| target | 495+/500 |
| author | Senior Sibling |
| name | english |
| description | CBSE Grade 12 English Language and Literature — First Flight, Footprints Without Feet, Grammar, and Writing Skills. Activate for English concepts, literature analysis, and board exam prep. |
English Language and Literature — CBSE Grade 12
Syllabus Coverage (2026–27)
| Section | Content | Marks |
|---|
| A | Reading Skills (Unseen Passages) | 20 |
| B | Writing Skills & Grammar | 20 |
| C | Language through Literature | 40 |
| Theory Total | 80 |
| Internal Assessment | 20 |
| Grand Total | 100 |
Question Paper Design
| Section | Content | Marks | Questions |
|---|
| A | 2 Unseen passages (factual + discursive) | 20 | MCQs + Short answer |
| B | Grammar (10M) + Writing (10M) | 20 | Gap fill, editing, transformation + Letter, Paragraph |
| C | Extract (10M) + SA (18M) + LA (12M) | 40 | From First Flight + Footprints |
| Total | | 80 | |
Section A: Reading Skills (20 Marks)
Passage 1 — Factual/Informational (10 Marks)
- ~400-450 words, factual content
- MCQ-based questions testing comprehension, vocabulary, inference
- Tips: Read passage twice. Underline key phrases. Answer in passage's language.
Passage 2 — Case-based/Discursive (10 Marks)
- ~350-400 words, may include data/table/chart
- MCQ and short answer questions
- Tips: For data questions, read ALL options before choosing. Look for tricky wording.
Strategy for 20/20 in Reading
- Read the questions FIRST, then the passage
- Answer in complete sentences (not fragments)
- Don't add your own knowledge — answer from the passage only
- For vocabulary questions, use context clues from surrounding sentences
- Time allocation: 30-35 minutes maximum
Section B: Writing Skills & Grammar (20 Marks)
Grammar (10 Marks)
Topics covered:
- Tenses — Past, Present, Future (Simple, Continuous, Perfect)
- Modals — can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must, need
- Subject-Verb Concord — singular/plural agreement
- Determiners — a, an, the, some, any, each, every, few, little
- Reported Speech — direct to indirect and vice versa
- Active-Passive Voice — transformation
Reported Speech Rules
TENSE CHANGES (Direct → Indirect):
Simple Present → Simple Past
Present Continuous → Past Continuous
Present Perfect → Past Perfect
Simple Past → Past Perfect
Will → Would
Can → Could
May → Might
PRONOUN CHANGES:
I → he/she
We → they
My → his/her
You → he/she/they (context dependent)
TIME/PLACE CHANGES:
Today → that day
Tomorrow → the next day
Yesterday → the previous day
Here → there
This → that
Now → then
Ago → before
REPORTING VERBS:
Said → told (when "to" + person)
"Will you..." → asked if/whether
"Please..." → requested
"Don't..." → ordered/forbade
Writing (10 Marks)
Formal Letter (5 Marks) — 100-120 words
FORMAT:
Sender's Address
Date
Receiver's Designation
Receiver's Address
Subject: ___
Sir/Madam,
Body (3 paragraphs: introduction, details, conclusion)
Yours faithfully/sincerely,
(Name)
Types: Complaint, Request, Application, Enquiry, Suggestion
Analytical Paragraph (5 Marks) — 100-120 words
Based on: Chart / Graph / Map / Data / Cue
FORMAT:
Topic sentence → Data analysis (trends, comparisons) → Conclusion
Must include: specific numbers, percentages, comparisons
Transition words: however, moreover, in contrast, on the other hand
Section C: Literature (40 Marks)
FIRST FLIGHT — Prose
1. A Letter to God — G.L. Fuentes
- Theme: Unshakeable faith, irony
- Key points: Lencho writes to God for 100 pesos; post office employees collect 70 pesos; Lencho calls them "bunch of crooks"
- Irony: The very people who helped him are called crooks
- Message: Blind faith can make one ungrateful
2. Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom — Nelson Mandela
- Theme: Apartheid, freedom, equality, courage
- Key points: May 10, 1994 — inauguration; rainbow nation; true freedom = freedom of all; courage is not absence of fear but triumph over it
- Quotes: "No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin"
3. Two Stories about Flying
i. His First Flight — Liam O'Flaherty
- Theme: Overcoming fear, courage
- Key points: Young seagull afraid to fly; hunger forces him; mother holds fish to motivate; he finally flies
- Message: Fear is the only barrier; one must take the first step
ii. Black Aeroplane — Frederick Forsyth
- Theme: Mystery, unknown help
- Key points: Pilot flying through storm clouds; mysterious black aeroplane guides him; no record at control tower
- Message: Some help comes from unknown sources
4. From the Diary of Anne Frank — Anne Frank
- Theme: Adolescence, loneliness, diary as confidant
- Key points: Anne names diary "Kitty"; feels no real friend; records life in hiding during WWII
- Character: Sensitive, observant, witty, yearning for normalcy
5. Glimpses of India
i. A Baker from Goa — Lucio Rodrigues (Goan traditions, importance of bakers)
ii. Coorg — Lokesh Abrol (beautiful landscape, brave Kodavus, martial traditions)
iii. Tea from Assam — Arup Kumar Datta (Assam tea gardens, legends of tea)
6. Mijbil the Otter — Gavin Maxwell
- Theme: Human-animal bond
- Key points: Maxwell gets otter from marshes of Iraq; names him Mij; otter's playful nature; challenges of traveling with an otter
7. Madam Rides the Bus — Valliammai Subramanian
- Theme: Curiosity, adventure, maturity of a child
- Key points: 8-year-old Valli saves money for bus ride; observes life and death (dead cow); returns wiser
8. The Sermon at Benares — Betty Renshaw
- Theme: Death, suffering, acceptance
- Key points: Kisa Gotami's dead son; Buddha tells her to find mustard seed from house where no one has died; she understands death is universal
- Message: Death is inevitable; grief should not cloud wisdom
9. The Proposal (Play) — Anton Chekhov
- Theme: Satire on marriage negotiations, petty disputes
- Key points: Lomov comes to propose to Natalya; they argue about Oxen Meadows and dogs; Chubukov (father) tries to mediate; proposal happens despite fighting
FIRST FLIGHT — Poetry
| Poem | Poet | Theme | Key Lines |
|---|
| Dust of Snow | Robert Frost | Nature's ability to change mood | "Has given my heart / A change of mood" |
| Fire and Ice | Robert Frost | World's end — desire (fire) vs hatred (ice) | "Some say the world will end in fire / Some say in ice" |
| A Tiger in the Zoo | Leslie Norris | Captivity vs freedom | "He stalks in his vivid stripes / The few steps of his cage" |
| How to Tell Wild Animals | Carolyn Wells | Humorous descriptions of wild animals | "If he roars at you as you're dyin' / You'll know it is the Asian Lion" |
| The Ball Poem | John Berryman | Loss, growing up, accepting loss | "What is the boy now, who has lost his ball" |
| Amanda! | Robin Klein | Parental nagging vs child's imagination | "Don't bite your nails, Amanda! / Don't hunch your shoulders, Amanda!" |
| The Trees | Adrienne Rich | Nature reclaiming freedom | "The trees inside are moving out into the forest" |
| Fog | Carl Sandburg | Nature metaphor (fog = cat) | "The fog comes / on little cat feet" |
| The Tale of Custard the Dragon | Ogden Nash | Appearance vs reality, true courage | "Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth / And spikes on top of him and scales beneath" |
| For Anne Gregory | W.B. Yeats | Inner beauty vs outer beauty | "Only God, my dear, / Could love you for yourself alone / And not your yellow hair" |
FOOTPRINTS WITHOUT FEET — Supplementary Reader
| Chapter | Author | Theme | Key Point for Exam |
|---|
| A Triumph of Surgery | James Herriot | Overindulgence, animal care | Tricki (dog) overfed; recovers with exercise at vet's |
| The Thief's Story | Ruskin Bond | Trust transforms people | Hari (thief) can't steal from Anil due to trust |
| The Midnight Visitor | Robert Arthur | Intelligence vs appearance | Ausable outwits Max using imaginary balcony |
| A Question of Trust | Victor Canning | Irony, deception | Two thieves unknowingly steal from each other |
| Footprints without Feet | H.G. Wells | Biology without conscience | Griffin (invisible man) becomes lawless |
| The Making of a Scientist | Robert W. Peterson | Curiosity, scientific temperament | Richard Ebright starts with butterfly collection → scientist |
| The Necklace | Guy de Maupassant | Vanity, irony, honesty | Matilda borrows necklace, loses it, works 10 years to replace; it was fake |
| Bholi | K.A. Abbas | Education empowers women | Bholi — stammering girl gains confidence through education |
| The Book that Saved the Earth | Claire Boiko | Humorous, importance of books | Martians misread nursery rhyme book, give up invasion |
High-Yield Topics (495+ Strategy)
- Literature extracts — Practice identifying passages from ALL chapters
- Formal Letter — Master the format perfectly (marks deducted for wrong format)
- Reported Speech — Most common grammar question (3-4M)
- Poetry analysis — Know themes and key lines by heart
- Footprints stories — Short answer from these = easy marks
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Wrong letter format — date, address, subject are SCORED separately
- Not quoting from the text in literature answers
- Writing opinions when asked for factual comprehension
- Exceeding word limit (100-120 means stop at 120)
- Not using "transition words" in analytical paragraph
- Mixing up stories from Footprints (they're similar in length)
Answer Writing Framework for English
Literature SA (3 Marks):
- State the context (which chapter, who said this)
- Explain the point (what it means)
- Quote from text (shows you've read it)
- Connect to theme
Literature LA (6 Marks):
- Introduction: mention character/chapter/theme
- Body (3-4 points): use textual evidence, explain with examples
- Conclusion: tie back to theme/message
- Use paragraphs, not bullet points
Extract-Based (5 Marks):
- Identify the chapter and speaker immediately
- Answer MCQs by elimination
- For "word meaning" questions: check context in the extract itself
Internal Assessment (20 Marks)
| Component | Marks | Tips |
|---|
| Periodic Tests (best 2 of 3) | 10 | Focus on grammar + literature |
| Notebook | 5 | Complete all exercises neatly |
| Subject Enrichment | 5 | ASL (Assessment of Speaking & Listening) — practice speaking clearly |
Reference Books
- NCERT (First Flight + Footprints Without Feet) — Read every story/poem at least 3 times
- Oswaal — Sample papers for exam pattern
- High School English Grammar by Wren & Martin — Grammar reference
- KV Papers / Navodaya Papers — Practice reading comprehension
