WBCHSE HS Arabic key terms

An unseen Arabic prose passage used for reading comprehension; candidates read it, answer factual and inferential questions, and give the general idea in their own words.

The central idea or gist of a passage, usually asked as a short answer question; it must summarise the whole text, not repeat one sentence from it.

Vocabulary items from an unseen passage; examiners ask for meanings in Arabic, Bengali or English, or for synonyms and opposites drawn from the text itself.

A word with the same or nearly the same meaning as another, e.g. سَعِيد and مَسْرُور; comprehension questions often ask candidates to supply a synonym found in the passage.

A word of opposite meaning, e.g. كَبِير against صَغِير; candidates must often pick the antonym of a given word as used in the passage.

The title of a passage or lesson; a suitable title question tests whether the candidate has grasped the main theme rather than a minor detail.

The parsing of a word's grammatical function and case ending, e.g. stating that a noun is mubtada' marfu' or that a verb is fi'l mudari' mansub; a standard applied-grammar exercise.

The noun with which a nominal sentence begins and about which something is stated; it is normally marfu' (nominative), as in الطَّالِبُ مُجْتَهِدٌ.

The predicate that completes the meaning of a nominal sentence and tells us something about the mubtada'; it is normally marfu', as in الطَّالِبُ مُجْتَهِدٌ.

A sentence beginning with a noun, made of mubtada' and khabar; it states a fact or description and contrasts with the verbal sentence beginning with a verb.

A sentence that begins with a verb and normally follows the order verb–subject–object, as in كَتَبَ الطَّالِبُ الدَّرْسَ.

The doer of a verb, always marfu' in the active voice, as in ذَهَبَ الوَلَدُ where الوَلَدُ is the fa'il.

The direct object, the person or thing on which the action of a transitive verb falls; it is normally mansub, as in قَرَأَ الطَّالِبُ الكِتَابَ.

The accusative state of a noun or verb, marked by fatha, alif, ya' or kasra depending on the word type; objects and governed verbs take this case.

The nominative state, marked by damma, waw or alif; subjects, predicates and the doer of a verb stand in this case.

The three (occasionally four) root consonants from which an Arabic word is built, e.g. ك-ت-ب for كَتَبَ and كِتَاب; identifying the root is the first step in sarf analysis.

The morphological pattern into which root letters are fitted, such as فَعَلَ, فَاعِل or مَفْعُول; naming the pattern explains derived nouns and verb forms.

The verbal noun naming the action without time, e.g. كِتَابَة from كَتَبَ; it is widely used in prose and is a frequent item in sarf questions.

The past tense verb, denoting an action completed before the moment of speaking, as in كَتَبَ and ذَهَبَ.

The imperfect or present–future verb, beginning with one of the prefix letters أ ن ي ت, as in يَكْتُبُ; it can be marfu', mansub or majzum depending on what governs it.

The imperative verb expressing a command, built on the sukun of its last letter, as in اُكْتُبْ and اِذْهَبْ.

A preposition such as فِي, مِنْ, عَلَى, إِلَى or بِ; it governs the following noun in the genitive (majrur).

The genitive state, marked by kasra or ya'; a noun is majrur after a preposition or as the second term of an idafa construction.

The possessive construction in which two nouns are joined, the first (mudaf) losing its tanwin and the second (mudaf ilayh) taking the genitive, as in كِتَابُ الطَّالِبِ.

Translation as a skill and an exam section; candidates render an Arabic passage into Bengali or English, or a Bengali/English passage into Arabic, preserving meaning and register.

A technical or fixed term whose meaning is settled by usage, such as حَاسُوب for computer; translating it requires the accepted equivalent, not a literal rendering.

Style or manner of expression; in translation it covers sentence structure, formality and idiom, which must be adapted to read naturally in the target language.

A letter, either personal or official; the writing section asks for a well-structured Arabic letter with address, greeting, body, closing and signature.

An essay or article on a set topic, organised with an introduction, developed paragraphs and a conclusion; it is a standard composition task.

The opening paragraph of an essay or letter that introduces the topic and catches the reader's attention before the main points are developed.

The concluding paragraph that sums up the argument or restates the main point and leaves the reader with a final impression.

Explanation of a prescribed text; the candidate identifies the passage, explains its meaning in clear prose and brings out its central idea and style.

Arabic prose, the genre of the prescribed nasr lessons; it is studied for theme, character, style and moral or social message.

Context; explaining a line or passage requires saying where it occurs in the lesson and what situation it responds to, not just glossing its words.

Poetry, the genre of the prescribed nazm; it is studied for theme, imagery, rhyme and the poet's message, and is quoted for explanation.

A verse or line of poetry, made of two halves (sadr and ajuz); explanation questions ask for the meaning and idea of a given verse.

A poet; candidates must know the prescribed poets' names, periods and places, and link each poet to the themes of the poems studied.

A literary period such as the Jahili, Umayyad, Abbasid or modern age; history questions ask which period a poet or prose writer belongs to and its main features.

Literature in the broad sense, covering prose and poetry; the history section surveys its genres, movements and representative figures across the periods.