UPMSP Intermediate Assamese flashcards

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

Gadya

Assamese term for prose. In the UPMSP syllabus it covers prescribed prose texts studied for comprehension, theme, character, and style, as distinct from padya or poetry.

Mukhya bhav

The central idea or thesis of a prose piece. Theme questions require this one-line statement supported by evidence from the text, not a retelling of the plot.

Character evidence rule

A character trait earns marks only when supported by a specific incident, action, or line of dialogue from the text. Name the trait, then cite the proof.

Tatsama vocabulary

Words borrowed unchanged from Sanskrit into Assamese. Style questions often ask you to distinguish tatsama register from deshi or Bangla-influenced vocabulary in a prose passage.

Rasa

The aesthetic emotion evoked in a reader by a poem. Classical theory recognises nine: shringara, hasya, karuna, raudra, veera, bhayanaka, bibhatsa, adbhuta, and shanta.

Upama alankara

Simile. Two things are compared while remaining distinct, linked by a comparison word such as like or as. It is an arthalankara, a figure of meaning.

Rupaka alankara

Metaphor. The two things are fused by direct identification with no comparison word. Like upama it is an arthalankara, but the identification is complete.

Anuprasa

Alliteration. Repetition of the same consonant sound in nearby words. It is a shabdalankara, a figure of sound rather than of meaning.

Vibhava, anubhava, vyabhichari bhava

The three determinants of rasa: the cause or stimulus, the outward expression of feeling, and the transient accompanying emotions. Together they produce the aesthetic emotion.

Ekanka natak

One-act play. It has a single act, a small cast, one setting, and one concentrated conflict that is resolved within the act itself.

Ankiya nat

A one-act Vaishnava play form introduced by Sankardeva, performed as bhaona. It combines dance, music, and dialogue and is a landmark of early Assamese drama.

Natyadharmi and lokadharmi

Two modes of dramatic presentation: natyadharmi is stylised and conventional, using gesture and symbol; lokadharmi is realistic and close to everyday behaviour.

Dvandva in drama

Conflict, the opposing forces that drive a play forward. Analysis names the two sides and identifies the point at which the conflict reaches its peak.

Topic sentence

The sentence that states the main idea of a paragraph or passage. Locating it first is the fastest route into an unseen comprehension passage.

Inference item

A comprehension question whose answer is not stated directly. The response must give a conclusion plus the textual clue that supports it.

Vocabulary in context

A word-meaning item where the correct sense is fixed by the surrounding sentence. Test each option by substituting it into the sentence and checking fit.

Sandhi

The phonetic joining of sounds at a word boundary. Identify the type, whether svara, vyanjana, or visarga, before splitting a joined word into its parts.

Bahuvrihi samasa

A possessive compound whose whole refers to something other than its members, as in a phrase meaning 'one whose arms are like a tree trunk' for a strong person.

Karaka

Case relation between a noun and the verb. The six are karta (agent), karma (object), karana (instrument), sampradana (recipient), apadana (source), and adhikarana (locus).

Avyaya

An indeclinable word class in Assamese grammar. Such words do not change form for gender, number, or case, and include many adverbs, conjunctions, and prepositions.

Prabandha structure

Essay structure in three parts: bhumika or introduction, mukhya bishaya or body in logical paragraphs, and upasamhara or conclusion. Each body paragraph carries one idea.

Connectives in composition

Words such as tatsapi, iyar pichata, atae, and uporantu that signal logical progression between paragraphs. They are a scored element of essay coherence.

Formal letter layout

Sender address, date, receiver designation and address, subject line, salutation, body, closing, and signature. Informal letters omit the subject line and formal designation.

Abedan

A formal application, usually for a post. It names the post in the subject line, summarises relevant qualifications, and lists any enclosed documents.

Bigyapti

A notice. It carries a heading, date, and issuing authority, and restricts itself to essential facts without narrative or persuasive padding.

Charyapada

The earliest surviving specimens of Assamese, a collection of mystical carya songs dated roughly between the eighth and twelfth centuries. It opens old Assamese literature.

Sankardeva

Fifteenth-sixteenth century Vaishnava reformer and writer, dated 1449 to 1568. He composed kirtana-ghosha, borgeet, and ankiya nat, shaping early Assamese literature.

Jonaki era

The phase of modern Assamese literature that began with the journal Jonaki in 1889, associated with Lakshminath Bezbaroa and a romantic turn in Assamese writing.

Madhavdeva

Vaishnava saint and successor of Sankardeva, author of the nam-ghosha. He is a central figure of early Assamese devotional literature alongside his predecessor.

Bakyapaddhati

Idiom or fixed expression. It is translated by an equivalent idiom in the target language, since a literal rendering usually destroys the intended sense.

Transliteration

Rendering a name or technical term in the target script without translating its meaning. Proper nouns and titles normally take this treatment rather than translation.

Back-translation check

A verification step in translation: mentally retranslate your version into the source language and compare it with the original to catch meaning drift.