WBCHSE HS Punjabi (First Language) flashcards

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

Jeevan Birtaant

Autobiographical prose by Gurbaksh Singh Preetlari; recounts his rural childhood, family influences, and early literary awakening in Punjab.

Mera Pind

Essay by Giani Gurdit Singh; nostalgic portrayal of village life, communal harmony, and contrast with urban alienation.

Sada Hindustan

Patriotic prose by Prof. Puran Singh; presents India as a spiritual and culturally composite nation; written in poetic prose.

Punjabi Bhasha da Vikas

Historical essay tracing Punjabi from Prakrit and Apabhramsha through Sufi and Sikh literature to modern standardisation.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji essay

Biographical prose covering Nanak’s birth at Talwandi, his udasis, and teachings of nam japna, kirt karni, vand chhakna.

Amrita Pritam di Kahani Kala

Critical essay on Amrita Pritam’s short stories; focuses on Partition trauma, female psyche, and lyrical realism.

Navan Janam

Short story advocating widow remarriage; dramatises conflict between tradition and progressive social values.

Punjabi Sabhyachar

Cultural essay defining Punjabi identity through language, folk traditions, festivals, and composite heritage.

Pralai di Ghari

Apocalyptic poem by Bhai Vir Singh; depicts cosmic dissolution and divine retribution; the storm symbolises moral reckoning.

Ik Aangan Vich

Feminist poem by Amrita Pritam; the courtyard symbolises domestic confinement and women’s unfulfilled desire.

Shiv Kumar Batalvi

Romantic-mystical poet known as ‘Birha da Sultan’; motifs of separation, death, and the beloved; used folk metre.

Mata Gujri Ji poem

Historical-devotional poem celebrating the Guru’s mother’s martyrdom and spiritual fortitude; tone of sacrifice and faith.

Punjab di Mitti

Patriotic poem where soil symbolises the motherland; themes of sacrifice, resilience, and agricultural identity.

Dharti di Pukar

Ecological poem personifying earth as a suffering mother; critiques industrial exploitation; uses apostrophe.

Saanjhi Rutt

Nature poem describing the Punjabi seasonal cycle; uses sensory imagery and folk calendar (bara mah) references.

Upma and Rupak

Punjabi poetic devices: upma is simile (using ‘ਵਾਂਗ/ਜਿਵੇਂ’); rupak is metaphor (direct identification without comparison).

Sangia (noun) types

Punjabi noun categories: ਨਾਂਵ (proper), ਜਾਤੀ (common), ਭਾਵਵਾਚਕ (abstract), ਸਮੂਹਵਾਚਕ (collective).

Ling (gender)

Punjabi grammatical gender: ਪੁਲਿੰਗ (masculine) and ਇਸਤਰੀ ਲਿੰਗ (feminine); most -ਾ endings masculine, -ੀ feminine, with exceptions.

Vachan (number)

Punjabi number: ਇਕਵਚਨ (singular) and ਬਹੁਵਚਨ (plural); plural markers include -ਾਂ, -ਏ, -ਓ.

Karak (case)

Punjabi has eight cases marked by postpositions: ਨੇ (agent), ਨੂੰ (dative), ਤੋਂ (ablative), ਦਾ/ਦੀ/ਦੇ (genitive), ਵਿੱਚ (locative), ਨਾਲ (instrumental).

Kriya (verb) forms

Punjabi verb forms: ਮੂਲ ਕਿਰਿਆ (root), ਵਰਤਮਾਨ ਕਾਲ (present), ਭੂਤ ਕਾਲ (past), ਭਵਿੱਖ ਕਾਲ (future); auxiliaries ਹੈ/ਹਨ mark continuous.

Vak (sentence) types

Punjabi sentence types: ਸਾਧਾਰਨ (simple), ਸੰਯੁਕਤ (compound), ਮਿਸ਼ਰਤ (complex); ਪ੍ਰਸ਼ਨਵਾਚਕ (interrogative) uses ਕੀ/ਕਿਉਂ/ਕਦੋਂ.

Muhavare (idioms)

Punjabi idioms used in context: ‘ਅੱਖਾਂ ਦਾ ਤਾਰਾ’ = beloved; ‘ਨੌਂ ਦਾ ਦਸ’ = to flee; ‘ਚਿੱਟਾ ਚਿੱਟਾ ਮੂੰਹ’ = exposed.

Ashuдh Shabad Sodh

Error correction in Punjabi: fix common misspellings such as ‘ਕਿਤਾਬਾ’ → ‘ਕਿਤਾਬਾਂ’, ‘ਗਯਾ’ → ‘ਗਿਆ’, ‘ਪੜਿਆ’ → ‘ਪੜ੍ਹਿਆ’.

Nibandh (essay) structure

Punjabi essay format: ਭੂਮਿਕਾ (introduction), ਵਿਸਥਾਰ (body paragraphs), ਸਮਾਪਤੀ (conclusion); 250–300 words for 15 marks.

Pattar (letter) format

Punjabi letter includes sender’s address, date, receiver’s address, subject (formal), salutation, body, closing, signature.

Arzi (application) format

Punjabi application: ‘ਸੇਵਾ ਵਿੱਚ’, receiver’s designation, subject, ‘ਮਹੋਦਯ ਜੀ’, request body, ‘ਧੰਨਵਾਦ’, signature.

Report (Riport) format

Punjabi report: headline, reporter’s name, date, place, lead paragraph (who/what/when/where), body with quotes, conclusion; past tense, third person.

Comprehension passage strategy

For Punjabi ਗਦ ਭਾਗ: skim for gist, scan for answers, underline keywords, and answer in own words rather than copying.

Samanarthak and Virodhi

Punjabi synonyms (ਸਮਾਨਾਰਥਕ) and antonyms (ਵਿਰੋਧੀ ਸ਼ਬਦ); e.g., ‘ਸੁੱਖ’ ↔ ‘ਦੁੱਖ’, ‘ਉੱਚਾ’ ↔ ‘ਨੀਵਾਂ’.

Akhan (proverbs)

Punjabi proverbs used in context: ‘ਜਿਹਾ ਬੀਜੇਗਾ ਤਿਹਾ ਖਾਵੇਗਾ’ = as you sow, so shall you reap; ‘ਅੰਨ੍ਹੇ ਦੀ ਟੱਕਰ’ = blind luck.

Punjabi literary periods

Four periods: ਆਦਿ ਕਾਲ (11th–15th c.), ਭਕਤੀ ਕਾਲ (15th–17th c.), ਸਿੱਖ ਕਾਲ (17th–19th c.), ਆਧੁਨਿਕ ਕਾਲ (19th c. onward).

Bhai Vir Singh

Known as father of modern Punjabi literature; poet, novelist, and scholar; author of ‘Pralai di Ghari’ and ‘Sundari’.

Amrita Pritam’s partition poem

‘ਅੱਜ ਆਖਾਂ ਵਾਰਿਸ ਸ਼ਾਹ ਨੂੰ’ (1947) invokes Waris Shah and addresses the trauma of Partition.