ISC 2026 English Literature Question Paper for Class 12

About this paper

This is the ISC Class 12 English Paper 2 (Literature in English) from the 2026 board examination, code 1226-801B. It carries 80 marks and lasts three hours, with an extra fifteen minutes for reading only. All five questions are compulsory, and the long answers must keep to the printed word limits. Section A has ten multiple-choice questions and ten sentences to be completed with a reason. Section B has three twenty-mark questions, on Shakespeare's Macbeth, the short-story collection Prism and the poetry collection Rhapsody, each ending with an internal choice. The set pieces include Atithi, Indigo, The Medicine Bag, The Cookie Lady, There Will Come Soft Rains, Death Be Not Proud, Tithonus, Beethoven and Telephone Conversation. This copy has the questions only.

Exam

ISC Class 12

Subject

English Literature

Year

2026

Paper code

1226-801B

Maximum marks

80

Time allowed

3 hours + 15 min reading

Questions

5

Pages

7

Answers included

No, questions only

Paper pattern

• Section A

  20 marks

  Question 1: ten multiple-choice questions. Question 2: ten sentences to be completed with a brief reason

• Section B

  60 marks

  Question 3 on Macbeth, Question 4 on Prism and Question 5 on Rhapsody: two short paragraphs of five marks and one ten-mark answer with an internal choice

Topics covered

• Macbeth
• Banquo's ghost
• Macbeth and Macduff
• There Will Come Soft Rains
• Indigo
• The Medicine Bag
• Atithi
• The Cookie Lady
• Death Be Not Proud
• Tithonus
• Beethoven
• Telephone Conversation

Questions from this paper

1. What advice does Malcolm give Macduff in Act IV Scene iii of Macbeth when Macduff learns of the murder of his wife and children?
2. How do the repeated appearances of Banquo's ghost affect the banquet and Macbeth in Act III Scene iv?
3. Referring to Act V of Macbeth, describe the final confrontation between Macbeth and Macduff.
4. Why does Tarapada repeatedly leave home in the short story Atithi, and why does he choose to stay with Motilal Babu and his family?
5. Discuss the notebook that Aniruddha finds in the dak bungalow in Indigo, and what its contents reveal about the British planter.
6. How does a boon become a curse for Tithonus in Tennyson's poem Tithonus?