Rachana: Translating a Formal Request with Dual and Case Errors
In the Rachana section, a 5-mark translation item asks: “Translate into Sanskrit: I request you to grant me leave for two days because I have fever.” Candidate G writes: “अहं द्वौ दिनौ अवकाशं दातुं प्रार्थये यतः मम ज्वरः अस्ति।” The rubric awards 2 marks for grammatical accuracy, 2 for conveying the request, and 1 for formal register. The teacher notices three issues: “द्वौ दिनौ” (dual), no object for “प्रार्थये,” and the register of “मम ज्वरः अस्ति.” The candidate’s meaning is clear. The examiner must decide whether to deduct for each issue or treat the sentence as a whole, and whether “अवकाशं दातुं” is acceptable Sanskrit for “to grant leave.” The school key uses “द्वे दिने” and “त्वां प्रार्थये,” but it does not prescribe a single idiom for “I have fever.”
1. Identify G’s grammatical errors and correct them. Is “द्वौ दिनौ” wrong in gender, number, or both?
Read the worked answer
“दिन” is neuter. The correct neuter dual accusative is “दिने,” and the numeral is “द्वे,” so “द्वौ दिनौ” is wrong in both gender and number: “द्वौ” is masculine, and “दिनौ” is a masculine dual form. Correct: “द्वे दिने.”
The second error is the missing object of “प्रार्थये.” The verb means “I request [someone]”; the person requested takes the accusative: “त्वां प्रार्थये.” Alternatively, use “अवकाशं याचे,” which takes the thing requested. “अवकाशं दातुं” is acceptable as an infinitive, “to grant leave,” and need not be changed.
2. Is “मम ज्वरः अस्ति” a grammatical error? Rewrite the whole sentence formally in 20 words or fewer.
Read the worked answer
“मम ज्वरः अस्ति” is not a grammatical error. The genitive with “अस्ति” expresses possession, and it is understandable Sanskrit. It is a register choice: “ज्वरेण पीडितः” (“afflicted by fever”) is more formal and compact.
Formal rewrite:
“ज्वरेण पीडितः अहं द्वे दिने अवकाशं दातुं त्वां प्रार्थये।”
This keeps the reason, the two-day duration, the leave, and the request. It uses the neuter dual “द्वे दिने,” supplies “त्वां” as the object of “प्रार्थये,” and raises the register without overcomplicating the sentence.
3. Allocate the 5 marks and justify whether to deduct per issue or holistically.
Read the worked answer
A defensible allocation is 4/5:
- Grammar: 1/2. Two clear errors remain: “द्वौ दिनौ” and the missing object of “प्रार्थये.” Meaning is intact, so this is not 0.
- Content: 2/2. The request, the two-day duration, and the fever reason are all present.
- Register: 1/1. “मम ज्वरः अस्ति” is acceptable, though less formal; “अवकाशं दातुं” is acceptable.
Deduct per issue under the grammar component, not holistically, because the rubric separates grammar from content. Do not deduct twice for the same missing object. The examiner should not turn a register preference into a grammar error.