ISC 2026 Political Science Question Paper for Class 12

About this paper

This is the ISC Class 12 Political Science paper (code 852), set by CISCE for the 2026 board examination. It carries 80 marks, runs for three hours plus fifteen minutes of reading time, and has 13 compulsory questions in three sections. Section A has sixteen one-mark subparts: multiple choice, assertion–reason, analogy, fill in the blanks, true or false and one-word answers. Section B has eight four-mark short answers, including one on an excerpt from Article II of the US Constitution about the President's State of the Union message. Section C has four eight-mark long answers, ending with excerpts from Nehru's Objectives Resolution of 1946. Internal choices are given in Questions 4, 5 and 10. This copy has the questions only.

Exam

ISC Class 12

Subject

Political Science

Year

2026

Paper code

852

Maximum marks

80

Time allowed

3 hours + 15 min reading

Questions

13

Pages

8

Answers included

No, questions only

Paper pattern

• Section A

  16 marks

  Question 1 with sixteen one-mark very short answer subparts, including multiple choice and assertion–reason items

• Section B

  32 marks

  Questions 2–9, four marks each, including an excerpt-based question; internal choice in Questions 4 and 5

• Section C

  32 marks

  Questions 10–13, eight marks each, ending with an excerpt-based question; internal choice in Question 10

Topics covered

• Federal state and totalitarian state
• Parliamentary and presidential government
• Party systems
• US President and the US Senate
• Political and permanent executive
• Supreme Courts of India and the United States
• Regional aspirations in Indian politics
• Lok Sabha and Question Hour
• Salient features of the Constitution of India
• 73rd Amendment and local self-government
• Gandhian Directive Principles
• Objectives Resolution and the Preamble

Questions from this paper

1. Explain two key features of a Totalitarian State.
2. Compare the mode of election or appointment of the Prime Minister of India and the President of the United States.
3. Compare the relative positions of the Supreme Courts of India and the United States within their respective constitutional systems.
4. Briefly explain any two ways in which regional aspirations affect Indian politics.
5. Discuss the superior position of the Lok Sabha by explaining any four of its powers.
6. Explain any four Gandhian Principles included in the Directive Principles of State Policy in Part IV of the Constitution of India.