Higher Secondary Examination - 2026
Sample Question Paper for Practice Only: Subject - English (Class 12th)
Maximum Marks: 80 | Time: 3 hours
| Total No. of questions | Total Printed pages | Time | Maximum Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 07 | 3 hours | 80 |
Instructions:
- All questions are compulsory.
- Marks are indicated in front of each question.
SECTION-A (READING)
Q.1- Read the following passage and answer the questions given below- (1x5=5)
Passage Text:
The word 'Character' is derived from a Greek word, which means a graving, a stamp, or an impression. Character in man is the impression left on him by nature, training, and habit. Character is not inborn, it is acquired. Character is not a gift, but an achievement. A man of character is known by his dealings with his fellow men. Character has been given the highest place among all the virtues. It means moral excellence. Character is of supreme importance, for it alone makes a human being human. Character alone distinguishes man from the lower animals. Character is the foundation on which the superstructure of a civilized life is built. An uncivilized man is a characterless man. Character is also the secret of a nation's greatness.
Questions:
- i. Which is a characteristic of civilization?
- ii. Man can acquire character by...
- iii. The word 'instincts' in the passage means...
- iv. What makes human a human?
- v. What is 'Uncivilized Man'?
Q.2- Read the following passage carefully and make notes on it. Also give a suitable title to it. (4)
Passage Text:
Selfishness is the cause of all our miseries. We are all selfish. We are unhappy because we are looking for happiness in the wrong place. We are looking for it in our own limited selves. We are looking for it in our property, in our families, in our position, and in our honour. We are not satisfied because we are all seeking happiness for ourselves only. The only way to true happiness is by widening our sympathies and rising above our selfish interests. The real happiness comes from self-sacrifice. Life is a constant striving to rise above self. Self-sacrifice is the real bliss. The highest good in the world is self-sacrifice. Self-sacrifice, however, is not a painful duty, but a happy privilege. When we give up our selfish desires and devote ourselves to the good of all, we experience a greater joy than we had ever known before. The selfish person cannot find happiness even in a palace, while the unselfish person is happy everywhere.
SECTION-B (WRITING SKILLS)
Q.3 Design an attractive poster to warn the public against the dangers of drug addiction. (4)
ORYou are Rohan/Rani of Nehru Nagar, Gwalior. Write a notice informing students about an annual function to be held next month.
Q.4 Write a letter to the Collector of your district regarding the lack of facilities and poor functioning of the Government Hospital of your area. (4)
ORYou are Rahul/Rohini, living at 54, Civil Lines, Indore. Write a letter to your friend inviting him to spend the summer vacation with you.
Q.5 Write an article on any one of the following topics in about 120 words. (4)
SECTION-C (GRAMMAR)
Q.6 Fill in the blanks choosing the correct alternatives given- (any five) (5)
- i. She did not buy ____ apples. (some/any/much)
- ii. He is ____ European. (a/an/the)
- iii. My father is ____ retired teacher. (a/an/the)
- iv. They arrived ____ the station. (at/in/on)
- v. He is good ____ English. (at/in/on)
- vi. He always comes ____ time. (at/in/on)
- vii. They will go to Delhi ____ Monday. (at/in/on)
Q.7 Do as directed- (any five) (5)
- i. He bought a car. (Change into negative)
- ii. They sell books. (Change into passive voice)
- iii. She does her duty. (Change into interrogative)
- iv. The man is blind. He cannot see. (Combine the sentence using 'so...that')
- v. Raju is my friend. He is sitting at the last bench. (Combine using a relative clause)
- vi. If you run fast, you can catch the bus. (Rewrite using 'unless' in place of 'if')
- vii. The doctor said, "Take medicine regularly." (Change into indirect speech)
SECTION- D (TEXTBOOKS)
Q.8. Choose the correct answers: (6)
- 1. The name of the river where the writer watched the fishing boat...
- 2. The rag pickers of Seemapuri were settlers from...
- 3. What did the poet see when he looked at his mother?
- 4. How many years did the narrator spend as a high school student in Yuba City?
- 5. What does the expression "a new world of gold and light" refer to?
- 6. The title of the story "The Third Level" refers to...
Q.9 (A) Read the following extract and answer the questions given below- (3)
Extract Text (From 'The Last Lesson'):
"For a moment I thought of skipping school and going fishing. It was so warm, so bright. The birds were chirping at the edge of the woods; and in the open field back of the sawmill the Prussian soldiers were drilling. It was all much more tempting than the rule for participles, but I had the strength to resist, and hurried off to school."
Questions and Options:
- i. Who is the narrator in the above extract?
- ii. What was more tempting than the rule for participles?
- iii. Which place the narrator passed through while going to school?
Q.9 (B) Read the following extract and answer the questions given - (3)
Extract Text (From 'An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum'):
"On their slag heap, these children
Wear skins peeped through by bones and spectacles of steel
With mended glass, like bottle bits on stones.
All of their time and space are foggy slum.
So blot their maps with slums as big as doom."
Wear skins peeped through by bones and spectacles of steel
With mended glass, like bottle bits on stones.
All of their time and space are foggy slum.
So blot their maps with slums as big as doom."
Questions and Options:
- i. The expression 'slag heap' refers to...
- ii. The children have been compared to...
- iii. What does 'doom' mean?
Q.10 Answer the following questions in about 30 words- (any three) (3x2=6)
- i. Why was Franz afraid to go to school that day?
- ii. What was the fear of the poet when she looked at her mother?
- iii. Why did Saheb leave his house?
- iv. What did the man from Udupi pray for?
- v. Why did the instructor decide to get rid of his fear?
Q.11 Answer the following questions in about 30 words (any two) (2x2=4)
- i. Why do the young trees look 'sprinting'?
- ii. Where are the children going in the poem 'An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum'?
- iii. What pleasure does nature give to human beings?
Q.12 Answer the following questions in about 30 words (any two) - (2x2=4)
- i. What were the contents of the writer's letter?
- ii. Who was Dr. Sadao? Where was his house?
- iii. What was the 'Third Level'?
Q.13 Answer the following question in about 75 words (any one) (3)
- i. How did the author react to M. Hamel's 'The Last Lesson'?
- ii. What does the expression 'garbage is gold to them' mean?
Q.14 Answer the following question in about 75 words (any one) - (3)
- i. Why is the image of the 'merry children' brought in by the poet?
- ii. What are the things of beauty mentioned in the poem 'A Thing of Beauty'?
Q.15 Answer the following question in about 75 words (any one) - (3)
- i. How did the students of the University of California get rid of the fear of water?
- ii. How did Dr. Sadao save the life of the American soldier?
Comments
Post a Comment