WBCHSE HS Telugu (First Language) key terms

Prose. Any written Telugu that is not in verse form, including short stories, essays and biographical sketches prescribed in the textbook. Questions ask for theme, character and the author's purpose.

Poetry composed in metrical lines. Each poem in the syllabus belongs to a named metre and carries a bhavam, or emotional essence, that the examiner expects you to state and justify.

A short story with plot, characters and a turning point. In the non-detailed reader you must be able to retell the events in order and identify the central conflict and its resolution.

A one-act play, shorter than a full natakam, usually with few characters and a single situation. Questions focus on dialogue, dramatic conflict and the lesson the play conveys.

A character in a story or play. You should describe the character's qualities with evidence from the text rather than with vague adjectives such as good or bad.

The joining of two sounds or words where the final sound of the first meets the initial sound of the second and changes according to set rules, as in రామ + ఆలయం becoming రామాలయం.

A sandhi in which అ, ఆ or ఇ, ఈ before a vowel yields ఏ, and ఉ, ఊ before a vowel yields ఓ, as in సూర్య + ఉదయం becoming సూర్యోదయం.

When a short or long vowel of one class is followed by a vowel of the same class, the two merge into one long vowel, as in దేవ + ఆలయం becoming దేవాలయం.

A compound word formed by combining two or more words into a single unit, such as రాజభవనం. Candidates must split the compound and name its type.

A compound in which the first member qualifies the second and the final member carries the main meaning, as in రాజభవనం, a house for or of a king.

A compound that names something other than its parts, functioning as an adjective for a person or thing, as in పద్మాక్షి, one whose eyes are like lotuses.

A compound joining two or more words of equal rank, both of which retain their meaning, as in తల్లిదండ్రులు, mother and father. The members are usually linked by the sense of and.

A figure of speech that ornaments poetry, such as simile, metaphor or alliteration. Identifying the alankaram and quoting the line that proves it earns full marks.

Simile. A comparison is drawn between two unlike things using words such as వలె, లాగా or పోలిన, and the point of similarity must be stated explicitly.

Metaphor. The compared object is identified with the object of comparison without words like వలె, as when a woman's face is simply called the moon.

Hyperbole. A statement is deliberately exaggerated beyond fact to intensify an effect, as in saying a hero's fame filled all the three worlds.

Prosody, the system of Telugu metre. It covers the gana, the syllable weight and the rules that decide whether a line is metrically correct.

A group of three syllables classified by weight as laghu or guru. Telugu metre names eight such groups, from భ and ర to య and హ, and uses them to define each metre.

A heavy syllable, one that takes longer to pronounce, usually a long vowel or a short vowel followed by a consonant cluster. It is marked with a vertical stroke in scansion.

A light syllable, short and quick to pronounce, usually a short vowel not followed by a consonant cluster. It is marked with a small curve or circle in scansion.

A required pause or caesura at a fixed syllable position in a metrical line. Breaking the yati makes the line defective even if the ganas are correct.

Alliteration of the second letter of each line or foot in a stanza. In Telugu verse, the prasa sound must match across the lines of a poem.

An essay. In the composition section you are asked to write a structured piece with an introduction, developed body paragraphs and a conclusion on a given topic.

A letter. Formal and informal letters follow fixed conventions: sender's address, date, salutation, body and closing. Format carries marks alongside content.

A report. It presents facts about an event or issue in an objective, impersonal style, usually with a heading, an account of what happened and a short conclusion.

Translation. You render a passage between Telugu and English or Hindi, preserving meaning and tone rather than translating word for word.

Vocabulary, the stock of words a reader recognises and can use. It includes synonyms, antonyms and the ability to infer an unfamiliar word's meaning from context.

A synonym, a word with the same or nearly the same meaning as another, such as the several Telugu words available for water or for king.

Etymology, the origin and derivation of a word. Knowing it helps you explain how a compound or a borrowed word acquired its present meaning.

The meaning or emotional essence of a passage. In poetry answers you state the bhavam first, then support it with the relevant lines.

Speech suited to a character, a convention of classical Telugu drama in which each speaker's language reflects their rank, mood and situation.

Dialogue, the exchange of speech between characters in a play. In natika questions you may be asked to show how a particular exchange advances the conflict.

A long narrative or epic poem in Telugu, often with a sustained plot and a hero. The syllabus may include an extract, so you should know the wider work it comes from.

Project work, the internal assessment task in which you research a topic, collect material and present a written file, often with a short oral presentation.

An unseen prose passage set for comprehension. You read it fresh in the examination and answer questions on its content, inference and vocabulary.

A summary or gist. You condense a passage or poem into its essential points, keeping the order of ideas and cutting examples and repetition.