UPSC – Urdu Syllabus

PAPER I 

Answer must be written in Urdu 

Section A 

Development of Urdu Language 

(a) Development of Indo-Aryan 

(i) Old Indo-Aryan 

(ii) Middle Indo-Aryan 

(iii) New Indo-Aryan. 

(b) Western Hindi and its dialects Brij Bhasha Khadi Boli, Haryanavi, Kannauji, Bundeli—Theories  about the origin of Urdu language.  

(c) Dakhani Urdu—origin and development, its significant linguistic features. 

(d) Social and Cultural roots of Urdu language— and its distinctive features. 

Script, Phonology, Morphology, Vocabulary.

Section B

(a) Genres and their development : 

(i) Poetry: Ghazal, Masnavi, Qasida, Marsia, Rubai Jadid Nazm. 

(ii) Prose : Novel, Short Story, Dastan, Drama, Inshaiya, Khutoot, Biography. 

(b) Significant feaures of : (i) Deccani, Delhi and Lucknow schools, (ii) Sir Syed movement, Romantic  movement, Progressive movement, Modernism. 

(c) Literary Criticism and its development with reference to Hali, Shibli, Kaleemuddin Ahmad, Ehtisham  Hussain, Ale-Ahmad Suroor. 

(d) Essay writing (covering literary and imaginativetopics). 

PAPER II 

Answer must be written in Urdu 

This paper will require first hand reading of the texts prescribed and will be designed to test the  candidate’s critical ability. 

Section A 

Section B