The ICSE Class 10 English Literature Specimen Paper 2026-27 is an important resource for students preparing for the CISCE Class 10 Board Examination 2027. The specimen paper familiarises candidates with the question-paper structure, marks distribution, compulsory questions and internal choices in English Paper 2.
English Literature is assessed separately from English Language. The paper tests student's understanding and interpretation of the prescribed drama, short stories and poems. The 2027 specimen paper also includes an answer key, which students can use to review their responses and understand the expected approach to answering literature-based questions.
ICSE Class 10 English Literature Specimen Paper 2027: Overview
Students can check the important details of the ICSE English Literature specimen paper below.
Related Stories
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Particulars
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Details
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Board
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Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE)
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Examination
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ICSE Class 10
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Subject
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Literature in English
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Paper
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English Paper 2
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Academic Session
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2026-27
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Examination Year
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2027
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Theory Examination
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80 marks
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Internal Assessment
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20 marks
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Total Marks
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100
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Theory Paper Duration
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2 hours
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Reading Time
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15 minutes
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Question Paper Sections
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4
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Official Website
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cisce.org
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ICSE Class 10 English Literature Specimen Paper 2026-27, Download PDF
QUESTIONS |
MARKS |
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Question 1
Choose the correct answers to the questions from the given options.
(Do not copy the question, write the correct answers only.)
(i) What does Antony describe as, ‘thou bleeding piece of earth,’?
(a) Caesar’s robe that was stained with his blood
(b) The blood-soaked spot on which Caesar lies
(c) The bloodied pedestal on which Caesar fell
(d) Caesar’s lifeless body covered in blood [Understanding]
(ii) When Brutus says, ‘ambition’s debt is paid’, he means that:
(a) Caesar’s greed for power and position had resulted in his death.
(b) Caesar had left seventy-five drachmas for every citizen of Rome.
(c) Mark Antony would be permitted to speak at Caesar’s funeral.
(d) the conspirators would be punished for assassinating Caesar. [Understanding]
(iii) Brutus scolds Cassius for taking bribes and soon after complains that Cassius has not given him money. This shows that Brutus is __________.
(a) hypocritical
(b) jealous
(c) miserly
(d) vengeful [Understanding]
(iv) When Antony says, ‘He must be taught, and train’d, and bid go forth: A barren-spirited fellow;’ he refers to __________.
(a) Octavius
(b) Lucilius
(c) Lucius
(d) Lepidus
(v) Which words best describe the death of Cinna the poet?
(a) tragic and unnecessary
(b) jealous and selfish
(c) accidental and unintentional
(d) justified and essential [Analysis]
(vi) Which of the following words best describes Cassius’s state of mind when he says:
‘Come, Antony, and young Octavius, come, Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius,’
(a) anxious
(b) regretful
(c) fearful
(d) frustrated [Analysis]
(vii) In the poem, ‘Haunted Houses’, what does the speaker see at his fireside that the stranger cannot?
(a) The speaker only sees what is physically present.
(b) The stranger can see the spirits while the speaker cannot.
(c) The speaker sees both the present and the past.
(d) The stranger sees both the present and the future. [Understanding]
(viii) In the poem, ‘The Glove and the Lions’, which words best describe the lady’s action?
1. scornful
2. provocative
3. challenging
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) 1, 2 and 3
(ix) Select the option that shows the correct relationship between
Statements I and II from Maya Angelou’s poem, ‘When Great Trees Fall’:
Statement I: When great trees fall, the world is left permanently unstable.
Statement II: In the poem, the natural world is depicted as reacting with fear and uncertainty when great trees fall.
(a) Both the statements are true.
(b) Both the statements are false.
(c) Statement I is true, but statement II is false.
(d) Statement I is false, but statement II is true.
(x) The poem, ‘A Considerable Speck’, expresses Frost’s ___________.
(a) love for the little organism
(b) respect for intelligent life
(c) indifference to the tiny creature
(d) anger at the mite’s escape
(xi) Which of the given options contains the figure of speech that appears in the following line from the poem, ‘The Power of Music’?
‘And in the sky the feathered fly turn turtle while
They’re winging,’
(a) ‘You’re one month on in the middle of May’
(b) ‘Rainbow-tinted circles of light’
(c) ‘I wander’d lonely as a cloud’
(d) ‘I babble on the pebbles.’
(xii) In the short story, ‘With the Photographer’, the narrator asks the photographer, ‘Is it me?’ because he ___________.
(a) is delighted with the photographer’s skill
(b) looks very handsome in the photograph
(c) is unable to recognise his own face
(d) is ashamed of how he looks in the picture [Understanding]
(xiii) Choose the option that lists the sequence of events from Alphonse Daudet’s short story, ‘The Last Lesson’:
1. Embarrassed and frightened, he entered his class expecting to be scolded.
2. On reaching his school, he found that it was unexpectedly quiet.
3. Instead, M. Hamel smiled at him and told him to go to his place.
4. Franz ran past the town hall and the crowd in front of the bulletin board on his way to school.
(a) 2, 1, 3, 4
(b) 1, 3, 4, 2
(c) 3, 1, 4, 2
(d) 4, 2, 1, 3 [Understanding]
(xiv) Which aspect of our world today makes it most similar to Leonard Mead’s world in ‘The Pedestrian’?
(a) isolation and alienation
(b) low crime rate
(c) no night traffic
(d) Utopian society
(xv) At the end of the story, ‘The Girl Who Can’, Adjoa thinks,
‘But that’s how I was feeling and thinking all along’
This suggests that Adjoa had known that ____________.
(a) she would win the cup for best all-round junior athlete
(b) Nana had always been right about her legs
(c) her legs were useful for more than child-bearing
(d) Maami was right about the importance of education
(xvi) In the short story, ‘The Elevator’, which of the following does Martin’s father NOT do when Martin expresses his fear of the elevator?
(a) He dismisses Martin’s concerns.
(b) He encourages Martin to use the stairs.
(c) He tells Martin to grow up and be brave.
(d) He watches TV and ignores Martin’s fear.
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[16]
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SECTION B (Answer one or more questions from this Section.)DRAMA (Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare)Question 2
Read the extract from ‘Julius Caesar’ Act 3, Scene 2, given below, and answer
the questions that follow:
Antony: Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them,
The good is oft interred with their bones;
So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus
Hath told you Caesar was ambitious;
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Caesar answer’d it.
Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest–
For Brutus is an honourable man;
So are they all, all honourable men–
Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral.
(i) What does Antony say he is there for?
What does he say he is not there for?
What does this tell you about him?
(ii) Mention any two of the conditions that Brutus had laid down before allowing Antony to speak to the citizens of Rome. Why do you think he laid down these conditions?
(iii) List any two arguments that Antony uses immediately after he speaks these lines to prove conclusively that Julius Caesar was not ambitious. What impact do his words have on the listening Romans?
(iv) Which one argument of Antony’s do you think had the greatest impact on his listeners? Give reasons to support your answer.
(v) Explain the following lines:
‘The evil that men do lives after them,
The good is oft interred with their bones;’
How can these lines be applied to Brutus and Caesar?
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Question 3
Read the extract from ‘Julius Caesar’ Act 5, Scene 1, given below, and answer
the questions that follow:
Cassius: Then, if we lose this battle,
You are contented to be led in triumph
Through the streets of Rome?
Brutus: No, Cassius, no: think not, thou noble Roman, That ever Brutus will go bound to Rome;
He bears too great a mind. But this same day
Must end that work the ides of March begun;
And whether we shall meet again I know not.
Therefore our everlasting farewell take:
Forever, and forever, farewell, Cassius.
If we do meet again, why, we shall smile;
If not, why then, this parting was well made.
(i) Why does Brutus say, ‘No, Cassius, no’? What conditions may force Brutus to go bound to Rome? Brutus says, ‘And whether we shall meet again I know not.’ What do these words imply?
(ii) Explain the following lines in your own words:
‘Therefore our everlasting farewell take:
Forever, and forever, farewell, Cassius.’
How do these words hint at the manner of Cassius and Brutus’ death?
(iii) How does Brutus die?
How does his manner of dying contradict the philosophy by which he had lived his life?
(iv) At the end of the play, Antony calls Brutus, ‘the noblest Roman of them all’. Why does he say this? What does this reveal of Antony’s character?
(v) What strange occurrence had Cassius observed when his army was marching from Sardis to Philippi? What impact did he admit the experience have on him?
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To download complete Question Paper PDF along with marking scheme for ICSE Class 10 English Literature Specimen Paper 2027 for board exams. Students can tap on the link below and get the PDF for free to download and start their preparation in advance to score good grades in 2027 board exams.
DOWNLOAD: ICSE Class 10 English Literature Specimen Paper 2027 PDF
ICSE Class 10 English Literature Paper Pattern 2027
The English Literature theory paper carries 80 marks and is conducted for two hours. Students receive an additional 15 minutes for reading the question paper before writing their answers.
The paper has four sections. Section A is compulsory, while Sections B, C and D cover Drama, Short Stories and Poetry, respectively.
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Section
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Subject Area
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Question Structure
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Marks
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Section A
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Objective-type questions
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All questions compulsory
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16
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Section B
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Drama - Julius Caesar
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Attempt one question
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16
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Section C
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Short Stories - Treasure Chest
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Attempt one question
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16
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Section D
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Poetry - Treasure Chest
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Attempt one question
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16
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Additional Question
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From Section B, C or D
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Attempt one additional question
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16
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Total
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80
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Candidates must answer all questions in Section A, attempt one question each from Sections B, C and D, and select one additional question from any of these three sections.
Also Read l ICSE Class 10 Exam Pattern 2026-27, All Subjects
Preparation Tips for ICSE Class 10 English Literature Board Exam 2027
Students should prepare all three literary components thoroughly instead of concentrating only on frequently asked questions. The following tips can help candidates improve their understanding and answer-writing skills.
- Read the prescribed texts: Read all the short stories, poems and prescribed acts of Julius Caesar carefully.
- Understand character development: Revise the roles, motivations and relationships of important characters.
- Practise extract-based questions: Identify the speaker, context, meaning and significance of important extracts.
- Revise literary devices: Learn poetic devices, imagery, symbolism, tone and other literary techniques used in the prescribed poems.
- Prepare themes and central ideas: Understand the major themes and messages of each story, poem and drama.
- Practise analytical answers: Support interpretations with relevant references to the prescribed texts rather than writing general descriptions.
- Solve the specimen paper: Attempt the complete paper within the allotted time and evaluate your answers using the marking scheme.
Also Check: ICSE Class 10 English Syllabus 2026-27