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UPMSP Intermediate Persian study materials
UPMSP Intermediate Persian study resources

UPMSP Intermediate Persian practice questions

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Question 1Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

In the prescribed UPMSP Intermediate Persian prose (Nasar) syllabus, which genre does the term 'Nasar' specifically denote?

  1. Prose writing Correct answer.
  2. Poetry with strict metre
  3. Lexicography
  4. Rhymed couplets

Explanation

In Persian literary terminology, 'Nasar' (نثر) means prose, as opposed to 'Nazm' (نظم), which means verse or poetry. The UPMSP Intermediate Persian syllabus divides literature into these two broad categories, and the Nasar section comprises prose texts for comprehension and appreciation.

Question 2Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

When a Nasar passage in the UPMSP Intermediate Persian paper asks for the 'markazi khayal' (central idea), what is the examiner expecting?

  1. The biographical details of the author
  2. A list of all difficult words in the passage
  3. The grammatical structure of the first sentence
  4. The main theme or message the author conveys Correct answer.

Explanation

'Markazi khayal' literally means 'central thought' and refers to the main theme or message of a prose passage. Examiners test whether the candidate can summarise the author's purpose rather than reproduce peripheral details or vocabulary.

Question 3Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

In the context of the prescribed Nasar lessons, the term 'khulasa' (خلاصہ) in a question typically requires the student to:

  1. Write the author's full biography
  2. Summarise the passage in the student's own words Correct answer.
  3. Translate the passage word for word
  4. Identify all proper nouns in the passage

Explanation

'Khulasa' means summary or precis. A khulasa question tests whether the candidate can condense the passage's argument or narrative into a brief, accurate statement without copying the original wholesale.

Question 4Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

Which of the following best describes the role of 'sabab-e-ta'lif' (reason for composition) when studying a prescribed Nasar lesson?

  1. It lists the grammatical errors in the text
  2. It identifies the publisher of the textbook
  3. It explains why the author wrote the piece and helps interpret its purpose Correct answer.
  4. It provides the metre of the prose

Explanation

The 'sabab-e-ta'lif' is the occasion or motive behind a text's composition. Knowing it helps the candidate understand the author's intended message and evaluate whether the lesson achieves its purpose.

Question 5Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

In UPMSP Intermediate Persian Nasar questions, 'mussannif' (مصنف) refers to:

  1. The narrator of the story
  2. The character who speaks in dialogue
  3. The examiner who set the paper
  4. The author of the prose text Correct answer.

Explanation

'Mussannif' is the Arabic-derived term for author or compiler of a prose work. It is distinct from 'rawi' (narrator) and from characters within the text.

Question 6Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

A Nasar passage describes a poor cobbler who shares his last loaf with a hungry traveller and later prospers. Which quality does the passage most clearly illustrate?

  1. Generosity and its reward Correct answer.
  2. Scholarly pride
  3. Military courage
  4. Political ambition

Explanation

The narrative contrasts the cobbler's poverty with his willingness to give, and the later prosperity functions as the reward for that generosity. The central virtue illustrated is selfless giving rather than ambition, pride, or courage.

Question 7Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

In a prose lesson, the phrase 'us ka dil bhar aaya' (اس کا دل بھر آیا) most likely indicates that the character:

  1. Was overcome with emotion Correct answer.
  2. Decided to leave
  3. Became angry
  4. Felt hungry

Explanation

The idiom 'dil bhar aana' conveys being overwhelmed by feeling, often sadness or tenderness. It is an emotional state, not anger, hunger, or a decision to depart.

Question 8Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

Which statement correctly distinguishes 'khaka' (خاکہ) from 'mazmoon' (مضمون) in the prescribed Nasar syllabus?

  1. Khaka is a letter, while mazmoon is a speech
  2. Khaka is a biographical sketch of a person, while mazmoon is a general essay on a topic Correct answer.
  3. Khaka is a poem, while mazmoon is prose
  4. Khaka is a translation, while mazmoon is an original composition

Explanation

A 'khaka' is a character sketch or biographical portrait focusing on a person's traits and habits, whereas a 'mazmoon' is an essay treating a subject thematically. Both are prose forms, but their focus differs.

Question 9Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

Read the sentence from a Nasar lesson: 'Woh apni mehnat ki bina par is maqam tak pahuncha.' What does 'is maqam tak pahuncha' convey about the character?

  1. He lost his way
  2. He arrived at a railway station
  3. He fell from a height
  4. He reached a high position through effort Correct answer.

Explanation

'Maqam' can mean a station or a rank; in the phrase 'apni mehnat ki bina par' (on the basis of his effort), the sense is figurative: he attained a high status through hard work. The causal phrase rules out a literal journey or a fall.

Question 10Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

A Nasar passage states: 'Ilm wo daulat hai jo baantne se barhta hai.' What is the implied comparison in this sentence?

  1. Knowledge is like money because both can be stolen
  2. Knowledge is useless without money
  3. Knowledge resembles wealth in that sharing it increases it Correct answer.
  4. Wealth should never be shared

Explanation

The sentence uses a simile: knowledge is called a wealth that grows when distributed. The point is that teaching and sharing knowledge enrich both giver and receiver, unlike material wealth which diminishes when divided.

Question 11Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

In a prescribed prose lesson, a character is described as 'sakhi' (سخی). Which behaviour would be most consistent with that description?

  1. Hiding his income from the tax collector
  2. Donating generously to a poor family Correct answer.
  3. Boasting about his wealth in public
  4. Refusing to lend money to a neighbour

Explanation

'Sakhi' means generous or open-handed. The defining behaviour is freely giving to those in need, not hoarding, boasting, or evading obligations.

Question 12Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

A prose text uses the phrase 'zuban se phool jharna' (زبان سے پھول جھڑنا). In comprehension, this idiom indicates that the speaker:

  1. Is unable to speak
  2. Speaks sweetly and eloquently Correct answer.
  3. Speaks harshly
  4. Speaks in a foreign language

Explanation

The idiom literally says 'flowers fall from the tongue', a metaphor for sweet and persuasive speech. It praises eloquence, not harshness or silence.

Question 13Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

When a Nasar lesson is described as 'tanz-o-mizah' (طنز و مزاح), the passage most likely contains:

  1. Satire and humour Correct answer.
  2. Tragedy and mourning
  3. Historical chronology
  4. Scientific description

Explanation

'Tanz' means satire or irony and 'mizah' means humour or jest. A lesson labelled tanz-o-mizah uses wit and irony, often to expose social follies, rather than to evoke grief or to record facts neutrally.

Question 14Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

In a Nasar passage, the author writes: 'Gareeb ki madad karna insaniyat ka sab se bara farz hai.' Which statement best captures the author's stance?

  1. The rich should avoid the poor
  2. Poverty is a punishment from God
  3. Helping the poor is the highest human duty Correct answer.
  4. Helping the poor is optional charity

Explanation

The phrase 'sab se bara farz' (the greatest duty) elevates helping the poor from optional charity to the foremost human obligation. The author's stance is prescriptive and moral, not fatalistic.

Question 15Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

A prose lesson opens with a vivid description of a village at dawn. In terms of narrative technique, this opening primarily serves to:

  1. List the characters' names
  2. Summarise the moral of the story
  3. Introduce the author's biography
  4. Establish setting and mood before the main action Correct answer.

Explanation

Descriptive openings create atmosphere and orient the reader in place and time before the plot develops. They are a device of setting, not a conclusion or a biographical note.

Question 16Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

In the prescribed Nasar syllabus, which pair correctly matches a prose form with its characteristic?

  1. Ghazal - a biographical sketch
  2. Qasida - a prose essay
  3. Safarnama - account of a journey Correct answer.
  4. Marsiya - a humorous essay

Explanation

A 'safarnama' is a travelogue, a prose account of a journey. Qasida, ghazal, and marsiya are all poetic forms and therefore belong to Nazm, not Nasar.

Question 17Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

A character in a Nasar lesson says: 'Main ne apni zindagi ka sab se bara sabaq apni maa se seekha.' What does this reveal about the character's values?

  1. He regards his mother as his most important teacher Correct answer.
  2. He rejects all learning
  3. He prefers travel to study
  4. He values formal schooling above all

Explanation

The sentence states that the greatest lesson of his life was learned from his mother, showing deep respect for her moral guidance. It does not dismiss learning but locates its most important source in the home.

Question 18Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

When a Nasar lesson is described as 'waqiaati' (واقعاتی), the lesson is organised mainly around:

  1. A sequence of events Correct answer.
  2. A comparison of ideas
  3. A set of definitions
  4. A list of statistics

Explanation

'Waqiaati' derives from 'waqia' (event), so a waqiaati lesson is narrative and event-driven. It unfolds through incidents rather than through definitions, abstract comparison, or data.

Question 19Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

In a Nasar passage, the author remarks: 'Waqt ki qadar karo, kyunki guzra hua waqt laut kar nahin aata.' Which theme does this remark develop?

  1. The value and irreversibility of time Correct answer.
  2. The need for political reform
  3. The beauty of nature
  4. The importance of wealth

Explanation

The sentence urges the reader to value time because lost time never returns. This is a moral reflection on temporality, not on money, nature, or politics.

Question 20Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

A prose lesson contrasts a hard-working farmer with a lazy landlord and concludes by praising the farmer. Which technique is the author using?

  1. Contrast to highlight virtue Correct answer.
  2. First-person confession
  3. Chronological listing of dates
  4. Scientific hypothesis

Explanation

Setting two characters in opposition so that one's virtue stands out is the technique of contrast. The farmer's diligence is emphasised precisely by juxtaposition with the landlord's idleness.

Question 21Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

In the context of the prescribed Nasar lessons, the term 'ibtidai para' (ابتدائی پیرا) in a comprehension question refers to:

  1. The title of the lesson
  2. A footnote
  3. The opening paragraph of the passage Correct answer.
  4. The final paragraph

Explanation

'Ibtidai' means initial or opening, so 'ibtidai para' designates the first paragraph. Questions about it usually test the reader's grasp of how the passage sets up its subject.

Question 22Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

A Nasar lesson describes an old teacher who keeps teaching despite poverty and ill health. The author's tone in describing him is best described as:

  1. Angry and accusatory
  2. Admiring and respectful Correct answer.
  3. Mocking and sarcastic
  4. Indifferent and neutral

Explanation

When an author depicts perseverance in the face of hardship, the tone is typically one of admiration. The details of poverty and illness serve to heighten respect for the teacher's dedication rather than to ridicule or accuse him.

Question 23Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

Two Nasar lessons both discuss education. Lesson A argues that education must build character; Lesson B argues that education must produce skilled workers. Which statement best compares their theses?

  1. A stresses moral formation, while B stresses economic utility Correct answer.
  2. A is about agriculture, while B is about medicine
  3. Both lessons make identical arguments
  4. Both lessons reject education entirely

Explanation

Lesson A's thesis centres on character formation, a moral aim, while Lesson B's centres on producing skilled workers, an economic aim. The two are related but distinct purposes, so they are not identical.

Question 24Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

In a Nasar passage, the narrator says: 'Mujhe apne ustad ki baat yaad aayi aur main sharminda hua.' What does this sentence mainly reveal about the narrator?

  1. He is planning a journey
  2. He is proud of his achievements
  3. He feels remorse after recalling his teacher's advice Correct answer.
  4. He has forgotten his teacher completely

Explanation

The conjunction of remembering the teacher's words with feeling 'sharminda' (ashamed) signals remorse and self-reproach. The narrator is measuring his conduct against the teacher's counsel and finding it wanting.

Question 25Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

An examiner asks for the 'pas-e-manzar' (پس منظر) of a prescribed Nasar lesson. Which answer would be most appropriate?

  1. The metre and rhyme scheme of the lesson
  2. The list of difficult words with meanings
  3. The number of paragraphs in the lesson
  4. The historical and social circumstances in which the lesson was written Correct answer.

Explanation

'Pas-e-manzar' means background: the historical, social, and biographical circumstances surrounding a text's composition. This context illuminates why the author chose the theme and how contemporary readers would have received it.

Question 26Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

In a prescribed Nasar lesson, the narrator describes a character as 'khush-mizaj' (خوش مزاج). Which behaviour in the lesson would best confirm this description?

  1. He keeps a strict account of every rupee he lends.
  2. He avoids meeting people and stays locked in his room.
  3. He greets every visitor with a joke and a warm smile. Correct answer.
  4. He weeps bitterly whenever he recalls his childhood.

Explanation

'Khush-mizaj' literally means 'happy-tempered', so the character's disposition shows itself in cheerfulness, humour and easy sociability. Only the option showing jokes and warmth actually illustrates the trait; the others describe grief, miserliness or withdrawal, which are different qualities altogether.

Question 27Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

A Nasar lesson ends with the line 'Is tarah woh apne ustad ke farman par pura utra.' In comprehension terms, what function does this closing sentence perform?

  1. It introduces a new character who was absent from the story.
  2. It states the moral lesson in the form of a proverb.
  3. It resolves the action by confirming the promise was fulfilled. Correct answer.
  4. It shifts the narrative back to the beginning of the events.

Explanation

The phrase 'pura utra' means 'he came up to / fulfilled' the teacher's command, so the sentence closes the narrative by showing that the obligation was met. A concluding line of this kind completes the action rather than opening new material or reversing time.

Question 28Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

In the prescribed Nasar prose, which pair correctly matches a prose form with its defining feature?

  1. Safarnama - a travelogue recording journeys and observations Correct answer.
  2. Khaka - a dialogue written only for the stage
  3. Drama - a personal memoir of childhood
  4. Mazmoon - a formal letter to a government office

Explanation

A 'safarnama' is by definition an account of a journey, describing places, people and impressions gathered along the way. The other pairings attach features belonging to drama, correspondence and autobiography to forms that do not carry them.

Question 29Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

A Nasar passage says of a character: 'Woh apne aap ko sab se aqalmand samajhta tha.' Which reading of the author's attitude is most defensible?

  1. The author is quoting the character's teacher approvingly.
  2. The author is describing the character's physical strength.
  3. The author admires the character's genuine wisdom.
  4. The author reports the character's self-image with quiet irony. Correct answer.

Explanation

The construction reports what the character thought of himself, not what the author asserts to be true; that distance is the classic marker of gentle irony in Urdu prose. Since no evidence of real wisdom is given, reading the line as admiration or as a teacher's endorsement overstates the text.

Question 30Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

In a Nasar lesson, a character is called 'mutamaddin' (متمدن). Which detail from the lesson would support that label?

  1. He quarrels with everyone in the mohalla.
  2. He speaks politely, keeps his word and respects his neighbours. Correct answer.
  3. He hoards grain during the famine.
  4. He refuses to send his children to school.

Explanation

'Mutamaddin' means civilised or refined in manners, so courteous speech, honesty and respect for neighbours are exactly the behaviours that illustrate it. The other details show neglect of education, quarrelsomeness or hoarding, all contrary to civilised conduct.

Question 31Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

A prose lesson opens: 'Subah ki azaan ne goonghat uthaya aur sheher jaag utha.' Which label best describes this opening in Nasar style?

  1. Khat (letter) opening
  2. Tashreehi (descriptive) opening Correct answer.
  3. Tanz-o-mizah opening
  4. Mukalma (dialogue) opening

Explanation

The sentence paints a scene through images - the call to prayer lifting a veil and the city waking - which is the essence of 'tashreeh', descriptive writing. There is no mockery, no exchange between speakers and no epistolary address, so the other labels do not fit.

Question 32Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

In a prescribed Nasar lesson the author writes: 'Ustad sirf kitab nahin parhata, woh kirdar bhi banata hai.' Which theme does this sentence most directly advance?

  1. The decline of village schools
  2. The teacher's role in character formation Correct answer.
  3. The importance of memorising lessons
  4. The economic value of textbooks

Explanation

The sentence contrasts mere book-teaching with building 'kirdar' (character), so its theme is the teacher's formative moral role. Nothing is said about prices, rote learning or the state of village schools, which belong to other concerns.

Question 33Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

A Nasar passage describes a man who 'apni kamai ka bara hissa doosron par kharch karta tha'. Which character type does this detail most clearly establish?

  1. A careless spendthrift
  2. A self-centred miser
  3. An ambitious trader
  4. A generous benefactor Correct answer.

Explanation

Spending a large share of one's earnings on others is the defining mark of generosity, so the detail establishes a benefactor. A miser keeps his money, a trader seeks profit, and a spendthrift wastes money on himself rather than on others.

Question 34Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

In a prescribed Nasar lesson, the writer remarks: 'Ilm ki roshni har ghar tak pahunchni chahiye.' Which inference about the author's viewpoint is best supported?

  1. Education should be limited to the wealthy.
  2. Education should remain confined to cities.
  3. Education should be spread widely to every household. Correct answer.
  4. Education is useful only for government jobs.

Explanation

The words 'har ghar tak' (to every house) express universality, so the author wants learning to reach all households. Any reading that restricts education to the rich, to job-seekers or to cities contradicts the plain sense of the sentence.

Question 35Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

A lesson in the Nasar syllabus narrates events strictly in the order in which they happened to the narrator. Which description of its organisation is most accurate?

  1. It is a khaka, built on a single person's traits.
  2. It is a safarnama, built on foreign travel only.
  3. It is waqiaati, built on a sequence of incidents. Correct answer.
  4. It is a mazmoon, built on argument and proof.

Explanation

A lesson organised around a chain of happenings is 'waqiaati', that is, incident-based narrative. A khaka centres on a personality, a mazmoon on reasoning, and a safarnama on travel, so none of these describes a simple chronological sequence of events.

Question 36Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

In a Nasar passage, a poor man says to the narrator: 'Aap ne mujhe insan samajh kar baat ki.' What does this remark chiefly reveal about the speaker's experience?

  1. He is asking the narrator for money.
  2. He is complaining about the weather.
  3. He resents being spoken to at all.
  4. He has rarely been treated with human dignity. Correct answer.

Explanation

The phrase 'insan samajh kar' implies that others had not regarded him as a human being worth respect, so the courtesy struck him deeply. The remark expresses gratitude for recognition, not resentment, a request for alms or an unrelated complaint.

Question 37Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

Which statement best explains why a Nasar lesson might use a first-person narrator ('main ne dekha')?

  1. To remove the author's opinions from the text
  2. To make the account feel like direct personal testimony Correct answer.
  3. To prove that the events are historically documented
  4. To shift the lesson into a dramatic script

Explanation

First-person narration lends the immediacy of eyewitness testimony, drawing the reader into the writer's own experience. It does not by itself establish documentary accuracy, convert prose into drama, or erase the author's views - indeed it usually foregrounds them.

Question 38Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

A Nasar lesson portrays a hakim who treats the poor without charge and refuses payment from widows. Which quality is the author chiefly highlighting?

  1. His skill at bargaining
  2. His sense of service and compassion Correct answer.
  3. His professional greed
  4. His fear of the authorities

Explanation

Treating the poor freely and declining fees from widows are acts of service and mercy, so the author is highlighting compassion. Bargaining, greed and fear of officials would be shown by very different details and are not indicated here.

Question 39Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

In a prose lesson, the author describes a scene and then comments: 'Ye manzar dekh kar ankh bhar aayi.' What is the effect of adding this comment after description?

  1. It introduces a new subplot about a journey.
  2. It replaces description with statistical data.
  3. It converts the scene into a comic anecdote.
  4. It reveals the narrator's emotional response to the scene. Correct answer.

Explanation

The comment reports the narrator's own tears, so it discloses his emotional reaction and guides the reader's sympathy. It does not supply figures, turn the passage comic, or open a new storyline.

Question 40Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

A Nasar lesson's title is a person's name, and the text presents his habits, speech and mannerisms in vivid detail. Which prose form is this lesson most likely?

  1. Khaka Correct answer.
  2. Safarnama
  3. Mazmoon
  4. Report

Explanation

A piece named after a person that captures habits, speech and mannerisms is a 'khaka', the Urdu pen-portrait. A mazmoon develops a theme, a safarnama records travel, and a report presents factual information, none of which centres on lively personal portraiture.

Question 41Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

In a prescribed Nasar passage, the writer says: 'Mere walid kehti theen ke sach bolne ki himmat sab se bari dolat hai.' Which theme does this sentence introduce?

  1. The pleasure of travel
  2. The courage of truthfulness Correct answer.
  3. The value of physical wealth
  4. The importance of trade

Explanation

The sentence calls the courage to speak truth the greatest wealth, so its theme is truthfulness and moral courage. Wealth here is metaphorical, and nothing is said about commerce or travel.

Question 42Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

A Nasar lesson describes a village where the well has dried and the crops have failed, then shows the villagers cooperating to dig a new channel. What does this structure chiefly emphasise?

  1. The futility of agriculture
  2. The hopelessness of rural life
  3. The power of collective effort to meet hardship Correct answer.
  4. The superiority of city life

Explanation

The problem of drought is followed by cooperative action, so the structure moves from hardship to the remedy of joint effort. The story does not leave the villagers helpless, nor does it compare city with village or dismiss farming.

Question 43Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

In a prescribed Nasar lesson, an old man advises a young man: 'Pehle suno, phir bolo.' Which virtue is being recommended?

  1. Patience and attentive listening Correct answer.
  2. Skill in argument
  3. Rashness in speech
  4. Silence at all times

Explanation

The advice to listen before speaking recommends patience and attention to others. It does not counsel haste, skill in winning arguments, or permanent silence, since the young man is still expected to speak after listening.

Question 44Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

An examiner asks for the 'pas-e-manzar' (پس منظر) of a prescribed Nasar lesson. Which answer is most appropriate?

  1. A list of difficult words with their meanings
  2. A description of the lesson's grammatical constructions
  3. A summary of the lesson's main events in order
  4. The circumstances and purpose that led the author to write the piece Correct answer.

Explanation

'Pas-e-manzar' means background, that is, the circumstances, occasion and purpose behind a piece of writing. A plot summary, a glossary and a grammatical analysis are useful tasks, but none of them is what the term denotes.

Question 45Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

A Nasar lesson describes a clerk who copies files all day and dreams of writing a book, and the author treats his dream with sympathy rather than mockery. What does this reveal about the author's stance?

  1. He despises ordinary ambitions.
  2. He believes clerks should not read books.
  3. He respects the inner life of ordinary people. Correct answer.
  4. He is indifferent to the clerk's feelings.

Explanation

Sympathetic treatment of a humble clerk's literary dream shows respect for the inner lives of ordinary people. Mockery, contempt or indifference would have been signalled by ridicule or by dismissing the dream, neither of which the passage does.

Question 46Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

In a Nasar passage the writer says: 'Zaban sirf bolne ke liye nahin, sunne ke liye bhi hai.' Which idea does this sentence convey?

  1. Only poets need language.
  2. Listening is an essential part of communication. Correct answer.
  3. Language should be avoided in gatherings.
  4. Speech is more important than hearing.

Explanation

The sentence balances speaking with hearing, making listening a necessary half of communication. It does not rank speech above hearing, urge silence in gatherings, or limit language to poets.

Question 47Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

A Nasar lesson presents a character who hides his own poverty while helping a poorer neighbour. Which term best captures this character's quality?

  1. Khud-gharz (selfish)
  2. Ikhlaq (moral conduct) Correct answer.
  3. Bekhudi (self-forgetfulness)
  4. Taqabbur (arrogance)

Explanation

Concealing one's own need in order to help another is a matter of 'ikhlaq', moral conduct and good character. Selfishness and arrogance are the reverse of such behaviour, while 'bekhudi' refers to self-forgetful rapture, not to discreet charity.

Question 48Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

A prose lesson uses the phrase 'us ki baaton mein ikhlas tha'. What does 'ikhlas' indicate about the speaker's words?

  1. They were spoken in a foreign language.
  2. They were spoken under compulsion.
  3. They were spoken with sarcasm.
  4. They were spoken with sincerity and goodwill. Correct answer.

Explanation

'Ikhlas' means sincerity, purity of intention, so the phrase says the speaker's words carried genuine goodwill. Sarcasm, foreign speech and compulsion would each be described by quite different words in Urdu.

Question 49Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

A Nasar lesson describes a flood, the rescue of a child, and the village's gratitude afterwards. Which element of the lesson is the 'climax'?

  1. The list of crops destroyed by the flood
  2. The closing sentence praising the village
  3. The opening description of the river before the rain
  4. The moment the child is rescued from the water Correct answer.

Explanation

The climax is the point of highest tension and decision, which here is the rescue of the child from the water. The opening sets the scene, the closing sentence gives the aftermath, and the list of losses supplies background rather than the peak of action.

Question 50Prescribed prose (Nasar): comprehension, theme, and character/author context

In a prescribed Nasar passage, an author quotes a Persian couplet in the middle of an Urdu essay. What is the most likely purpose of the quotation?

  1. To change the essay into a travelogue
  2. To reinforce the argument with an apt illustration Correct answer.
  3. To introduce a new narrator
  4. To lengthen the essay without adding meaning

Explanation

Classical Urdu essayists frequently cite a verse to clinch or illustrate a point, so the quotation serves as supporting evidence. It is not padding, and it neither changes the genre nor creates a new narrator.