Arabic Language Writing and Composition Flashcards

24 sample cards from the Writing and Composition deck

Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.

1. Define a narrative essay (المقال السردي/القصصي) and its core elements.

   A narrative essay tells a story or recounts events. Core elements: الأحداث (events/plot), الشخصيات (characters), الزمان والمكان (time and place/setting), العقدة (conflict/climax), and الحل (resolution). It follows a chronological or dramatic sequence and often uses past-tense verbs and time connectors.

2. How does a descriptive essay (المقال الوصفي) differ from a narrative essay?

   A descriptive essay focuses on portraying a person, place, thing, or feeling in vivid sensory detail with little or no plot; it aims to make the reader 'see' the subject. A narrative essay is event-driven with a plot, characters, and chronological progression toward a resolution.

3. What is the three-part macrostructure of a well-formed essay (بنية المقال) in Arabic?

   (1) المقدمة (introduction): hook + thesis/main idea. (2) صلب الموضوع/العرض (body): several paragraphs each developing one supporting idea with evidence. (3) الخاتمة (conclusion): summary of ideas and a final thought/recommendation. Coherence links all three.

4. Define an argumentative essay (المقال الحجاجي/الجدلي) and its required components.

   An essay that defends a claim with reasoning and evidence while addressing counter-arguments. Components: الأطروحة/الرأي (thesis/claim), الحجج والأدلة (arguments and evidence: facts, statistics, quotations), الرأي المخالف (counter-argument) with its refutation (الدحض/الرد), and a conclusion reaffirming the stance.

5. How does an opinion essay (مقال الرأي) differ from an argumentative essay?

   An opinion essay presents the writer's personal viewpoint supported by reasons, mainly asserting one side. An argumentative essay is more rigorous: it must present opposing views (الرأي المخالف) and refute them with evidence, aiming to persuade through balanced reasoning rather than mere assertion.

6. What linguistic markers are typical of argumentative writing (لغة الحجاج) in Arabic?

   Opinion phrases (أرى أنّ، من وجهة نظري، لا شك أنّ), reasoning connectors (لأنّ، بما أنّ، نتيجةً لذلك، وبالتالي), concession/contrast (رغم أنّ، على الرغم من، غير أنّ), and evidence markers (تشير الدراسات، تدل الإحصاءات، كما ورد).

7. What is the difference between summarising (التلخيص) and paraphrasing (إعادة الصياغة)?

   Summarising condenses a text to its main ideas, producing a much shorter version that omits details. Paraphrasing restates a passage in different words while keeping the SAME length and full meaning. Summary = shorter + main points only; paraphrase = same content, new wording.

8. What are the main steps of writing a good summary (خطوات التلخيص)?

   (1) Read the text fully to grasp the general idea, (2) identify the main idea of each paragraph and delete examples/repetition, (3) note keywords, (4) rewrite the core ideas in your own words and logical order, (5) keep the author's meaning without adding opinion, (6) aim for about one-third of the original length.

9. What techniques are used to paraphrase (إعادة الصياغة) effectively?

   Use synonyms (المرادفات), change the sentence structure (e.g., nominal ↔ verbal, active ↔ passive), change word order, combine or split sentences, and change part of speech — all while preserving the exact original meaning and without copying phrases verbatim.

10. What distinguishes formal register (الأسلوب الرسمي/الفصحى) from informal register (الأسلوب غير الرسمي/العامية)?

    Formal: standard Arabic (فصحى), precise vocabulary, complete grammatical structures, honorifics and third-person politeness, no slang; used in official, academic, and professional contexts. Informal: colloquial/dialect (عامية), simple everyday words, contractions, direct personal address; used with friends and family.

11. Give three examples of shifting a phrase from informal to formal register in Arabic.

    «عايز أقولك» → «أودّ أن أُبلغكم». «إزيك؟» → «كيف حالكم؟». «شكراً كتير» → «مع خالص الشكر والتقدير». Formal versions use fusha, respectful plural, and precise diction.

12. What is one of the most common spelling errors involving the letters ذ / ز / ظ / ض, and how to avoid it?

    Confusing similar-sounding emphatic/interdental letters (e.g., ظ vs ض, or ذ vs ز) because of dialect pronunciation. Avoid it by memorizing correct roots (ظلم, ضرب, ذهب, زار) and checking a dictionary, since Standard Arabic distinguishes each sound distinctly.

13. What is the common error of confusing إنّ and أنّ, and the rule that distinguishes them?

    Both take a following noun in the accusative, but إنّ (kasra) begins an independent sentence or follows «قال» (إنّ العلمَ نورٌ / قال إنّه قادم), whereas أنّ (fatha) links two clauses and can be replaced by a masdar (أعلمُ أنّك مجتهدٌ = your diligence). Rule: use أنّ mid-sentence between two parts; إنّ at the start.

14. What is the frequent error of adding an extra alif to plural verbs, and the correct rule (ألف التفريق)?

    Alif al-tafriq (الألف الفارقة) is written after the waw of the plural in past verbs and imperatives (كتبوا، اذهبوا) to distinguish the plural waw from a root waw. Error: omitting it (كتبو) or wrongly adding it to nouns (معلمو المدرسة takes NO alif because its waw is not a plural-verb ending).

15. When is the tanwin fath written with an extra alif and when without?

    Tanwin al-fath (ً) is written on an added alif for most nouns (كتاباً، بيتاً). It is written WITHOUT the extra alif when the word ends in taa marbuuta (مدرسةً), hamza on a line preceded by alif (ماءً), or alif maqsuura (فتىً/هدىً).

16. What is a comma splice / run-on error (الجملة المتراكمة) and how do you fix it in Arabic?

    It is joining many ideas with endless «و» or commas without proper stops, producing an unclear run-on. Fix by breaking into complete sentences with full stops, using varied connectors (لكن، لذلك، ثم), and ensuring each sentence expresses one idea.

17. What is redundancy/wordiness (الحشو والإطناب الممل) and how does it harm clarity?

    Redundancy is using extra words or repeating the same meaning (e.g., «عاد رجع مرة أخرى») without adding information. It weakens clarity and dilutes meaning. Improve clarity by removing repetition, choosing one precise word, and cutting filler (الإيجاز).

18. What is 'ilm al-balagha (علم البلاغة) and its three branches?

    Balagha is the science of Arabic eloquence — expressing meaning clearly, correctly, and beautifully to suit the context (مطابقة الكلام لمقتضى الحال). Its three branches are: علم المعاني (word order and meaning), علم البيان (imagery: simile, metaphor, metonymy), and علم البديع (rhetorical embellishments).

19. What does the branch 'ilm al-bayan (علم البيان) cover?

    It studies conveying one meaning in different ways with varying vividness through imagery: التشبيه (simile), الاستعارة (metaphor), المجاز المرسل (metonymy/synecdoche), and الكناية (allusion/indirect expression).

20. What are the four essential parts (أركان) of a full simile (التشبيه) in Arabic?

    (1) المشبَّه (the thing likened), (2) المشبَّه به (the thing compared to), (3) أداة التشبيه (the particle: كـ، مثل، كأنّ), and (4) وجه الشبه (the point of resemblance). Example: «العلمُ كالنورِ في الهداية» — العلم/النور/الكاف/الهداية.

21. What is the difference between an isti'aara (استعارة) and a tashbiih (تشبيه)?

    A tashbiih (simile) keeps both terms and a comparison particle (زيدٌ كالأسدِ). An isti'aara (metaphor) is a simile with one term and the particle deleted, borrowing the word directly (رأيتُ أسداً يخطبُ = I saw a lion [= brave man] giving a speech). Metaphor is more vivid because the likeness is implied.

22. What are common 'ilm al-badii' (البديع) devices that improve rhetoric?

    الجناس (paronomasia — words alike in sound, different in meaning), الطباق (antithesis — pairing opposites: الليل/النهار), المقابلة (parallel contrast of two sets), and السجع (rhymed prose — matching end sounds in successive clauses). They add musicality and emphasis.

23. List practical strategies for improving clarity (تحسين الوضوح) in a piece of writing.

    Use short, well-structured sentences; prefer precise concrete words over vague ones; keep one idea per paragraph; use cohesion devices between ideas; avoid redundancy and unnecessary jargon; put the subject early; and revise/proofread for grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

24. What is the difference between al-iijaz (الإيجاز), al-itnaab (الإطناب), and al-musaawaah (المساواة) in balagha?

    الإيجاز: expressing much meaning in few words (concise). الإطناب: expanding wording beyond the basic meaning for a rhetorical purpose (emphasis, clarification). المساواة: the wording exactly matches the meaning, neither more nor less. Good writing chooses the right one for the situation.

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