Prose (Nasr): comprehension, vocabulary and the sabaq answer
Prose (nasr) is the largest reading block of the Kerala SSLC Second Language Urdu paper. Passages come from the SCERT Urdu Reader lessons, but the questions test comprehension rather than recall: short answers on a passage's markazi khayal (central idea) or kirdar (character), word-meanings, using a muhawara in a sentence, and a longer answer asking for sabaq (lesson) or tabsara (comment).
Reading a passage for marks
- Read the questions before the passage so you know which lines carry the answer.
- Answer in complete Urdu sentences. A phrase lifted from the passage earns full marks only when the question says alfaz mein likhiye.
- When the question asks kyun (why), the answer needs a cause clause, usually with kyunki or is liye ke.
- For word-meanings, give the sense the word carries in that sentence: aam can be a noun (mango) or an adjective (common) depending on context.
Worked example
Passage line: Waqt ki qadr karo, kyunki guzra hua waqt laut kar nahi aata. Question: Is ibarat se kya sabaq milta hai? The instruction is sabaq, not tafseel (detail), so the answer needs a claim plus its reason: Is ibarat se sabaq milta hai ke waqt ki qadr karni chahiye, kyunki guzra hua waqt wapas nahi aata. Three things earn the marks: it opens with the question's own frame, it keeps the kyunki clause, and it rephrases the line instead of copying it whole. A bare Waqt ki qadr karo answers the topic but not the sabaq.
Traps that cost marks
- Writing the answer in Malayalam or English word order, so the verb lands in the wrong place.
- Missing the second half of a two-part question (state and explain, or name and give an example).
- Using a muhawara with the wrong verb or preposition, e.g. attaching a muhawara to the wrong subject.
- Leaving out the cause clause in kyun questions, which turns a full answer into a half answer.