PSEB Matric Urdu (in lieu of Hindi) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Matla

The opening couplet of a ghazal in which both lines carry the radif and qafiya. It sets the rhyme pattern followed by every later couplet.

Maqta

The final couplet of a ghazal, in which the poet inserts his takhallus (pen name). Questions asking for the poet's pen name are answered from the maqta.

Radif

The word or phrase repeated at the end of every line of a ghazal after the qafiya. It is not the rhyming word itself but the repeated refrain following it.

Qafiya

The rhyming word that comes immediately before the radif in a ghazal. All verses share the same qafiya pattern from the matla onward.

Sher

A single couplet of a ghazal made of two lines, misra-e-ula and misra-e-sani. Each sher carries a complete, self-contained idea.

Tashreeh

Explanation of a verse or prose passage: first the plain meaning in simple Urdu, then its connection to the overall theme of the poem or lesson.

Tashbeeh

The poetic device of simile, where one thing is explicitly compared to another using words such as 'jaise' or 'ki tarah'. It is named in san'ati maharat questions.

Isti'ara

Metaphor in Urdu poetry: a comparison made without the words of similarity, transferring a quality directly from one object to another. Contrast with tashbeeh.

Takrar

Repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis or musical effect in a nazm. It is a recognised poetic device in san'ati maharat questions.

Tazad

The device of contrast, placing opposite ideas or images side by side in a verse to sharpen meaning, such as light against darkness or union against separation.

Markazi khayal

The central idea of a lesson, nazm or ghazal, stated in one or two sentences. Answers should name the idea and support it with a verse or incident.

Ism-e-khas

A proper noun in Urdu grammar: the name of a specific person, city, book or country, such as Lahore or Iqbal. It is not preceded by an article.

Ism-e-aam

A common noun in Urdu grammar naming any member of a class rather than a specific one, such as larka, sheher or kitab. Contrast with ism-e-khas.

Ism-e-masdar

A verbal noun in Urdu: the noun form of an action, such as likhna or parhna. It names the act without indicating tense or doer.

Zameer-e-ishari

A demonstrative pronoun in Urdu, such as yeh or woh, pointing to a specific thing or person. It is one of the three main pronoun categories in Qawaid.

Fe'l-e-mazi

The past tense verb form in Urdu grammar, expressing an action already completed, such as gaya, likha or parha. It contrasts with fe'l-e-hal and fe'l-e-mustaqbil.

Fe'l-e-mustaqbil

The future tense verb form in Urdu, expressing an action yet to happen, usually formed with ga/gi/ge, as in jaunga or parhegi.

Fe'l-e-majhool

The passive voice verb in Urdu, where the doer is not the subject, as in 'likha gaya' or 'kaha jata hai'. It translates into English passive constructions.

Harf

A particle in Urdu grammar: a word with no independent meaning that links other words, such as mein, par, se, ko, aur and lekin.

Sifat

An adjective in Urdu grammar, placed after the noun it describes and agreeing with it in gender and number, as in 'acha larka' and 'achi larki'.

Muhavra

An Urdu idiom whose meaning is figurative, not literal. In exams it must be used inside a sentence that makes the figurative sense clear.

Khulasa

A summary of a passage, written in the third person in continuous prose at about one-third of the original length, keeping the main idea and dropping examples.

Urdu passive translation

Urdu constructions such as 'likha gaya' or 'kaha jata hai' are rendered into English passive voice with the same tense, not converted to active voice.

Shahmukhi script

The Perso-Arabic script used to write Punjabi, required for Urdu-to-Punjabi translation answers on the PSEB paper. Technical terms may stay in Urdu.

Arz guzar

The formal closing line of an Urdu application, asking the addressee to grant the request. It follows the statement of request in the body.

Mazmoon structure

An Urdu essay has three parts: muqadma (introduction), tafseel (body with points and examples) and natija (conclusion), each as a separate paragraph.

Application salutation

Urdu applications open with 'Janab-e-Ali' and address the addressee by designation, such as Principal or Headmaster, rather than by personal name.

Unwan suggestion

A title proposed for an unseen passage: two to five words capturing the main idea, not simply the opening phrase of the passage.

Contextual meaning

The sense a word carries inside the unseen passage, which is the required answer for vocabulary items, rather than the dictionary's first-listed meaning.

Inference question

A comprehension question asking what can be concluded from the passage. The answer needs a conclusion plus the textual clue that supports it.

Sabaq ka sabaq

The moral or message of a Nasr lesson, answered in impersonal or first-person-plural form, such as 'hamein yeh seekh milti hai ke'.

Musannif

The author of a prescribed prose lesson. Author-name questions are common, so each lesson title should be memorised with its author.