ISC 2026 Sanskrit Question Paper for Class 12

About this paper

This is the ISC Class 12 Sanskrit paper set by CISCE for the 2026 board examination. It carries 80 marks, runs for three hours plus fifteen minutes of reading time, and has 11 questions in three sections. Section A tests grammar (sandhi, compounds, word formation and change of voice) and has an English passage about a school environmental project to translate into Sanskrit. Section B asks students to translate prose from Banabhatta's Kadambari and verses from the first canto of Kalidasa's Raghuvamsham, including the verses on the cow Nandini, into English, and to explain two lines with reference to context. In Section C students answer any four of six questions set in Sanskrit on the same two texts. Sample questions below are translated from Sanskrit.

Exam

ISC Class 12

Subject

Sanskrit

Year

2026

Paper code

838

Maximum marks

80

Time allowed

3 hours + 15 min reading

Questions

11

Pages

4

Answers included

No, questions only

Paper pattern

• Section A

  18 marks

  Question 1: sandhi, compounds, word splitting and change of voice, any three of each (4 × 3); Question 2: English passage to translate into Sanskrit (6)

• Section B

  34 marks

  Question 3: two Kadambari prose passages to translate into English (2 × 6); Question 4: two pairs of Raghuvamsham verses to translate into English (2 × 7); Question 5: two lines to explain with reference to context (2 × 4)

• Section C

  28 marks

  Any four of Questions 6–11, seven marks each; three on Raghuvamsham and three on Kadambari

Topics covered

• Sandhi
• Samasa (compounds)
• Prakriti-pratyaya (word formation)
• Change of voice
• Translation from English into Sanskrit
• Raghuvamsham, Canto 1 (Kalidasa)
• Kadambari (Banabhatta)

Questions from this paper

1. Translate into Sanskrit: "Last year, our school decided to start a new environmental project. The aim of this project was to make the students aware of the importance of protecting nature."
2. Explain in detail how Kalidasa brings out the greatness of the Raghu dynasty.
3. Describe, with comparisons, the characters of Dilipa and Sudakshina as written by Kalidasa in the first canto of Raghuvamsham.
4. What did Chandrapida ask Keyuraka in private, and how did Keyuraka describe Kadambari's condition?
5. On seeing Kapinjala come out of the lake water, what did Mahashveta ask him, and what did he reply? Explain in detail.
6. What did the sages of Jabali's hermitage ask on seeing the parrot in Harita's hand, and what did he reply?