CBSE Class 12 PCM English Board Paper 2026 — Set 1 Solutions

Read the following passage carefully :

(1) Jonathan Seagull discovered that boredom, fear and anger are the reasons a gull’s life is so short and with those gone from his thought, he lived a long, fine life indeed.

(2) They laughed at him. The other gulls scorned him. ‘Such nonsense’, they would squawk, as he practised flying, not for food but for the joy of flight itself. But Jonathan, undeterred, flew higher and faster than any gull before him. He learned that the secret to flight was not merely flapping wings, but in knowing the purpose of flying.

(3) ‘Break the chain of your thought’, he told himself, ‘And you break the chains of your body.’ In solitude, he mastered loops, dives and rolls. He flew at speeds that blurred the ocean below. The flock cast him out for defying tradition, he discovered that exile was not the end but a beginning. Alone, he found peace. Alone, he found the sky.

(4) One morning, soaring silently above the clouds, Jonathan was joined by two radiant gulls. Their wings shone with light and their presence was calm and sure. ‘We’ve been watching you’, they said. ‘You’re ready to come with us.’

‘Where ?’ Jonathan asked blinking in the sunlight.

‘To a higher level of being,’ they answered.

‘You have learned much but there is more – more to flying, more to being a gull.’

(5) He followed them into a realm where flight was pure thought and time had no meaning. There, gulls didn’t fight over scraps of bread or squawk at one another in fear. They flew to understand themselves to explore the limitless. There Jonathan met Chiang, the wisest gull, who told him : ‘The only true law is that which leads to freedom – there is no other.’

(6) Jonathan began to teach others what he had learned, sharing not just flight techniques but freedom of thought. ‘You can go as far as you wish,’ he would say. ‘Because you have the right to learn. You have the right to be free.’ No longer bound by rules, written in sand, Jonathan soared not just through the skies but through understanding. And as he flew, he knew that greatness is not measured in a wingspan but in the courage to break free. (365 words)

Source : Jonathan Livingstone Seagull by Richard Bach.

Answer the following questions, based on the above passage :

Read the following passage carefully :

(1) Introduction : India faces a serious road safety challenge. According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, over 4.8 lakh road accidents were reported in 2023, leading to 1.72 lakh deaths. Many of these could have been avoided by simple precautions – wearing helmets, fastening seatbelts and following speed limits. These statistics aren’t just numbers; they represent lives lost and family dynamics changed forever.

(2) Methodology : Recognising this, several cities are becoming proactive, especially near school zones. The municipal corporations and traffic police have introduced stricter school-zone safety measures – speed bumps, zebra crossings and digital signboards. This led to a 30% drop in minor accidents near schools, within a year. The success lay in combining infrastructure with awareness. Parents, teachers and traffic marshals helped monitor traffic during school hours.

(3) Survey : It’s not just governments stepping up. In many cities, class XI and XII students launched a campaign called ‘Ride Right’, promoting helmet use among two-wheeler riders. They handed out stickers, ran roadshows and launched a ‘No Helmet, No Selfie’ challenge that went viral. Over 2000 riders pledged to wear helmets daily. Their success even led to invitations from the municipal body to speak in other schools – proof of how youth-led efforts can spark policy engagement.

(4) Results : Technology is also playing a significant role. Automation through AI-powered traffic cameras, digital signs and automated lights is being implemented in metros to reduce human error and improve monitoring including Pilot projects such as iRASTE and AI based road safety pilot to predict and prevent accidents using real time data and alerts for drivers. These systems have led to a 40% rise in fine collection, showing improved rule enforcement. GPS based alert systems in school buses now notify parents of speeding or unscheduled stops – another step towards safer school commutes.

(5) Implication for interventions : Still, personal responsibility is the most powerful safety tool. Whether it’s a student cyclist using the left lane or a pedestrian waiting for the signal, every right choice sets an example. A popular slogan in school says it best : ‘I follow, I influence.’ Road safety is about respecting life, valuing time, and leading by example.

Answer the following questions, based on the given passage :

Read the following extracts and answer the questions:

It would be an exotic moment

without rush, without engines.

we would all be together

in sudden strangeness

Fishermen in the cold sea

would not harm whales

and the man gathering salt

would look at his hurt hands.

(Keeping Quiet)

You have the money, but if you want to be mean

Why keep your money (this crossly) and go along

The hurt to the scenery, wouldn’t be my complaint

So much as the trusting sorrow of what is unsaid :

Here far from the city we make our roadside stand

And ask for some city money to feel in hand

To try if it will not make our being expand,

And give us the life of the moving – pictures’ promise

That the party in power is said to be keeping from us.

(A Roadside Stand)

Read the following extracts and answer the questions :

I cried aloud, shaking my head all the while until I felt the cold blades of the scissors against my neck, and heard them gnaw off one of my thick braids. Then I lost my spirit. Since the day I was taken from my mother, I had suffered extreme indignities. People had stared at me. I had been tossed about in the air like a wooden puppet. And now my long hair was shingled like a coward’s ! In my anguish, I moaned for my mother, but no one came to comfort me. Not a soul reasoned quietly with me, as my own mother used to do; for now I was only one of many little animals driven by a herder.

(Memories of Childhood)

Read the following extracts and answer the questions:

Derry : But I’m not…. I’m not afraid [pause] people are afraid of me.

Mr. Lamb : Why should that be ?

Derry : Everyone is. It doesn’t matter who they are, or what they say, or how they look. How they pretend. I know. I can see.

Mr. Lamb : See what ?

Derry : What they think ?

Mr. Lamb : What do they think, then ?

Derry : You think…. ‘Here’s a boy’. You look at me… and then you see my face and you think. That’s bad. That’s a terrible thing. ‘That’s the ugliest thing I ever saw.’ You think, ‘poor boy’. But I’m not. Not poor. Underneath, you are afraid. Anybody would be – I am. When I look in the mirror, and see it, I’m afraid of me.

Mr. Lamb : No, not the whole of you. Not of you.

Derry : Yes !

(On the Face of It)

Read the following extracts and answer the questions:

The make-up room had the look of a hair-cutting salon with lights at all angles around half a dozen large mirrors. They were all incandescent lights, so you can imagine the fiery misery of those subjected to make-up. The make-up department was first headed by a Bengali who became too big for the studio and left. He was succeeded by a Maharashtrian who was assisted by a Dharwar Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madras Indian Christian, an Anglo Burmese and the usual local Tamils. All this shows that there was a great deal of National Integration long before A.I.R. and Doordarshan began broadcasting programmes on national integration. This gang of nationally integrated make-up men could turn any decent-looking person into a hideous crimson hued monster with the help of truckloads of pancake and a number of other locally made potions and lotions. Those were the days of mainly indoor shooting, and only five percent of the film was shot outdoors. I suppose the sets and studio lights needed girls and boys to be made to look ugly in order to look presentable in the movie. A strict hierarchy was maintained in the make-up department.

(Poets and Pancakes)

Read the following extracts and answer the questions:

‘Now I am going to tell you, Mr. Ironmaster, how things are’, he said. ‘The whole world is nothing but a big rattrap. All the good things that are offered to you are nothing but cheese rinds and bits of pork, set out to drag a poor fellow into trouble. And if the sheriff comes now and locks me up for this, then you, Mr. Ironmaster, must remember that a day will come when you yourself may want to get a big piece of pork, and then you will get caught in the trap.

The ironmaster began to laugh.

‘That was not so badly said, my good fellow. Perhaps we should let the sheriff alone on Christmas Eve.’ (The Rattrap)

The poem explores the relationship between a mother and daughter. Comment.

(My Mother at sixty six)

What does Umberto Eco mean when he says he is ‘a professor who writes novels on Sundays’ ? (The Interview)

The British landlords agreed to refund 25% of the money to the sharecroppers in the Champaran dispute. What is the significance of this event ? (Indigo)

How did Douglas’ experience at the beach in California affect him ?

(Deep Water)

The constraints of Aunt Jennifer’s married life leave her terrorised and emotionally scarred. Elaborate. (Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers)

“Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons ?” What does Franz’s remark suggest about the imposition of German in school in Aloace ?

(Last Lesson)

What does Bama’s decision to excel in academics reveal about her character ? (Memories of Childhood – We Too are Human Beings)

How did the newspaper ‘The World’ contribute to Charley’s belief in the existence of the third level ? (The Third Level)

Evaluate the role of the court astrologer in shaping the trajectory of the Tiger King’s life. (The Tiger King)

Your school is organising a career counselling session for students of classes XI and XII to help them make informed decisions about their future career choices. As the Head Girl / Head Boy of M.L.C. School, draft a notice informing them about the session. Include all necessary details. You are Riya/Rohan. Put the notice in a box.

You are Kavya/Karan Chief Editor of ‘Parakh’ the school magazine. Draft a notice inviting contributions in the form of articles, stories, poems, artwork etc. for the special annual edition. All contributions are to be submitted to the Chief Editor. Include necessary details. Put your notice in a box.

Draft an invitation to invite the M.L.A. of your Constituency, to be the Chief Guest at a felicitation function to honour eminent residents who have contributed to the upliftment of the colony. Mention one compelling highlight of the programme. You are Satupa/Satish,

President of the Surya Vikas, RWA.

You are Dr. Vora, a certified art therapist from Manipur. You have been invited by Green Valley Public School, Jammu to conduct a seminar on ‘Art Therapy, the Way Forward’ for the students. Draft a reply accepting the invitation.

Sophie in ‘Going Places’ and Mukesh in ‘Lost Spring’ aspire for a better life yet external forces shape their realities and opportunities.

Discuss.

How is the transient nature of beauty and life portrayed in the poems ‘My Mother at Sixty Six’ and ‘A Thing of Beauty’ ?

Examine how the presence of school students on the expedition contribute to the message of environmental responsibility and hope.

(Journey to the End of the Earth)

How does Pearl S. Buck explore the theme of humanitarianism versus patriotism in the lesson ‘The Enemy’ ? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

You are Kaneshta/Shirish, an avid yoga follower. Write a letter to the editor expressing your views and urging people especially students and young adults to incorporate yoga into their daily lives. You may use some of the given cues along with your own ideas.

● need to follow a disciplined exercise routine

● reduces stress, improves physical and mental health

● increases focus

● schools and educational establishments must encourage practice of yoga

You are Roshni/Rohan, a final year student pursuing a degree in Computer Science. You have read the following advertisement in ‘The National Times’. You find yourself suitable for the job and wish to apply for the post. Write this job application along with your bio-data.

You are Aanya/Ankit. You are deeply disturbed by how moments of silence and relaxed living are vanishing from today’s fast-paced, lives. You decide to write an article for the newspaper on ‘The Vanishing Art of Slowing Down’.

You may use the following cues along with your own ideas:

● impact of hustle culture and technology on mental well-being.

● losing connection with nature, people and self.

● importance of mindful celebrations and slow/relaxed living.

● role of schools, communities, and media.

● need for digital boundaries, reflection, and simple joys.

Your school organised a ‘Tastes of India’ Week to educate students on the diversity of Indian cuisine. Write a comprehensive report detailing the activities conducted during the week. Describe the events, participation details, chief guest, and the overall impact of the programme on the school. You are Arti/Aryan a student of Std. XII and the Secretary of the School Magazine Editorial Board. You may organise your report on the basis of

What – When – Where – Who – Why – How