English 2 (Literature in English) Official Board Paper 2025-2026 (English Medium) ICSE Class 10 Question Paper Solution

What were Julius Caesar’s dying words?

‘Caesar, now be still...’

‘Et tu brute? Then fall Caesar!’

‘This is the most unkindest cut of all;’

‘By your leave, gods; this is a Roman’s part.’

Which of the following phrases best describes Antony’s mood when he says:

‘O mighty Caesar! dost thou lie so low? 
Are all thy conquests, glories, triumphs, spoils,
Shrunk to this little measure?’

frustration and rage

grief and sorrow

hate and anger

remorse and regret

Which of the following does Antony NOT say about Caesar in his funeral speech?

Caesar was ambitious and wanted to be crowned king.

Caesar had compassion for the poor and cried when they cried.

Caesar was valiant in battle and had brought riches to the Roman treasury.

Caesar had left seventy-five drachmas to every Roman citizen.

Antony says, ‘These many then shall die: their names are prick’d.

These words reveal that he is ______.

ruthless

anxious

frustrated

angry

During their quarrel, Brutus says to Cassius, ‘Away, slight man!’

Brutus’s tone in the above line can be best described as ______.

disappointed

argumentative

vengeful

dismissive

Towards the end of the play, Pindarus reports that Titinius had been captured by enemy troops. What does Cassius do on hearing this news?

He orders an immediate attack to rescue Titinius.

Fearing defeat, he decides to flee the battlefield.

He persuades Pindarus to help him take his life.

He surrenders to Antony’s forces to save his men.

What did Martin dislike about the elevator in his apartment building?

The unpleasant smell

Its dirty floor

Its small size

The poor ventilation

Choose the option that lists the sequence of events from Stephen Leacock’s short story. ‘With the Photographer’ in the correct order:

1. Even as he was protesting, the photographer managed to take a candid photograph with which he was very pleased.
2. At the studio, the photographer’s criticism of his face, made the author feel worthless and unattractive.
3. Disturbed and upset by the photographer’s criticisms and instructions, the author voiced his protest.
4. The author wanted to have his photograph taken.

3, 2, 1, 4

4, 2, 3, 1

2, 3, 4, 1

1, 4, 3, 2

‘Nana has many voices. There is a special one she uses to shut everyone up.’

What do these lines from Ama Ata Aidoo’s short story, ‘The Girl Who Can’, tell us about Nana?

She is a loud, rude woman.

She has a strong, powerful voice.

She can speak many languages.

She dominates the household.

What were the people in Mead’s neighbourhood doing when he was out walking at night?

Watching television

Reading magazines

Driving to the gas station

Staring out of their windows

In Alphonse Daudet’s short story, ‘The Last Lesson’, Franz says that ‘all our bad news had come from there.’ What does ‘there’ refer to?

The school building

The bulletin board

The clock tower

The town hall

Which of the given options contains the figure of speech that appears in the following lines from Longfellow’s poem, ‘Haunted Houses’?

‘The spirit-world around this world of sense 
Floats like an atmosphere, ...’

‘Strange, it is a huge nothing that we fear.’

‘When Frost was spectre-gray’

‘An hundred years should go to praise/Thine eyes’

‘She sways like a flower in the wind of our song;’

The mood in the poem, ‘When Great Trees Fall’, moves from ______.

hurt to wonder

calm to distress

hope to despair

fear to hope

In the poem. ‘The Glove and the Lions’, King Francis exclaims, ‘rightly done!’.What action of Count de Lorge does he applaud when he says this?

Leaping into the pit full of angry lions.

Retrieving the lady’s glove from the pit.

Flinging the glove angrily in the lady’s face.

Sighing for the ‘beauteous lively dame’.

Statement 1: The mite on the paper ran, crept, faltered, hesitated and cowered.

Statement 2: The poet-narrator realised that it was an intelligent living creature.

Statement 1 is true and Statement 2 is false.

Statement 1 is false and Statement 2 is true.

Statement 1 is the reason for Statement 2.

Statement 2 is a contradiction of Statement 1.

Sukumar Ray’s poem, ‘The Power of Music’ can be classified as ______.

nonsense verse

a sonnet

a lyrical poem

an ode

Read the extract from ‘Julius Caesar’ Act 3, Scene 1, given below and answer the questions that follow:

1. Why does Antony say, ‘Pardon me, Julius!’?  [3]
2. Where was Caesar ‘bay’d’?  [3]
   Explain the meaning of the words, ‘Here wast thou bay’d, brave heart:’
3. Name any two of the ‘hunters’ who were present at the scene.  [3]
   Why are they described as being, ‘sign’d’ and crimson‘d’?
4. What does Cassius ask Antony immediately after this exchange?  [3]
   How does Antony respond to his question?
5. What request does Antony make to Brutus a little later in the scene?  [4]
   Who warns Brutus against granting this request?
   What reason does this person give for doing so?
   What does this tell us about this person’s character?

Read the extract from ‘Julius Caesar’ Act 5, Scene 3, given below and answer the questions that follow:

1. Explain what Brutus means when he says,  [3]
   ‘O Julius Caesar, thou art mighty yet! 
   Thy spirit walks abroad, and turns our swords
   In our own proper entrails’.
2. What were Cassius’ last thoughts before he died?  [3]
   How did Titinius honour the dead Cassius?
3. What does Brutus promise when he says, ‘I shall find time, Cassius, I shall find time.’?  [3]
   Why does he make this promise?
   What aspect of Brutus’ character does this reveal to us?
4. Explain the term ‘funerals’.  [3]
   Why does Brutus not want to hold ‘his funerals’ in their camp?
   Where will ‘his funerals’ be held?
5. How does Lucilius demonstrate his loyalty to Brutus at the end of the play?  [4]
   What does this tell you about Brutus’ character?
   How is Lucilius rewarded for his loyalty by Antony?
   What does this reveal to us of Antony’s character?

Read the following extract from Ama Ata Aidoo’s short story, ‘The Girl Who Can’ and answer the questions that follow:

1. Where was Adjoa born?  [3]
   Who were her ‘two favourite people’?
2. What ‘issue’ did her two favourite people fight over? Why?  [3]
3. What other issue concerning Adjoa, did Nana and Adjoa’s mother disagree on?  [3]
   What opinion did each of them have on this issue?
4. Mention three little clues in Nana’s behaviour that led Adjoa to realise that Nana’s views on her legs had changed.  [3]
5. How does Adjoa’s success as a runner bring about a change in the traditional views held by Nana?  [4]
   Mention two of Nana’s character traits that make her a remarkable person.

Read the following extract from Ray Bradbury’s short story, ‘The Pedestrian’, and answer the questions that follow:

1. In which year is Bradbury’s story set?  [3]
   What did Leonard Mead ‘most dearly love to do’?
2. In the given extract, what does Bradbury compare Mead’s experience of walking through the city late at night to?  [3]
   List two reasons why you would consider the comparison suitable.
3. Which three responses from Mead are viewed with suspicion by the police car?  [3]
4. Where is Mead taken to at the end of the story?  [3]
   What observation does the author make about Mead’s house as the police car drives through the street?
5. Mention two dangers that the author is warning us against, through this story.  [4]
   Suggest an alternative title for the story. Give one reason for your choice.

Read the following extract from Maya Angelou’s poem, ‘When Great Trees Fall’, and answer the questions that follow:

1. What three images from the natural world does Angelou use to describe the effect of great trees falling?  [3]
2. Angelou compares great trees to great souls.  [3]
   Mention two ways in which this comparison is appropriate.
   What is the mood created by the lines in the above extract?
3. What words does the poet use to describe the condition of the air around us when great souls die?  [3]
   What feeling is being expressed in the line, ‘We breathe, briefly’?
4. What, according to the poet, are the two things we remember and regret when a great soul dies?  [3]
   What happens to our souls when great souls die?
5. ‘Angelou’s poem is about the lasting influence of great souls.’  [4]
   Explain the above statement briefly.
   What aspect of the poem appeals to you?
   Give one reason for your response.

Read the following lines from Sukumar Ray’s poem, ‘The Power of Music’ and answer the questions that follow:

1. What is Bhisma Lochan Sharma known for?  [3]
   When can one hear him?
   Explain the following words from the given extract: ‘You catch his strain’.
2. How can we tell that his singing was not appreciated by the people who heard him?  [3]
3. The poet uses ridiculous images to exaggerate the effect of Bhisma Lochan Sharma’s voice on his listeners. Mention any three such images.  [3]
4. How does the poet describe the billy goat which appears at the end of the poem?  [3]
   What does it do to help bring relief to the suffering people?
5. Bring out the significance of the title of the poem.  [4]
   Do you feel sympathy for Bhisma Lochan Sharma or for those who listened to him?
   Give reasons for your response.