MSBSHSE Books for Class 12 Political Science (राज्यशास्त्र) in English Medium

What this page gives you

This page is about the state board-prescribed Class 12 Political Science (राज्यशास्त्र) textbook in English medium. The book is published by Balbharati, the Maharashtra State Bureau of Textbook Production and Curriculum Research, and it is the official source for the HSC exam. Every definition, thinker name and example you write in your answer should be traceable to this book.

Here is what you will find as you scroll down:

• A chapter-wise table with the English chapter names and a one-line focus for each, so you can see the full syllabus at a glance.
• Details of the English edition: who publishes it, how the English and Marathi editions relate, and where to get the official PDF.
• How the textbook content maps to the HSC question paper, with question types and the chapters that usually carry more marks [verify].
• A practical chapter-study method, answer-writing format for long answers, and a list of common mistakes.
• A four-week revision plan and answers to frequently asked questions.

If you already own the printed book, use this page as a planning tool: tick off chapters as you revise them, check which chapters need extra answer-writing practice, and confirm that your copy is the latest edition.

Chapter-wise list of Class 12 Political Science (English Medium)

The table below lists the chapters of the Balbharati Class 12 Political Science (राज्यशास्त्र) textbook in the order printed in the English medium edition. Read the "Focus" column before you open a chapter: it tells you what kind of material the chapter is built on, so you know whether you are walking into definitions, thinker-based theory, or Indian government machinery that needs factual recall.

Chapter names and the total number of chapters can change when the syllabus is revised, so open your copy and match the list before you plan anything. If your book has a chapter that is not in this table, or the numbering differs, your edition is either older or newer than the one used here: check the latest edition on the Balbharati site and follow that. The full subject outline is also listed in the Class 12 Arts syllabus page [verify].

Use the table to sort chapters by load, not by order. Chapters 2, 3 and 7 are concept-heavy: they reward precise definitions and comparisons, and they are where students lose marks by writing loose, everyday meanings of terms like liberty or authority. Chapters 8, 9 and 10 are fact-heavy: dates, articles, amendments and lists. These need short, repeated revision rather than one long sitting. Chapters 12, 13 and 14 sit in between: they mix definitions with Indian examples, so they are the best chapters for practising answers that combine a term with a case.

A quick way to judge a chapter's weight before you read it: open the chapter, count the number of sub-headings and the number of exercise questions at the end. A chapter with many sub-headings and many exercise questions usually carries more marks than a short descriptive one. Mark each chapter as heavy, medium or light in pencil on the contents page, and plan your revision in that order, heaviest first. When you finish a chapter, test yourself with the chapter-wise solutions (English Medium) only after writing your own answer.

About the English medium edition: publisher, edition and where to get it

Publisher and edition details

The Class 12 Political Science (राज्यशास्त्र) textbook is published by Balbharati, the Maharashtra State Bureau of Textbook Production and Curriculum Research. Balbharati is the state board's own textbook body, so the book you buy in a shop and the PDF on its website are the same content, produced by the same team of subject experts.

The English medium edition is a direct translation of the Marathi edition. The chapters, sub-headings, exercises and examples are the same; only the language changes. Because it is an official translation, terms are used consistently across all chapters, so "sovereignty" in Chapter 4 means the same thing as "sovereignty" in Chapter 16. That consistency is useful in the exam: if you learn a definition once, you can reuse it anywhere.

Before you buy, borrow or print a copy, check the edition year printed on the first few pages. Balbharati reprints and updates textbooks from time to time, and a chapter's content or exercises may change between editions [verify]. A book that is two or three years old may still be mostly correct, but matching your copy to the current syllabus removes any doubt.

Where to find the official PDF

The official PDF is usually available on the Balbharati website and on the state board's textbook portal. Download it from those sources only. Copies uploaded on random blogs or messaging groups are often scanned, blurred, missing pages, or based on an old edition, and a missing exercise page costs you practice questions. If you use a downloaded PDF, note the edition year written on its first pages and compare it with the printed book a senior or teacher is using.

Print vs digital: what to choose

Both have a place, and the right choice depends on how you study.

A workable setup: keep the printed book as your main copy, and keep the official PDF on your phone for quick look-ups. When you revise a chapter, use the PDF to search for a key term and confirm you have not missed a mention of it elsewhere in the book. After you finish a chapter's exercises, compare your answers with the chapter-wise solutions (English Medium).

How the textbook maps to the HSC question paper

Every question in the HSC Political Science paper is built from the textbook, but not every page is tested the same way. Objective questions come from definitions, names and dates scattered across chapters. Long answers come from the main body of a chapter where a process, institution or debate is explained in detail. If you know which chapter feeds which question type, your revision stops being random.

Question types and marks distribution

The paper usually mixes objective questions (fill in the blanks, match the pairs, true or false, one-line answers), short answers worth two to three marks, and longer answers worth four to eight marks. Some papers also carry a map, chart or diagram-based question [verify]. The exact split of marks changes with the paper pattern set for your batch, so confirm it against the latest blueprint your school gives you [verify].

Which chapters need extra practice

Chapters that explain a full institution or process (for example, the Union executive, the judiciary, or India's foreign policy) usually give examiners the most material for long answers, because they contain many sub-points a student can expand [verify]. Chapters with heavy terminology and comparisons are common sources of objective questions. Treat these as your high-weight chapters and revise them twice.

Shorter, descriptive chapters are not free marks either. They often appear as short-answer questions, and students lose marks there by writing too little. A two-mark answer still needs two clear points, not one long sentence.

Practise in the format the examiner expects: point-wise answers, one idea per point, key terms underlined. For example, if asked "Explain the functions of the Election Commission", write four or five numbered points, underline "Election Commission" and "electoral roll", and add one example. Compare your attempt with the Class 12 Political Science chapter-wise solutions (English Medium) only after you have written your own answer. Then move to HSC Political Science previous year question papers with solutions to see how the same chapter has been asked in different formats.

English vs Marathi edition: what changes and what stays the same

The chapter list, concepts, definitions and exercises are the same in both editions. The Marathi book is titled राज्यशास्त्र and the English book is titled Political Science, but they carry the same content in the same order. If a friend studies from the Marathi edition and you study from the English one, you are both preparing from the same syllabus for the same paper.

What changes is the language of instruction, and with it the terminology. English medium students meet translated technical terms: "sovereignty" for सार्वभौमत्व, "federalism" for संघराज्यवाद, "judicial review" for न्यायिक पुनर्विलोकन. Learn the English term, since that is what you will write in the answer sheet, and note the Marathi word beside it if it helps you recall the concept faster.

If you think in Marathi, keep the Marathi edition open only when a paragraph in the English book feels dense. Read the Marathi version to understand the idea, then return to the English page and write your summary in English. Do not prepare answers in Marathi and translate them in the exam hall; the wording slows you down and costs time you need for other questions. Once the concept is clear, practise the answer in English using the format shown in How to write perfect answers in HSC Political Science.

How to study each chapter: a practical method

Most students lose marks in Political Science not because the chapter was hard, but because they read it once, felt they understood it, and never tested that feeling. The four steps below fix that. Use them on every chapter, and keep the same order so the habit becomes automatic.

Step 1: Skim and outline

Before you read a single paragraph properly, spend five to seven minutes skimming. Read the chapter title, all the subheadings, the boxed items, and the summary or "Let us revise" section at the end. Then close the book and write the subheadings as a rough outline on one side of a page.

Example: if the chapter is on federalism, your outline might read: meaning of federation, features, centre-state relations, tensions in the Indian system, concluding view. That outline is your map. When you deep read, you know where you are and why a paragraph exists. Students who skip this step often finish a chapter unable to say what its main argument was.

Step 2: Deep read and note key terms

Now read slowly, pen in hand, and mark three things only:

• Definitions of concepts such as sovereignty, federation, secularism, or judicial review. These are what examiners look for in the first two lines of an answer.
• Names of thinkers and institutions, for example the Supreme Court, the Election Commission, or a constitutional article the chapter discusses.
• Case examples the textbook uses to explain a concept. A point without an example is a half answer.

Do not highlight whole paragraphs. If you mark everything, you have marked nothing. A chapter usually gives you eight to twelve genuinely important terms, not fifty.

Step 3: Create a one-page summary

After reading, convert the chapter into a single page in your own words. Divide the page into three columns: key terms with a one-line definition, thinkers or institutions with what they stand for, and examples with the point each one supports. Write this from memory first, then check the book and fill gaps in a different colour. The gaps you fill in that second colour are exactly what you need to revise before the exam.

Keep all summaries in one notebook. By the end of the syllabus you have a complete revision book of roughly twenty pages.

Step 4: Practice answer writing

Finish each chapter by attempting the textbook exercises and at least one previous year question from that chapter. Write under time pressure: a four-mark question in about five minutes, a long answer in ten to twelve. Write point-wise, underline key terms, and add one example per point.

A common mistake: a student writes a long paragraph on "features of federation" and loses marks because the examiner cannot spot the individual points. The fix is mechanical. Break the paragraph into numbered points, one feature per point, and underline the feature name. Marks are given for identifiable points, not for length. For the exact structure, see How to write perfect answers in HSC Political Science, and for model answers to textbook questions use Class 12 Political Science chapter-wise solutions (English Medium).

Finally, keep a checklist of every chapter with three boxes beside it: skimmed, summary made, answers practised. Tick a box only when the work is actually done. On any given day, open the checklist and pick the chapter with the most empty boxes. That single sheet tells you what to study next without guesswork, and it stops the common habit of re-reading comfortable chapters while the difficult ones stay untouched.

Using the textbook with supplementary solutions: do's and don'ts

Supplementary solutions are answer keys: they show you a model answer for each textbook question. They are useful, but only if you use them in the right order. A student who reads the solution before attempting the question is not studying Political Science, he is reading a story. The learning happens when you write first and check second.

Do attempt the question yourself before opening the solution. Take a typical textbook question: "Explain the features of a federation." Write your answer from memory, close the book, then open the solution and compare point by point. If the solution lists five features and you wrote three, you now know exactly what you missed. That gap is your revision list. For chapter-wise model answers, use Class 12 Political Science chapter-wise solutions (English Medium).

Don't memorise solutions word for word. Examiners read hundreds of scripts and can spot a copied answer key quickly [verify]. More importantly, a memorised answer collapses the moment the question is worded slightly differently, for example "Why do federations face centre-state tensions?" instead of "Explain the features of a federation." Understand the logic of each point, then write it in your own sentences.

Do treat the textbook as the final authority. If a solution and the textbook disagree on a definition, a constitutional article number, or the name of an institution, trust the textbook. Solutions are prepared by private publishers and can carry small errors or older content. When you spot a mismatch, note it in the margin and check the latest Balbharati edition.

Don't let solutions replace the textbook. A common mistake is to revise only from answer keys in the last week, skipping the chapter text, the summary, and the exercises. The exam draws from the whole chapter, including lines a short solution never quotes. Read the chapter, then use solutions to test yourself. For real exam-style practice, add HSC Political Science previous year question papers with solutions to your routine.

A simple rule: textbook first, your own answer second, solution third. Follow that order and solutions become a checking tool, not a crutch.

Answer-writing format for Political Science long answers

A long answer in Political Science is not an essay. It is a structured argument that shows the examiner you know the concept, can define it, and can support it with evidence from the chapter. Most long answers carry 4 to 6 marks [verify], so the examiner is scanning for specific things: a clear definition, organised points, and at least one example. Give her those things in the first thirty seconds of reading and the marks follow.

Use a three-part structure every time.

• Introduction (2 to 3 lines): Define the key term in the question and state what your answer will cover. For "Explain the features of a federation", open with a one-line definition of federation, then say you will discuss its main features.
• Body (point-wise): Write each feature or argument as a separate numbered or bulleted point. Start each point with the key term, then explain it in one or two sentences. Do not bury the term inside a paragraph.
• Conclusion (2 lines): Close with a sentence that ties the points together or states why the concept matters. Avoid introducing a new point here.

Use the textbook's own vocabulary. If the chapter calls it "division of powers" or "dual citizenship", write exactly that, not a loose synonym. Examiners match your words against the expected answer, and the textbook term is the safest match. Underline definitions, names of thinkers, constitutional articles, and institution names. Underlining is not decoration: it tells the examiner where your marks lie.

Support every second or third point with an example from the chapter. For a question on centre-state relations, cite a case or commission named in your textbook rather than inventing one. An unsupported claim earns the point only partly; a claim with a textbook example earns it fully.

Keep the answer concise but complete. A 6-mark answer usually needs about 8 to 10 points, not 20 half-points and not 3 long paragraphs. If you write paragraphs, the examiner has to hunt for your points; if you write points, she can tick them. Practise this format on textbook exercises first, then move to HSC Political Science previous year question papers with solutions so you get used to the wording the board actually uses. For a step-by-step walkthrough of structure and marking, read How to write perfect answers in HSC Political Science.

Common mistakes to avoid

Most mark loss in Political Science does not come from not studying. It comes from studying in a way that leaves marks on the table. Here are the four habits that cost students the most, and the fix for each.

1. Skipping the chapter summary and exercises. The summary at the end of each chapter is the board's own compressed version of the chapter, and the exercises show you the wording the paper will use. Students who read only the main text often miss the exact phrasing the examiner expects. The fix: read the summary first, then the chapter, then the exercises. If you can answer the exercises without opening the book, the chapter is done.

2. Ignoring diagrams, charts and tables. A table comparing federal and unitary systems, or a chart of UN organs, carries the same content as two paragraphs of text but is faster to revise and easier to reproduce in an answer. Copy these into your notes instead of skipping them as "extra material".

3. Writing long paragraphs instead of point-wise answers. A paragraph hides your points; a numbered list shows them. A 6-mark answer needs roughly 8 to 10 clear points, not three dense paragraphs. Practise the format described in How to write perfect answers in HSC Political Science until point-wise writing becomes automatic.

4. Skipping chapters that feel difficult. Chapters on international organisations or comparative politics often feel heavy to read but are scored generously because the questions are direct. Check the weightage pattern and the Class 12 Arts syllabus before deciding a chapter is not worth your time [verify].

After each practice attempt, compare your answers with chapter-wise solutions to see which of these four mistakes you are actually making.

A 4-week revision plan using the textbook

Four weeks is enough to cover the book twice if you keep the first reading fast and the second reading active. Treat each week as a fixed job, not a mood.

• Week 1: Take the first half of the chapters, roughly the first six [verify]. For each, skim headings, read the summary, then read the full text once. Close the book and write a one-page summary: key terms, thinkers, and one example per chapter. Do not start answers yet.
• Week 2: Repeat the same method for the remaining chapters. By the end of this week you should have a complete set of one-page notes for the whole book.
• Week 3: Revise only your one-page notes, then practise answer writing. Pick two textbook exercises a day and write them in exam format, point-wise with key terms underlined. Compare with the chapter-wise solutions only after you finish writing.
• Week 4: Solve previous year question papers under timed conditions. Mark every wrong or blank answer against its chapter and spend the next day on those chapters alone.

A common mistake in Week 4 is re-reading whole chapters you already know. Spend that time only on the chapters where your paper score was weakest.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Class 12 Political Science textbook available in English medium as a free PDF?

Yes, the Balbharati Class 12 Political Science (राज्यशास्त्र) textbook in English medium is available as a free PDF on the official Balbharati website (ebalbharati.in). You can download the complete book or individual chapters. The PDF is the official edition, so you can rely on it for definitions, thinker names and examples. Always check that you have the latest edition.

How many chapters are there in the Class 12 Political Science book?

The Balbharati Class 12 Political Science (राज्यशास्त्र) textbook contains 10 chapters in the current syllabus [verify]. The chapters cover topics from introduction to political science, concepts and terms, and Indian government machinery. Always confirm the exact number from the latest edition of the book or the official syllabus, as revisions may occur.

Has any chapter been deleted from the current Political Science syllabus?

The state board periodically updates the syllabus, and some chapters or topics may be deleted or added. For the current academic year, check the official Balbharati website or the board's circulars for the latest syllabus. Do not rely on older editions. [verify]

Are board exam questions asked directly from the Political Science textbook?

Yes, the HSC Political Science question paper is based on the Balbharati textbook. Questions, including definitions, thinker names and examples, are drawn from the text. However, some questions may require you to apply concepts or analyse, so simply memorising is not enough. Study the textbook thoroughly and practise answer writing.

Is the English medium book different from the Marathi medium book in content?

No, the content of the English medium and Marathi medium books is the same. Both are published by Balbharati and follow the same syllabus. The only difference is the language of instruction. You can use either edition for exam preparation, but ensure you are comfortable with the terminology in the language you will write your answers in.

Can I score full marks in Political Science by studying only the textbook?

Studying the textbook thoroughly is essential, but scoring full marks also requires effective answer-writing practice, understanding question patterns, and revising regularly. The textbook provides all the content, but you must learn to present it clearly and to the point. Solve sample papers and previous years' question papers to improve your scoring.