MSBSHSE Syllabus for Class 12 Hindi (Hindi 2020)

What the Class 12 Hindi Syllabus Contains

The Class 12 Hindi syllabus prescribed by the state board for the HSC exam is built around four parts: prose (गद्य), poetry (पद्य), grammar (व्याकरण) and writing skills (रचना). Every question in your paper comes from one of these four areas, so the syllabus doubles as your revision checklist. The board publishes it as part of its "HSC General Subject Codes & Syllabus" document, where each language subject is listed with its subject code [verify the exact Hindi code for your stream].

Hindi can be taken either as a compulsory language or as an elective. The four-part structure stays the same in both cases, but the textbook and the depth of study can differ. Check which version applies to you before you buy any guide, because a guide built for the elective paper may not match the compulsory one.

Download the syllabus PDF from the official board website and confirm it is the version for your exam year. Syllabus documents get revised, and a chapter added or dropped in a later edition will not appear in an older PDF. If your school has not shared the file, ask your Hindi teacher for the current copy.

Once you have the PDF, map it against your textbook. Read the prose and poetry lessons first, then work through grammar exercises and writing formats. Chapter-wise Class 12 Hindi textbook solutions help you check your answers against the expected structure, and previous year question papers show how each part is actually tested.

A common mistake is treating the syllabus as a list of chapters only. It also tells you the weightage of each part, and that weightage should decide how many days you give to prose versus grammar. A student who spends three weeks on prose but two days on व्याकरण usually loses easy marks, because grammar questions are direct and quick to score.

At a Glance: Sections, Marks and Textbook

The table below gives you a quick map of the paper: which section of the syllabus each group of questions comes from, roughly how many marks it carries, and how much teaching time the textbook allots to it [verify the exact period counts for your edition]. Use the marks column, not the periods column, to decide where to spend your revision hours.

The prescribed textbook is Hindi Yuvakbharati for Class 12, published by the Maharashtra State Bureau of Textbook Production and Curriculum Research (Balbharati). Every prose and poetry lesson listed in the syllabus appears in this book, and the exercises at the end of each lesson show you the kind of questions the paper asks.

The written paper is out of 80 marks and is held for 3 hours. The remaining 20 marks come from internal assessment, which usually includes oral work and a project or activity [verify the exact internal components and their marks split with your teacher]. So the subject is effectively out of 100.

If you take Hindi as a language subject, the syllabus and paper are the same for Arts, Science and Commerce students. A Science student and an Arts student in the same exam hall answer the same Hindi paper. Your stream changes nothing here, so do not hunt for a separate "Science stream" Hindi syllabus.

Two practical points follow from this table. First, no single section can carry you: losing grammar and writing marks cannot be covered by strong prose answers. Second, grammar and writing together are worth about 40 marks and need the least memorisation, which is why they are the fastest marks to secure. Work through chapter-wise Class 12 Hindi textbook solutions for prose and poetry, and keep the previous year question papers open while you plan, so you can see how these marks are actually split in a real paper.

Prose Section: Chapter List and What to Expect

The prose (गद्य) section of the Class 12 Hindi textbook is a set of short stories, essays and biographical sketches. Each lesson is followed by exercises in the book, and the paper draws its prose questions from those exercises. The chapter list below follows the order of the textbook: [verify the exact chapter numbers and titles against your edition of Hindi Yuvakbharati, since editions differ].

The table is a placeholder for the structure: your edition of the textbook is the final authority on chapter numbers and titles, so copy the list from your book's contents page into your notes on day one. What does not change is the kind of question each lesson produces.

Prose questions test three things. Comprehension: can you state what happened and why? A typical question is "पाठ के आधार पर बताइए कि लेखक ने ऐसा क्यों कहा" (based on the lesson, explain why the writer said this). Analysis: can you explain a character's decision or the writer's purpose? Appreciation: can you comment on the language, tone or message in two or three sentences of your own?

Here is a worked example of how marks are given. Question: "इस कहानी का केंद्रीय भाव अपने शब्दों में लिखिए" (write the central idea of this story in your own words), 3 marks. A full-mark answer names the theme in one line, supports it with one incident from the story, and closes with the writer's message. A half-mark answer retells the whole story without naming a theme. The fix is to always open with the theme, then give evidence.

A common mistake is reading a chapter once and moving on. Read each lesson at least twice: the first time for the story, the second time with a pen. While reading the second time, note four things in the margin: the characters and what each one wants, the central theme in one sentence, two or three lines worth quoting, and the writer's style (simple, satirical, emotional). These notes become your answer bank for comprehension and appreciation questions. For model answers to the exercise questions, work through the chapter-wise Class 12 Hindi textbook solutions, and check how prose questions are actually worded in the previous year question papers.

Poetry Section: Chapter List and What to Expect

The poetry (पद्य) section is shorter than prose but demands a different kind of reading. A story can be summarised; a poem has to be felt and then explained. The poems in the Class 12 textbook cover a wide range: devotional verse, nature poetry, patriotic writing and modern free verse. The table below follows the textbook order: [verify the exact poem numbers, titles and poets against your edition of Hindi Yuvakbharati, since editions differ].

Poetry questions are built on three ideas you must know by name. Rasa (रस) is the feeling the poem leaves you with, such as करुण (compassion), वीर (heroism) or शांत (calm). Alankar (अलंकार) is a figure of speech, such as उपमा (simile) or अनुप्रास (alliteration), where a sound or comparison is repeated for effect. The central theme (केंद्रीय भाव) is the one-line message of the poem. A typical exam question is: "कविता का केंद्रीय भाव स्पष्ट कीजिए" (state the central idea of the poem), worth 3 marks. A full-mark answer states the theme in one sentence, quotes one line as proof, and names the rasa. A weak answer retells the poem line by line and never names a theme.

The other common question type is व्याख्या (explanation of a stanza). You are given four to six lines and asked to explain them in your own words. The safe structure is: say what the lines literally describe, then say what the poet means, then name the alankar if one is visible. For example, if a line compares the moon to a lamp, that is उपमा, and saying so earns the appreciation mark.

Memorise two or three key lines from each poem. Not the whole poem: just enough to quote as evidence in a theme or appreciation answer. Write each poem's central idea, rasa and two alankars on one index card, and revise the cards weekly rather than re-reading the poems. To see how stanza-explanation questions are actually worded, attempt them from the Maharashtra Board Class 12 previous year question papers, and compare your answers with the chapter-wise Class 12 Hindi textbook solutions.

Grammar (व्याकरण) Topics

Grammar is the part of the Hindi paper where marks are decided before you enter the hall. Prose and poetry answers depend on interpretation, but a grammar question has one correct answer, and either you know the rule or you do not. The 2020 syllabus expects you to handle the topics below, drawn from the grammar section of your textbook [verify the exact list against your edition of Hindi Yuvakbharati].

• संधि (Sandhi): how two sounds join into one word. Example: विद्या + आलय = विद्यालय (दीर्घ संधि). You must name the sandhi type, not just write the joined word.
• समास (Samas): compound words and their types, such as तत्पुरुष, द्वंद्व, बहुव्रीहि and अव्ययीभाव. Example: राजपुत्र is a तत्पुरुष compound.
• अलंकार (Alankar): figures of speech, including उपमा, रूपक, अनुप्रास and यमक. You identify the alankar in a given line and justify it.
• मुहावरे (Muhavare): idioms. You use a given मुहावरा in a sentence of your own, so learn the meaning and one clean example sentence for each.
• पर्यायवाची (Paryayvachi): synonyms. Example: सूर्य, रवि, दिनकर.
• विलोम (Vilom): antonyms. Example: अंधकार × प्रकाश.
• शब्दशुद्धी and वाक्यशुद्धी: correcting spelling and sentence errors [verify whether these are separately examined in your year's paper].

Grammar questions appear in two forms. Objective questions carry 1 mark each and ask for a direct identification, for example "राजपुत्र में कौन-सा समास है?" Short-answer questions carry 2 to 3 marks and ask you to apply the rule, for example "निम्नलिखित मुहावरे का अर्थ लिखकर वाक्य में प्रयोग कीजिए" or "संधि विच्छेद कीजिए और संधि का नाम लिखिए". In the second type, the mark is often split: one for the correct split and one for naming the type. Answer both parts even if you are unsure of the name, because half marks are common.

The most frequent mistake is writing only the final answer. In a sandhi question, "विद्यालय" alone earns partial credit; "विद्या + आलय = विद्यालय, दीर्घ संधि" earns full marks. The fix is mechanical: train yourself to write the split, the joined form and the type in that order every single time.

Practise from the exercises at the end of each grammar lesson in the textbook first, then move to the Class 12 Hindi grammar exercises and worksheets for extra drills. Ten minutes of grammar daily, with answers checked against the rule, is enough to keep this section scoring.

Writing Skills (रचना) Topics

रचना (writing) questions ask you to produce a piece of writing on your own, and they carry a large block of marks in the 80-mark paper. The 2020 syllabus expects you to handle the formats below [verify the exact list and marks against your edition of Hindi Yuvakbharati].

• निबंध (essay): a structured piece of about 200 to 250 words on a given topic, with an introduction, two or three body paragraphs and a conclusion. Topics are usually drawn from current issues, social problems, literature or personal experience.
• पत्र (letter): formal letters (application, complaint, request to an authority) and informal letters (to a friend or relative). The format matters: sender's address, date, receiver's address, subject (for formal letters), salutation, body, closing and signature.
• प्रतिवेदन (report): a factual write-up on an event or incident, usually with a heading, date, place and a short account of what happened.
• कहानी (story): a short narrative built from a given outline or opening line, with a clear beginning, conflict and ending.
• विज्ञापन (advertisement) and सूचना (notice): short, tightly worded formats where every line must carry information [verify whether these are separately examined in your year's paper].

Marks in this section are not given only for content. A typical 5-mark निबंध question is marked roughly as: 3 for content and coherence, 1 for format (where a format applies) and 1 for language accuracy [verify the split for your year's paper]. In a पत्र question, a wrong or missing format line can cost you a mark even when the body is good. For a कहानी, a story without a clear ending loses marks on coherence.

Plan before you write. Spend two minutes listing three or four points for a निबंध, or the sequence of events for a कहानी, so the piece does not drift. Keep sentences short and grammatically correct rather than long and ambitious. Write one निबंध and one पत्र every week and get them checked by a teacher or a classmate, asking specifically about format errors and spelling. Practise full-length answers within the exam time limit, and see Maharashtra Board Class 12 previous year question papers for the actual wording of रचना questions.

Paper Pattern and Marks Distribution

The written Hindi paper is of 80 marks and you get 3 hours to finish it [verify the duration and total for your exam year]. The remaining 20 marks come from internal assessment, which your school conducts during the year [verify the exact internal components and their split with your teacher]. The 2020 HSC exam followed this overall arrangement.

The 80 written marks are spread roughly like this. Treat the numbers as a guide and check them against the blueprint your teacher shares, because the exact split can change from year to year [verify against the current blueprint].

Questions come in four sizes, and each size expects a different kind of answer:

• Objective (1 mark): one-line answers, fill in the blanks, matching, or choosing the correct option. Example: "गद्य खंड के लेखक का नाम लिखिए।" Answer in a word or phrase. Do not write a paragraph here; you waste time and gain nothing.
• Short answer (2 to 3 marks): two or three sentences that directly answer the question. Example: "कविता का केंद्रीय भाव स्पष्ट कीजिए।" Give the idea first, then one supporting line from the poem.
• Long answer (4 to 5 marks): a structured answer with a clear point, explanation and a textbook example. Example: "पात्र की विशेषताएँ उदाहरण सहित लिखिए।" Three or four distinct points, each in its own sentence, score better than one long paragraph.
• Essay-type (8 to 10 marks): the निबंध or a full व्याख्या, where planning, format and language all count. Here the difference between 6 and 9 marks is usually structure, not knowledge.

A common mistake is writing a long answer where a 1-mark question was asked, then running short of time for the essay. Fix it by reading the mark value before you start writing and matching the length of your answer to it. If you want to see how these question types actually appear, work through Maharashtra Board Class 12 previous year question papers under timed conditions.

Is the 2020 Syllabus Still Valid?

The 2020 syllabus was issued for the academic year 2019-2020, and the HSC exam held in that year was set from it. It is a record of what was prescribed then, not a standing promise that the same chapters and the same marks split apply to your exam. The state board revises language syllabi from time to time, and a revision can quietly change a chapter, drop a poem, or move marks from grammar to writing [verify whether a revision has been notified for your exam year].

Before you build a study plan, open the board's official website and download the syllabus listed for your exam year. Compare it with the 2020 version on three things:

• Chapter list: check whether any prose or poetry lesson has been added, removed, or renamed. A dropped chapter is wasted revision time; a new one is lost marks.
• Marks distribution: the 20-20-20-20 split shown earlier is a guide, not a guarantee. Confirm the current split from the blueprint your teacher shares.
• Internal assessment: the 20-mark component and its sub-parts (project, oral, notebook) can be redefined [verify the current internal structure with your teacher].

What usually stays stable is the shape of the paper: prose, poetry, grammar and writing, with objective, short-answer and long-answer questions. So the 2020 document is still useful for understanding how the subject is organised and for planning revision. It is not safe, however, as your final list of chapters.

A practical habit: keep both files, the 2020 syllabus and the current one, side by side. Study only from the current list, and use the 2020 document to understand the paper's design. If your school has already given you the current blueprint, treat that as final and ignore any older version, including this one.

Once your chapter list is confirmed, move straight to solving questions from Class 12 Hindi textbook solutions chapter by chapter, so that every lesson on the current list has been read, noted and tested at least once.

Prescribed Textbook and Supplementary Resources

Everything you write in the exam comes out of one book: Hindi Yuvakbharati, the Class 12 Hindi textbook published by the Maharashtra State Bureau of Textbook Production and Curriculum Research (the state board's textbook bureau) [verify the exact edition and print year printed on your copy]. It contains both the prose (गद्य) and poetry (पद्य) lessons, and each lesson is followed by exercises: questions on content, explanation of lines (व्याख्या), language-based tasks, and activities such as group discussion or letter writing. Treat those exercises as a preview of the paper. If you can answer every question printed after a lesson, you have covered what that lesson can ask.

Here is how the resources around the textbook fit together:

• Textbook (primary): read the lesson, then answer its exercises in writing. This is the only source you must finish completely.
• Chapter-wise Class 12 Hindi textbook solutions: use these to check your answers after you attempt them, not before. Reading a ready answer first gives you the feeling of understanding without the work of it.
• Previous year question papers: solve at least three papers under a 3-hour timer. They show you how the same lesson is asked in different forms, one year as a 2-mark comprehension question, another as a 4-mark appreciation question.
• Guides and online notes: useful for a quick recap of a poem's central idea (मुख्य भाव) or a chapter's characters, but they compress lessons into summaries. A summary cannot answer a question that asks you to quote and explain a line.

A common mistake is studying only from a guide because it is shorter. The fix is simple: the guide is for revision after you have read the lesson; the textbook is for the first reading and for the exercises. Examiners set questions from the textbook's own material, including its exercise wording, so a student who has never opened the lesson loses marks that were easy to earn.

How to Use the Syllabus for Effective Revision

The syllabus is not a document to read once and forget. Used properly, it is a working checklist: every chapter, every grammar topic and every writing format on it is something the paper can ask. Print it or copy the section headings into the first page of a notebook, and tick each item only when you can answer questions on it without looking at the book.

Build your timetable around marks, not around how much you enjoy a section. Grammar and writing skills together often carry close to half the paper, yet many students spend most of their time on prose because it feels like "real" studying. If grammar is worth, say, 20 marks, it deserves roughly a quarter of your Hindi study hours, spread across the week rather than crammed into the last ten days.

A workable weekly split for the final three months:

• Two days for prose: one lesson per sitting. Read it, then write out the exercise answers from memory and check them against your chapter-wise textbook solutions.
• Two days for poetry: one poem per sitting. Learn the central idea (मुख्य भाव), the rasa and the main alankar, then write one व्याख्या of four to six lines in full sentences.
• One day for grammar: pick two topics, revise the rule, then solve twenty items. Use grammar exercises and worksheets once the textbook exercises are done.
• One day for writing: write one full piece (निबंध, पत्र or प्रतिवेदन) in 25 minutes, then read it aloud to catch errors.
• One day for a timed paper: in the last six weeks, solve a full paper in 3 hours. Previous year question papers are the closest rehearsal you will get.

Two habits decide most marks. First, always write answers with a clock visible: a 4-mark question needs about 8 to 10 minutes, not 20. Second, keep an "error page" where you note every mistake from practice papers (a wrong समास type, a missing letter format) and revise that page before each test. Students who track errors stop repeating them; students who only re-read lessons keep losing the same marks.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the MSBSHSE Class 12 Hindi syllabus for 2020?

It is the state board's prescribed course for HSC Hindi for the academic year 2019-2020. It lists the prose (गद्य) and poetry (पद्य) lessons from the textbook, the grammar (व्याकरण) topics, and the writing skills (रचना) you are expected to produce in the exam. It also tells you how the paper is structured. Treat it as the boundary of what can be asked: anything inside it is fair game, and anything outside it will not appear.

How many chapters are there in Class 12 Hindi?

The textbook is divided into a prose section and a poetry section, and the exact number of lessons in each is printed in the contents page of your copy. Because lesson counts have changed between editions, count the chapters in your own textbook rather than trusting a number from a guide or a coaching handout [verify]. If your book and a friend's book show different contents, check the edition year on the first page; you may be holding different print runs.

What is the marks distribution for the Class 12 Hindi paper?

The written paper is out of 80 marks and the internal assessment carries 20 marks, so the subject total is 100 [verify]. Within the written paper, marks are split across prose, poetry, grammar and writing skills, with grammar and writing together forming a large share. Your teacher will have the section-wise split for your batch; ask for it in the first week of the year and write it on the inside cover of your notebook, because it decides how you divide study time.

Is the 2020 Hindi syllabus still valid for current exams?

Not automatically. The 2020 syllabus was issued for that academic year, and the board has since revised syllabi for several subjects and standards [verify]. The overall shape, prose, poetry, grammar and writing skills, has stayed broadly the same, but individual lesson names, grammar sub-topics or mark splits may differ. Before you plan revision from a 2020 PDF, open the board's current syllabus page and compare the contents list line by line. If a lesson in your old list is missing from the new one, drop it.

Which textbook is prescribed for Class 12 Hindi?

Hindi Yuvakbharati, published by the Maharashtra State Bureau of Textbook Production and Curriculum Research (Balbharati). Every lesson, exercise and activity the paper draws from sits inside this book. Guides summarise it, but they also drop details that carry marks, such as the poet's name, the source of a passage, or the exact wording of a grammar rule. Read the textbook first, then use a guide only to check your answers. For chapter-wise answers you can cross-check against, see Class 12 Hindi textbook solutions.

Is there an internal assessment or oral exam for Hindi?

Yes, Hindi carries internal assessment of 20 marks, which is added to the 80-mark written paper [verify]. The exact components, such as a project, oral work, or notebook and activity scores, are decided by the board and communicated through your school. Ask your Hindi teacher at the start of the year what will be assessed and when, because internal marks are usually fixed well before the board exam and are hard to improve afterwards.

How do I know which grammar topics are in the syllabus?

Check the grammar portion listed in the syllabus and then match it against the grammar exercises at the back of each lesson in the textbook. If a topic, say समास or अलंकार, appears in the syllabus list, expect both objective questions and short-answer items on it. Practise with Class 12 Hindi grammar exercises and worksheets after you finish the textbook exercises, and note every wrong answer on your error page.

Should I solve previous year papers if I am following the 2020 syllabus?

Yes, but read them with the current syllabus beside you. Papers from the 2020 exam show the question types and the time pressure you will face, which is useful practice. What they cannot tell you is whether a lesson they tested is still in the syllabus. Solve the paper, then mark any question based on a dropped lesson as "not applicable" instead of learning that answer. Use Maharashtra Board Class 12 previous year question papers for timed practice in the last six weeks.