ISC 12th English Paper 2 Answer Key 2026:Â The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) is conducting the English Paper 2 (Literature) Exam 2026 today, February 16, 2025, from 2 PM to 5 PM. The ISC Class 12 English Paper 2 examination follows a structured 100-mark format, split between a theory paper and an internal project work. The theory paper is worth 80 marks. Students appearing for the ISC Class 12 English Paper 2 Exam 2026 can check the ISC 12th English Paper 2 Answer Key 2026 available here with detailed exam analysis.
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ISC 12th English Paper 2 Answer Key 2026
Students can access the ISC Class 12 English Literature Unofficial Answer Key 2026 from the table below.
| Â | ISC 2026 12th English Paper 2 Questions | ISC 2026 12th English Paper 2 Answer Key |
Q1 |
 (i): what advice does Malcom... | to change his grief into anger |
| (ii) According to Lennox in Act IIIÂ | Macduff does not attend the banquet hosted by Macbeth. | |
| (iii) "He cannot buckle his distemper'd cause Within the belt of rule." | he cannot control his disorderly government even by force. | |
| (iv): In Act V Scene i of the play, Macbeth, what does the Doctor tell the Gentlewoman to ensure about Lady Macbeth? | Only P and S | |
| (v): Read the two statements from the short story, There Will Come Soft.... | Statement 1 is the reason for statement 2 | |
| (vi): In the short story Indigo, what is Aniruddha's reaction to the untimely visit by Uncle Mohit? |
He treats Uncle Mohit with courtesy. | |
| (vii): Which one of the following BEST explains the reason for the efforts made by Grandpa to impress Martin's friends in the short story, The Medicine Bag? | He does not want to embarrass Martin. | |
| (viii): What is the tone of the poet in the phrase 'raven black' in the poem, Telephone Conversation? | Satirical and impolite | |
| (ix): Which of the following companions of Death are mentioned in the poem... | poison, war, and sickness | |
| (x): Which one of the following characteristics of the 'river' differentiates it from 'small towns' in the poem, Small Towns and the River? |
Its ever flowing nature | |
| Q2 |
(i) In Act III Scene iv of the play, Macbeth, Macbeth says "The table's full" |
he hallucinates the ghost of the murdered Banquo sitting in his designated seat, leaving no room for him to sit. |
| (ii) In Act IV Scene iii of the play, Macbeth, Malcolm tells Macduff that he has none of the "king becoming graces" because |
to test Macduff’s loyalty. | |
| (iii) In Act V Scene v of the play, Macbeth, Macbeth is upset at the advancement of English troops because |
a messenger reports that Birnam Wood appears to be moving toward Dunsinane, fulfilling the witches' prophecy | |
| (iv) In Act V Scene vii of the play, Macbeth, Macbeth does not want to fight Young Siward because |
Macbeth is quite eager to fight him because he is still feeling overconfident due to the witches' prophecy. | |
| (v) In the short story, Atithi, Annapurna assumed that Tarapada's mother did not love him because |
he had run away from home at a young age (seven or eight) to live a nomadic life | |
| (vi)Â In the short story, The Medicine Bag, Grandpa hid money in his boots because |
he had saved it over a long period for his funeral expenses and to ensure he would not be a burden on Martin's family. | |
| (vii)Â In the short story, The Cookie Lady, Bubber felt exhausted on his way back home after his meetings with Mrs. Drew because |
the elderly Mrs. Drew is a supernatural predator who drains his youthful life force and energy to rejuvenate herself | |
| (viii) In the poem, Small Towns and the River, the poet says that 'The dead are placed pointing west' because | it symbolizes the setting sun, representing the end of life and the physical journey's conclusion. | |
| (ix) In the poem, Tithonus, Tithonus says one should not disobey the laws of nature because | it forces a person to live outside the natural cycle of life and death, turning an eternal life into a miserable, unending curse of decay. | |
| (x)Â In the poem, Telephone Conversation, the speaker describes the landlady as 'Lipstick coated, long gold-rolled / Cigarette-holder pipped' because | to highlight her haughty, artificial, and aristocratic demeanor, symbolizing her perceived upper-class status. |
Candidates who have appeared for the Paper 1 exam can check ISC 2026 English Paper 1 Answer Key Unofficial (OUT): Question Paper Analysis Available
ISC 12th English Paper 2 (Literature) Question Paper Analysis 2026
Students can check the detailed ISC Class 12 English Paper 2 Question Paper Analysis 2026 from the table below.
| Particulars | English Paper 2 Exam Analysis 2026 |
| Overall Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Section A Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Section B Difficulty Level | Noderate |
| Was The Paper Lengthy? | Yes |
Students who have appeared for the JEE Main 2026 January Session must check the dropped question list here at JEE Main 2026 Toppers Session 1 LIVE Updates: Result Download Link.
Live Updates
The ISC 12th English Paper 2 Exam has been concluded now at 5 PM.
The 3-hour exam covers Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the Prism short story collection, and Rhapsody poetry.
Section A (20 Marks): Compulsory, objective-type questions testing fundamental knowledge across all texts.
Section B (60 Marks): Long-form, analytical questions focusing on Macbeth (Acts III-V), selected Prism stories (Atithi, The Cookie Lady, etc.), and Rhapsody poems (Telephone Conversation, Tithonus, etc.).
| Features |
Details |
|---|---|
| Total Marks | 100 (Theory: 80 + Project: 20) |
| Duration | 3 Hours (excluding 15 mins reading time) |
| Passing Marks | 35% aggregate |
Section B requires long-form, descriptive answers. Students must answer questions from all three prescribed areas of the syllabus:
- Drama: Macbeth by William Shakespeare (specifically Acts III, IV, and V).
- Prose (Short Stories): Five stories from the Prism collection: Atithi,
The Cookie Lady, There Will Come Soft Rains, Indigo, and The Medicine Bag.
- Poetry: Five poems from the Rhapsody collection: Telephone Conversation, Tithonus, Beethoven,Small Towns and the River, and Death Be Not Proud.
- Topics: Students can choose from character analysis, comparing two stories/poems, or writing an alternate ending.
- Evaluation: The project is assessed both internally by the school teacher and externally by a visiting examiner.
- Section A (20 Marks): This section typically consists of compulsory short-answer questions or multiple-choice questions (MCQs) to test fundamental recall and understanding of the prescribed texts.
- Section B (60 Marks): This section requires long-form, descriptive answers.
The ISC 12th English Paper 2 2026 Exam will be held from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM.