Karnataka II PUC Urdu (KSEAB) key terms

The prose section of the Urdu textbook, containing essays, sketches and short stories studied for comprehension, theme and author background questions in the examination.

An Urdu prose essay, either literary or expository, in which a single topic is developed through paragraphs with an introduction, supporting points and a conclusion.

The Urdu short story, a compact narrative with plot, character, setting and a turning point, often used in the textbook to teach theme and character analysis.

A personality sketch in Urdu prose that captures a real person's appearance, speech and habits through selected telling details rather than full biography.

Humour and satire together: Mizah is gentle comedy that amuses, while Tanz is sharper irony that exposes folly, both common in Urdu prose and poetry.

The Urdu poem written in rhymed or free verse on a single theme, studied for its central idea, imagery, tone and the poet's message.

Free verse in Urdu, literally 'bare poem', which keeps rhythm but abandons strict rhyme and fixed metre, allowing flexible line length and modern subjects.

The metre of an Urdu poem or ghazal, a fixed pattern of long and short syllables that governs rhythm; identifying behr helps in scanning verses.

The exercise of scanning an Urdu verse syllable by syllable to identify its metre and verify that the line conforms to the expected behr.

An Urdu lyric poem of couplets sharing a rhyme and refrain, each couplet self-contained in meaning, used for love, philosophy and social comment.

A single couplet in Urdu poetry, two lines that together form one complete unit of meaning, the building block of a ghazal.

The opening couplet of a ghazal, in which both lines carry the rhyme and refrain, setting the pattern that later couplets follow.

The closing couplet of a ghazal, often containing the poet's pen name, which serves as a signature and sometimes as a summary of the poem's mood.

The repeated word or phrase that follows the rhyme at the end of both lines of the opening couplet and of the second line of every later couplet.

The rhyming word that immediately precedes the radeef in a ghazal couplet; all couplets share the same qafiya sound pattern.

The pen name a poet adopts and inserts into the final couplet of a ghazal, traditionally used as a signature within the verse itself.

Simile in Urdu rhetoric, an explicit comparison between two things using words such as 'like' or 'as', one of the most tested figures of speech.

Metaphor in Urdu rhetoric, where a word is transferred from its literal meaning to another without an explicit comparison marker, creating compressed imagery.

An indirect expression or allusion in Urdu rhetoric, where the intended meaning is implied rather than stated, often used for polite or ironic effect.

Non-detailed or supplementary prose in the Urdu reader, studied for broad comprehension and theme rather than line-by-line explanation.

A biographical account in Urdu, narrating the life events of a person in chronological order, distinct from the impressionistic khaka.

The noun in Urdu grammar, a word naming a person, place, thing or idea; it carries gender, number and case and forms the head of many phrases.

The verb in Urdu grammar, a word expressing an action or state; Urdu verbs inflect for tense, person, gender and number in agreement with the subject.

A particle or function word in Urdu grammar, such as a postposition or conjunction, which carries grammatical meaning but does not inflect like nouns or verbs.

A compound in Urdu grammar, a word or phrase formed by joining two or more elements, such as Izafi or Izafi-e-Tausifi constructions, tested in word-analysis questions.

The Persian-derived construction linking two nouns with the short vowel -e-, as in 'shair-e-mashriq', showing possession or description and common in literary Urdu.

The second person in Urdu grammar, the addressee of a sentence; verb forms and pronouns change according to the level of respect shown to the listener.

The first person in Urdu grammar, the speaker or writer, marked by pronouns such as 'main' and 'hum' and by matching verb endings.

The composition section of the Urdu paper, covering essay writing, letter writing and precis, assessed for structure, relevance, vocabulary and correctness.

A precis or summary in Urdu, a condensed restatement of a passage in the writer's own words that keeps the main ideas and omits illustration and repetition.

An application letter in Urdu, written in a fixed formal layout with sender details, subject, salutation, body and closing, used for leave or requests.

A letter in Urdu, either personal or formal, whose tone, salutation and closing differ by relationship and purpose; tested for format and appropriate register.

Comprehension of an unseen Urdu passage, requiring answers to questions on explicit detail, implied meaning, vocabulary in context and the passage's central idea.

Urdu literary history, covering periods, movements and major authors and their contributions, used to answer background and chronology questions.

A school or movement in Urdu literary history, such as the Delhi or Lucknow school, marked by shared style, themes and patronage centres.

Translation between Urdu and English or Kannada, requiring accurate meaning, correct grammar in the target language and preservation of the original tone.