Serbian Language and Literature
What you must know
Expect grammar (cases, verb aspect, agreement), orthography (the phonetic spelling principle, writing “ne” with verbs, consonant assimilation), vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Literature spans oral epics, medieval texts, and major Serbian writers, plus basic literary theory: genre, narrative voice, meter, and figures of speech such as metaphor, epithet, and hyperbole.
Traps that appear
- Negation: “ne” is written separately from verbs but joined in words like “nemoguće” when it forms a new meaning.
- Case endings: a single wrong ending changes meaning; practise the accusative versus locative distinction.
- Figures of speech: an epithet is a descriptive adjective; a metaphor is an implied comparison without “like”.
- Comprehension: answers must come from the passage, not from outside knowledge.
Worked example
In the phrase “čelična volja” (steel will), the adjective describes the noun figuratively. This is a metaphor, not a literal statement, because will is not made of steel. Recognising the transfer of meaning is the key skill.
Rule of thumb
Read the question stem before the passage, then locate the exact sentence that supports your answer. For grammar, say the sentence aloud; Serbian orthography is largely phonetic, so sound often reveals the spelling.