Objective Questions: MCQ and Very Short Answer
Objective questions reward precise recall: authors and titles, form terms, grammar labels, and one-line facts. Very short answers must be exact - one word or phrase, not a paragraph.
What is tested
- Author-title matching; form identification (ghazal, nazm, afsana, mazmoon).
- Grammar: ism/fail/harf, wahid/jama, muzakkar/muannas.
- Poetics: radif, qafiya, matla, maqta, beher, takhallus.
- Lesson content: character, theme, key phrase.
Method
Read the stem twice; underline 'not' or 'except'; eliminate impossible options; for very short answers give the term only.
Worked example
'In a ghazal, the repeated word at the end of both lines of the opening sher is called: (a) qafiya (b) radif (c) maqta (d) beher.' Answer: (b) radif. Reasoning: qafiya is the rhyming word before the radif; maqta is the final sher; beher is metre. The opening sher is the matla, which is not an option - a reminder to match the definition, not the nearest familiar term.
Traps that cost marks
Confusing radif with qafiya; faail with fail; choosing an option because it sounds familiar; writing two answers for a very short question; losing marks on negative stems; guessing when a definition can be checked.