Moldova Bacalaureat Gagauz Language and Literature cheat sheet

Main idea: identify the central subject and the author's purpose (inform, persuade, narrate, describe) from the opening and closing paragraphs.

Supporting details: distinguish statements explicitly made in the text from inferences that require combining two or more sentences.

Vocabulary in context: determine meaning from surrounding words, word formation (root + suffix), and parallel structures; do not rely on Russian or Turkish cognates alone.

Tone and attitude: notice evaluative adjectives, modal words (lazım, gerek, belki), and punctuation (exclamation, rhetorical question) that signal the author's stance.

Text structure: recognize chronological order, cause–effect, comparison–contrast, and problem–solution; these signal words (çünkü, onun için, ama, ilk olarak) guide answers.

Inference rule: an inference must be logically forced by the text, not merely plausible; reject options that add outside facts.

Pronoun and reference tracking: link pronouns (o, bu, şu, kendi) and ellipsis to their antecedents to answer questions about who did what.

Direct quotation questions: locate the exact sentence; the correct paraphrase preserves the original meaning without adding or removing conditions.

Gagauz orthography uses the Latin alphabet with specific letters: ä, ê, ı, ö, ü, ş, ç, and the soft sign combinations; vowel harmony governs suffix choice.

Vowel harmony rule: front vowels (e, i, ö, ü, ä) take front suffixes; back vowels (a, ı, o, u) take back suffixes; rounded/unrounded distinction affects high vowels.

Consonant assimilation: voiceless consonants (p, t, k, s, ş, ç, f, h) trigger voiceless suffix variants (-tı/-ti), while voiced consonants take -dı/-di.

Noun cases: nominative (no suffix), genitive (-ın/-in/-un/-ün), dative (-a/-e), accusative (-ı/-i/-u/-ü), locative (-da/-de/-ta/-te), ablative (-dan/-den/-tan/-ten).

Plural suffix -lar/-ler follows vowel harmony; after possessive suffixes, plural may be omitted when number is already marked.

Verb tenses: present (-êr/-er), past definite (-dı/-di), past indefinite (-mış/-miş), future (-acak/-ecek), and necessitative (lazım + infinitive or -malı/-meli).

Postpositions govern specific cases: için (accusative/genitive), ile (instrumental-comitative), kadar (dative), sonra (ablative).

Negation: -ma/-me before tense suffix; interrogative particle mı/mi/mu/mü follows the predicate and harmonizes.

Simple sentence order: subject–object–predicate (SOV); predicate agrees with subject in person and number.

Compound sentence types: coordinating (bağlaçlar: hem…hem, ama, ya…ya) and subordinating (ki, çünkü, eğer, -sa/-se conditional).

Punctuation: comma separates homogeneous members, introductory words, and clauses; dash marks omitted predicate or apposition; colon introduces explanation or list.

Direct speech: quotation marks enclose exact words; reporting clause may precede or follow; punctuation follows Gagauz norms (comma before quotation, period inside).

Cohesion devices: lexical repetition, synonyms, pronouns, demonstratives (bu, şu, o), conjunctions, and ellipsis maintain topic continuity.

Editing checklist: subject–predicate agreement, case government after postpositions, vowel harmony in suffixes, correct use of ä/ê, and consistent tense.

Common errors: missing plural agreement, wrong case after için, misuse of -ki vs. ki, and double negation.

Paragraph unity: one controlling idea per paragraph; topic sentence first or last; transitions signal logical relation.

Early period (19th century): oral folk literature (türkü, masal, atma türkü) collected and transcribed; first written texts in Cyrillic-based script.

Interwar period: Gagauz literature develops in Bessarabia under Romanian administration; writers use Cyrillic and Latin scripts alternately.

Soviet period (1940s–1980s): Cyrillic alphabet standardized (1957); socialist realism dominates; themes of collective labor, war, and village life.

Post-independence (1990s–present): return to Latin script (1996 official), revival of religious and national themes, translation of world literature.

Key figures: Dimitri Kara Çoban (poet, folklorist), Todur Zanet (writer, translator, alphabet reformer), Gavril Gaydarcı (prose writer).

Literary movements: realism (village prose), romanticism (early poetry), and modernism (late 20th-century experimentation).

Cultural context: Gagauz identity shaped by Orthodox Christianity, Turkic language, and Balkan/Bessarabian history; literature reflects bilingualism.

Periodization markers: alphabet changes (Cyrillic 1957, Latin 1996), political events (1940 Soviet annexation, 1991 independence, 1994 Gagauz autonomy).

Theme: state the central idea in one sentence (e.g., love of homeland, generational conflict, social justice) and support with two textual examples.

Character analysis: identify protagonist/antagonist, flat/round, static/dynamic; use actions, dialogue, and authorial commentary as evidence.

Composition: plot structure (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution), framing, flashback, and chronological vs. non-linear order.

Style: diction (colloquial vs. literary), imagery (metaphor, simile, personification), rhythm, and syntactic patterns; link style to theme.

Authorial intent: infer from dedication, epigraph, narrative voice, and historical context; distinguish author from narrator.

Setting: time and place function as more than backdrop; note how setting shapes character decisions and mood.

Symbolism: recurring objects, colors, or natural elements carry abstract meaning; trace their development across the work.

Evaluation: judge the work's effectiveness using criteria (coherence, originality, emotional impact) and support with quoted evidence.

Essay structure: introduction (thesis statement), body paragraphs (one claim + evidence + explanation each), conclusion (restate thesis, synthesize).

Thesis rule: a defensible claim, not a fact; it answers the prompt and previews the line of reasoning.

Argumentative essay: state position, provide two or three reasons, support with evidence (textual, logical, or factual), address a counterargument, refute it.

Interpretive essay: focus on textual evidence; use quotation integration (introduce, quote, explain) and avoid plot summary.

Cohesion: use transition words (birincisi, ikincisi, bundan başka, sonuç olarak) and pronoun reference to link sentences and paragraphs.

Register: standard Gagauz, avoid colloquialisms and Russian/Turkish borrowings when a native equivalent exists; maintain formal tone.

Length and time: plan 5–10 minutes, write 150–250 words, reserve 5 minutes for proofreading for agreement, case, and spelling.

Assessment criteria: content (relevance, depth), organization (coherence, cohesion), language (grammar, vocabulary, orthography), and mechanics (punctuation).