RBSE Secondary Gujarati key terms

Prose writing that flows in ordinary sentences rather than measured verse. In this exam it covers prescribed prose lessons, their themes, characters and the author's purpose, tested through explanation and short-answer questions.

A short, faithful summary of a prescribed prose lesson in your own words, keeping the main idea and order of events while dropping minor detail. Marks depend on completeness and on not copying sentences from the textbook.

The central idea or message a prose lesson conveys, stated in one or two sentences. Questions often ask you to identify it and support it with one example from the text.

Describing a character from a lesson using qualities shown through actions, speech and the reactions of others, backed by short textual evidence. Avoid listing adjectives without proof from the story.

Any person or figure who acts within a story or prose piece. Distinguish the main character, who drives events, from supporting characters, who reveal the main character's nature or move the plot along.

The order in which events happen in a narrative, from beginning through turning point to ending. Questions may ask you to arrange given incidents correctly or to explain why one event caused another.

The underlying storyline or plot structure of a narrative, including its setup, conflict and resolution. Identifying it helps you answer questions about theme and about the writer's craft.

The reason an author wrote a piece, such as to inform, persuade, amuse or teach a moral. Answers should name the purpose and point to the words or examples that reveal it.

Poetry written in measured lines with rhythm and often rhyme. In this exam it covers prescribed poems, their meaning, imagery, sentiment and the poet's message, tested through explanation and appreciation.

The meaning of a poem, split into its direct or literal sense and its suggested or deeper sense. Good answers give the surface meaning first and then the implied idea the poet intends.

The emotional flavour a poem or passage arouses in the reader, such as pity, heroism, love or wonder. Naming the rasa correctly requires quoting the lines that create that feeling.

A single feeling or emotional state expressed in a line, such as longing, devotion or grief. Many bhavas together build the dominant rasa of the whole poem.

A figure of speech that decorates language by comparing, exaggerating or hinting, such as simile, metaphor and alliteration. Identifying one means naming it and explaining which words create the effect.

A figure of speech in which one thing is compared to another of a different kind using words meaning 'like' or 'as'. Both objects must be explicitly present for the figure to count as upama.

A figure of speech in which one thing is identified with another without using words of comparison, so the two appear as one. If the words 'like' or 'as' appear, it is a simile, not a metaphor.

The metrical pattern of a poem, fixed by the number and weight of syllables in each line. Identifying the chhand means counting syllables and noting which are light or heavy.

A group of three syllables used as a unit in Sanskrit-derived metres, each syllable marked light or heavy. Combinations of these units define metres such as anushtup and shardulvikridita.

The time unit of a syllable, counted as one for a short vowel and two for a long vowel or a short vowel followed by a consonant cluster. Metres in the matra tradition are measured by total matras per line.

The joining of two adjacent sounds into one form at a word boundary, with the resulting change governed by fixed rules. Splitting a joined form back into its parts is a common exam exercise.

A sound junction where two vowels meet and combine, as when a final and an initial vowel merge or one becomes a semi-vowel. The result is written as a single changed vowel or a new glide.

A sound junction where a consonant at the end of one word meets a following sound and changes accordingly, often becoming a different or doubled consonant. The written form shows the changed consonant.

A compound in which two or more words combine into a single inflected unit with one meaning. Exam tasks ask you to split a compound into its members or to name the type of relationship between them.

A compound in which the first member qualifies or limits the second, and the whole behaves like the final word. When split, the members stand in a case relation such as 'of' or 'to'.

A compound joining two or more words of equal weight, usually linked in meaning by 'and'. When expanded, all members appear separately and joined by the conjunction.

A compound whose meaning points to something other than its members, so the whole denotes a third entity. The final member often functions as a noun describing that outside referent.

A word that carries the same or a very close meaning as another word in the same language. Exam items ask you to supply one or to pick the closest match from a list.

A word whose meaning is opposite to another word, such as a term for a quality and the term for its absence. Answers must be single words, not phrases, to earn full marks.

The stock of words a learner can actively use and understand, built by reading prescribed texts and recording new words with meanings. A wide vocabulary supports comprehension, précis and composition tasks alike.

A fixed idiomatic expression whose meaning cannot be worked out from the individual words. Questions ask you to use it in a sentence or to explain its sense, so learn meaning and usage together.

A short traditional saying that carries folk wisdom, often with a literal image and a figurative lesson. Exam tasks ask for its meaning or for a sentence showing where it fits.

A structured piece of writing on a single topic with an introduction, developed body paragraphs and a conclusion. Marks reward clear organisation, relevant examples and correct spelling and grammar.

A formal letter written to an office, editor or authority, following a fixed layout of sender's address, date, receiver's address, subject, salutation, body and closing. Tone stays polite and the purpose is stated early.

A personal letter to a relative or friend, written in a warm and informal voice. It usually shares news, feelings or an invitation, and the layout is simpler than that of a formal letter.

A factual written account of an event or situation, giving what happened, when, where and who was involved, in a neutral tone. It typically opens with a headline and closes with a brief conclusion or outcome.

Rendering a passage from one language into another while preserving meaning, tone and register rather than word order. Good translation reads naturally in the target language and keeps technical terms accurate.

A prose passage you have not studied before, followed by questions on its main idea, details, vocabulary and inference. Read it twice, mark key sentences, then answer in your own words.

An answer that first names where a quoted line comes from and then explains its meaning in context. It combines identifying the passage with a plain-language paraphrase of the quoted words.

An implied or indirect meaning, often humorous or critical, where the words suggest the opposite of what they literally say. Detecting it requires attention to tone and situation rather than dictionary sense.