# English HL Grade 12 P2 NSC November Mock 2026 Question Paper > Grade 12 English HL Paper 2 question paper from the NSC November Mock Exam 2026, 25 pages. Read online or get the free PDF download, memo linked when available. - Page: https://www.hlayiso.com/library/grade-12-english-hl-2026-nsc-november-mock-exam-question-paper-paper-2-english/04a9a890-3b46-428b-915c-12b171e9687f - Updated: 2026-10-29 - Subject: English HL - Grade: Grade 12 - Language: English - Document type: Question paper - Year: 2026 - Exam period: NSC November Mock Exam - Paper: 2 - Publisher: Hlayiso - Curriculum: CAPS - Pages: 25 Breadcrumbs: [Home](https://www.hlayiso.com/) › [Library](https://www.hlayiso.com/library) › [Grade 12](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/grade-12) › [English HL](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/grade-12/english-hl) › [English HL Grade 12 P2 NSC November Mock 2026 Question Paper](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/grade-12-english-hl-2026-nsc-november-mock-exam-question-paper-paper-2-english/04a9a890-3b46-428b-915c-12b171e9687f) ## About this document English Hl · Grade 12 · NSC November Mock Exam · 2026 · English. Question paper, 25 pages. Read online or download the PDF. Read it free online on the page above; download the PDF from there. ## Document text Text extracted from the PDF. Layout, diagrams and tables may not survive extraction. ### Page 1 Mock hlayiso mock exams Practice Series: Grade 12 NSC Preparation WWW.HLAYISO.COM NATIONAL SENIOR CERTIFICATE GRADE 12 ENGLISH HOME LANGUAGE P2 MOCK EXAMINATION 2026 MARKS: 80 TIME: 2½ hours This question paper consists of 25 pages. Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 2 English Home Language/P2 2 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION 1. Read these instructions carefully before you begin to answer the questions. 2. Do NOT attempt to read the entire question paper. Consult the table of contents on page 4 and mark the numbers of the questions set on texts you have studied this year. Thereafter, read these questions and choose the ones you wish to answer. 3. This question paper consists of THREE sections: SECTION A: Poetry (30) SECTION B: Novel (25) SECTION C: Drama (25) 4. Answer FIVE questions in all: THREE in SECTION A, ONE in SECTION B and ONE in SECTION C as follows: SECTION A: POETRY PRESCRIBED POETRY – Answer TWO questions. UNSEEN POEM – COMPULSORY question SECTION B: NOVEL Answer ONE question. SECTION C: DRAMA Answer ONE question. 5. CHOICE OF ANSWERS FOR SECTIONS B (NOVEL) AND C (DRAMA): • Answer questions ONLY on the novel and the drama you have studied. • Answer ONE ESSAY QUESTION and ONE CONTEXTUAL QUESTION. If you answer the essay question in SECTION B, you must answer the contextual question in SECTION C. If you answer the contextual question in SECTION B, you must answer the essay question in SECTION C. Use the checklist to assist you. 6. LENGTH OF ANSWERS: • The essay question on Poetry should be answered in about 250–300 words. • Essay questions on the Novel and Drama sections should be answered in 400–450 words. • The length of answers to contextual questions should be determined by the mark allocation. Candidates should aim for conciseness and relevance. 7. Follow the instructions at the beginning of each section carefully. 8. Number your answers correctly according to the numbering system used in this question paper. 9. Start EACH section on a NEW page. 10. Suggested time management: SECTION A: approximately 40 minutes SECTION B: approximately 55 minutes SECTION C: approximately 55 minutes 11. Write neatly and legibly. Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 3 English Home Language/P2 3 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock NOTE ON THIS MOCK PAPER (Hlayiso): This paper is set on the DBE prescribed literature for the October/November 2025 to May/June 2027 Grade 12 examinations (English Home Language). Questions are set on the following prescribed works: poems 'The Morning Sun is Shining' (Olive Schreiner), 'Sonnet 130' (William Shakespeare), 'The Shipwreck' (Emily Dickinson) and 'Solitude' (Ella Wheeler Wilcox); the novels The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde) and Life of Pi (Yann Martel); the dramas Hamlet, Othello (William Shakespeare) and The Crucible (Arthur Miller). Poems and extracts are printed only from works in the public domain. Because Life of Pi and The Crucible are protected by copyright, the 'extracts' for these texts are the examiner's own descriptions of the scenes; no text from these works is reproduced. The other prescribed poems (by Jonker, Brutus, Rocha, Sepamla, Senghor, Press, Wordsworth and Thomas) are not examined in this mock. Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 4 English Home Language/P2 4 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION A: POETRY Prescribed Poetry: Answer ANY TWO questions. QUESTION NO. QUESTION MARKS PAGE NO. 1. 'The Morning Sun is Shining' Essay question 10 6 2. 'Sonnet 130' Contextual question 10 7 3. 'The Shipwreck' Contextual question 10 7 4. 'Solitude' Contextual question 10 9 AND Unseen Poetry: COMPULSORY question 5. 'Adlestrop' Contextual question 10 10 SECTION B: NOVEL Answer ONE question.* 6. The Picture of Dorian Gray Essay question 25 11 7. The Picture of Dorian Gray Contextual question 25 11 8. Life of Pi Essay question 25 15 9. Life of Pi Contextual question 25 15 SECTION C: DRAMA Answer ONE question.* 10. Hamlet Essay question 25 17 11. Hamlet Contextual question 25 17 12. Othello Essay question 25 21 13. Othello Contextual question 25 21 14. The Crucible Essay question 25 24 15. The Crucible Contextual question 25 24 *NOTE: In SECTIONS B and C, answer ONE ESSAY and ONE CONTEXTUAL question. You may NOT answer TWO essay questions or TWO contextual questions. Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 5 English Home Language/P2 5 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock CHECKLIST Use this checklist to ensure that you have answered the correct number of questions. SECTION QUESTION NO. OF TICK (✓) NUMBERS QUESTIONS ANSWERED A: Poetry 1–4 2 (Prescribed Poetry) A: Poetry 5 1 (Unseen Poetry) B: Novel 6–9 1 (Essay or Contextual) C: Drama 10–15 1 (Essay or Contextual) NOTE: In SECTIONS B and C, ensure that you have answered ONE ESSAY and ONE CONTEXTUAL question. You may NOT answer TWO essay questions or TWO contextual questions. Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 6 English Home Language/P2 6 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock SECTION A: POETRY PRESCRIBED POETRY Answer any TWO of the following questions. QUESTION 1: ESSAY QUESTION Read the poem below and then answer the question that follows. THE MORNING SUN IS SHINING – Olive Schreiner 1 The morning sun is shining on 2 The green, green willow tree, 3 And sends a golden sunbeam 4 To dance upon my knee. 5 The fountain bubbles merrily, 6 The yellow locusts spring, 7 Of life and light and sunshine 8 The happy brown birds sing. 9 The earth is clothed with beauty, 10 The air is filled with song, 11 The yellow thorn trees load the wind 12 With odours sweet and strong. 13 There is a hand I never touch 14 And a face I never see; 15 Now what is sunshine, what is song, 16 Now what is light to me? In this poem, the speaker's personal loss renders the beauty and vitality of the natural world meaningless. With close reference to imagery, structure and tone, critically discuss the validity of the above statement. Your response should take the form of a well-constructed essay of 250–300 words (about ONE page). [10] Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 7 English Home Language/P2 7 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock QUESTION 2: CONTEXTUAL QUESTION Read the poem below and then answer the questions that follow. SONNET 130 – William Shakespeare 1 My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; 2 Coral is far more red than her lips' red; 3 If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; 4 If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. 5 I have seen roses damasked, red and white, 6 But no such roses see I in her cheeks; 7 And in some perfumes is there more delight 8 Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. 9 I love to hear her speak, yet well I know 10 That music hath a far more pleasing sound; 11 I grant I never saw a goddess go; 12 My mistress when she walks treads on the ground. 13 And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare 14 As any she belied with false compare. 2.1 Refer to line 1: 'My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun'. What does this opening line suggest about the speaker's intention in the poem? (2) 2.2 Refer to line 8: 'Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.' Explain how the word 'reeks' contributes to the speaker's portrayal of his mistress. (2) 2.3 Refer to line 4: 'If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.' 2.3.1 Identify the figure of speech in this line. (1) 2.3.2 Discuss the effectiveness of this image in the context of the poem. (2) 2.4 Refer to lines 13–14: 'And yet, by … with false compare.' Critically discuss how the rhyming couplet conveys the speaker's true attitude towards his mistress. (3) [10] QUESTION 3: CONTEXTUAL QUESTION Read the poem below and then answer the questions that follow. Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 8 English Home Language/P2 8 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock THE SHIPWRECK – Emily Dickinson 1 Glee! the great storm is over! 2 Four have recovered the land; 3 Forty gone down together 4 Into the boiling sand. 5 Ring, for the scant salvation! 6 Toll, for the bonnie souls, – 7 Neighbour and friend and bridegroom, 8 Spinning upon the shoals! 9 How they will tell the shipwreck 10 When winter shakes the door, 11 Till the children ask, 'But the forty? 12 Did they come back no more?' 13 Then a silence suffuses the story, 14 And a softness the teller's eye; 15 And the children no further question, 16 And only the waves reply. 3.1 Refer to line 1: 'Glee! the great storm is over!' Explain why the exclamation, 'Glee!' is ironic in the context of the first stanza. (2) 3.2 Refer to lines 5–6: 'Ring, for the … the bonnie souls'. Account for the contrast between 'Ring' and 'Toll' in these lines. (2) 3.3 Refer to line 10: 'When winter shakes the door'. 3.3.1 Identify the figure of speech in this line. (1) 3.3.2 Discuss the effectiveness of this image. (2) 3.4 Refer to lines 13–16: 'Then a silence … the waves reply.' Critically discuss how the poet uses silence in the final stanza to convey the central message of the poem. (3) [10] Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 9 English Home Language/P2 9 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock QUESTION 4: CONTEXTUAL QUESTION Read the poem below and then answer the questions that follow. SOLITUDE – Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1 Laugh, and the world laughs with you; 2 Weep, and you weep alone; 3 For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth, 4 But has trouble enough of its own. 5 Sing, and the hills will answer; 6 Sigh, it is lost on the air; 7 The echoes bound to a joyful sound, 8 But shrink from voicing care. 9 Rejoice, and men will seek you; 10 Grieve, and they turn and go; 11 They want full measure of all your pleasure, 12 But they do not need your woe. 13 Be glad, and your friends are many; 14 Be sad, and you lose them all, – 15 There are none to decline your nectared wine, 16 But alone you must drink life's gall. 17 Feast, and your halls are crowded; 18 Fast, and the world goes by. 19 Succeed and give, and it helps you live, 20 But no man can help you die. 21 For there is room in the halls of pleasure 22 For a large and lordly train, 23 But one by one we must all file on 24 Through the narrow aisles of pain. 4.1 Refer to lines 1–2: 'Laugh, and the … you weep alone'. What point is the speaker making in these lines? (2) 4.2 Refer to line 3: 'For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth'. Explain why the earth is described as having to 'borrow its mirth'. (2) 4.3 Refer to lines 15–16: 'There are none … drink life's gall.' 4.3.1 Identify the figure of speech in 'you must drink life's gall'. (1) 4.3.2 Discuss the effectiveness of the contrast between 'nectared wine' and 'life's gall'. (2) 4.4 Refer to lines 21–24: 'For there is … aisles of pain.' Critically discuss how these lines convey the speaker's view of the human condition. (3) [10] Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 10 English Home Language/P2 10 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock UNSEEN POETRY (COMPULSORY) QUESTION 5: CONTEXTUAL QUESTION Read the poem below and then answer the questions that follow. ADLESTROP – Edward Thomas 1 Yes. I remember Adlestrop – 2 The name, because one afternoon 3 Of heat the express-train drew up there 4 Unwontedly. It was late June. 5 The steam hissed. Someone cleared his throat. 6 No one left and no one came 7 On the bare platform. What I saw 8 Was Adlestrop – only the name 9 And willows, willow-herb, and grass, 10 And meadowsweet, and haycocks dry, 11 No whit less still and lonely fair 12 Than the high cloudlets in the sky. 13 And for that minute a blackbird sang 14 Close by, and round him, mistier, 15 Farther and farther, all the birds 16 Of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. Glossary: Adlestrop: a village with a small railway station in rural England; unwontedly: unusually, not as it normally happens; willow-herb, meadowsweet: wild flowering plants; haycocks: small heaps of drying hay; no whit: not at all 5.1 Refer to line 1: 'Yes. I remember Adlestrop –'. What does the word, 'Yes' suggest about the way in which the poem begins? (2) 5.2 Refer to lines 3–4: 'Of heat the … was late June.' Explain the significance of the word, 'Unwontedly' in the context of the poem. (2) 5.3 Refer to line 5: 'The steam hissed. Someone cleared his throat.' 5.3.1 Identify the figure of speech in 'The steam hissed'. (1) 5.3.2 Discuss how the sounds described in this line emphasise the stillness of the scene. (2) 5.4 Refer to lines 13–16: 'And for that … Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.' 5.4.1 Identify the tone of these lines. (1) 5.4.2 Critically discuss how the final stanza broadens the speaker's experience at Adlestrop. (2) [10] TOTAL SECTION A: 30 Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 11 English Home Language/P2 11 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock SECTION B: NOVEL Answer ONLY on the novel you have studied. THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY – Oscar Wilde Answer EITHER QUESTION 6 (essay question) OR QUESTION 7 (contextual question). QUESTION 6: THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY – ESSAY QUESTION Dorian Gray's pursuit of beauty and pleasure, without regard for morality, inevitably leads to his self-destruction. With close reference to the novel, critically discuss the validity of the above statement. Your response should take the form of a well-constructed essay of 400–450 words (2–2½ pages). [25] QUESTION 7: THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION Read the extracts below and then answer the questions that follow. EXTRACT A 'How sad it is!' murmured Dorian Gray with his eyes still fixed upon his own portrait. 'How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrible, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young. It will never be older than this particular day of June. … If it were only the other way! If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that – for that – I would give everything! Yes, there is 5 nothing in the whole world I would not give! I would give my soul for that!' 'You would hardly care for such an arrangement, Basil,' cried Lord Henry, laughing. 'It would be rather hard lines on your work.' 'I should object very strongly, Harry,' said Hallward. Dorian Gray turned and looked at him. 'I believe you would, Basil. You like your art 10 better than your friends. I am no more to you than a green bronze figure. Hardly as much, I dare say.' Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 12 English Home Language/P2 12 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock The painter stared in amazement. It was so unlike Dorian to speak like that. What had happened? He seemed quite angry. His face was flushed and his cheeks burning. 15 'Yes,' he continued, 'I am less to you than your ivory Hermes or your silver Faun. You will like them always. How long will you like me? Till I have my first wrinkle, I suppose. I know, now, that when one loses one's good looks, whatever they may be, one loses everything. Your picture has taught me that. Lord Henry Wotton is perfectly right. Youth is the only thing worth having. When I find that I am growing 20 old, I shall kill myself.' … 'This is your doing, Harry,' said the painter bitterly. Lord Henry shrugged his shoulders. 'It is the real Dorian Gray – that is all.' [Chapter 2] 7.1 Place this extract in context. (2) 7.2 Refer to line 6: 'I would give my soul for that!' Explain the significance of Dorian's wish for the rest of the novel. (2) 7.3 Refer to line 16: 'I am less to you than your ivory Hermes or your silver Faun.' What does this line reveal about Dorian's state of mind at this point? (2) 7.4 Refer to lines 23–24: 'This is your … that is all.' Discuss what these lines reveal about the conflicting influences of Basil and Lord Henry on Dorian. (3) 7.5 Refer to lines 20–21: 'Youth is the … shall kill myself.' Discuss the irony of these words in the light of the ending of the novel. (3) AND Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 13 English Home Language/P2 13 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock EXTRACT B 'There was nothing evil in it, nothing shameful. You were to me such an ideal as I shall never meet again. This is the face of a satyr.' 'It is the face of my soul.' 'Christ! what a thing I must have worshipped! It has the eyes of a devil.' 'Each of us has heaven and hell in him, Basil,' cried Dorian with a wild gesture of 5 despair. … 'Good God, Dorian, what a lesson! What an awful lesson!' There was no answer, but he could hear the young man sobbing at the window. 'Pray, Dorian, pray,' he murmured. 'What is it that one was taught to say in one's boyhood? "Lead us 10 not into temptation. Forgive us our sins. Wash away our iniquities." Let us say that together. The prayer of your pride has been answered. The prayer of your repentance will be answered also. I worshipped you too much. I am punished for it. You worshipped yourself too much. We are both punished.' Dorian Gray turned slowly around and looked at him with tear-dimmed eyes. 'It is 15 too late, Basil,' he faltered. 'It is never too late, Dorian. Let us kneel down and try if we cannot remember a prayer. Isn't there a verse somewhere, "Though your sins be as scarlet, yet I will make them as white as snow"?' 'Those words mean nothing to me now.' 20 'Hush! Don't say that. You have done enough evil in your life. My God! Don't you see that accursed thing leering at us?' Dorian Gray glanced at the picture, and suddenly an uncontrollable feeling of hatred for Basil Hallward came over him, as though it had been suggested to him by the image on the canvas, whispered into his ear by those grinning lips. 25 [Chapter 13] 7.6 What has led Basil to visit Dorian on this particular night? (2) 7.7 Refer to line 3: 'It is the face of my soul.' Explain what Dorian means by this statement. (2) 7.8 Refer to lines 13–14: 'I worshipped you … are both punished.' Discuss how these lines reflect the dangers of excessive admiration of beauty, as presented in the novel. (3) 7.9 Refer to lines 23–25: 'Dorian Gray glanced … those grinning lips.' Comment on the role that the portrait plays in Dorian's actions at this point and later in the novel. (3) Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 14 English Home Language/P2 14 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock 7.10 Refer to line 20: 'Those words mean nothing to me now.' Dorian is beyond redemption from this point onwards. Based on your knowledge of the novel as a whole, critically discuss the extent to which you agree with this statement. (3) [25] Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 15 English Home Language/P2 15 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock LIFE OF PI – Yann Martel Answer EITHER QUESTION 8 (essay question) OR QUESTION 9 (contextual question). QUESTION 8: LIFE OF PI – ESSAY QUESTION In Life of Pi, storytelling is presented as a means of survival. With close reference to the novel, critically discuss the validity of the above statement. Your response should take the form of a well-constructed essay of 400–450 words (2–2½ pages). [25] QUESTION 9: LIFE OF PI – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION Read the descriptions of the scenes below and then answer the questions that follow. NOTE: To respect copyright, the extracts below are the examiner's own descriptions of scenes from the novel. No text from the novel is reproduced. EXTRACT C Examiner's description of a scene from Part One (Toronto and Pondicherry) On a Sunday afternoon, Pi is strolling along the seafront in Pondicherry with his parents and Ravi when, by sheer coincidence, they meet the pandit, the priest and the imam – Pi's three religious teachers – at the same moment. Each man greets Pi as a devout follower of his own faith. When the truth comes out, the three are horrified to learn that the boy has secretly been practising Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. A heated argument follows on the busy promenade. Each man insults the other two religions and insists that Pi cannot belong to all three: he must choose one. Pi's parents, who are not religious and knew nothing of their son's devotions, are bewildered and somewhat embarrassed. Finally, all eyes turn to Pi. Under pressure, he replies, quoting Mahatma Gandhi, that all religions are true, and adds that he simply wants to love God. His answer leaves the three wise men red-faced and silent, and his father hurries the family away to buy ice cream. 9.1 Explain why Pi's parents are 'bewildered' by the discovery of their son's religious devotions. (2) 9.2 Give TWO reasons why the three religious leaders insist that Pi must choose only one religion. (2) 9.3 What does Pi's reply reveal about his character at this stage of the novel? (2) 9.4 Comment on the author's use of humour in presenting this scene, and on the serious point that the humour conveys. (3) 9.5 Discuss how Pi's faith helps him to survive during his ordeal on the lifeboat. (3) Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 16 English Home Language/P2 16 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock AND EXTRACT D Examiner's description of a scene from Part Three (Benito Juárez Infirmary, Tomatlán, Mexico) Pi is recovering in a Mexican hospital when two officials from the Maritime Department of the Japanese Ministry of Transport, Mr Okamoto and his junior colleague, Mr Chiba, come to interview him. After listening to his account of 227 days at sea with a Bengal tiger, they tell him bluntly that they do not believe it. They want a straightforward story, without animals, that they can put in their report. Pi then tells them a second, brutal version. In it, the survivors on the lifeboat are Pi, his mother, a young Taiwanese sailor with a broken leg and the ship's cook. The cook amputates the sailor's leg, and the sailor dies. Later the cook kills Pi's mother, and Pi, in turn, kills the cook. The shocked officials realise that each animal in the first story corresponds to a person in the second. Pi points out that neither story can be proved and that neither explains why the ship sank. He then asks the two men which story they prefer. They agree that the story with the animals is the better one. Pi thanks them and suggests that the same holds true for belief in God. 9.6 Why are the Japanese officials interviewing Pi? (2) 9.7 Name the animal in Pi's first story that corresponds to (a) Pi's mother and (b) the ship's cook. (2) 9.8 Discuss the significance of Pi's question about which story the officials prefer. (3) 9.9 The officials conclude that Pi himself is the tiger. Comment on what this parallel suggests about Pi's experience at sea. (3) 9.10 Pi's faith and his scientific mind are in conflict throughout the novel. Based on your knowledge of the novel as a whole, critically discuss the extent to which you agree with this statement. (3) [25] TOTAL SECTION B: 25 Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 17 English Home Language/P2 17 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock SECTION C: DRAMA Answer ONLY on the play you have studied. HAMLET – William Shakespeare Answer EITHER QUESTION 10 (essay question) OR QUESTION 11 (contextual question). QUESTION 10: HAMLET – ESSAY QUESTION Hamlet's tragedy is caused by his own inability to act decisively rather than by the corruption that surrounds him. Critically discuss the validity of the above statement in relation to the play. Your response should take the form of a well-constructed essay of 400–450 words (2–2½ pages). [25] QUESTION 11: HAMLET – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION Read the extracts below and then answer the questions that follow. EXTRACT E KING But now, my cousin Hamlet, and my son – HAMLET (Aside) A little more than kin, and less than kind. KING How is it that the clouds still hang on you? HAMLET Not so, my lord, I am too much i' the sun. QUEEN Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted colour off, 5 And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark. Do not for ever with thy vailed lids Seek for thy noble father in the dust. Thou know'st 'tis common, all that lives must die, Passing through nature to eternity. 10 HAMLET Ay, madam, it is common. QUEEN If it be, Why seems it so particular with thee? HAMLET Seems, madam! Nay, it is; I know not seems. 'Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother, 15 Nor customary suits of solemn black, Nor windy suspiration of forc'd breath, No, nor the fruitful river in the eye, Nor the dejected haviour of the visage, Together with all forms, moods, shows of grief, 20 Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 18 English Home Language/P2 18 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock That can denote me truly. These indeed seem, For they are actions that a man might play; But I have that within which passeth show; These but the trappings and the suits of woe. KING 'Tis sweet and commendable in your nature, Hamlet, 25 To give these mourning duties to your father; But you must know, your father lost a father, That father lost, lost his, and the survivor bound In filial obligation, for some term To do obsequious sorrow. But to persevere 30 In obstinate condolement is a course Of impious stubbornness. 'Tis unmanly grief, It shows a will most incorrect to heaven, A heart unfortified, a mind impatient, An understanding simple and unschool'd. 35 … We pray you throw to earth This unprevailing woe, and think of us As of a father; for let the world take note You are the most immediate to our throne. [Act 1, Scene 2] 11.1 Describe the events that have taken place in the royal family of Denmark shortly before this extract. (2) 11.2 Refer to line 2: '(Aside) A little more than kin, and less than kind.' Explain what Hamlet means by this aside. (2) 11.3 Refer to line 14: 'Seems, madam! Nay, it is; I know not seems.' Account for Hamlet's objection to the word, 'seems'. (2) 11.4 Refer to lines 25–35: ''Tis sweet and … simple and unschool'd.' Discuss what Claudius's speech reveals about his character. (3) 11.5 Refer to lines 14–24: 'Seems, madam! Nay … suits of woe.' If you were the director of a production of Hamlet, how would you instruct the actor to deliver these lines? Pay specific attention to body language and tone. Motivate your instructions. (3) AND Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 19 English Home Language/P2 19 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock EXTRACT F HORATIO You will lose this wager, my lord. HAMLET I do not think so. Since he went into France, I have been in continual practice. I shall win at the odds. But thou wouldst not think how ill all's here about my heart: but it is no matter. HORATIO Nay, good my lord. 5 HAMLET It is but foolery; but it is such a kind of gain-giving as would perhaps trouble a woman. HORATIO If your mind dislike anything, obey it. I will forestall their repair hither, and say you are not fit. HAMLET Not a whit, we defy augury. There's a special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If 10 it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come. The readiness is all. Since no man has aught of what he leaves, what is't to leave betimes? Enter King, Queen, Laertes, Lords, Osric and Attendants with foils, etc. KING Come, Hamlet, come, and take this hand from me. The King puts Laertes's hand into Hamlet's. HAMLET Give me your pardon, sir. I have done you wrong; 15 But pardon't as you are a gentleman. This presence knows, and you must needs have heard, How I am punish'd with sore distraction. What I have done That might your nature, honour, and exception 20 Roughly awake, I here proclaim was madness. Was't Hamlet wrong'd Laertes? Never Hamlet. If Hamlet from himself be ta'en away, And when he's not himself does wrong Laertes, Then Hamlet does it not, Hamlet denies it. 25 Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 20 English Home Language/P2 20 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock … LAERTES I am satisfied in nature, Whose motive in this case should stir me most To my revenge. But in my terms of honour I stand aloof, and will no reconcilement Till by some elder masters of known honour 30 I have a voice and precedent of peace To keep my name ungor'd. But till that time I do receive your offer'd love like love, And will not wrong it. [Act 5, Scene 2] 11.6 Explain the circumstances that have led to the 'wager' mentioned in line 1. (2) 11.7 Refer to lines 10–13: 'Not a whit … to leave betimes?' Explain how Hamlet's attitude has changed since the beginning of the play. (2) 11.8 Refer to lines 15–25: 'Give me your … Hamlet denies it.' Comment on the sincerity of Hamlet's claim that his 'madness', and not Hamlet himself, has wronged Laertes. (3) 11.9 Refer to lines 26–34: 'I am satisfied … not wrong it.' Discuss the dramatic irony of Laertes's words. (3) 11.10 Refer to line 8: 'If your mind dislike anything, obey it.' Critically discuss Horatio's role as Hamlet's loyal friend and confidant in the play as a whole. (3) [25] Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 21 English Home Language/P2 21 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock OTHELLO – William Shakespeare Answer EITHER QUESTION 12 (essay question) OR QUESTION 13 (contextual question). QUESTION 12: OTHELLO – ESSAY QUESTION Othello's downfall is caused more by his own insecurity than by Iago's cunning. Critically discuss the validity of the above statement in relation to the play. Your response should take the form of a well-constructed essay of 400–450 words (2–2½ pages). [25] QUESTION 13: OTHELLO – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION Read the extracts below and then answer the questions that follow. EXTRACT G IAGO Good name in man and woman, dear my lord, Is the immediate jewel of their souls. Who steals my purse steals trash. 'Tis something, nothing; 'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands. But he that filches from me my good name 5 Robs me of that which not enriches him And makes me poor indeed. OTHELLO By heaven, I'll know thy thoughts. IAGO You cannot, if my heart were in your hand, Nor shall not, whilst 'tis in my custody. 10 OTHELLO Ha? IAGO O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-ey'd monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on. That cuckold lives in bliss Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger; 15 But O, what damned minutes tells he o'er Who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves! OTHELLO O misery! … OTHELLO Why, why is this? Think'st thou I'd make a life of jealousy, 20 To follow still the changes of the moon With fresh suspicions? No. To be once in doubt Is once to be resolv'd. Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 22 English Home Language/P2 22 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock … 'Tis not to make me jealous, To say my wife is fair, feeds well, loves company, 25 Is free of speech, sings, plays, and dances well; Where virtue is, these are more virtuous: Nor from mine own weak merits will I draw The smallest fear or doubt of her revolt, For she had eyes, and chose me. No, Iago, 30 I'll see before I doubt; when I doubt, prove; And on the proof, there is no more but this: Away at once with love or jealousy! [Act 3, Scene 3] 13.1 Place this extract in context. (2) 13.2 Refer to lines 3–7: 'Who steals my … me poor indeed.' Explain why it is ironic that Iago speaks these words. (2) 13.3 Refer to lines 12–17: 'O, beware, my … yet strongly loves!' Explain the image of jealousy as 'the green-ey'd monster which doth mock / The meat it feeds on'. (2) 13.4 Refer to lines 28–30: 'Nor from mine … and chose me.' Discuss what these lines reveal about Othello's state of mind at this point in the play. (3) 13.5 Refer to lines 12–17: 'O, beware, my … yet strongly loves!' If you were the director of a production of Othello, how would you instruct the actor playing Iago to deliver these lines? Pay specific attention to body language and tone. Motivate your instructions. (3) AND EXTRACT H A bedchamber in the castle. Desdemona in bed asleep; a light burning. Enter Othello. OTHELLO It is the cause, it is the cause, my soul, Let me not name it to you, you chaste stars! It is the cause. Yet I'll not shed her blood, Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow, And smooth as monumental alabaster. 5 Yet she must die, else she'll betray more men. Put out the light, and then put out the light: If I quench thee, thou flaming minister, I can again thy former light restore, Should I repent me. But once put out thy light, 10 Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 23 English Home Language/P2 23 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock Thou cunning'st pattern of excelling nature, I know not where is that Promethean heat That can thy light relume. When I have pluck'd thy rose, I cannot give it vital growth again, It must needs wither. I'll smell it on the tree. 15 Kissing her. O, balmy breath, that dost almost persuade Justice to break her sword! One more, one more. Be thus when thou art dead, and I will kill thee, And love thee after. One more, and this the last. So sweet was ne'er so fatal. I must weep, 20 But they are cruel tears. This sorrow's heavenly, It strikes where it doth love. She wakes. DESDEMONA Who's there? Othello? OTHELLO Ay, Desdemona. [Act 5, Scene 2] 13.6 Explain what has convinced Othello that Desdemona has been unfaithful to him. (2) 13.7 Refer to line 7: 'Put out the light, and then put out the light'. Explain the double meaning of this line. (2) 13.8 Refer to line 6: 'Yet she must die, else she'll betray more men.' Comment on the way in which Othello justifies his intention to kill Desdemona. (3) 13.9 Refer to lines 3–5: 'It is the … as monumental alabaster.' Discuss how the imagery in these lines reveals Othello's conflicting emotions. (3) 13.10 Othello is more a victim than a villain. Based on your knowledge of the play as a whole, critically discuss the extent to which you agree with this statement. (3) [25] Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 24 English Home Language/P2 24 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock THE CRUCIBLE – Arthur Miller Answer EITHER QUESTION 14 (essay question) OR QUESTION 15 (contextual question). QUESTION 14: THE CRUCIBLE – ESSAY QUESTION In The Crucible, fear and self-interest, rather than a genuine belief in witchcraft, drive the hysteria in Salem. Critically discuss the validity of the above statement in relation to the play. Your response should take the form of a well-constructed essay of 400–450 words (2–2½ pages). [25] QUESTION 15: THE CRUCIBLE – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION Read the descriptions of the scenes below and then answer the questions that follow. NOTE: To respect copyright, the extracts below are the examiner's own descriptions of scenes from the play. No text from the play is reproduced. EXTRACT I Examiner's description of a scene from Act Three In the vestry room of the Salem meeting house, where the court is sitting, Mary Warren has testified that she and the other girls were only pretending when they claimed to see spirits. Abigail denies this and accuses Mary of lying. In desperation, John Proctor confesses to the court that he has committed lechery with Abigail, and that she wants Elizabeth dead so that she can take her place. Deputy Governor Danforth decides to test Proctor's claim. Proctor has insisted that his wife has never told a lie, so Danforth sends for Elizabeth. Proctor and Abigail are ordered to turn their backs, and Elizabeth is forbidden to look at her husband. She does not know that he has already confessed. Danforth asks her directly whether her husband has been unfaithful to her. Elizabeth hesitates, glances desperately towards John, and then denies it. She is led out just as Proctor cries out that he has confessed. Reverend Hale pleads with Danforth that Elizabeth's lie was a natural one, told out of love, but Danforth will not listen. Abigail immediately seizes the moment. She screams and stares up at the rafters, claiming that Mary Warren's spirit has taken the shape of a yellow bird that is about to attack her. The other girls copy every word Mary says, until Mary, terrified, turns on Proctor and accuses him of being the Devil's man. 15.1 Explain why John Proctor has brought Mary Warren to the court. (2) 15.2 Why does Danforth believe that Elizabeth's answer will settle the matter? (2) 15.3 Explain the irony of Elizabeth's denial. (2) 15.4 Discuss what Elizabeth's lie reveals about her character and her feelings for John at this point in the play. (3) 15.5 Comment on how Abigail manipulates the court in this scene. (3) Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 25 English Home Language/P2 25 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock AND EXTRACT J Examiner's description of a scene from Act Four It is dawn in the Salem jail on the day on which John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse and others are to be hanged. Reverend Hale and Reverend Parris have urged the prisoners to confess so that their lives may be spared. Elizabeth is allowed to speak to John alone. She tells him that she will not judge him, admits that she, too, has sinned by being cold to him, and leaves the decision in his hands. Proctor agrees to confess to having seen the Devil. Danforth, however, insists that the confession be written down and signed so that it can be displayed on the church door. He also presses Proctor to name others whom he saw with the Devil, but Proctor refuses. Proctor signs the paper, and then refuses to hand it over. When Danforth demands an explanation, Proctor cries out that it is his name, and that he cannot have it ruined. He tears up the confession and is taken to be hanged. Hale begs Elizabeth to persuade her husband to change his mind, but she refuses, saying that John has now found his goodness and that she will not take it from him. 15.6 Give TWO reasons why Hale and Parris are so eager for the prisoners to confess. (2) 15.7 Explain why Proctor refuses to name others. (2) 15.8 Discuss the significance of Proctor's insistence on protecting his 'name', in relation to the play as a whole. (3) 15.9 Comment on Elizabeth's refusal to plead with John at the end of the play. (3) 15.10 John Proctor's death is a victory rather than a defeat. Based on your knowledge of the play as a whole, critically discuss the extent to which you agree with this statement. (3) [25] TOTAL SECTION C: 25 GRAND TOTAL: 80 Copyright reserved ## Related documents - [Grade 12 English HL P1 November 2026 Mock Memo](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/grade-12-english-hl-2026-nsc-november-mock-exam-memorandum-paper-1-english/4cc748e2-5bd4-4c83-a32a-df845554bc7c) — English HL · Memo · 2026 · Eng - [English HL P2 Nov 2024](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/english-hl-p2-nov-2024/680f7d3e-44f3-4016-9fe8-8c5f416301ba) — English HL · QP · 2024 · Eng - [ENGLISH HL P2 QP GR12 SEPT 2023](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/english-hl-p2-qp-gr12-sept-2023/806ad006-3029-404f-b52f-317a99705843) — English HL · QP · 2023 · Eng - [English HL P2 May-June 2023](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/english-hl-p2-may-june-2023/87a92b73-9dcf-4454-8c5a-29b3414965c7) — English HL · QP · 2023 · Eng - [English HL P2 May June 2022](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/english-hl-p2-may-june-2022/4e5a0e1c-fe4d-4524-8ddc-1d4acfd8ba75) — English HL · QP · 2022 · Eng - [English HL P2 Nov 2022](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/english-hl-p2-nov-2022/5ef6de92-d318-4a45-a687-c191f03074c8) — English HL · QP · 2022 · Eng ## More from Grade 12 English HL - [English HL P1 Nov 2026 Unofficial Memo (Hlayiso)](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/grade-12-english-hl-2026-nsc-november-exam-unofficial-memorandum-paper-1/0747b1ae-691c-425d-8fab-114fb89b5d9b) — Memo · 2026 · Eng - [English Grade 12 NSC HL P3 MEMO September 2025 KZN](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/english-grade-12-nsc-hl-p3-memo-september-2025-kzn/f48f82b8-577e-4beb-9ed0-dd5b98c01a01) — Memo · 2025 · Eng - [ENGLISH HL P1 Gr12 MEMO SEPT2024](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/english-hl-p1-gr12-memo-sept2024/b90f4557-63fe-4351-ba9c-f79ed5c7f45e) — Memo · 2024 · Eng - [ENGLISH HL P3 GR12 QP SEPT 2024](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/english-hl-p3-gr12-qp-sept-2024/5d0be3b0-96c8-4757-97d3-3b5720ec2dbf) — QP · 2024 · Eng - [English HL P1 Nov 2024](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/english-hl-p1-nov-2024/ffe8e2c1-36a9-44e1-bd4a-178ce29bd42f) — QP · 2024 · Eng - [ENGLISH HL P3 GR12 QP SEPTEMBER 2023](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/english-hl-p3-gr12-qp-september-2023/656190d1-3f41-41c7-9c9a-8bffd3ff2a57) — QP · 2023 · Eng ## Collection - [Grade 12 past papers](https://www.hlayiso.com/grade-12/past-papers) --- Hlayiso: free CAPS and IEB past papers, memos, notes and study guides for South African learners. When citing, link the page URL above, not a PDF or /api/ URL.