UPMSP High School Malayalam flashcards

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

Upama (simile)

A figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared through an explicit comparison word such as പോലെ, പോല് or ഒപ്പം. The comparison is openly stated, so the reader sees both objects separately.

Rupaka (metaphor)

A figure of speech where the comparison word is dropped and two unlike things are identified as one, as when the mind is simply called a sea rather than being said to be like one.

Utpreksha (poetic fancy)

A figure in which the poet imagines a possibility and presents it as if it might be true, usually signalled by expressions meaning "it seems" or "one might think". It differs from simile because no real comparison is asserted.

Arthantaranyasa

A figure in which a general truth is stated in order to support a particular statement. The general line is the identifying clue, and the particular instance gains force from it.

Shlesha (double meaning)

A figure in which a single word or phrase yields two different meanings in the same context. A complete answer must state both meanings and show how each fits the line.

Rasa and bhavam

Rasa is the spectator's lasting aesthetic relish produced by a work; bhavam is the transient emotion that feeds it. The nine rasas include sringara, karuna, veera, hasya and shanta.

Vibhavam, anubhavam, vyabhichari bhavam

The three components that produce rasa: vibhavam are the determinants or causes, anubhavam are the outward expressions, and vyabhichari bhavam are the accompanying transient emotions.

Savarna deergha sandhi

A vowel sandhi in which two similar vowels combine into one long vowel of the same quality. It is the simplest sandhi type and is identified by the lengthening alone, with no change of vowel quality.

Guna and vriddhi sandhi

Vowel sandhi types in which dissimilar vowels combine: guna produces a or e, while vriddhi produces aa or ai. The resulting vowel tells you which rule applied.

Tatpurusha samasam

A compound in which the members stand in a case relation to each other, so the first member qualifies the second. Splitting it requires restoring the missing case ending.

Dvandva samasam

A compound joining two or more words that are coordinate, as if linked by "and". Each member keeps equal importance, and the compound often takes a plural sense.

Bahuvrihi samasam

A compound that does not denote either member but a third thing possessing them, such as a compound meaning "one whose eyes are like lotuses". The head lies outside the compound.

Dvigu samasam

A tatpurusha compound whose first member is a numeral. The compound usually denotes a collective or a thing qualified by number, and the numeral is the identifying clue.

Avyayibhava samasam

A compound whose first member is an indeclinable such as a prefix or adverb. The whole compound behaves as an indeclinable and does not take case endings.

Vibhakti identification

Case is identified by the question word: ആര്/എന്ത് nominative, ആരെ accusative, ആരാല് instrumental, ആര്ക്ക് dative, ആരില് locative, ആരുടെ genitive, ആരേ vocative.

Active to passive voice

Change the object into the subject, put the verb into a passive form, and mark the original subject with the instrumental ending -ആല്. The agent may be dropped when it is unknown.

Direct to indirect speech

Shift pronouns to match the reporter, move tense back one step, and turn the quoted clause into a subordinate clause introduced by എന്ന്. Question words become reporting verbs.

Comprehension answering order

Locate the quoted sentence in the passage, read the two sentences around it, and answer from that context before using outside knowledge. Only then paraphrase into your own words.

Theme statement formula

State the human value at stake, the conflict that tests it, and the outcome or comment the author implies. This three-part shape prevents a plot summary from being mistaken for a theme.

Character answer structure

Give one trait, the incident that proves it, and the character's change or lack of change by the end. Traits without textual evidence score poorly in prose questions.

Autobiographical prose markers

First-person narration combined with real place names and family members indicates autobiographical writing. Invented names and invented places point instead to fiction or to a composite sketch.

Satire markers in prose

Exaggerated praise, mock-formal address, and a sudden reversal of expectation in the closing line. These signal that the author is criticising an attitude rather than describing one.

Plot chronology method

Name the incident, place it in the sequence of events, then state its consequence. This ordering answers non-detailed questions without drifting into a general summary of the work.

Title-to-climax link

In supplementary texts the title usually names a symbol or a turning point. Connect the title to the climax in one sentence to answer title-based questions convincingly.

Justify-the-statement method

Quote one specific incident from the text, show how that incident supports the given claim, and only then add a brief comment. The incident is the evidence the examiner looks for.

Formal letter order

Sender's address, date, receiver's designation and address, subject line, salutation, body, subscription and signature. Omitting the subject line or the designation loses marks in Malayalam formal letters.

Malayalam letter leave-taking

Formal letters close with ആദരവോടെ or വിശ്വസ്തതയോടെ, while personal letters use സ്നേഹത്തോടെ. The choice must match the relationship between sender and receiver.

Report writing structure

Heading, place and date, an opening sentence naming the event, a factual past-tense body, and a closing sentence on the outcome. Reports avoid first person and avoid opinion.

Précis rules

Reduce to about one-third of the original, keep the original order of ideas, drop examples and repetition, add no opinion, and supply a short title.

Malayalam word order

Malayalam is Subject-Object-Verb while English is Subject-Verb-Object, so translation moves the verb to the end. Meaning, not word order, is what is translated.

Idiom translation rule

Translate an idiom by its equivalent idiom in the target language, never word for word. A literal rendering of a Malayalam idiom into English is treated as an error.

Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan

Called the father of the Malayalam language, he composed the Adhyatma Ramayanam in the kilipattu form. His work helped standardise Malayalam script and devotional literary style.

Kunchan Nambiar and thullal

He created the thullal performing forms: Ottamthullal, Seethankan Thullal and Parayan Thullal. These forms use satire and everyday language to criticise social injustice.