UPMSP Intermediate Gujarati key terms

Written prose, as opposed to verse. In this exam it covers stories, essays and biographical sketches, and questions ask about theme, character, author and the social context the passage reflects.

The central idea or message a prose piece or poem conveys, such as social reform, patriotism, devotion or the dignity of labour. Answers should state the theme and support it with evidence from the text.

A person depicted in a story or play. Candidates describe a character's traits, motives and development, and judge whether the figure is flat or rounded, using incidents from the text as proof.

A structured description of a literary character covering appearance, behaviour, speech, relationships and role in the plot, closing with an overall assessment. It must be organised and supported by specific textual incidents, not vague praise.

Knowledge of a writer's life, period, main works and literary contribution. Questions may ask about a prescribed author's place in a movement, the age in which he wrote, or the concerns visible in his writing.

Poetry or verse. Prescribed poems are studied for theme, emotional tone, imagery, metre and rhetorical devices, and candidates must also know the poet's background and the age the poem belongs to.

The aesthetic pleasure a reader derives from a poem or drama when a dominant emotion is fully evoked. Nine rasas are recognised, including शृंगार, वीर, करुण and हास्य, and identifying the dominant rasa is a standard poetry question.

The underlying emotion or feeling that a poet expresses, such as longing, grief, patriotism or devotion. Bhava is the raw emotional state; when it is developed and savoured by the reader it becomes rasa.

A figure of speech that ornaments literary language. Candidates identify devices such as ઉપમા (simile), રૂપક (metaphor), અનુપ્રાસ (alliteration) and ઉત્પ્રેક્ષા (poetic fancy), and explain how each device works in the quoted line.

A simile in which one thing is compared to another of a different kind using words such as જેવું, સમું or જેવો. The comparison is explicit, and both the common quality and the difference between the two objects must be identifiable.

A metaphor that identifies one thing directly with another, without a word of comparison, so that the two appear fused. In Gujarati analysis, the key test is that the comparison is implied rather than stated with જેવું or સમું.

Alliteration, the repetition of the same consonant sound at close intervals to create musical effect. It is identified by pointing to the repeated sound in the quoted words and describing the rhythm or mood it produces.

The rhythmic pattern of a poem, defined by syllable count, position of heavy and light syllables, and pauses. Candidates may be asked to name a metre or to scan a line and state its pattern.

A group of three syllables classified by their heavy or light value, used in Sanskrit-derived Gujarati prosody to build metres. Common ganas include ભગણ, જગણ and સગણ, and scanning a line depends on identifying them.

The system of rules governing word formation, inflection and sentence structure in Gujarati. Exam questions test correct usage, error correction, sentence transformation and identification of grammatical categories rather than mere memorisation of labels.

The joining of two sounds or words so that they merge, often with a change at the boundary. Candidates split a combined form into its components and name the type, such as સ્વરસંધિ or વ્યંજનસંધિ.

A single word formed by combining two or more words that carry a joint meaning. Questions ask candidates to expand the compound into a phrase and identify its type, for example તત્પુરુષ, દ્વંદ્વ or બહુવ્રીહિ.

The grammatical relation a noun or pronoun bears to the verb of a sentence, such as doer, object, instrument or recipient. Gujarati recognises કર્તા, કર્મ, કરણ and related categories, each linked to particular postpositions.

An inflectional ending or postposition marking a noun's case relation. Candidates identify the case of an underlined word or supply the correct form, paying attention to singular and plural and to the postposition used.

A word expressing an action or state. Questions test agreement of the verb with its subject, correct tense forms, transitive and intransitive use, and the choice of auxiliary verbs in compound tenses.

The grammatical expression of time in a verb, distinguishing past, present and future and their continuous or completed forms. Candidates convert sentences between tenses and select the form that matches the time marker in the sentence.

The arrangement of subject, object and verb in a sentence, and the rules for combining clauses. Gujarati normally places the verb last; exam tasks include reordering words, joining clauses and converting between simple, compound and complex sentences.

A sentence made of two or more independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction such as અને, પણ or અથવા. Candidates split such sentences into their clauses or combine short sentences into one.

The stock of words a reader commands. Unseen-passage questions test this by asking for a synonym, an antonym or the meaning of a word as used in context, so the answer must fit the passage rather than a dictionary list.

A word with a meaning close to another word's meaning. In exams the candidate supplies an equivalent word that fits the sentence, and must respect register and collocation rather than offering a loosely related term.

A word expressing the opposite of another, such as ઉદાર against કંજૂસ. Questions ask for the opposite word in isolation or in a sentence, and the answer must be a true opposite of the same word class.

Understanding a passage well enough to answer questions about its stated facts, implied ideas, tone and purpose. Answers should be framed in the candidate's own words and drawn from the passage, not from outside knowledge.

A concise restatement of a passage's main points in the writer's own words, usually about one third of the original length. It keeps the central argument, omits examples and repetition, and is written in the third person.

A structured piece of writing on a given topic with an introduction, developed body paragraphs and a conclusion. Marks depend on relevance, organisation, vocabulary and correctness, so planning before writing matters.

Composing a formal or informal letter in the prescribed format, with sender's address, date, salutation, body, closing and signature as required. Formal letters are concise and impersonal; informal letters allow a personal tone.

A formal written request to an authority, following a fixed layout: sender's address, date, receiver's designation, subject line, salutation, body stating the request, and closing. Clarity and courtesy are essential.

A factual account of an event or situation written for a newspaper, institution or office. It answers what, when, where, who and why, uses an objective tone and usually carries a heading and the reporter's name.

A piece of writing on a topic of public interest, written for a magazine or newspaper. It presents information and opinion in a structured way, with a title, an opening that states the issue, and a reasoned conclusion.

Rendering a text from one language into another while preserving meaning, tone and register. Exam tasks test accuracy of sense, naturalness of the target language, and correct handling of idioms that cannot be translated literally.

A fixed expression whose meaning cannot be worked out from its individual words, such as આંખનો તારો. Candidates explain the sense and use it correctly in a sentence; literal translation into another language usually fails.

A short traditional saying that expresses accepted wisdom, often metaphorically. Questions ask for the meaning, an equivalent proverb, or the appropriate situation in which the saying would be used.

An organised trend in writing that shares aims, style or ideology, such as reformist writing, romanticism or modernism in Gujarati literature. Candidates relate authors and works to the movement they belong to and its defining features.

The chronological study of a literature's periods, major authors, landmark works and genres. Exam questions may ask the age of a writer, the sequence of periods, or which form flourished in a given era.