UPMSP High School Malayalam key terms

Literary prose, as opposed to verse. In this exam it covers the prose lessons: their themes, characters, author background and the ideas the writer conveys through narrative or exposition.

The central idea or message of a passage. Identifying it means stating what the writer wants the reader to understand, not merely summarising events in the order they appear.

The theme or subject matter developed across a whole work. It is broader than a single paragraph's meaning and is usually expressed as a short statement about life, society or human nature.

A character in a story or prose lesson. Questions ask about a character's traits, motives and development, supported by incidents and dialogue rather than by adjectives alone.

A concise summary of a story's plot, keeping the sequence of main events and the outcome while dropping minor detail. Useful for short-answer questions on prose lessons.

The author of a prescribed lesson. Candidates should know the author's name, period and other well-known works, since matching and brief biographical questions are common.

Poetry in metrical verse. Questions cover meaning, mood, imagery and the poet's craft, including the metre and the sound effects created by particular word choices.

A figure of speech, a deliberate pattern of sound or meaning that heightens poetic effect. Candidates must name the figure used in a given line and justify the identification.

Simile. Two unlike things are compared explicitly, with a word such as പോലെ, പോലുള്ള or എന്നപോലെ marking the comparison between the subject and the object it resembles.

Metaphor. The comparison is implied rather than stated: the subject is described directly as if it were the other thing, with no word such as പോലെ signalling similarity.

The aesthetic pleasure a reader derives from a work when a sustained emotion is evoked. Nine rasas are traditionally recognised, including ശൃംഗാരം, കരുണം, വീരം and ഹാസ്യം.

A mood or emotional state depicted in a literary work, such as grief, longing or wonder. When a bhaava is fully developed and relished by the reader it becomes a rasa.

Metre. The fixed pattern of syllables and their weight in a verse line. Recognising the metre helps explain rhythm and is sometimes asked directly by name.

Prosody, the system of metrical rules governing verse composition. It covers syllable weight, feet and line structure, and underlies the identification of any named metre.

Junction: the sound change that occurs when two words or morphemes meet. Questions ask candidates to split a joined form into its components or to join two given words correctly.

Vowel junction, where two vowels combine or one is elided at the meeting point. Typical examples involve അ, ഇ, ഉ and ആ forming a single long or changed vowel sound.

Consonant junction, where a consonant at the end of one element meets the next and undergoes change or doubling. Identifying it requires locating the original word boundary.

Compound: several words fused into a single unit that functions as one word. Candidates classify the compound and explain the relationship between its constituent parts.

The expanded explanation of a compound, showing the separate words and the grammatical link between them. Writing the vigraha is the standard way to prove a samasa classification.

Grammatical case, marked in Malayalam chiefly by suffixes such as -ഇന്, -ആല്, -ഓട്, -ഇല് and -ഇന്റെ. Case identification and correct use are frequent grammar items.

Sentence transformation: rewriting a sentence in another form, such as changing voice, converting a statement into a question, or joining and splitting sentences, without altering the meaning.

Vocabulary range. Building it means knowing word meanings, synonyms, opposites and the ability to use a word correctly in a sentence of one's own.

A synonym, a word with closely similar meaning to another. Questions may ask for one or more equivalents, or ask which listed word does not belong to the group.

An antonym, a word expressing the opposite of another. Candidates should be able to supply an opposite for a given word and to use both correctly in context.

Supplementary reading: prescribed non-detailed texts studied alongside the main reader. Questions test plot, characters and themes, often through short essays and factual recall.

An essay. A good one has a clear introduction, ordered body paragraphs each developing one point, and a conclusion, with a stated viewpoint rather than a list of facts.

A letter. Formal letters follow a fixed layout of sender address, date, salutation, body, closing and signature; informal letters allow a personal tone but still need structure.

A factual account of an event written for a newspaper, institution or committee. It answers what, when, where, who and why, usually opening with a headline and a dateline.

A précis or summary. It condenses a passage to roughly one-third of its length, keeps the central argument, uses the writer's own words and omits examples and repetition.

A written article, often for a newspaper or magazine, arguing a position on a current issue. It needs a title, a coherent line of argument and a concluding appeal or observation.

Translation. The rendered text must preserve the original meaning and register, reading naturally in the target language rather than following the source word order mechanically.

Style: a writer's characteristic way of using language, through sentence length, imagery, diction and tone. Style questions ask candidates to describe and illustrate such features.

A literary period. Knowing the broad phases of Malayalam literature helps place an author and explain changes in language, subject matter and form across generations.

Modernity in literature: a movement questioning earlier conventions, favouring individual experience, experiment in form and plainer language over ornate classical diction.

Keralan identity as expressed in literature and custom: its festivals, kinship patterns, food, landscape and social reform movements, which often form the background of prescribed texts.

Kerala's harvest festival, associated with the legendary reign of Mahabali. It recurs in Malayalam poetry and prose as a symbol of plenty, homecoming and social equality.