Maharashtra SSC Urdu (First Language) key terms

A passage the candidate has not seen before, printed with the question paper for comprehension. Questions test main idea, inference, vocabulary in context and the ability to answer in the candidate's own words.

The central idea or theme a passage or poem develops as a whole, as distinct from details. Answers should state it in one clear sentence using the writer's overall point, not a minor incident.

Drawing a conclusion that the text implies rather than states directly. Inference questions reward reading between the lines while staying strictly within evidence available in the passage.

The surrounding words and sentences that fix the meaning of an expression. In comprehension and vocabulary questions, context decides which sense of a word is intended.

The fitness of a suggested title for a passage. A good title is brief, covers the whole passage rather than one paragraph, and is drawn from the passage's central idea.

A short restatement of a passage's main points in the candidate's own words, omitting examples and repetition. Marks are given for brevity, accuracy and original phrasing rather than copied sentences.

The title of a prescribed prose lesson. Questions often ask what the title suggests or why it is appropriate, so candidates should connect the title to the lesson's theme and its chief character.

Characterisation: how a writer builds a person through speech, action, description and the reactions of others. Answers should quote or point to specific incidents rather than list adjectives.

The moral or social message a lesson conveys, such as the value of honesty, hard work or communal harmony. Answers should link the message to events in the text, not state it as a slogan.

Satire and humour: the techniques a writer uses to amuse readers or expose folly. Candidates should distinguish gentle humour from sharp satire and identify the target of the satire in the lesson.

Brief background about the author of a prescribed lesson, such as period, region and main literary contribution. Such questions are short-answer and expect precise facts, not lengthy appreciation.

The main subject or theme of a prescribed poem. Candidates should state it in a sentence and support it with one or two lines quoted from the poem.

Explanation of a stanza: restating its sense in simple prose, identifying the poetic devices used and commenting on the feeling it creates. The explanation must stay faithful to the poet's words.

Simile: an explicit comparison using words such as مانند, جیسا or طرح, where one thing is likened to another. Identifying the two parts and the point of likeness earns full marks.

Metaphor: describing something as if it were another thing, without a comparing word. The resemblance is implied, so the answer should name what is being compared with what.

An indirect expression whose intended meaning differs from its literal words, used for polite or ironic effect. Unlike a metaphor, it hints at the meaning instead of substituting one image for another.

Pun: the use of two words that look or sound alike but differ in meaning, or repetition of a word in different senses. Recognising the pair of words is the key step.

The word or words repeated unchanged at the end of every verse line in a ghazal, following the rhyme. It must be identified exactly as printed, including any attached particles.

The rhyming word that comes immediately before the ردیف and changes from couplet to couplet while matching in sound. Candidates are often asked to pick out the قافیہ from a given verse.

Structural parts of a ghazal: مطلع (opening couplet with rhyme in both lines), شعر, ردیف and قافیہ, and مقطع (closing couplet often containing the poet's pen name).

A story in the supplementary or rapid reading section that teaches a moral through plot and character. Questions ask for the lesson drawn, so answers should tie the moral to a specific turning point.

Supplementary reading: texts prescribed for wider reading with fewer marks. Questions are usually short and factual, testing grasp of plot, characters and the stated moral.

Rapid reading: short passages read quickly for general understanding, assessed through brief factual questions. The aim is speed with accuracy, not detailed stylistic analysis.

The sequence of events in a story. Questions may ask what happened before or after a given incident, so candidates should be able to reconstruct the plot order accurately.

Noun: a word naming a person, place, thing or idea. In grammar exercises candidates classify nouns as عام, خاص or اسم معرفہ, and identify their gender and number.

Verb: a word showing an action or state, carrying tense, person, gender and number. Grammar questions ask candidates to pick out the verb and state its tense and agreement.

Adjective: a word that describes or qualifies a noun, such as colour, size or quality. Candidates identify the noun it qualifies and note whether it is descriptive or relative.

Tense: the time reference of a verb, namely ماضی (past), حال (present) and مستقبل (future). Exercises require changing a sentence from one tense to another without altering its sense.

Singular and plural forms of nouns and verb agreement. Urdu plurals are often irregular, so candidates must learn common pairs such as لڑکا–لڑکے and کتاب–کتابیں.

Masculine and feminine gender of nouns and the matching verb and adjective forms. Gender agreement is a common error source, as in لڑکی آئی versus لڑکا آیا.

An idiom: a fixed phrase whose figurative meaning cannot be worked out from its individual words, such as آنکھ کا تارا. Answers must give the accepted meaning, not a literal gloss.

A proverb: a short traditional saying that states a general truth or piece of advice. Candidates should explain its sense and, where asked, use it in a sentence of their own.

Synonym: a word with a meaning close to another, such as خوش and مسرور. In vocabulary questions the substitute must fit the sentence's register and grammar, not merely be similar.

Antonym: a word opposite in meaning to another, such as اندھیرا and روشنی. Candidates should give the standard opposite used in the textbook's vocabulary lists.

Using words correctly in sentences, matching meaning, gender, number and idiom. Exercises ask candidates to frame their own sentences, so natural Urdu usage matters more than length.

Essay writing: a structured composition with an introduction, developed body paragraphs and a conclusion. Marks reward relevance, orderly argument, correct grammar and a clean, legible presentation.

A formal application letter, usually to a headmaster or official, following a fixed layout: sender's address, date, addressee, subject, salutation, body and closing. The request must be clear and polite.

A notice: a short formal announcement for a school or public board, giving what, when, where and whom to contact. It is written in the third person, in a box, and avoids personal opinion.