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WBBSE Madhyamik Modern Tibetan First Language study materials
WBBSE Madhyamik Modern Tibetan First Language study resources

WBBSE Madhyamik Modern Tibetan First Language practice questions

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Question 1Tibetan orthography and grammar

How many basic consonant letters are in the conventional standard Tibetan alphabet?

  1. 30 consonants Correct answer.
  2. 26 consonants
  3. 34 consonants
  4. 40 consonants

Explanation

The conventional Tibetan alphabet has thirty basic consonant letters. This question concerns that alphabet inventory, not a claim about the historical details of its invention.

Question 2Tibetan orthography and grammar

How many basic vowel signs (Dbyangs-bzhi) are added above or below consonants in native Tibetan writing?

  1. 4 vowels Correct answer.
  2. 5 vowels
  3. 3 vowels
  4. 7 vowels

Explanation

Tibetan orthography has 4 distinct vowel signs (Dbyangs-bzhi): Gi-gu (i), Zhabs-kyu (u), 'Greng-bu (e), and Na-ro (o). The inherent vowel 'a' is implicitly present in every unmodified base consonant.

Question 3Tibetan orthography and grammar

Which vowel diacritic mark (Dbyangs-yig) represents the 'i' sound placed above a Tibetan consonant?

  1. Gi-gu Correct answer.
  2. Zhabs-kyu
  3. 'Greng-bu
  4. Na-ro

Explanation

Gi-gu is the curve placed above a consonant letter to denote the 'i' vowel sound in Tibetan script.

Question 4Tibetan orthography and grammar

Which vowel sign in Tibetan script is placed below the base consonant letter rather than above it?

  1. Zhabs-kyu Correct answer.
  2. Gi-gu
  3. 'Greng-bu
  4. Na-ro

Explanation

Zhabs-kyu (denoting the 'u' sound) is written beneath the base consonant, whereas Gi-gu, 'Greng-bu, and Na-ro are written above.

Question 5Tibetan orthography and grammar

How many Prefix letters (Sngon-'jug) exist in traditional Tibetan grammar?

  1. 5 prefixes (g, d, b, m, ') Correct answer.
  2. 10 prefixes
  3. 3 prefixes
  4. 8 prefixes

Explanation

There are exactly 5 Prefix letters (Sngon-'jug lnga) in Tibetan grammar: Ga (g), Da (d), Ba (b), Ma (m), and 'A (').

Question 6Tibetan orthography and grammar

How many conventional suffix letters are listed in the standard Tibetan spelling framework?

  1. 10 suffixes Correct answer.
  2. 5 suffixes
  3. 12 suffixes
  4. 8 suffixes

Explanation

There are 10 Suffix letters (Rjes-'jug bcu): Ga (g), Nga (ng), Da (d), Na (n), Ba (b), Ma (m), 'A ('), Ra (r), La (l), and Sa (s).

Question 7Tibetan orthography and grammar

Which of the following contains the complete list of 3 Superscript letters (Rgo-can)?

  1. Ra-mgo, La-mgo, Sa-mgo Correct answer.
  2. Ka-mgo, Kha-mgo, Ga-mgo
  3. Ya-mgo, Wa-mgo, Ra-mgo
  4. Ba-mgo, Ma-mgo, Da-mgo

Explanation

The 3 Superscript letters (Rgo-can gsum) written above base consonants are Ra-mgo (r), La-mgo (l), and Sa-mgo (s).

Question 8Tibetan orthography and grammar

Which four Subscript letters (Rmad-can / Hmad-can) can be attached beneath base consonants in Tibetan spelling?

  1. Ya-btags, Ra-btags, La-btags, Wa-zur Correct answer.
  2. Ra-btags, Sa-btags, Ma-btags, Na-btags
  3. Ka-btags, Ga-btags, Da-btags, Ba-btags
  4. Gi-gu, Zhabs-kyu, Na-ro, 'Greng-bu

Explanation

The four standard Subscripts (Rmad-can bzhi) attached under base consonants are Ya-btags (y), Ra-btags (r), La-btags (l), and Wa-zur (w).

Question 9Tibetan orthography and grammar

What is the primary function of the single dot called 'Tsheg' in written Tibetan script?

  1. Separating individual syllables ('bru) Correct answer.
  2. Marking the end of a complete sentence
  3. Indicating a proper noun or name
  4. Denoting a question mark

Explanation

The tsheg marks written syllable boundaries. It does not necessarily separate complete lexical words, and punctuation conventions mean it should not be described as appearing after every syllable without exception.

Question 10Tibetan orthography and grammar

What is the name of the vertical line punctuation mark used in Tibetan to end phrases or clauses?

  1. Shad Correct answer.
  2. Tsheg
  3. Yig-mgo
  4. Rinchen-shad

Explanation

The shad is a vertical punctuation mark delimiting an appropriate textual unit. Its precise use follows Tibetan convention rather than an exact universal correspondence with English comma, semicolon and full stop.

Question 11Tibetan orthography and grammar

In Tibetan case grammar (Rnam-dbye), how many main grammatical cases are traditionally recognized?

  1. 8 cases Correct answer.
  2. 6 cases
  3. 5 cases
  4. 10 cases

Explanation

The question uses the traditional eight-case teaching framework. Modern linguistic analyses can organize Tibetan relations differently, so the number should not be asserted as the only possible grammatical analysis.

Question 12Tibetan orthography and grammar

Which Tibetan grammatical case indicates the owner or possessor of an object ('Brel-sbra / Druk-pa)?

  1. 6th Case (Genitive / Possessive) Correct answer.
  2. 3rd Case (Agentive)
  3. 5th Case (Ablative)
  4. 1st Case (Nominative)

Explanation

The traditional genitive or connective relation links a modifier or possessor to a following expression. Its written alternatives include kyi, gi, gyi, apostrophe-i and yi, selected according to spelling and construction.

Question 13Tibetan orthography and grammar

Which particle pair functions as the 5th Case (Ablative / Byung-khungs), denoting source, origin, or comparison ('from', 'than')?

  1. nas and las Correct answer.
  2. kyi and gyi
  3. tu and su
  4. dang and sang

Explanation

'Nas' and 'las' are the two Ablative case particles (Byung-khungs) indicating point of origin, departure, or comparative baseline.

Question 14Tibetan orthography and grammar

Which case particle is used to directly address or call out to someone in the 8th Case (Vocative / BOD-pa)?

  1. Kye Correct answer.
  2. Nas
  3. Gyis
  4. Su

Explanation

'Kye' (or 'O') is the traditional Vocative particle (BOD-pa'i sgra) used when invoking or directly addressing someone.

Question 15Tibetan orthography and grammar

What is the script style featuring clear 'head strokes' (Dbu-can / U-chen) commonly used in printed books and official signs?

  1. Dbu-can (U-chen) Correct answer.
  2. Dbu-med (U-med)
  3. Khyug-yig
  4. Lantsha

Explanation

Uchen is the headed Tibetan script style widely used in print. The style distinction should not be overstated as a claim that every individual written letter has an identical straight top stroke.

Question 16Tibetan orthography and grammar

In Tibetan syllable analysis, if a word is spelled 'bsgrubs', which letter is the Base/Root consonant (Ming-zhi)?

  1. Ga (g) Correct answer.
  2. Ba (b)
  3. Sa (s)
  4. Ra (r)

Explanation

In 'bsgrubs': 'b' is Prefix, 's' is Superscript (Sa-mgo), 'g' is the Base consonant (Ming-zhi), 'r' is Subscript (Ra-btags), 'u' is Vowel (Zhabs-kyu), 'b' is Suffix, and 's' is Post-suffix (Yang-'jug).

Question 17Tibetan orthography and grammar

Which La-don particle is specifically selected when the preceding syllable ends in the suffix letter 'Sa'?

  1. su Correct answer.
  2. tu
  3. du
  4. ru

Explanation

After the suffix letter Sa (e.g., gnas, ngas), the La-don particle takes the form 'su' (e.g., gnas-su = 'at the place').

Question 18Tibetan orthography and grammar

Which Agentive/Instrumental particle (Byed-pa-po / 3rd Case) is used after a syllable ending in the suffix letter 'Sa'?

  1. kyis Correct answer.
  2. gyis
  3. byis
  4. yis

Explanation

After the written suffix s, the conventional agentive or instrumental form is kyis. The other ending groups must be checked separately; g and ng instead take gis in this alternation.

Question 19Tibetan orthography and grammar

Which four principal verb-form categories are conventionally discussed in Tibetan grammatical paradigms, without implying every modern verb has four distinct forms?

  1. Past (Atang), Present (Da-lta), Future (Ma-'ongs), Imperative (Skul-tsig) Correct answer.
  2. Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, Quaternary
  3. Transitive, Intransitive, Passive, Active
  4. Subjective, Objective, Possessive, Relative

Explanation

Traditional paradigms discuss present, past, future and imperative categories. Not every Tibetan verb supplies four distinct forms, and actual modern event interpretation also requires its construction and context.

Question 20Tibetan orthography and grammar

Which Tibetan punctuation mark is known as 'Nyi-shad' (double vertical line)?

  1. || (Used at the end of a topic, stanza, or major sentence section) Correct answer.
  2. | (Used after single clause)
  3. ::: (Used for titles)
  4. * (Used for footnotes)

Explanation

Nyi-shad consists of two parallel vertical bars (||) indicating the termination of a verse stanza, paragraph, or major topic section.

Question 21Tibetan orthography and grammar

What particle is used to express causal connection or reason ('because of', 'since') in literary Tibetan prose?

  1. gshis / stabs / kyis Correct answer.
  2. nas / las
  3. tu / su
  4. kye / ai

Explanation

Forms such as gshis and stabs, and kyis in suitable constructions, can express reason or cause. Their function must be interpreted in context rather than assigned to every occurrence of the form.

Question 22Tibetan orthography and grammar

What is the term for spelling reference texts ('Dag-yig') taught in traditional Tibetan secondary school curricula?

  1. Dag-yig (Orthographic dictionary/spelling guide) Correct answer.
  2. Sum-cu-pa (Thirty Verses treatise)
  3. Rnam-thar (Sacred biography)
  4. Snyan-ngag (Poetics manual)

Explanation

'Dag-yig' refers to orthographic treatises and spelling manuals (such as Dag-yig Ngag-sgron) that guide correct syllable spelling and prefix/suffix combinations.

Question 23Literary foundations and close reading

Which named Tibetan heroic epic tradition narrates the exploits of King Gesar of Ling?

  1. Epic of King Gesar of Ling (Gling Gesar) Correct answer.
  2. Ramayana
  3. Mahabharata
  4. Secret History of Tibet

Explanation

The Gesar epic tradition concerns the heroic narrative of King Gesar and its oral performance traditions. Genre identification does not require a claim that it is the world’s longest epic.

Question 24Literary foundations and close reading

What is the traditional Tibetan opera/theatrical performance genre called, which dramatizes historical and religious folk tales?

  1. Ache Lhamo (Zlos-gar) Correct answer.
  2. La-gzhas
  3. Gur-glu
  4. Dag-yig

Explanation

Ache Lhamo is the Tibetan opera tradition, combining dramatic and musical performance elements. This question identifies the genre without asserting an unverified precise founding year or a single literal creator.

Question 25Literary foundations and close reading

Which Tibetan literary genre refers specifically to formal biographical writing ('Life Stories' of exemplary masters or national heroes)?

  1. Rnam-thar Correct answer.
  2. Gtam-dpe
  3. Mngon-brjod
  4. Sgra-rig

Explanation

'Rnam-thar' (literally 'complete liberation story') is the traditional biographical and hagiographical genre recording the lives, deeds, and teachings of spiritual masters and leaders.

Question 26Literary foundations and close reading

What is the term for a modern short story in contemporary Tibetan prose literature?

  1. Sgrung-thung Correct answer.
  2. Snyan-ngag
  3. Sum-cu-pa
  4. Rnam-dbye

Explanation

'Sgrung-thung' (literally 'short narrative/story') is the standard term for modern short fiction in Tibetan literary magazines.

Question 27Vocabulary and respectful register

What is the modern technical term coined in Tibetan for 'Environmental Conservation'?

  1. Khor-yug Srung-skyob Correct answer.
  2. Slob-gso Rmang-zhi
  3. Rig-gnas Bsar-sgyur
  4. Dpal-'byor Yar-rgyas

Explanation

'Khor-yug' (Environment) + 'Srung-skyob' (Protection/Conservation) is the standard modern Tibetan compound term for environmental preservation.

Question 28Tibetan orthography and grammar

In ཀ་, no additional vowel sign is written. What vowel does this basic consonant syllable conventionally carry?

  1. a Correct answer.
  2. i
  3. u
  4. o

Explanation

The basic consonant has the inherent vowel a. Another vowel sign changes that value; an absent sign does not mean the syllable has no vowel.

Question 29Tibetan orthography and grammar

Which written form changes ཀ་ to the syllable ki rather than ku, ke or ko?

  1. ཀོ
  2. ཀི Correct answer.
  3. ཀུ
  4. ཀེ

Explanation

The sign above the base in ཀི is gi gu and supplies i. The other supplied forms carry the different vowel signs u, e and o.

Question 30Tibetan orthography and grammar

A learner wants the e vowel in a basic syllable based on མ. Which form should be selected?

  1. མུ
  2. མོ
  3. མེ Correct answer.
  4. མི

Explanation

The dreng bu sign gives the e vowel, producing མེ. The alternatives display i, u and o rather than the requested vowel.

Question 31Tibetan orthography and grammar

Which example visibly places the u vowel sign below its base consonant?

  1. བི
  2. བེ
  3. བོ
  4. བུ Correct answer.

Explanation

In བུ the zhabs kyu sign is below the consonant and supplies u. The other displayed vowel signs are written above.

Question 32Tibetan orthography and grammar

What changes when ག་ becomes གོ་ in this elementary spelling contrast?

  1. The vowel changes from inherent a to o Correct answer.
  2. The root changes from g to n
  3. A genitive particle has been added
  4. The syllable becomes an English plural

Explanation

The root remains ག and the na ro sign supplies o instead of inherent a. This is a vowel contrast, not a noun relation.

Question 33Tibetan orthography and grammar

How many written syllables occur in སློབ་ཕྲུག, although the expression means student?

  1. Four
  2. Two Correct answer.
  3. One
  4. Three

Explanation

The tsheg separates སློབ and ཕྲུག into two written syllables. Together they form the familiar lexical expression for a student.

Question 34Tibetan orthography and grammar

A search splits མེ་ཏོག into two unrelated vocabulary entries. What lexical fact has it missed?

  1. The second syllable is an English suffix
  2. The expression contains no vowel
  3. The two-syllable expression means flower Correct answer.
  4. Every tsheg ends a complete sentence

Explanation

The written expression མེ་ཏོག is the ordinary word flower. Its syllable boundary does not force two unrelated lexical meanings in context.

Question 35Tibetan orthography and grammar

Which pair distinguishes a Tibetan syllable delimiter from the ordinary single vertical boundary mark?

  1. ཀ and ཁ
  2. ི and ུ
  3. ཡ and ར
  4. ་ and ། Correct answer.

Explanation

The tsheg ་ delimits syllables and the shad ། is a vertical punctuation mark. Consonants and vowel signs perform different orthographic functions.

Question 36Tibetan orthography and grammar

A learner reads every letter in the Wylie spelling bkra as a separate spoken syllable. What is the main error?

  1. Confusing spelling transliteration with a sequence of independently pronounced syllables Correct answer.
  2. Treating a vowel sign as a genitive
  3. Assuming Wylie uses Tibetan characters
  4. Failing to add an English article

Explanation

Wylie represents a written Tibetan syllable and its consonantal structure. It does not require every Roman letter to become an independent spoken syllable.

Question 37Tibetan orthography and grammar

Which description fits ordinary Uchen text direction?

  1. It requires right-to-left word order
  2. It is read from left to right Correct answer.
  3. It is read only from bottom to top
  4. Every second line reverses direction

Explanation

Ordinary Tibetan Uchen writing proceeds from left to right. Letter stacking inside a syllable does not reverse the direction of the text line.

Question 38Tibetan orthography and grammar

In རྐ, what is the relation of the written r element to k?

  1. It is a following independent plural word
  2. It is the numeral two
  3. It is a superscript over the root Correct answer.
  4. It is a vowel sign below the root

Explanation

The r element is written above the k root in this consonant stack. It is a superscript rather than a vowel or numeral.

Question 39Tibetan orthography and grammar

The form ཀྱ contains y beneath k. Which spelling role does y have here?

  1. Prefix before the syllable
  2. Final suffix after the vowel
  3. Sentence-ending shad
  4. Subscript Correct answer.

Explanation

The y element is attached beneath the root k and is therefore a subscript. Its position differs from a prefix, final suffix or punctuation.

Question 40Tibetan orthography and grammar

What does a Tibetan spelling dictionary help establish when a regional pronunciation obscures a written consonant?

  1. The conventional written form Correct answer.
  2. A compulsory identical accent for every region
  3. The writer’s age
  4. The official current examination fee

Explanation

An orthographic dictionary checks the conventional spelling, including letters that may not be separately pronounced in a particular variety. It cannot establish unrelated administrative facts.

Question 41Tibetan orthography and grammar

Which connective completes མིག་__ after the written final g in a standard connective exercise?

  1. ལ
  2. གི Correct answer.
  3. ཀྱི
  4. གྱི

Explanation

The conventional connective after the suffix g is གི. The written selection depends on the actual preceding ending, not simply the noun’s English meaning.

Question 42Tibetan orthography and grammar

Why is བོད་ཀྱི a regular written connective form?

  1. The vowel o removes all particles
  2. The form is an English possessive ending
  3. The final d selects ཀྱི Correct answer.
  4. Every place name selects གྱི

Explanation

The suffix d belongs to the group taking ཀྱི. The rule concerns the written ending rather than a special exception for place names.

Question 43Tibetan orthography and grammar

Choose the connective appropriate after the final m in ལམ་__.

  1. གི
  2. ཀྱི
  3. ནས
  4. གྱི Correct answer.

Explanation

The written final m takes གྱི in the conventional connective alternation. ནས is a different particle rather than the requested connective form.

Question 44Tibetan orthography and grammar

In ངའི་དེབ, which English relation preserves the phrase?

  1. My book Correct answer.
  2. The book’s owner is necessarily someone else
  3. I am a book
  4. A book without any relation to me

Explanation

The connective on the speaker pronoun links it to the following book. The natural basic interpretation is my book, not a copular identity.

Question 45Tibetan orthography and grammar

What is the head noun in བོད་ཀྱི་ལོ་རྒྱུས, meaning history of Tibet?

  1. An unstated school
  2. History Correct answer.
  3. Tibet
  4. The connective itself

Explanation

The phrase describes history through its relation to Tibet. History is the head expression; the preceding connected noun supplies its modifier.

Question 46Tibetan orthography and grammar

A translator renders དགེ་རྒན་གྱི་དེབ as the teacher of the book. What should be corrected?

  1. The phrase contains no noun
  2. The numeral should be changed to three
  3. The relation should be the teacher’s book Correct answer.
  4. The adjective must mean blue

Explanation

The connected teacher expression modifies the following book. Reversing the English of-phrase reverses the relation and fails to preserve the Tibetan construction.

Question 47Tibetan orthography and grammar

Which ending group takes གི in conventional written connective selection?

  1. d, b and s
  2. n, m, r and l
  3. Every possible final letter without distinction
  4. g and ng Correct answer.

Explanation

The conventional grouping assigns གི after g and ng. The other listed consonant groups select different alternatives in the connective family.

Question 48Tibetan orthography and grammar

In a context using an agentive or instrumental particle, which form corresponds to connective ཀྱི?

  1. ཀྱིས Correct answer.
  2. ཀྱི་ནས
  3. ལ་ཀྱི
  4. ཀྱི་རྣམས

Explanation

The corresponding agentive or instrumental form adds s, producing ཀྱིས. The other combinations are not the requested counterpart in this alternation.

Question 49Tibetan orthography and grammar

What does the final s distinguish in མིས when contrasted with possessive མིའི in an appropriate clause?

  1. A new numeral
  2. An agentive or instrumental form rather than the possessive form Correct answer.
  3. A mandatory past tense for every verb
  4. A second person pronoun

Explanation

The form མིས can mark an agent or means in the appropriate construction. It is not interchangeable with the possessive expression མིའི.

Question 50Tibetan orthography and grammar

Which interpretation is appropriate for ལྷ་ས་ནས when it marks the source of a journey?

  1. Lhasa belongs to me
  2. Two books in Lhasa
  3. From Lhasa Correct answer.
  4. To every city

Explanation

In the stated journey-source context, ནས gives the starting point, from Lhasa. Other constructions can use the particle differently, so context remains important.