Prose and poetry comprehension (ગદ્ય અને પદ્ય સમજ)
Prose and poetry comprehension
This domain covers the unseen passage and the textbook lessons and poems. It tests whether you can state a main idea in your own words, support an answer from the text, explain a character or title, and name a figure of speech with a reason.
Unseen passage method
Read the questions first, then the passage twice. Answer in complete sentences unless a single word is demanded. For why-questions, give the reason from the text plus a short quotation; a quotation alone rarely earns full marks. For vocabulary questions, use the word in a short phrase to show you know its sense, not just a synonym.
Textbook prose
Be ready to state the theme (કેન્દ્રવિચાર), describe a character with two supporting incidents, explain why the title is apt, and pick out the lesson's message. Answers should be three to five sentences, each doing work.
Poetry
For a poem, identify the ભાવ (feeling), the કેન્દ્રવિચાર, and the અલંકાર with justification. Common figures: ઉપમા (simile, marked by જેવું, જેમ, સમું), રૂપક (metaphor, identity stated without a comparison word), ઉત્પ્રેક્ષા (as-if imagining), અનુપ્રાસ (repetition of a consonant sound).
Worked example
Line: ચંદર જેવું મુખડું. Name the figure. The comparison word જેવું is present and a shared quality, brightness, is implied, so it is ઉપમા. If the line read મુખડું તો ચંદર છે, the comparison word would be gone and the identification direct, making it રૂપક. That single test - is there a comparing word? - settles most such questions.
Traps that cost marks
- Retelling the whole passage instead of answering the specific question.
- Copying a long sentence as the answer without framing it.
- Labelling any comparison રૂપક, or any poem with repeated sounds અનુપ્રાસ.
- Missing an ironic or humorous tone and reading the lines literally.