Unseen Passage Comprehension
Method
Read the passage once for topic and once for grammar. Underline finite verbs, because they tell tense and number. Mark pronouns such as saḥ, tam and te; tracking them prevents subject errors. Circle negatives: na, mā, nāsti. Split sandhi at the point of contact, not at every vowel. Expand only those compounds that carry the answer.
Answering
Use the passage's own terms for key nouns, but write the answer in a complete sentence. For vocabulary questions, give the meaning in context, not the dictionary's first sense. For a central-idea question, state one sentence and add one supporting detail. If the question asks for Sanskrit, answer in Sanskrit; if it asks for Malayalam, answer in Malayalam.
Worked example
Passage: sarve mānavāḥ samānāḥ, jātibhedaḥ na vidyate. Question: What does the passage say about caste difference? Answer: It says caste difference does not exist, because all human beings are equal. Reasoning: na vidyate means is not found or does not exist; samānāḥ means equal. A bare answer such as no caste is incomplete because it does not show the reason given in the passage.
Traps
- Copying the whole passage as the answer.
- Missing na and giving the opposite meaning.
- Translating a compound word by word.
- Answering in the wrong language.
- Guessing an unknown word from Malayalam similarity instead of using context.