Madagascar BEPC key terms

Malagasy word class that describes or qualifies a noun, giving a quality such as colour, size, or state; it agrees with the noun it modifies and can appear before or after it.

Malagasy word class naming a person, place, thing, or idea; it can be proper or common and takes markers such as ny or i depending on definiteness and type.

Malagasy verb: the word class expressing an action or state, carrying voice affixes such as m-, -ana, and aha- that signal whether the actor, object, or instrument is in focus.

Actor focus in Malagasy verbs, marked by prefixes such as m- or mi-; the subject of the sentence is the person or thing performing the action rather than receiving it.

Object or goal focus in Malagasy, marked by suffixes such as -ana or -ina; the sentence subject is the entity affected or targeted by the action, not the doer.

Antonym: a Malagasy word whose meaning stands opposite to another, such as lava (long) against fohy (short); used in vocabulary exercises asking candidates to pair opposites.

Synonym: a Malagasy word sharing essentially the same meaning as another, such as tsara and soa; tested in vocabulary items asking for equivalent words within a sentence.

Malagasy proverb: a fixed traditional saying carrying moral or practical wisdom, often used in composition and comprehension tasks where the candidate explains its meaning and applies it to a situation.

Traditional Malagasy verbal art of indirect, proverbial speech and debate; a literary form studied for its imagery, metaphor, and rhetorical structure in Malagasy language papers.

Simple sentence in Malagasy: a clause containing one verb and expressing a single complete idea, used as the base unit in grammar exercises on sentence analysis and transformation.

Compound or complex sentence joining two or more clauses with connectors such as ary, fa, or satria; candidates identify clauses and explain the logical link between them.

Conjunction: a Malagasy linking word such as ary (and), fa (but), na (or), or satria (because) that joins words or clauses and signals the relationship between ideas.

Vocabulary or lexicon: the stock of words a candidate is expected to know and use correctly, tested through matching, gap-filling, and short production tasks in Malagasy and French papers.

Letter writing in Malagasy: composing a formal or informal message with correct salutation, body, and closing formulas, a frequent guided-writing task in the language paper.

Set of French words linked by a common theme, such as vocabulary of the sea or of school; identifying it helps candidates organise ideas in comprehension and writing tasks.

French word with a meaning close to another, such as maison and demeure; tested in vocabulary exercises where the candidate substitutes a word without changing the sentence meaning.

French word expressing the opposite of another, such as grand and petit; candidates identify it in vocabulary items and use it to build contrast in written expression.

Subordinate clause in French: a clause depending on a main clause, introduced by a conjunction such as parce que, qui, or lorsque; candidates identify its function in sentence analysis.

Main clause in French: the clause that can stand alone and on which subordinate clauses depend; recognising it is the first step in analysing complex sentences.

French linking word such as mais, ou, et, donc, or, ni, car that joins words or clauses of equal rank; candidates use it to combine sentences and to explain logical links.

French discourse marker such as cependant, en effet, or par conséquent that shows how ideas relate; it is scored in written production for coherence and clarity of argument.

Structured outline for a French essay, typically introduction, two or three developed parts, and conclusion; candidates are expected to announce and follow it explicitly in written expression.

French summary exercise: condensing a given text to a set length while keeping its main ideas, using the candidate's own words and respecting the original order of arguments.

Reading comprehension in French: answering questions on a passage's ideas, vocabulary, and structure; candidates must quote or reformulate evidence from the text rather than guess.

French rule governing past participle agreement, with avoir it agrees with a preceding direct object, with être it agrees with the subject; a recurring grammar point in dictation and transformation items.

In a right-angled triangle, the square of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides; used to compute a missing side or to test whether a triangle is right-angled.

If a line cuts two sides of a triangle parallel to the third side, it divides those sides proportionally; used to calculate unknown lengths and to prove lines parallel.

Relationship in which quantities vary by a constant ratio; candidates set up a table, find the coefficient, and apply it to calculate unknown values in everyday and geometry problems.

A proportion expressed out of one hundred; used to compute discounts, increases, and statistical shares, and to convert between fractions, decimals, and percentages in calculation items.

The non-negative number whose square equals a given number; candidates simplify expressions, estimate values, and apply it in Pythagoras calculations and equation solving.

Equation in which the unknown appears only to the first power, such as 3x + 5 = 20; solved by isolating the unknown through inverse operations, with the result checked by substitution.

Two or more equations solved together for the same unknowns, using substitution or elimination; the solution must satisfy every equation, which candidates verify at the end.

Arithmetic mean: the sum of values divided by their number; candidates compute it from a data series and interpret what it does and does not show about the distribution.

Middle value of an ordered data series, or the average of the two middle values when the count is even; a measure of central tendency less affected by extreme values than the mean.

Measure of the surface enclosed by a plane figure, expressed in square units; candidates apply formulas for rectangles, triangles, and circles in geometry and practical problems.

Measure of the space occupied by a solid, expressed in cubic units; computed for prisms, cylinders, and spheres, and often linked to capacity problems in litres.

Total length of the boundary of a plane figure, expressed in linear units; candidates calculate it for polygons and circles and distinguish it clearly from area.

Process by which a foreign power takes political and economic control of a territory; for Madagascar, the French conquest from 1895 and the 1896 annexation are core reference points.

Organised opposition to colonial conquest or rule; Malagasy examples include the menalamba uprising and the 1947 revolt, studied for causes, course, and consequences.

Achievement of sovereign statehood; Madagascar's independence was proclaimed on 26 June 1960, and candidates are expected to explain the political steps that led to it.

The Malagasy kingdom consolidated under Andrianampoinimerina and expanded by Radama I and Ranavalona I; central to questions on pre-colonial political organisation and unification.

Highland Malagasy group whose kingdom, based at Antananarivo, unified much of the island in the nineteenth century before French conquest; a key term in pre-colonial history questions.

Angular distance north or south of the equator, measured in degrees; together with longitude it locates places and explains climate differences between Madagascar's north and south.

Angular distance east or west of the prime meridian, measured in degrees; used with latitude to give coordinates and to calculate time differences between places.

Climate with high temperatures year-round and a marked wet and dry season; describes most of Madagascar's coasts and explains cyclone exposure and seasonal rainfall patterns.

Intense tropical storm with strong rotating winds and heavy rain, forming over warm ocean water; Madagascar's position in the Indian Ocean makes cyclone tracking a recurring geography topic.

Community of living organisms interacting with their physical environment; Madagascar's high endemism and deforestation make ecosystem protection a standard science and geography question.

Variety of living species and genetic diversity within an area; Madagascar is a recognised hotspot with many endemic species, so candidates explain its value and the threats it faces.

Condition in which a species exists naturally only in one restricted area; lemurs and baobabs are standard Malagasy examples used to illustrate conservation arguments.

Clearing of forest cover, driven in Madagascar by slash-and-burn farming, charcoal production, and logging; candidates describe its causes and consequences for soil, water, and species.

Process by which green plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to make glucose and release oxygen; a core life-science process tested with word equations and limiting-factor questions.

Process releasing energy from glucose in living cells, using oxygen and producing carbon dioxide and water; contrasted with photosynthesis in gas-exchange and energy questions.

Sequence showing how energy passes from producers to consumers through feeding relationships; candidates construct and interpret one, identifying trophic levels and the effect of removing a link.