The Last Lesson
The Last Lesson (Solution)

    SOLVED QUESTION The Last Lesson

    Q1. What was Franz expected to be prepared with for school that day?

    Ans: That day Franz was expected to be prepared with participles because M. Hamel had said that he would question them on participles. Franz did not know anything about participles.

    Q2. What did Franz notice that was unusual about the school that day?

    Ans: Usually, when school began, there was a great bustle, which could be heard out in the street. But it was all very still that day. Everything was as quiet as Sunday morning. There was no opening or closing of desks. His classmates were already in their places. The teacher’s great ruler instead of rapping on the table, was under M. Hamel’s arm.

    Q3. What had been put up on the bulletin-board?

    Ans: For the last two years all the bad news had come from the bulletin-board. An order had come from Berlin to teach only German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. The Germans had put up this notice on the bulletin-board.

    Q4. What changes did the order from Berlin cause in school that day?

    Ans: M. Hamel had put on his best dress—his beautiful green coat, his frilled shirt and the little black silk cap, all embroidered. The whole school seemed so strange and solemn. On the back benches that were always empty, the elderly village people were sitting quietly like the kids.

    Q5. How did Franz’s feelings about M. Hamel and school change?

    Ans: Franz came to know that it was the last lesson in French that M. Hamel would give them. From the next day they will be taught only German. Then he felt sorry for not learning his lessons properly. His books, which seemed a nuisance and a burden earlier were now old friends. His feelings about M. Hamel also changed. He forgot all about his ruler and how cranky he was.

    Q6. The people? in this story suddenly realise how1 precious their language is to them. What shows you this? Why does this happen?

    Ans: M. Hamel told the students and villagers that henceforth only German would be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. Those who called themselves Frenchmen would neither be able to speak nor write it. He praised French as the most beautiful, the clearest and most logical language in the world. He said that for the enslaved people, their language was the key to their prison. Then the people realised how precious their language was to them. This shows people’s love for their own culture, traditions and country. Pride in one’s language reflects pride in the motherland.

    Q7. Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons’ What could this mean? (There could he more than one answer.)

    Ans: This comment of Franz shows a Frenchman’s typical reaction to the imposition of learning German, the language of the conquerors. Being deprived of the learning of mother tongue would mean cutting off all bonds with the motherland. Teaching the pigeons to sing in German indicates how far the Germans would go in their attempts of linguistic chauvinism.

    Q8. “When a people are en slaved, as long as they hold fast to their language it is as if they had the key to their prison.”
    Can you think of examples in history where a conquered people had their language taken away from them or had a language imposed on them?

    Ans: Mother tongue helps a person to express his feelings and thoughts most lucidly and intimately. Conquerors try to subdue and control the people of the enslaved territory by enforcing many measures such as use of force to crush dissent and imposing their own language on them.
    From time immemorial the victorious nations have imposed their own language on the conquered people and taken away their own language from them. The Romans conquered many parts of Europe and replaced the local languages by their own language— Latin. Later on Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and French developed from Latin. The Muslim invaders imposed Arabic and Persian in the countries of Asia overpowered by them. In many Arab countries the local religion and language have disappeared. In India, a new language Urdu developed from the mixture of Persian and Hindi.

    Q9. What happens to a linguistic minority in a state? How do you think they can keep their language alive? For example:

    Punjabis        in Bangalore
    Tamilians      in Mumbai
    Kannadigas   in Delhi
    Gujaratis       in Kolkata

    Ans. The linguistic minority in any state is easily marked and faces the same discrimination as the religious, social or ethnic minorities. There is, however, a pronounced difference in the treatment meted out and the level of acceptance displayed by the majority community in that region/city. Some cities like Delhi, Mumbai are cosmopolitan in outlook.The linguistic minority tries to preserve its identity through an intimate contact, interaction and preservation of their language in social get-togethers, family functions and festivals of their own region. Adherence to social customs and traditions in family gatherings/group meetings of women also promote the unity between members of the linguistic minority.In short, they create a mini-Punjab in Bangalore, mini-Chennai in Mumbai, mini-Bangalore in Delhi and mini-Surat in Kolkata.

    The Last Lesson
    Summary (English & Hindi)
    The Last Lesson (Translation in Hindi)

    WORKING WITH WORDS The Last Lesson

    Q1. English is a language that contains words from many other languages. This inclusiveness is one of the reasons it is now a “world language”. For example’.

    • petite                 –     French
    • kindergarten      –     German
    • capital               –     Latin
    • democracy        –     Greek
    • bazaar               –     Hindi

    Find out the origins of the following words:
    tycoon        barbecue       zero
    tulip            veranda         ski
    logo            robot             trek
    bandicoot

     Ans.

    Word                 Origin                Word                 Origin
    Tycoon             Japanese             Veranda            Portuguese
    Tulip                 Persian               Robot               Czech
    Logo                 Greek                 Zero                 Arabic
    Bandicoot         Telugu                Ski                   Norwegian
    Barbecue          Spanish              Trek                  South African Dutch

    Q2. Notice the underlined words in these sentences and tick the option that best explains their meaning:

    (a) “What a thunderclap these words were to me!”

    The words were

    (i)loud and clear.
    (ii)startling and unexpected.
    (iii) pleasant and welcome.

    Ans. (ii) startling and unexpected.

    (b)“When a people are enslaved, as long as they hold fast to their language it is as if they had the key to their prison.”

    It is as if they have the key to the prison as long as they

    (i)do not lose their language.
    (ii)are attached to their language.
    (iii)quickly learn the conqueror’s language.

    Ans: (ii) are attached to their language.

    (c)Don’t go so fast, you will get to your school in plenty of time.

    You will get to your school.

    (i)very late.
    (ii)too early.
    (iii)early enough.

    Ans: (iii) early enough.

    (d)I never saw him look so tall. 

    M. Hamel        (i) had grown physically taller.
                            (ii) seemed very confident.
                            (iii) stood on the chair.

    Ans: (ii) seemed very confident.

    Read this sentence The Last Lesson

    M. Hamel had said that he would question us on participles.

    In the sentence above, the verb form “had said” in the first part is used to indicate an “earlier past”. The whole story is narrated in the past. M. Hamel’s “saying” happened earlier than the events in this story. This form of the verb is called the past perfect.

    Pick out five sentences from the story with this form of the verb and say why this form has been used.

    Ans. (i)For the last two years all our bad news had come from there.
    Reason: The ‘coming’ of bad news happened earlier than the bulletin in the story.

    Ans. (ii) Hauser had brought an old primer.
    Reason : The event of ‘bringing’ happened earlier than Franz noticed it.

    Ans. (iii) That was what they had put up at the town-hall!
    Reason. The ‘putting up’ of bulletin happened earlier. Now it is recalled.

    Ans. (iv) they had not gone to school more.
    Reason. The action of ‘not going* happened much earlier.

    Ans. (v) the hopvine that he had planted himself twined about the windows to the roof.
    Reason. The ‘planting’ of hopvine happened earlier than its twining about the windows.

    WRITING The Last Lesson

    Q1. Write a paragraph of about 100 words arguing for or against having to study three languages at school.

    Ans:

    STUDYING THREE LANGUAGES AT SCHOOL

    In most of the states in India, students have to study three languages at school. One of them is the mother tongue, the second is Hindi (the national language) and the third is English (the international or link language). In Hindi speaking region, a South or East Indian language—Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malyalam or Bangla, Oriya, Assamese etc is taught. The three language formula helps in national integration by acquainting young students about the social customs, rituals, culture and traditions of the various parts of the country. It also focuses on the principle of unity in diversity. The only drawback in this system is that it puts an excessive burden on the minds of the young learner. To alleviate their problem, the courses of study in the three languages may be structured suitably.

    Q2. Have you ever changed your opinion about someone or something that you had earlier liked or disliked? Narrate what led you to change your mind.

    Ans: Facts are sometimes stronger than fiction. Many occurrences of life come as eye-openers. Such an experience occurred the previous day which led me to change my mind about our hostel warden Miss Angela Thomas. Overnight the terrible titan was transformed into a loving and affectionate elder sister full of milk of human kindness. Now when I remember how I disliked her and invented nicknames and pranks to tease her, I feel ashamed of myself. Yesterday, I had a terrible nightmare and I cried and wept. My room-mate failed to console me and reported the matter to the warden. God knows how long I remained unconscious! When I came to my senses I found my head in the lap of Miss Angela Thomas. Her eyes were red with tears and bps moving in prayer. She had really proved an angel for me and saved me.

    The Last Lesson
    Summary (English & Hindi)
    The Last Lesson (Translation in Hindi)

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