ISC 2017 English Literature Question Paper for Class 12

About this paper

This is the ISC Class 12 English Paper 2 (Literature in English) from the 2017 board examination, code 1217-801B. It carries 100 marks and lasts three hours, with an extra fifteen minutes for reading only. The paper has 18 questions. Candidates answer one from Section A and four from Section B, on at least three textbooks, and on only one play: Shakespeare's Much Ado about Nothing or Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man. Section A is a reference-to-context question in which two of three passages are chosen. Section B sets twenty-mark essays on those plays and on Ivanhoe, the ISC Collection of Essays, the ISC Collection of Short Stories and the ISC Collection of Poems. This copy has the questions only.

Exam

ISC Class 12

Subject

English Literature

Year

2017

Paper code

1217-801B

Maximum marks

100

Time allowed

3 hours + 15 min reading

Questions

18

Pages

7

Answers included

No, questions only

Paper pattern

• Section A

  20 marks

  One context question on either Much Ado about Nothing or Arms and the Man: two passages chosen from three, with short questions on each

• Section B

  80 marks

  Four essays of 20 marks each, on at least three textbooks, which may include only one of the two plays

Topics covered

• Much Ado About Nothing
• Arms and the Man
• Ivanhoe
• The Spirit of Freedom
• The Rule of the Road
• Go to the Ant
• Old Love
• The Drover's Wife
• The Lost Jewels
• Five Ways to Kill a Man
• Phenomenal Woman
• The Eve of Waterloo

Questions from this paper

1. Give a vivid description of the events at the masked ball held in honour of Don Pedro, and show how they help the development of Much Ado about Nothing.
2. With examples from the play, compare the characters of Beatrice and Hero.
3. Major Petkoff's coat is cleverly used by Shaw to create much of the suspense and humour in Arms and the Man. Discuss.
4. Comment on the role of Locksley and the forest outlaws in Ivanhoe, and show how they add adventure and excitement to the plot.
5. In The Drover's Wife, what challenges does the bush woman face, and how does she overcome them?
6. Describe how Five Ways to Kill a Man explores the increasing loss of humanity in every succeeding age, and how the ending comments on our times.