This lesson tells you all about questions, answers and their different types.

Phrases can be divided into question phrases and answer phrases. This classification applies to both conversational and poetic language. “Porulkoll” is a term used to indicate the methods used to find out the meaning of the phrases employed in poetry.

A question can be six types:
Arivinaa
Ariyavinaa
Ayyavinaa
Kolalvinaa
Kodaivinaa
Evalvinaa

Let us now examine them in detail.

A teacher asks a student a question to find out if he / she knows the answer.

Example: Who wrote the Thirukkural?

A student may ask the teacher a question to find out the answer which he does not know. Example: Who wrote the Thirukkural?

A question may be asked to clear a doubt.
Example: Is that a snake or a cord?

A customer may ask the shopkeeper a question, to obtain something. Example: Do you have a fountain pen?

A man may ask his friend what he prefers, to give him
what he wants.
Example: Would you like to have coffee or tea?

A father may ask his son a question to ensure that he does something. Example: Are you going to school today, my son? This implies that the father wants his son to go to school that day.

Similarly, an answer may also be of six types.

In poetry, we may have to change the order of the words to find out their correct meaning. Porulkoll is the method by which one finds out the meaning of a line of verse.

This is of eight types:

Aattuneerp Porulkoll
Mozhimaattup Porulkoll
Niraniraip Porulkoll
Virpootup Porulkoll - other wise (Pootuvirp Porulkoll)
Thaappisaip Porulkoll
Alaimarip Paapup Porulkoll
Kondu Kootup Porulkoll
Adimari Maattup Porulkoll

Thus, this lesson teaches you the different types of questions, answers and Porulkoll.