English is an important part of the CBSE Class 12 curriculum. You must study all the parts of the syllabus well if you want to score a good percentage in your exams overall. Term 2 exams are near, so let us discuss the syllabus with weightage and the important topics for the exam. Make sure to go through the comprehensive guide regarding the CBSE class 12 Term 2 English Exam given below!
CBSE Class 12 English Paper Pattern
- Students need to prepare both objective and subjective types of questions for Term 2
- The duration of the exam is 2 hours
- Term 2 Board paper will have new questions to assess critical thinking and conceptual clarity (competency-based education)
CBSE Class 12 English Syllabus Chapter-wise weightage for Term 2 Exam 2022
Sections | Weightage (in marks) |
Reading Comprehension:
(Two passages)
|
14 (8+6) marks |
Creative writing skills:
Formal, informal invitation cards or reply to invitation/s
Letter of application for a job Report writing
|
8 (3+5) marks |
Literature:
Questions based on extracts/text to assess comprehension and appreciation, analysis, inference, extrapolation Book- Flamingo (Prose):
Book- Flamingo (Poetry):
Book- Vistas (Prose):
|
11 marks for Flamingo + 7 marks for Vistas = 18 marks |
Total marks = 40
ASL = 10 marks
Grand total = 40 + 10 = 50 marks
CBSE Class 12 English Important Topics to prepare
Based on the analysis of previous years’ papers, here are some important topics you need to focus on:
- The Rattrap: You should know what made the peddler finally change his ways. It is also important for you to know why the peddler was amused at the idea of the world being a rattrap.
- The Indigo: Learn about how Gandhiji was treated at Rajendra Prasad’s house. You should know you took Gandhiji there and know where it was located. You must know how the Champaran incident was a turning point in Gandhi’s life and what was the aim of Gandhiji’s visit to Champaran?
- A Thing of Beauty: You should know the poem’s central idea.
- Aunt Jennifer’s tigers: Study why Aunt Jennifer chose to embroider tigers on the panel.
- Should Wizard hit Mommy: Comment on the ending of the story type question can be asked from this topic.
- On the Face of it: The lesson, “On The Face of it”, is an apt depiction of the loneliness and sense of alienation experienced by people on account of a disability. Explain.
- Evan tries an O-level: Learn about what impression you form of Evans the Break? Attempt a brief character sketch of James Roderick Evans.
- For invitations and replies, prepare both formal and informal invitations.
- For letter writing, you will be asked to write an application for a job with biodata
- For report writing: Report writing means that an event has happened and you have to make a report on it, e.g. a road accident.
Also See: CBSE Class 12 Term 2 Exam Answer Key | CBSE Class 12 Syllabus
Short notes for CBSE Class 12 English
The Rattrap:
- You should know about what made the peddler finally change his ways. Edla’s kind treatment. touched the peddler. She treated him like a Captain despite knowing his true identity. This awakened the latent goodness of his heart because he wanted to show Edla he was worthy of the honour she had given him. So he finally changed his ways. The world had never been kind to the peddler. So it gave him an unwanted joy to think of the world with its land and seas, cities and villages as nothing but a big rattrap that sets baits for people in the form of riches, joys, and other necessities, and as soon as one gets tempted, it closes in on him.
Indigo:
- In Patna, Rajkumar Shukla led Gandhi to the house of a lawyer, Rajendra Prasad. He was out of town, but his servants knew Shukla as a poor peasant who pestered Rajendra Prasad (their master) to help the indigo sharecroppers. So he was allowed to stay there with his companion. But Gandhiji was not permitted to draw water from the well lest he is untouchable, and some drops of water from his bucket polluted the entire source. Gandhiji came to Champaran to fight against the injustice of the landlord system there. Most of the land in Champaran was divided into large estates owned by Englishmen who hired Indian tenants to grow indigo there. The Indian peasants were sharecroppers and had to surrender 15% of the indigo harvest as rent to the British. After synthetic indigo was developed, the Englishmen obtained new agreements from sharecroppers to pay compensation. Many refused to sign the agreement, and others wanted their money back. Gandhiji arrived in Champaran, intending to free the peasants from fear. He collected all the facts and met the commissioner, who tried to bully him and advised him to leave the place. Gandhiji did not leave. In securing justice for the oppressed farmers of Champaran, Gandhiji had to clash with the British authorities several times before he could persuade them to agree to his viewpoint.
A Thing of Beauty:
- In this poem, the poet says that a thing of beauty is a joy forever. He compares the thing of beauty with a bower, where we can enjoy sweet sleep. Then the poet mentions many things of beauty. He says that there is so much grief and sadness on this earth that we can sustain in our life only because of the things of beauty. He compares the things of beauty with “an endless fountain of immortal drink pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink”. In this way, the poet underlines the fact that we should preserve and take care of the things of beauty. They are a joy not only for ourselves but also for our coming generations.
Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers:
- Aunt Jennifer chose to embroider tigers on the panel because of the nature of tigers. They symbolize strength and splendour, which was in sharp contrast to her meek nature. The massive weight of the wedding ring that sits heavily on her finger symbolizes the ordeals and hardships of her married life, so she creates tigers as they are a striking contrast to the frail, meek old lady who created them.
Should the Wizard hit Mommy?
- Joanne, who believes the fictional characters to be real, wants her papa to tell the story that the wizard hit the stupid mommy. Instead of having a nap, she kicks her legs and sits down on the bed. Jack advises her to have a rest. He found that his wife, Clare, had spread the newspapers and opened the paint can when he went downstairs. She was wearing an old shirt on top of her maternity smock. She was stroking the chair rail with a dipped brush. He heard footsteps moving overhead and scolded Joanne. The story does not end with the wizard being hit by the mother. Joanne, who believes the fictional characters to be real, wants her papa to tell the story that the wizard hit the stupid mommy. Instead of having a nap, she kicks her legs and sits down on the bed. Jack advises her to have a rest.
On the Face of it
- The lesson “On The Face of it” aptly depicts the loneliness and sense of alienation experienced by Derry and Mr. Lamb on account of a disability. The actual pain and inconvenience caused by the disabilities are often much less than the sense of alienation felt by the disabled person. Derry suffered from severe negative complexes because of his burnt face. He became a pessimistic loner who indulged in self-pity and was always suspicious of the intention of others. His anger and frustration made him an introvert. Mr. Lamb, on the other hand, was inwardly a loner who craved company and acceptance. Though he was always jovial, outgoing, and optimistic outwardly, he was an extremely sensitive person. Derry and Mr. Lamb’s physical disabilities caused pain and suffering not only to their bodies but also to their minds and souls.
Evan tries an O-level
- Evans the Break was a jail-bird as he was known among the police officers. He was a congenital kleptomaniac, but he was non-violent. He was quite a pleasant person- an amusing chap, a star at the Christmas concert.
- Evans had long wavy hair. When we meet him for the first time, his face is unshaven, and he wears a filthy-looking red and white bobble hat on his head. He had tucked a grubby string vest into equally grubby trousers. He smiled cheerfully at the prison officers. Evans is smart, cunning and resourceful. He requests Mr. Jackson to allow him to put on his bobble hat.
For invitations and replies, prepare both formal and informal invitations. An invitation is always written in a box that covers the whole page. Points you have to mention in the invitation:
- Why are you writing this invitation- what is the event, where is the event, when are the event, and any additional important information
- Learn the format well
For letter writing, you can be asked to write an application for a job with biodata.
- Start with the format with the sender’s address and date. Then the receiver’s address, subject, salutation. Then write the body of the letter.
- First paragraph: The first paragraph should mention the purpose of writing the application and the post you have applied for.
- Second paragraph: The second paragraph should mention your qualifications, qualities, experience and skills.
- Last paragraph: In the last paragraph, mention that you have attached your biodata and are waiting for their response.
- Close with yours sincerely and name.
- Attach a biodata and learn the format for it.
For report writing: Report writing means that an event has happened and you have to make a report on it, e.g. a road accident.
Format:
- Headline ( Blood Donation Camp in New Delhi)
- Byline ( By XYZ, Designation)
- Paragraph 1: Date and place, Occasion
- Paragraph 2: Series of events that took place, motive, activities/events that happened
- Paragraph 3: Conclusion, Environment created, impact on society, remarks.
CBSE Class 12 English Important Questions
- Why does a thing of beauty never pass into nothingness?
- According to Keats, what moved away from the pain and suffering of human life?
- Why is Rajkumar Shukla described as being “resolute”
- What doubts did Edla have about the peddler?
- Where did the peddler get the idea of the world being a rattrap?
- Why did the peddler decline the invitation?
- List the places Gandhi visited between his first meeting with Shukla and his arrival at Champaran.
- How was Gandhi able to influence lawyers?
- What made the peddler finally change his ways?
- Write a summary of Keats poem “A thing of beauty”.
Preparation Books for CBSE Class 12 English Term 2 Exam 2022
CBSE English Class 12 Syllabus mainly includes three books
- Flamingo textbook
- Vistas textbook
- Kaleidoscope
Studying these books is enough to prepare for the Term 2 Exam. But for grammar, you should consult other books to grasp the concepts.
Also See: CBSE Class 12 English Preparation
CBSE Class 12 English Previous years’ question papers
- You must solve the previous years’ question papers if you want to secure good marks in the exam
- Studying previous years’ question papers makes you realise how you study for the exam
- Practising is the only way to solve unseen passage-based questions in the exam confidently
- You can find the previous years’ question papers on the CBSE official website. You can download those from there for free
Key takeaways
- Solve previous years’ question papers
- Study the NCERT solutions for Class 12 English patiently
- You must know the formats for the writing part by heart
- Revise important topics multiple times
- Read the literature part carefully and understand the nature of different characters so that you can solve the character sketch based questions