ISC English Literature 2025 Improvement Paper with Answers
All 32 questions of the ISC English Literature 2025 Improvement Paper, in printed order. Open a question to read it in full and see its answer.
- Q1(i) Which King of England is referred to by Malcolm as the one who “solicits Heaven” in Act IV Scene iii of the play, Macbeth? 1 mark · MCQ
- Q1(ii) In Act III Scene vi of the play, Macbeth, Lennox speaks with another Lord about the condition of Scotland under Macbeth’s rule… 1 mark · MCQ
- Q1(iii) What is the significance of the apparitions’ prophecies in Act IV Scene i of the play, Macbeth, for Macbeth’s character… 1 mark · MCQ
- Q1(iv) In Act V Scene v, what impact does the news of Lady Macbeth’s death have on Macbeth? (P) He controls his emotions. (Q) He breaks… 1 mark · MCQ
- Q1(v) Read the two statements from the short story, Indigo, and choose the correct option from the ones given below. Statement I: ‘I… 1 mark · MCQ
- Q1(vi) In the short story, The Medicine Bag, why does Martin’s Grandpa travel all the way from the reservation to the town? 1 mark · MCQ
- Q1(vii) What does the line, ‘Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree, if mankind perished utterly’ from the short story, There Will… 1 mark · MCQ
- Q1(viii) In the poem, Beethoven, which one of the following BEST describes Beethoven’s emotional and physical struggles? 1 mark · MCQ
- Q1(ix) In the poem, Telephone Conversation, how does the speaker’s use of irony highlight racial prejudice? 1 mark · MCQ
- Q1(x) In the poem, Tithonus, why does Tithonus call ordinary men ‘happy’? 1 mark · MCQ
- Q2(i) Complete the following sentences by providing a reason for each in brief. Do not write the question. In Act III Scene iv of the… 1 mark · Short answer
- Q2(ii) Complete the following sentences by providing a reason for each in brief. Do not write the question. In Act IV, Scene ii of the… 1 mark · Short answer
- Q2(iii) Complete the following sentences by providing a reason for each in brief. Do not write the question. In Act IV, Scene iii of the… 1 mark · Short answer
- Q2(iv) Complete the following sentences by providing a reason for each in brief. Do not write the question. In Act V, Scene viii of the… 1 mark · Short answer
- Q2(v) Complete the following sentences by providing a reason for each in brief. Do not write the question. In the short story, The… 1 mark · Short answer
- Q2(vi) Complete the following sentences by providing a reason for each in brief. Do not write the question. In the short story, Atithi… 1 mark · Short answer
- Q2(vii) Complete the following sentences by providing a reason for each in brief. Do not write the question. In the short story, There… 1 mark · Short answer
- Q2(viii) Complete the following sentences by providing a reason for each in brief. Do not write the question. In the poem, Death Be Not… 1 mark · Short answer
- Q2(ix) Complete the following sentences by providing a reason for each in brief. Do not write the question. The poet in the poem… 1 mark · Short answer
- Q2(x) Complete the following sentences by providing a reason for each in brief. Do not write the question. In the poem, Telephone… 1 mark · Short answer
- Q3(i) In Act IV Scene i, what do the three apparitions predict? How far do the predictions prove to be correct for Macbeth? Incorporate… 5 marks · Long answer
- Q3(ii) How does Macbeth react in Act V when he realises that he has been betrayed by the witches? Do you think that justice is served?… 5 marks · Long answer
- Q3(iii)(a) How do Banquo’s and Macbeth’s soliloquies in Act III Scene i reveal their mental turmoil? Write your answer in 200 - 250 words. 10 marks · Long answer
- Q3(iii)(b) Macbeth reaches the depths of evil in Act IV Scene ii. Analyse the statement in 200 - 250 words. 10 marks · Long answer
- Q4(i) Why did the narrator in the short story, Indigo, decide to visit Dumka? Incorporate the following details and write your answer… 5 marks · Long answer
- Q4(ii) Had Bubber and his mother not made some crucial mistakes in the short story, The Cookie Lady, Bubber would have been unharmed… 5 marks · Long answer
- Q4(iii)(a) In the short story, There Will Come Soft Rains, the McClellan family’s artificially intelligent automated house reveals a lot… 10 marks · Long answer
- Q4(iii)(b) Martin’s grandfather evolves from an object of pity to a source of pride in the short story, The Medicine Bag. Write your answer… 10 marks · Long answer
- Q5(i) In what ways does John Donne overthrow the traditional perception of Death in the poem, Death be not Proud? Incorporate the… 5 marks · Long answer
- Q5(ii) Referring to the poem, Beethoven, show how Beethoven’s physical challenges and traumatic childhood led to him becoming an… 5 marks · Long answer
- Q5(iii)(a) The poem, Tithonus, explores the consequences of a boon granted without any thought. Discuss this statement with reference to the… 10 marks · Long answer
- Q5(iii)(b) What imagery does the poet use in the poem, Small Towns and the River, to signify the theme of immortality? Write your answer in… 10 marks · Long answer