EmSAT Arabic Flashcards

Which of the following is a correct Arabic sentence with proper agreement?

Answer: ذهبتْ البنتُ إلى المدرسةِ

'ذهبتْ البنتُ إلى المدرسةِ' is correct. The verb must agree with the subject in gender: البنت (girl) is feminine, so the verb takes the feminine form 'ذهبتْ'. البنت is in the nominative (ضمة) as the subject.

What is the literary device 'التشبيه' (tashbih)?

Answer: Simile

التشبيه is a simile in Arabic rhetoric — comparing two things using كـ (like) or كأن (as if). For example: 'هو كالأسد في الشجاعة' (He is like a lion in courage).

What is 'الاستعارة' (isti'aara) in Arabic literature?

Answer: A metaphor (implied comparison without like/as)

الاستعارة is a metaphor in Arabic rhetoric — an implied comparison where one thing is described as if it actually is another, without using كـ or كأن. It is a more direct and stronger comparison than simile.

In Arabic poetry, what is 'البحر' (al-bahr)?

Answer: The poetic meter/rhythmic pattern

البحر (literally 'sea') in Arabic prosody refers to the poetic meter — the rhythmic pattern of a poem. There are 16 traditional meters (بحور) in classical Arabic poetry, defined by al-Khalil ibn Ahmad.

What is the 'همزة الوصل' (hamzat al-wasl)?

Answer: A connecting hamza that is not pronounced when preceded by a vowel in connected speech

همزة الوصل is a connecting hamza that appears at the beginning of certain words (like اِسم، اِبن، اِفتح). It is pronounced only at the beginning of speech but drops when the word is connected to the previous word.

What is 'النعت' (an-na't) in Arabic grammar?

Answer: The adjective/qualifier

النعت (also called الصفة) is the adjective in Arabic grammar. It must agree with its modified noun in gender, number, case, and definiteness. For example: 'الكتابُ الجديدُ' (the new book).