WBBSE Madhyamik English (Second Language) cheat sheet

Skim the passage once for gist, then read each question and locate the answer paragraph before writing; answers must be traceable to the text.

Question stems using 'in your own words' forbid lifting sentences verbatim; paraphrase by changing structure and vocabulary while keeping the meaning.

For 'what does the word X mean here' items, substitute each option into the original sentence and keep only the one that preserves sense and grammar.

Inference questions ('why did he...', 'what does this suggest') require a stated clue plus a deduction; one-word answers lose marks.

Sequence or 'arrange the following' items: find the sentence in the passage, note its paragraph position, and order by that position.

True/false with justification needs both the verdict and a quoted or paraphrased line; an unjustified verdict earns no credit.

Summary or 'main idea' answers must cover the whole passage, not one incident; test by asking whether the sentence would fit an opening paragraph.

Vocabulary-in-context items are answered by the surrounding words, not the dictionary's first sense; check collocation and tone.

Identify the speaker and the addressee first; pronouns (I, you, he) and vocatives fix who is being addressed.

Literal level: answer what is described; figurative level: answer what it suggests; keep the two separate when the question asks for both.

Simile uses like/as; metaphor states one thing is another; personification gives human qualities to non-human things - name the device only when the question asks.

Rhyme scheme is labelled by end letters (abab, aabb); count from the first line of the stanza given, not the whole poem.

Tone and mood words must be supported: name the feeling, then cite the word or image that creates it.

Repetition and refrain usually stress an emotion or idea; state what is emphasised, not merely that a line repeats.

Alliteration is repetition of initial consonant sounds; assonance repeats vowel sounds - check the actual sounds, not the spelling.

Answers about 'the poet's message' must be phrased as a general statement the images support, not a retelling of the scene.

Reported speech: shift tense one step back (present to past, past to past perfect); change pronouns to the reporter's viewpoint; adjust time and place words (now to then, here to there, tomorrow to the next day).

Reported questions take statement order and no question mark: 'He asked me where I lived', not 'where did I live'.

Passive voice: move the object to subject position and use be plus past participle, keeping the original tense; intransitive verbs (sleep, arrive, die) have no passive.

Clause joining: 'although/though' contrasts, 'because/since/as' gives reason, 'so...that' shows result, 'unless' means if not, 'who/which/that' are relative pronouns for person/thing.

Phrasal verbs are fixed pairs: put off = postpone, give up = abandon, look after = take care of, break down = stop working, turn down = reject.

Word formation: noun suffixes -ness, -ment, -tion, -ity; adjective suffixes -ful, -less, -ous, -able; adverb -ly; negative prefixes un-, in-, im-, dis-, ir-.

Tense choice is fixed by time markers: since/for with present perfect, yesterday with simple past, now/at the moment with present continuous, by the time with past perfect.

Subject-verb agreement: each, every, either, neither take a singular verb; 'one of the + plural noun' takes a singular verb.

Notice format: name of institution at the top, the word NOTICE, date, a heading, body of 50-60 words in third person or impersonal style, and the writer's name and designation at the bottom.

Notice content answers what, when, where, who and whom to contact; no address, no salutation, no subscription.

Report format: heading, reporter's name and place/date, past tense throughout, third person, factual and impersonal; 100-120 words.

Report content covers what happened, when and where, who was involved, the sequence of events, and the outcome or action taken.

Formal letter: sender's address, date, receiver's designation and address, subject line, salutation 'Dear Sir/Madam', formal body in three paragraphs, 'Yours faithfully'.

Informal letter: sender's address, date, salutation 'Dear [name]', chatty body, 'Yours affectionately' or 'Yours lovingly'; contractions are allowed.

Formal letters avoid contractions, slang and exclamation marks; requests use 'I would be grateful if...' and closings 'Yours faithfully' pairs with an unnamed recipient.

Word limits are part of the task: a 100-word notice or a 60-word report loses marks for padding, so count before finalising.

A paragraph carries one controlling idea stated in the topic sentence, then supporting sentences, then a closing sentence; no new topic in the last line.

Cohesion comes from linkers: firstly, moreover, however, therefore, on the other hand, in conclusion - one per shift of idea, not one per sentence.

Story composition needs a setting, a complication and a resolution; keep one tense as the narrative base (usually simple past) and use past perfect for earlier events.

Story openings may use given first or last lines; if a line is supplied, reproduce it exactly and build the plot around it.

Process description uses passive voice and sequence markers: first, next, then, after that, finally; verbs are in simple present passive ('is heated', 'are added').

Paragraph word limit is usually 100 words; aim for 8-10 sentences with at least two complex sentences to show range.

Dialogue in a story needs inverted commas, a comma before the closing quote, and a new line for each speaker.

Marks are split between content, organisation and accuracy; two spelling errors or a tense slip cost more than one missing adjective.

Answer textual-reference questions with the exact phrase from the text, then explain it in a sentence of your own.

Character questions need a trait plus an incident: state the quality, then name the action or line that proves it.

Theme answers must generalise beyond plot: name the idea (freedom, sacrifice, hypocrisy, childhood innocence) and show how the text supports it.

For 'why did the author say...' items, link the line to the surrounding paragraph's argument or the speaker's situation, not to your own opinion.

Poetry answers should quote the line under discussion and identify the device if the question asks about effect.

Comparison questions (two characters or two poems) need a stated basis of comparison plus one example from each text.

Know each text's title, author or poet, and central incident, because short-answer items often test identification directly.

Value-based questions ask for a lesson drawn from the text; phrase it as a general principle and tie it to one specific moment.

Comma rules: use before a coordinating conjunction joining two independent clauses, after an introductory phrase, and to separate items in a list.

Apostrophes mark possession (Ram's book, children's toys) or contraction (don't, it's = it is); 'its' without an apostrophe is possessive.

Avoid comma splice and run-on: two independent clauses need a full stop, semicolon, or conjunction, not a bare comma.

Every sentence needs a finite verb and a subject; a fragment such as 'Because he was late.' is incomplete and loses marks.

Keep tense consistent within a paragraph; switch only when the time frame genuinely changes, and signal it with a time marker.

Common misspellings to check: receive, separate, necessary, occurred, beginning, accommodation, privilege, government, environment.

Capitalise proper nouns, days, months, languages and the first word of a quotation; do not capitalise seasons or school subjects unless they are language names.

Direct speech punctuation: comma or colon before the opening quote, capital letter inside, punctuation inside the closing quote, new line per speaker.

Answer in complete sentences for comprehension and literature items; one-word answers are accepted only where the rubric says so.

Match the mark weight: a 2-mark item needs two distinct points or a point plus textual support, not one long sentence.

Write the question number exactly as printed and keep answers in the order of the questions to avoid misplacement.

If a word limit is given, stay within ten per cent; both under-length and over-length answers lose marks.

Cross out rough work clearly; examiners mark anything legible left in the answer space.

Re-read every answer for subject-verb agreement, tense and article use before moving on; these are the most frequent silent errors.

Spell names of authors, characters and places as printed in the question paper to avoid avoidable deduction.

Allocate roughly 15 minutes to the prose passage and 10 to the poem, leaving the rest for grammar and composition.

Read the questions before the second reading of the passage so you can mark relevant lines as you go.

Underline or number the lines of the passage mentally; textual-reference items usually name a line or paragraph.

Do grammar items first if they are quick; they bank marks before the longer writing tasks.

Leave composition for last only if you can guarantee 25 minutes; a rushed letter costs more marks than a rushed comprehension answer.

Check that every sub-question has an answer before turning the page; blank items score zero regardless of difficulty.

Antonym items: check the part of speech first; the antonym of an adjective must also be an adjective.

Synonym items: pick the closest in register, not merely related; 'happy' and 'elated' differ in intensity.

Idioms to know: 'a piece of cake' (easy), 'once in a blue moon' (rarely), 'break the ice' (start a conversation), 'in hot water' (in trouble).

One-word substitution: 'philanthropist' (lover of mankind), 'misanthrope' (hater of mankind), 'omnipotent' (all-powerful), 'illegible' (cannot be read).

Prefixes change meaning: un-/in-/dis- negate, re- means again, pre- means before, mis- means wrongly.

Collective nouns: a flock of sheep, a herd of cattle, a fleet of ships, a bunch of keys, a swarm of bees.

Confusable pairs: affect (verb) versus effect (noun), advice (noun) versus advise (verb), practice (noun) versus practise (verb).