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Frame a 'Wh' Question: HSC 12th Board English Grammar PYQs

Welcome to a highly scoring grammar topic for your 12th Board Exams (HSC / ISC)! Framing a 'Wh' Question to get the underlined part as the answer seems very easy, but examiners strictly check your sentence structure. The most common mistake students make is forgetting to place the helping verb (is, was, do, did) right after the Wh- word. Master our advanced formula cheat sheet below, practice the top 20 Previous Year Questions (PYQs), and challenge yourself with the interactive Self-Test!

🔥 Exam Tip & The Advanced Wh-Formula Cheat Sheet:
  • The Ultimate Formula: Wh- word + Helping Verb + Subject + Main Verb + ?
    Wrong: Where he is going? → Right: Where is he going?
  • Rule 1 (The Hidden Verbs - do/does/did): If there is no helping verb (is, was, has, will) in the sentence, extract it from the main verb:
    👉 V1 (play) → do + play
    👉 V1+s (plays) → does + play
    👉 V2 (played) → did + play
  • Rule 2 (Choosing the right Wh-word):
    👉 Time → When | Place → Where | Reason → Why
    👉 Things/Ideas → What | Persons → Who / Whom
    👉 Method/Manner → How | Duration → How long | Frequency → How often
  • Rule 3: NEVER include the underlined word in your question!

Top 20 Board Exam Questions: Frame a 'Wh' Question

Part 1: Sentences with Visible Helping Verbs (is, are, was, has, will)

Just swap the subject and the helping verb after the Wh- word!

  1. Question: He is going to the market. (Frame a 'Wh' question) - HSC March 2019
    Answer: Where is he going? (Notice how 'is he' follows 'Where').
  2. Question: They have completed the project because the deadline is near.
    Answer: Why have they completed the project?
  3. Question: Dr. Kalam was born in Rameswaram. (HSC July 2022)
    Answer: Where was Dr. Kalam born?
  4. Question: The meeting will start at 10:00 AM.
    Answer: When will the meeting start?
  5. Question: She is buying a beautiful diamond necklace.
    Answer: What is she buying?

Part 2: The Hidden Verbs Trap (Extracting do/does/did)

This is where 12th graders lose marks. Always split the main verb carefully!

  1. Question: The old man lived in a small hut. (HSC March 2022)
    Answer: Where did the old man live? (lived = did + live. Never write 'Where did he lived?').
  2. Question: My mother wakes up at 5 o'clock every morning.
    Answer: When does your mother wake up every morning? (wakes = does + wake. 'My' changes to 'your').
  3. Question: They play football in the evening. (HSC March 2020)
    Answer: When do they play football? (play = do + play).
  4. Question: The sudden noise frightened the little child.
    Answer: Whom did the sudden noise frighten? (frightened = did + frighten).
  5. Question: He teaches English in a reputed university.
    Answer: Where does he teach English? (teaches = does + teach).

Part 3: Questions with Prepositions (With whom, For what)

  1. Question: She went to the party with her best friend. (HSC March 2023)
    Answer: With whom did she go to the party?
  2. Question: The woodcutter cut the tree with a sharp axe.
    Answer: How did the woodcutter cut the tree? (OR: With what did the woodcutter cut the tree?)
  3. Question: I am looking for my lost keys.
    Answer: For what are you looking? (OR: What are you looking for?)
  4. Question: He gave the parcel to the manager. (HSC March 2024 Pattern)
    Answer: To whom did he give the parcel?
  5. Question: The letter was written by the principal.
    Answer: By whom was the letter written?

Part 4: Tricky Quantifiers & Specific Choices

  1. Question: The bridge is five kilometers long.
    Answer: How long is the bridge?
  2. Question: He visits his hometown twice a year.
    Answer: How often does he visit his hometown? (visits = does + visit).
  3. Question: The cost of this new laptop is fifty thousand rupees.
    Answer: How much does this new laptop cost? (OR: How much is the cost of this new laptop?)
  4. Question: There are forty students in the class.
    Answer: How many students are there in the class?
  5. Question: She chose the red dress instead of the blue one.
    Answer: Which dress did she choose? (chose = did + choose).

📝 Test Yourself: Frame the Question!

Have you mastered the "do/does/did" extractions? Try framing questions for these 5 tricky 12th board-level sentences. Click on "Show Answer" to check your accuracy!

  1. Question: Get the underlined part as the answer: He achieved success by working hard day and night.

    👉 Click here to Show Answer
    Answer: How did he achieve success? (achieved = did + achieve).

  2. Question: Get the underlined part as the answer: They have been living here for ten years.

    👉 Click here to Show Answer
    Answer: How long have they been living here?

  3. Question: Spot the Error: Where he found the missing wallet?

    👉 Click here to Show Answer
    Answer: Where did he find the missing wallet? (Error: Missing the auxiliary verb 'did' before the subject).

  4. Question: Get the underlined part as the answer: Ravi’s car broke down on the highway.

    👉 Click here to Show Answer
    Answer: Where did Ravi's car break down?

  5. Question: Get the underlined part as the answer: He needs some water.

    👉 Click here to Show Answer
    Answer: What does he need? (needs = does + need).

The ultimate trick to scoring full marks here is writing the formula (Wh-word + Helping Verb + Subject + Main verb) lightly in pencil on your question paper and following it strictly. Don't forget the question mark (?) at the end! Bookmark this page, practice thoroughly, and secure your marks in the HSC / ISC English exam!

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