), and natija (conclusion).

Common figures of speech to identify: tashbeeh (simile), istiara (metaphor), majaz-e-mursal (metonymy), kinaya (allusion), tajnees (paronomasia), mubaligha (hyperbole) and husn-e-talil (aesthetic causation).

Each prescribed nazm should be linked to its poet's era and school: classical (Mir, Ghalib), reformist (Hali, Iqbal) or progressive (Faiz, Josh); the theme usually reflects that school.

Iqbal's nazms are philosophical and call for khudi (self-realisation) and action; do not reduce them to simple patriotism, as examiners expect the philosophical dimension.

Nazm-e-mu'arra (free verse) and blank verse questions require noting the absence of a fixed radif-qafiya and the use of internal rhythm instead.

For 'poet's message' questions, quote one line as evidence and then paraphrase it; a bare assertion without textual support loses marks.

Meter (bahr) questions: identify the bahr only if certain; otherwise discuss the rhythmic pattern and the poem's musical quality, which is equally creditworthy.

When comparing two nazms, use the pattern: common theme, difference in treatment, difference in diction, and which poem achieves its purpose more effectively.

Ghazal structure: 5 to 15 ashaar (couplets), each couplet self-contained in meaning; the matla is the first couplet where both lines share the qafiya and radif, and the maqta contains the poet's takhallus.

Radif is the repeated word or phrase after the qafiya; qafiya is the rhyming element immediately before the radif. Identify both before explaining any couplet.

Sher, bait and misra distinctions: a sher is two misras; the first misra is misra-e-oola and the second misra-e-sani.

The ghazal's themes are conventional - ishq, firaq, wasl, dard, gham, zindagi ki be-sabati - but each prescribed ghazal should be tied to its poet's individual treatment of these themes.

Mir Taqi Mir is read for saadgi and dard; Ghalib for philosophical doubt and linguistic complexity; Faiz for political and humanist imagery; Firaq for sensuous description.

For tashreeh of a sher, explain the literal meaning first, then the implied (majazi) meaning, then the poetic device used, then the emotional effect.

Ghazal appreciation questions may ask about 'husn-e-ghazal' or unity of theme; note that thematic unity across couplets is not required, so do not force a single narrative.

Terminology to keep ready: matla, maqta, radif, qafiya, takhallus, sher, misra, behr, radeef-ain, and ghazal-e-musalsal (a ghazal with a continuous theme).

Ism (noun) types: ism-e-khas (proper), ism-e-aam (common), ism-e-jamid (concrete), ism-e-mushtaq (derived), ism-e-ma'ada (abstract); classification questions usually ask for two examples of each.

Number rules: ism-e-wahid (singular) to ism-e-jam (plural) - Arabic-origin plurals (mufrad to jama) often follow Arabic patterns, e.g. sabab to asbaab, kitab to kutub.

Gender: Urdu nouns are muzakkar (masculine) or muannas (feminine); feminine markers include the ending -i (e.g. larki) and -at in Arabic plurals, but many nouns are memorised by usage.

Pronouns (ism-e-zameer): zaat-e-mutakallim (first person), zaat-e-hazir (second person), zaat-e-ghaib (third person); ensure pronoun-verb agreement in sentences.

Verb (fe'l) classification: fe'l-e-mazi (past), fe'l-e-haal (present), fe'l-e-mustaqbil (future), fe'l-e-amr (imperative), fe'l-e-nahi (prohibitive); also fe'l-e-lazim (intransitive) vs fe'l-e-mutaaddi (transitive).

Tenses: mazi mutlaq, mazi istimrari, mazi ba'eed, haal mutlaq, haal istimrari, mustaqbil - each has a fixed auxiliary pattern; memorise the auxiliary forms rather than guessing.

Idioms (muhavare) must be used in a sentence, not merely explained; the sentence must show the idiom's figurative sense.

Correct the sentence (islaah) questions target common errors: gender agreement, plural of Arabic nouns, postposition (harf-e-jarr) choice, and misplaced words.

Mazmoon (essay) structure: sarlawh (introduction), tafseel (body paragraphs), natija (conclusion); the introduction must define the topic, not narrate a personal anecdote.

Essay word count is normally prescribed; plan roughly 10% introduction, 80% body, 10% conclusion, and count paragraphs rather than words under exam pressure.

Khat (letter) has two formats: rasmi (official) and ghair-rasmi (personal); official letters begin with the addressee's designation and end with 'Aapka wafadar' plus name.

Darkhwast (application) is written to a specific authority, states the request in the first paragraph, gives reasons in the second, and closes with a formal salutation.

Tabsira (report/commentary) on a given passage requires a short summary, the writer's main point, and the student's own opinion - three distinct parts.

Mukhtasar khabar (news report) answers the five Ws in the first sentence and then adds detail in descending order of importance.

Takhleeqi likhai (creative writing) tasks are marked for imagination, coherence and correct idiom; avoid long English loanwords where an Urdu equivalent exists.

Punctuation in Urdu: faariz (full stop), waqfa-e-iftiraaq (comma), alamat-e-sawal (question mark), alamat-e-nida (exclamation), and colon-like pause; incorrect punctuation loses composition marks.

Fahm-e-matn (comprehension) answers must be in the candidate's own words; lifting whole sentences from the passage is penalised.

Unseen passage questions usually ask for markazi khayal, meaning of difficult words, and answers to factual questions; read the questions before the passage to target the reading.

Vocabulary-in-context questions require the meaning as used in the passage, not the dictionary's first sense.

Translation English to Urdu: preserve tense and number; convert passive voice to active where Urdu sounds unnatural, and keep technical terms in English only when no standard Urdu term exists.

Translation Urdu to English: avoid literal word-for-word rendering; restructure into English word order (subject-verb-object) while keeping the original meaning.

Idiomatic translation is marked separately: muhavare should be rendered by an equivalent English idiom, not a literal gloss.

Summarising (khulasa) reduces the passage to about one-third; retain only the main argument and drop examples and repetition.

Title (unwan) questions: the title must be a short phrase capturing the passage's central idea, not a full sentence copied from the text.

Urdu's origin is traced to the Delhi region (Dehalvi / Hindvi / Rekhta); Amir Khusrau (13th–14th century) is conventionally treated as its earliest major poet.

Deccan period: Quli Qutb Shah and Wali Dakani are key; Wali Dakani's arrival in Delhi is traditionally described as marking the shift of Urdu literary centre to the north.

18th-century Delhi school: Mir Taqi Mir, Sauda, Dard and later Ghalib; this period is associated with the maturing of the ghazal.

19th-century reformist movement: Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and Altaf Hussain Hali (Muqaddama-e-Sher-o-Shairi, Musaddas-e-Hali) link literature to social reform.

Iqbal (1877–1938) is the central figure of philosophical poetry; his works include Asrar-e-Khudi, Rumuz-e-Bekhudi, Bang-e-Dara and Bal-e-Jibril.

Progressive Writers' Movement (1936, Lucknow) included Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Josh Malihabadi, Majaz and Ismat Chughtai; it emphasised literature's social role.

Modern trends after 1947 include jadidiyat (modernism) and ma-ba'd-e-jadidiyat (postmodernism), with experiments in free verse and symbolism.

Literary forms to place historically: masnavi, qasida, ghazal, marsiya, rubai, nazm and dastan; each has a distinct origin and representative poet.