The Second PUC English Course Book (2021–2022) by the Department of Pre-University Education, Karnataka, is an anthology curated to foster literary appreciation and strengthen English language skills among pre-university students. It comprises a thoughtfully chosen mix of global and regional literary texts—short stories, poems, and a play—designed to spark curiosity, critical thinking, and cultural awareness. Notable inclusions are excerpts from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Leo Tolstoy’s Too Dear!, Kahlil Gibran’s On Children, and Vandana Shiva’s essay Everything I Need to Know I Learned in the Forest. Each unit is supplemented with pre-reading activities, glossaries, comprehension questions, and extended activities to support layered understanding and application. The book emphasizes contemporary educational priorities such as sustainability, empathy, equity, and digital literacy, while reinforcing the importance of grammar and vocabulary through an integrated workbook. This revised edition aims to promote both linguistic competence and ethical sensitivity among learners in alignment with the National Curriculum Framework.
