Maharashtra HSC Kannada (MSBSHSE) key terms

Kannada word for prose; in this exam it labels the prescribed prose lessons, which are read for theme, character and author's purpose rather than for metre.

Kannada word for verse or poetry; the prescribed poems are studied for meaning, figure of speech, metre and the poet's message.

The supplementary or non-detailed reader: extra lessons tested for general understanding, sequence of events and character, without close textual commentary.

A structured prose composition or essay written on a given topic, with introduction, ordered body paragraphs and a conclusion.

A letter; the exam expects formal letters to officials and institutions and informal letters to relatives or friends, each in the accepted layout.

Precis writing: reducing a passage to about one third of its length while keeping the central idea and avoiding personal comment.

A summary or gist of a passage or lesson, written in the candidate's own words and retaining only the essential points.

Dialogue writing: composing a natural conversation between two or more speakers on a set situation, with clear speaker turns.

Expansion of an idea: taking a one-line proverb or statement and developing it into a short coherent paragraph with an example.

A proverb or traditional saying in Kannada, often used as the seed line for expansion-of-idea questions and as evidence in essays.

An idiom or fixed expression in Kannada whose meaning cannot be read from the individual words; tested in grammar and usage items.

Grammar; the prescribed study of Kannada word classes, inflection, sentence structure and correctness of usage.

Junction or coalescence of sounds where two words or morphemes meet, so that the final and initial sounds combine into one form.

Compound word formation, where two or more words combine into a single noun unit; candidates identify the type and split it back into components.

Case ending in Kannada noun inflection, marking relationships such as subject, object, instrument, place and possession.

Verb; the exam tests tense, agreement with subject, and the difference between finite and participial verb forms in a sentence.

A clause or phrase within a sentence; candidates are asked to pick out clauses, join sentences and correct faulty construction.

Words; vocabulary items tested for meaning, synonym, antonym and correct use in a sentence of the candidate's own making.

Synonyms: different Kannada words carrying the same or nearly the same meaning, tested by matching pairs.

Antonyms: words opposite in meaning to a given word, tested to check the range of the candidate's vocabulary.

Figure of speech; prescribed poems are analysed for comparison, metaphor, alliteration and exaggeration, and each device is named and explained.

Simile: an explicit comparison of two unlike things using words meaning 'like' or 'as', common in prescribed Kannada poems.

Prosody or metre; the pattern of syllables, lines and stanza forms that governs the prescribed verse and is named in appreciation questions.

The sense, feeling or purport of a passage; questions ask candidates to state in their own words what a stanza or paragraph conveys.

Poetry as a literary form, distinguished from prose and drama; the term covers both classical and modern Kannada verse.

Old Kannada, the earliest recorded stage of the language, seen in early inscriptions and in the works of the early poets.

Middle Kannada, the historical stage between Old and Modern Kannada, associated with devotional and later courtly literature.

Modern Kannada, the present-day written and spoken form; the prescribed textbook selections are largely in this stage.

A short free-verse devotional composition in Kannada, associated with the Sharana tradition; noted for direct address and plain language.

Devotional poet-singer in the Kannada Haridasa tradition; the term also appears in personal names of such composers.

India's highest literary award; several Kannada writers have received it, a fact commonly cited in author and literary-history questions.

Translation; passages or lines may be rendered from Kannada to the exam language or the reverse, keeping meaning and register.

The prescribed lesson or text; questions on patha ask about theme, sequence of events, characters and the author's intention.

Talent or creative genius attributed to a writer; used in appreciation questions about an author's distinctive style and contribution.

Review or critical appreciation; candidates comment on a passage's content, style and effect rather than merely retelling it.

Description or narration, the mode of writing in which a scene, person or event is presented in ordered detail.