UP Board 12th English Model Paper 2026-27: Download Class 12 English Sample Paper PDF Here!

Reading

Q-1. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow

Of all the memories from my schooldays, one regret stands out sharply: I did notask enough questions. Like most of my classmates, I listened quietly, scribbled notes,and accepted whatever was taught as settled truth. We were obedient learners, notcurious ones. At the time, silence felt like discipline. With hindsight, it was a missedopportunity. This realisation returned to me recently at a seminar on the India-Pakistan warof 1947-48 - the first major military operation fought by the Indian Army afterIndependence. I had prepared thoroughly, revisiting books and archival accounts. Iwas looking forward to the interactive session mentioned in the programme - a rareopportunity to engage eminent panelists and seek clarity.

The schedule clearly allotted 30 minutes for questions and answers. To mysurprise, it was quietly dropped. During the tea break, when I asked the organiserabout it, he casually replied that it was not really required; it had merely been includedin the printed programme as a formality.

That moment was disappointing, but it was also revealing. It underlined adeeper issue in our culture - we often undervalued inquiry. We speak, we lecture, wedeliver presentations. But we rarely encourage dialogue.

Questions are the lifeblood of progress. Without them, knowledge becomesstatic. With them it evolves.

(a)Why did the writer call students ‘obedient learners, not curious ones’? 3

(b)Why was the writer disappointed at the seminar? 3

(c) Elaborate the underlined portion. 3

(d)What seems to be the writer’s mood in the passage? 3

(e) (i) Which word in the passage means ‘afterthought’? 1

(ii) Which word in the passage is opposite to ‘notorious’? 1

(iii) Find a phrase from the passage that means ‘to feel excited about something’. 1

Writing

Q-2. Write an article on any one of the following topics in about 150 words- 10

a) Online Shopping- Necessity or Craze

b) Need for Career Counselling in Schools

c) My Childhood Fantasy

Q-3. You are Ruchi/Ravi, residing at 13, Park Avenue Colony, New Delhi. Writea letter to the editor of a national daily to show your concern towardsgrowing linguistic intolerance in the country. 10

Or

You are Shubha/Subrat of 17, Sarojini Nagar, Varanasi. Write a letter tothe Branch Manager of a bank in your vicinity to complain against thenon-functional passbook printing machine.

Grammar

Q-4. Choose the correct option to answer the following questions- 6x1=6

a- Which of the following sentences has a synonymfor ‘mitigate’?

i. Government schemes aim to alleviate poverty.

ii. You must elevate your life style.

iii. One mistake will eliminate you from the game.

iv. The rescue team will evacuate the site.

b- Which of the following are a pair of synonyms?

(1)bid – forbid

(2)acquire – require

(3) brittle – fragile

(4) calm – serene

i. only 1 and 2

ii. only 2 and 3

iii. only 3 and 4

iv. only 2 and 4

c- Which of the following sentences has an antonym for ‘callous’?

i. Don’t be so quarrelsome.

ii. He was very conscious during the interview.

iii. We need compassionate souls for a peaceful world.

iv. The new warden is a bit too harsh with inmates.

d- Which of the following are a pair of antonyms?

(1) praise – condemn

(2) variety – monotony

(3) curiosity – inquiry

(4) vanity – modesty

i. only 2 and 3

ii. only 1,2 and 3

iii. only 2,3 and 4

iv. only 1,2 and 4

e- Which is the following idioms means ‘to rebuke someone’?

i. to fall flat

ii. to take to task

iii. to turn a deaf ear

iv. to meet someone halfway

f- The phrase ‘stand by’ means –

i. to support

ii. to wait

iii. to face difficulty

iv. to hide

Q-5. Choose the correct option to answer the following questions- 4x1=4

a- A person is called ‘altruistic’ if he –

i. works for others’ welfare selflessly.

ii. always speaks truth

iii. is artistic in nature

iv. behaves well with others

b- A person who is fond of company is called –

i. boisterous

ii. graceful

iii. businessman

iv. gregarious

c- Which of the following sentences are correct?

(1) The iron will expand if you will heat it.

(2) I will stay if he asks me.

(3) Both you and I have been invited.

(4) I and you are good players.

i. only 1 and 3

ii. only 2 and 4

iii. only 2 and 3

iv. only 1 and 4

d- Which of the following sentences are incorrect?

(1) What is the time by your watch?

(2) Explain me the matter.

(3) Many a nation is against war.

(4) I am agree with you.

i. only 1 and 2

ii. only 2 and 4

iii. only 1 and 3

iv. only 2 and 3

Q-6. a) Change any one of the following into indirect speech

i) Joseph always says. “My daughter was my life.”

ii) The king said, “Farewell ! My countrymen.” 2

b) Combine any one of the following as directed

i) It was raining heavily. The school was closed (complex sentence)

ii) Take all. Take nothing. (compound sentence) 2

c) Transform any one of the following as directed

i) This is the scariest movie I have ever seen. (Comparative degree)

ii) It has rained everyday this week. (Negative sentence) 2

d) Correct any one of the following sentences.

i) He was enough kind to help me.

ii) The excess produce of wheat can be imported to other countries. 2

e) Use any one of the following pairs of words in your ownsentencestomake the difference in their meanings clear 2

i) clause–claws

ii) pain-pane

Literature

Q-8. Answer the following questions in about 40 words each 4+4=8

a) What is the city of Firozabad famous for? Mention any two hazards ofworking in the industry there.

Or       

Who were Sophie and Jansie? What family problems was Sophiefacing?

b) Why did the peddler sign himself as Captain Von Stahle? Or What is ironical about the name ‘Sahab-e-Alam?

Q-9. Answer any one of the following in about 80 words- 7

What is an interview? What was Umberto Eco’s perspective on interviews?Give some specific examples from the text to show if he liked being interviewed.

         OR

Who was Subbu and what did he do at the Gemini studios? What impressionof Kothamangalam Subbu do you form on the basis of the lesson ‘ Poets and Pancakes'?   

Q-10. Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions thatfollow - 3x2=6

It would be an exotic moment without rush, without engines,

We would all be together In a sudden strangeness.

Fishermen in the cold sea Would not harm whales

And the man gathering salt Would look at his hurt hands.

a) Why would it be an exotic and strange moment?

b) What is the poet trying to indicate by ‘without rush, without engines’?

c) How would keeping quiet be helpful for our environment?

Q-11. Write the central idea of any one of the following poems  4

a) A Thing of Beauty

b) The Road side Stand

c) Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers 

Q-12. Answer the following questions in about 40 words each- 4+4=8

a) What were the different names given to the Tiger King? What was theastrologer's prediction regarding his death?

           Or

Who started the ' Students on Ice' programme and what were its aims?

b) Describe Derry's feelings in your words, when he did not find Mr Lamb inthe end.

           Or

Suppose you are the prisoner of war in the story 'The Enemy'. Expressyour feelings about Sadao after the safe exit.

Q-13. Answer any one of the following questions in about 80 words

Who were Bama and Zitkala Sa and what kind of discrimination did theyface? Do you think Bama's brother was right in thinking that education canchange a person's life positively?

OR

Where was the third level situated? What unusual things were there? Isthere any intersection of time and space? Elucidate your answer.