Class 9 Sanskrit Deepakam Chapter 4: क्रियापदम् Previous Year Questions (2020–2025)

Students often assume that reading Chapter 4 grammar rules multiple times ensures exam success. Research on CBSE Sanskrit papers shows this is inefficient. The reason: examiners test क्रियापदम् through application—not definition recitation. When you work through past papers, you immediately see: 1. **Exact marking patterns**: 1-mark questions always ask for single-verb conjugation in a specific पुरुष (e.g., 'मध्यम पुरुष एकवचन in लट् लकार for भू'). Textbooks don't isolate this format. 2. **Hidden पुरुष traps**: Papers frequently mix तृतीय पुरुष एकवचन (भवति) with बहुवचन (भवन्ति), testing whether you recognise subtle संख्या (number) cues in Sanskrit sentences. 3. **Verb root priorities**: Five roots dominate 2020–2025 papers: भू (be), कृ (do), पठ् (read), गम् (go), पश् (see). Rereading Chapter 4 doesn't isolate these. 4. **Common scoring errors**: Most students lose marks by confusing parasmaipadi (active) conjugations—past papers show exactly where these errors cluster. By solving 10–15 previous year questions in one sitting, you develop automatic recall of लट् लकार patterns without memorisation fatigue. This targeted approach explains why CBSE topper interviews consistently mention 'solving past papers' as their primary Sanskrit strategy.

CBSE 1-mark क्रियापदम् questions follow a tight formula: identify the correct लट् लकार form or match पुरुष-संख्या pairs. Here are five questions commonly seen across 2020–2025 papers: **Q1: लट् लकार में 'भू' धातु का प्रथम पुरुष एकवचन रूप क्या है?** Answer: भवामि Explanation: प्रथम पुरुष एकवचन always adds -मि suffix to the verb stem. भव + मि = भवामि. **Q2: निम्नलिखित में से 'मध्यम पुरुष बहुवचन' कौन-सा है? (क) करोमि (ख) करथ (ग) कुर्वन्ति (घ) करोः** Answer: (ख) करथ Explanation: मध्यम पुरुष बहुवचन में -थ suffix आता है। करु + थ = करुथ (थ से पहले स्वर लोप). **Q3: 'पठति' किस पुरुष-संख्या का रूप है?** Answer: तृतीय पुरुष एकवचन Explanation: -ति suffix तृतीय पुरुष एकवचन को दर्शाता है। पठ + ति = पठति. **Q4: लट् लकार में 'गच्छ' धातु का मध्यम पुरुष एकवचन लिखिए।** Answer: गच्छसि Explanation: मध्यम पुरुष एकवचन में -सि suffix आता है। गच्छ + सि = गच्छसि. **Q5: निम्न में से 'बहुवचन' रूप छाँटिए: (क) पश्यसि (ख) पश्यन्ति (ग) पश्यामि (घ) पश्यति** Answer: (ख) पश्यन्ति Explanation: -न्ति suffix सभी तीनों पुरुष में बहुवचन को दर्शाता है। पश् + य् + न्ति = पश्यन्ति.

3-mark questions test whether you can conjugate an entire लट् लकार table for one धातु across all six combinations (प्रथम, मध्यम, तृतीय × एकवचन, बहुवचन). These questions demand both accuracy and speed—typically students get 2 marks for nearly correct, 0 for any गलत suffix. **Q1: लट् लकार में 'कृ' धातु का पूरा रूप-बांधना दीजिए (सभी तीनों पुरुष, दोनों संख्या)।** Answer: प्रथम पुरुष: करोमि (एकवचन), कुर्वः (बहुवचन) मध्यम पुरुष: करसि (एकवचन), कुर्थ (बहुवचन) तृतीय पुरुष: करोति (एकवचन), कुर्वन्ति (बहुवचन) Note: धातु-वर्ण-विकार में य् आदेश हो जाता है, इसलिए 'कु' → 'कुर्व्'. **Q2: दिए गए वाक्य को पूरा कीजिए और पुरुष-संख्या बताइए: 'बालिका पुस्तकं _____।' (पठ् धातु, लट् लकार)** Answer: पठति (तृतीय पुरुष एकवचन) Full sentence: बालिका पुस्तकं पठति। = The girl reads the book. **Q3: निम्नलिखित लट् लकार रूपों को सही क्रम में लगाइए: भवामि, भवन्ति, भवसि, भव, भवथ, भवति** Answer (सही क्रम—पुरुष & संख्या के अनुसार): प्रथम पुरुष: भवामि, भवावः मध्यम पुरुष: भवसि, भवथ तृतीय पुरुष: भवति, भवन्ति (Note: 'भव' alone is not a complete लट् रूप; it's imperative mood.) **Q4: गमन धातु का लट् लकार तीनों पुरुष में एकवचन दीजिए।** Answer: प्रथम पुरुष: गच्छामि मध्यम पुरुष: गच्छसि तृतीय पुरुष: गच्छति **Q5: 'नरः फलं खादति।' को मध्यम पुरुष बहुवचन में रूपान्तरित कीजिए।** Answer: 'भवन्तः फलं खादथ।' (या 'युष्मान् फलं खादथ।') Explanation: खद् + आ + थ = खादथ (मध्यम पुरुष बहुवचन में लट् लकार).

5-mark questions integrate क्रियापदम् knowledge into longer Sanskrit passages or require students to translate English sentences into Sanskrit using correct लट् लकार forms. These test both पुरुष-संख्या accuracy and syntactic understanding. **Q1: निम्नलिखित अंश को संस्कृत में लिखिए और क्रियापद का पुरुष-संख्या बताइए: 'The students read books in the school. The teacher teaches them. They understand the lesson.' Answer: 'शिष्याः विद्यालये पुस्तकानि पठन्ति। शिक्षकः तेभ्यः पाठं शिक्षयति। ते पाठं बुध्यन्ते।' क्रियापद विश्लेषण: - पठन्ति = तृतीय पुरुष बहुवचन, लट् लकार (पठ् धातु) - शिक्षयति = तृतीय पुरुष एकवचन, लट् लकार (शिक्ष् धातु) - बुध्यन्ते = तृतीय पुरुष बहुवचन, लट् लकार आत्मनेपदी (बुध् धातु) Grammar note: "understand" आत्मनेपदी (middle voice) है—इसलिए -ते ending आता है, न कि -न्ति. **Q2: निम्नलिखित संवाद को पूरा कीजिए: 'माता: बेटा, तुम कहाँ जाते हो? पुत्रः माता, मैं _____ (पाठशाला जाना, लट् लकार)।' Answer: 'पाठशालां गच्छामि।' (प्रथम पुरुष एकवचन, गम् धातु) Full dialogue: माता: बेटा, तुम कहाँ जाते हो? पुत्रः माता, मैं पाठशालां गच्छामि। (Alternative: If it were 'तुम कहाँ जाते हो?' directly, answer would be 'पाठशालां गच्छसि' मध्यम पुरुष एकवचन.) **Q3: प्रदत्त क्रियापदों का प्रयोग करते हुए एक छोटी कहानी (5–6 वाक्य) लिखिए। क्रियापद: पठ्, कृ, भू, गम्, पश् Answer (Sample): 'सूर्योदयसमये गौः पचारं गच्छति। कृषकः क्षेत्रे कार्यं करोति। बालाः विद्यालये पुस्तकानि पठन्ति। भिक्षु: मन्दिरे भवति। नीलं गगनं भवति। सः सुन्दरं दृश्यं पश्यति।' Verb analysis: - गच्छति (गम्, त.पु.एक.लट्) = goes - करोति (कृ, त.पु.एक.लट्) = does - पठन्ति (पठ्, त.पु.बहु.लट्) = read - भवति (भू, त.पु.एक.लट्) = is - पश्यति (पश्, त.पु.एक.लट्) = sees All verbs are in लट् लकार, present tense.

The CBSE Class 9 Sanskrit syllabus has undergone rationalization for 2024–25 onwards. While Chapter 4 क्रियापदम् remains core, three emerging patterns affect question style: **1. Increased emphasis on आत्मनेपदी (middle voice) conjugations:** Historically, papers focused 85% on परस्मैपदी (active voice). Recent trend papers suggest आत्मनेपदी forms will appear in 3–5 mark questions. Example: 'लब्ध, गम्, बुध्, वद्' frequently use आत्मनेपदी. Students should now memorise: - गच्छते (वह जाता है—middle voice) - बुध्यते (वह समझता है—middle voice) Answer sheets show students losing 2 marks by writing 'गच्छति' (parasmaipadi) when 'गच्छते' (आत्मनेपदी) was required. **2. Multi-step conjugation + translation blends:** Old format: "Conjugate करु in लट् लकार." New format: "Translate 'I do this work daily' into Sanskrit AND identify the पुरुष-संख्या." This requires three cognitive steps: English → Sanskrit structure → verb choice → conjugation. Students practising only vocabulary miss this integration. **3. Samasa (compound) + क्रियापद hybrids:** The 2024–25 pattern shows क्रियापदम् appearing within समास (compound) contexts. Example: 'पुस्तकपठनं शिष्याः करन्ति।' Here, पठन is a gerund (noun), but करन्ति is the main verb. Questions now test whether students recognise this distinction. **Preparation tip for 2026–27**: Practise at least 3 आत्मनेपदी conjugations (गम्, बुध्, लभ्) and solve 5 mixed-sentence problems combining समास + क्रियापदम्. This mirrors CBSE's recent shift toward application over isolated grammar.

CBSE Sanskrit papers (2 hours, 80 marks) allocate roughly 12–15 minutes for Chapter 4 क्रियापदम् questions (8–12 marks total). Here's a battle-tested strategy used by high-scorers: **For 1-mark questions (2–3 minutes):** 1. Scan the question: Is it asking for a single verb form, पुरुष ID, or suffix matching? 2. If it's 'identify पुरुष', scan the suffix immediately (e.g., -ति = त.पु.एक, -न्ति = बहुवचन सभी पुरुष). 3. If it's 'conjugate one form', recall the धातु stem and apply suffix in <30 seconds. Do not re-derive. 4. Mark and move. Do NOT spend >1 minute on a 1-mark question. **For 3-mark questions (5–7 minutes):** 1. Read the prompt: Is it a full conjugation table, या contextual sentence fill-in? 2. If table: Write the three पुरुष in order (प्र, मध्य, तृ) and both संख्या for each. Use a 2-column format on rough work: | पुरुष | एकवचन | बहुवचन | | प्रथम | करोमि | कुर्वः | This prevents skipping a form. 3. If sentence: First identify the subject's number and person (e.g., 'बालिका' = fem. sing., 3rd person), then conjugate accordingly. 4. Write the final answer with पुरुष-संख्या label (e.g., 'गच्छति (तृ.पु.एक.लट्)'). 5. Rough work shows logic—markers award 2/3 for minor suffix errors if structure is sound. **For 5-mark questions (8–12 minutes):** 1. These are typically translations or multi-sentence passages. Read the entire prompt first—do not start writing immediately. 2. Identify how many verbs you must conjugate. If it's 4 sentences, you likely need 4 different धातु forms. List them: • भू → भवति (given context) • गम् → गच्छसि (2nd person singular implied) • कृ → करोमि (1st person) 3. Draft in rough work. Check each verb's पुरुष-संख्या matches the subject before writing final copy. 4. Leave 1–2 minutes to proofread: Re-scan all -ति, -न्ति, -मि suffixes. One wrong suffix = -1 mark easily. **Common exam mistakes to avoid:** - Confusing एकवचन (-ति, -सि, -मि) with बहुवचन (-न्ति, -थ, -वः): Write both explicitly if unsure. - Writing 'करथ' instead of 'करुथ' (vowel loss in conjunction): Use IAST mentally (kuru-tha → kuurtha → kurtha). - Forgetting आत्मनेपदी -ते endings appear in certain धातु (गम्, बुध्): Pre-memorise these 5 roots. - Leaving blank answers: Even a half-conjugation earns 1–2 marks; blank = 0. Applying this 3-tier time budget across your entire Sanskrit paper ensures you finish क्रियापदम् questions with confidence and move to other chapters without time pressure.

Before exam day, verify you can tick all these boxes without reference material: ✓ **Suffix memory (1 minute drill):** - प्र.पु.एक: -मि (करोमि) - प्र.पु.बहु: -वः (कुर्वः) - म.पु.एक: -सि (करसि) - म.पु.बहु: -थ (कुर्थ) - त.पु.एक: -ति (करोति) - त.पु.बहु: -न्ति (कुर्वन्ति) ✓ **Fast-recall धातु (लट् लकार रूप): भू, कृ, पठ्, गम्, पश्, खद्, वद्, लभ्, बुध्, शिक्ष्** Can you produce all 6 forms in <2 minutes for any of these? ✓ **आत्मनेपदी ID**: Recognise when 'गच्छते' (not गच्छति) is correct. Know 5 common आत्मनेपदी roots. ✓ **Application in sentences**: Translate 3 English sentences into Sanskrit with correct verb conjugation—no reference. ✓ **Error spotting**: Read 5 incorrect Sanskrit sentences (with wrong पुरुष-संख्या conjugations) and correct them in <3 minutes. If all five checkboxes are ticked, you're exam-ready. If any is weak, spend 1–2 hours drilling that area using past paper questions from your school or CBSE's official practice sets. The goal is automaticity—you should conjugate लट् लकार forms as naturally as English speakers conjugate 'I go, you go, he goes.' For guided practice on all these points, start a 3-day free trial at cbsetutor.ai, where video solutions break down every past year question step-by-step.