ISC 12th English Literature Paper 2 Exam on February 16: Check sample competency-based questions

ISC 12th English Literature Paper 2 Exam:ISC 12th English Literature Paper 2 Exams for 2026 will be conducted on February 16, 2026, afternoon session (2 PM to 5 PM). With limited time left for the preparation of the exams, it is advised to revise the important themes, character sketches, literary devices, and important scenes from the prescribed texts. The ISC 12th English paper will be of 100 marks, with 80 marks for theory exam and 20 marks for internal assignment, which includes Drama, Prose, and Poetry. To solve the80-markquestion paper, the students will beprovided 3 hours. A look at the sample competency-based questions is presented below to have a fair idea of the nature of the questions to be presented in the examination.

Sample Competency-Based Questions (English Literature – ISC Class XII)

Look at the section-wise sample competency-based questions below, set according to the analytical pattern adopted in the latest ISC board examinations.

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) 1 Mark Each

1. With reference to Act III Scene (vi) of the play Macbeth, what is the tone in which Lennox speaks about the princes having killed the king?

(a) Humorous (b) Fearful (c) Sardonic (d) Joyful

2. In Act III Scene (v) of the play, Macbeth, which psychological aspect of the human mind does Hecate want to target to bring about Macbeth’s doom?

(a) Man’s courage (b) Man’s insecurity (c) Man’s wisdom (d) Man’s fear

3. Lady Macduff: Father’d he is, yet he’s fatherless. [Act IV Scene (ii)] Which figure of speech can be identified in the given line?

(a) Irony (b) Antithesis (c) Sarcasm (d) Paradox

4. The interaction that Mrs. Drew establishes with Bubber in the story, The Cookie Lady, is fundamentally:

(a) parasitic (b) affectionate (c) dangerous (d) threatening

Complete the Sentences: 1 Mark Each

1. In Act V Scene (ii) according to Angus, Macbeth has begun to feel that his secret murders are weighing heavily on his conscience because__________________________.

2. In Act IV Scene (iii) of Macbeth, Malcolm says “Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell” because_______________________________________.

3. The landlady’s words in the poem, Telephone Conversation, are in uppercase because ___________.

4. In the story, Indigo, the author states that it being April, the sun should still be up, but it seemed more like late evening because _____________________________.

Short Answer Questions: 5 Marks Each

1. By the end of Act III Scene (ii), Macbeth has embraced evil and sunk to the depths of depravity. How is this indicated in the acts that were studied. Write your answer in about 150 words incorporating the following details.

(a) Examples of his evil deeds. (b) The manner in which he loses the sympathy of the audience. (Analysis & Evaluate)

2. With reference to Ray Bradbury's There Will Come Soft Rains, shows how the “one house left standing” in the city is reduced to “one wall stood alone” at the end of the story. Write your answer in about 150 words, incorporating the following details.

(a) Elements of dystopia in the picture of the house which is mentioned. (b) Details of the trace of life and the final image. (Understanding)

3. How has the poet used imagery to convey his emotional turmoil in the poem Telephone Conversation? Write the answer in about 150 words incorporating the following details.

(a) Identify the imagery used in the poem- mainly visual, auditory and olfactory. (b) Explain what each of the imagery conveys.

4. Show how Tennyson employs the use of vivid imagery and descriptive language to describe the plight of Tithonus for defying nature’s cycle. Write your answer in about 150 words incorporating the following details.

(a) Identify imagery from nature that describes decay. (b) Tithonus’ longing for death, Aurora’s silence.

Long Answer Questions: 10 Marks Each

1. How is the Banquet Scene Act III Scene (iv) in Shakespeare's Macbeth significant particularly in terms of exploration of character, thematic development and foreshadowing of events to come? Write your answer in about 250 words.

2. Satyajit Ray’s skill as a storyteller lies in the deployment of life in the story, Indigo, like details to create a haunting tale with a taste of the unusual. Bring out the various ways in which he does it in about 250 words.

3. How does Donne’s final statement, ‘And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die’ serve as a powerful conclusion to convey his message against the fear of death? Write your answer in about 250 words.

4. With close reference to the story, The Medicine Bag, analyse Martin's transition from an awkward teenager to someone who takes pride in his roots. Write your answer in about 250 words.

ISC 12th English Literature Paper 2 PDF: Download Here

Aspiring candidates can download the complete PDF here:

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