ISC Class 12 English Syllabus

Who wrote 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' and to which poetic movement does it belong?

Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote it; it is a landmark of English Romantic poetry, blending the supernatural with a moral about humanity and nature.

In 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner', whom does the Mariner stop and why?

He stops one of three wedding guests with his glittering eye and holds him spellbound, compelling him to listen to his tale of crime, punishment, and penance.

What crime does the Ancient Mariner commit, and what does the Albatross symbolize?

He shoots and kills the Albatross with his crossbow; the bird symbolizes good luck, nature, and a Christian/spiritual blessing, so killing it is a sin against nature and God.

What happens to the ship after the Albatross is killed in 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'?

The favourable breeze stops, the ship is stranded in a stagnant, silent sea ('As idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean'), and the crew suffer from terrible thirst with water everywhere but none to drink.

What is the meaning of the famous lines 'Water, water, every where, / Nor any drop to drink' in 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'?

The sailors are surrounded by the salt sea yet have no fresh drinking water, symbolising painful deprivation amid apparent abundance and the curse following the Albatross's death.

How do the crew react to the Mariner's killing of the Albatross, and what punishment follows?

They first blame him, then approve when the fog clears, making themselves accomplices; as punishment they hang the dead Albatross around his neck instead of a cross.

What is the central moral of 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'?

'He prayeth best, who loveth best / All things both great and small' — one must respect and love all of God's creatures and nature, for crimes against nature bring suffering and require penance.

How does the Mariner begin to break his curse in 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'?

When he watches the water-snakes and, moved by their beauty, blesses them 'unaware' with love in his heart, the spell snaps and the Albatross falls from his neck into the sea.

Who wrote the poem 'Snake' and where is it set?

D. H. Lawrence wrote 'Snake'; it is set in Sicily, where the poet, on a hot day, sees a golden-brown snake come to drink at his water-trough under a carob tree.

In 'Snake' by D. H. Lawrence, how does the poet feel toward the snake before education/voice of reason intervenes?

He feels honoured that the snake came as a guest to drink, and admires it like a king; he is glad and feels a deep liking and respect for the creature.

What does 'the voice of my education' tell the speaker to do in 'Snake'?

His education tells him the gold snake is venomous and must be killed, that a brave man would kill it, instilling a conflict between social training and his natural admiration.

What act does the speaker commit against the snake in 'Snake', and how does he react afterward?

As the snake withdraws into the hole, he throws a clumsy log at it; immediately he feels guilt, regret, and self-loathing, calling the act 'mean', 'vulgar', and 'paltry'.

What does the speaker compare the snake to at the end of 'Snake', and what does he feel he must do?

He compares the snake to the albatross (alluding to Coleridge) and to an uncrowned king in exile; he feels he has something to expiate, 'a pettiness'.

What is the central theme/conflict of D. H. Lawrence's 'Snake'?

The conflict between the voice of natural instinct (love and respect for living creatures) and the voice of human education/civilisation (fear and the urge to destroy), and the resulting guilt of betraying instinct.

Who wrote 'My Mother at Sixty-six' and what poetic form is it in?

Kamala Das wrote it; it is a single, continuous sentence written in free verse (no rhyme or fixed metre), reflecting an uninterrupted flow of thought.

What is the central theme of 'My Mother at Sixty-six' by Kamala Das?

The poet's fear of losing her ageing mother to death and the pain of separation, exploring filial love, ageing, and mortality.

What image describes the mother's face in 'My Mother at Sixty-six' and what does it suggest?

Her mother's face is described as 'ashen like that of a corpse', dozing with her mouth open, suggesting the pallor of old age and the nearness of death.

What does the contrasting image of 'Sprinting trees' and 'merry children' signify in 'My Mother at Sixty-six'?

The young, fast-moving trees and playing children symbolise youth, energy, and life, contrasting sharply with the poet's frail, ageing mother and her decay.

What is the significance of the 'late winter's moon' simile in 'My Mother at Sixty-six'?

The mother is compared to a 'late winter's moon' — pale, dull, and lifeless — symbolising old age, the dimming of life, and approaching death.

What does the repeated parting smile and the line 'see you soon, Amma' convey in 'My Mother at Sixty-six'?

The poet hides her fear and pain behind a forced, reassuring smile, masking the dread that she may not see her mother again, showing courage and deep love.

What poetic device is used in 'all I did was smile and smile and smile' in 'My Mother at Sixty-six'?

Repetition (and it conveys the poet's effort to hide her painful emotions behind a brave, reassuring exterior).

Compare the central emotion in 'The Last Lesson' and 'Snake' regarding loss/regret.

Both centre on regret: in 'The Last Lesson' Franz and the villagers regret neglecting their language only when it is lost; in 'Snake' the speaker regrets a 'mean act' of violence against a creature he admired — both show realisation of value after a wrong or loss.

Compare the treatment of nature in 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' and 'Snake'.

Both teach reverence for nature: the Mariner is cursed for killing the Albatross (a creature of nature) and is redeemed by loving the water-snakes; in 'Snake' the speaker regrets harming the snake and longs to atone — both condemn human cruelty toward living creatures.

What does the broken canister/steel-canister detail symbolise about freedom in 'Lost Spring'?

When Saheb becomes a tea-stall worker, the heavy steel canister he carries belongs to the owner; it symbolises lost freedom, contrasting with the light, self-owned bag of a free ragpicker.

What literary device is 'As idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean' in 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'?

A simile (comparing the motionless, becalmed ship to a lifeless painting), emphasising total stillness and the crew's helplessness.

What does the carob tree and the speaker's pyjamas tell us about the setting and mood of 'Snake'?

The dark carob tree and the speaker in pyjamas on a hot day establish a sweltering Sicilian summer at the water-trough, a calm domestic setting disrupted by the snake's arrival and the inner moral conflict.

In 'Deep Water', what role did Roosevelt's words play in Douglas's recovery?

Roosevelt's quote, 'All we have to fear is fear itself', reinforced Douglas's realisation that it was the fear of drowning, not water itself, that terrorised him — strengthening his resolve to conquer that fear.

What is the symbolic meaning of 'spring' in the title 'Lost Spring'?

Spring symbolises childhood — a time meant for joy, growth, and play; the 'lost spring' represents the stolen, joyless childhoods of poor children forced into labour.

How does M. Hamel involve the whole village in 'The Last Lesson', and what does their presence signify?

Village elders like old Hauser, the former mayor, and the postmaster sit at the back of the class; their presence signifies regret, respect for their lost language, and a collective tribute to forty years of M. Hamel's service to French.