Kannada

The paper at a glance

Kannada carries the subject code 106. The syllabus described here is the one published for 2026-27.

This is one of the shortest syllabus documents NTA publishes. It is a language paper, so it describes skills rather than chapters, and it fits on a single page after the cover.

How the syllabus is organised

The specification is a numbered list in two skill areas — Reading Comprehension and Verbal Ability. There are no units, no chapter names and no prescribed texts. The PDF is titled "Syllabus for Languages" and presents the subject as one row of a table with Code, Name and Specification columns, so the entire syllabus sits in a single cell on page 2.

The list opens with a deliberate caveat: questions will be from the following topics but are not limited to. Treat the headings below as the guaranteed core, not as the outer boundary.

The document is a topic list only. It does not print question counts, marks, negative marking or timing, and it does not say how many questions come from each skill area. Read it alongside the exam pattern.

Reading Comprehension

Two passages, each capped at a length the source states as a range, one of them factual or narrative and the other literary.

Skill area	What it covers
Reading Comprehension	two types of passages (maximum 250-300 words): one Factual/Narrative, one Literary

The syllabus does not say what kind of questions follow each passage, only what kind of passage to expect.

Verbal Ability

Four item types, listed without elaboration.

Skill area	What it covers
Verbal Ability	Rearranging the parts, Match the following, Choosing the correct word, Synonyms and Antonyms

"Rearranging the parts" is the source's own wording; it does not specify whether the parts are words in a sentence or sentences in a paragraph. "Match the following" and "Choosing the correct word" are likewise left undefined.

What this syllabus does not tell you

The document is a skill list and nothing more. From it you cannot learn:

• how many questions come from Reading Comprehension and how many from Verbal Ability, or the marks, negative marking and duration — those are on the exam pattern;
• the weightage of either skill area, so prepare both rather than ranking them;
• the level of the language expected, or whether the passages are drawn from known Kannada authors;
• any grammar syllabus — grammar is tested only as far as the four Verbal Ability item types imply;
• which books to use; the syllabus names no textbook or reading list;
• how much weight a university gives this paper once you qualify — the programmes that accept it are listed below, but the marks or ranking rule each one applies sits in its own admission bulletin.

For anything about attempt rules or numbers of questions, go to the NTA information bulletin and the exam pattern rather than to this list.