The Last Lesson
QUESTIONS FROM TEXTBOOK SOLVED
THINK
AS YOU READ
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.
THINK
AS YOU READ
Q1. 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.
Q2. 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.
UNDERSTANDING
THE TEXT
Q1.
The people in this story suddenly realise how 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 realized 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.
Q2.
Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons’ What could
this mean? (There could be 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.
TALKING
ABOUT THE TEXT
Q1. “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 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, Pourtuguese, 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.\
More Questions Solved
SHORT
ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS:
Q1.
Why do you think was little Franz afraid of being scolded?
Ans: Franz was afraid of being
scolded that day especially because M. Hamel, the teacher, had said that he
would question them on participles. Franz frankly admits that he was totally
ignorant about the topic. His exact words are: “I did not know the first word
about them.” Secondly, he had started for school very late that morning.
Q2.
“It was all much more tempting than the rule for participles.” What did Franz
find ‘much more tempting’? How did he finally react?
Ans: Franz found that it was a very warm and bright day. The
birds were chirping at the edge of woods. The Prussian soldiers were drilling
in the open field at the back of sawmill. He could gladly spend life out of
doors. However, he had the strength to resist the temptation. Finally, he
hurried off to school.
Q3.
“What can be the matter now?” says Franz. Why, do you think, did he make this
comment?
Ans: There was a bulletin-board near
the town-hall. When Franz passed by it, he noticed a crowd there. He did not
stop to look at it. He wondered what could be the matter then. For the last two
years they had received all the bad news from the bulletin-board—the lost
battle, conscription and the orders of the commanding officer.
Q4.
Who was Wachter? What did he ask Franz and why? How did Franz react?
Ans: Wachter was a blacksmith. He was reading the latest
bulletin. He asked Franz not to go so fast to his school. He added that the
little boy would get to his school in plenty of time. Wachter had read the
latest bulletin about teaching of German. Franz thought that the blacksmith was
making a fun of him. So, he ran to the school and reached there breathless.
Q5.
What was the usual scene when Franz’s school began in the morning?
Ans: Usually, when the school began,
there was a great bustle. The noise could be heard out in the school. Students
opened and closed their desks. They repeated the lessons together very loudly.
They kept their hands over their ears to understand better. The teacher would
go on rapping the table with his great iron ruler.
Q6.
How had Franz hoped to get to his desk? What had he to do and why?
Ans: Franz had hoped to get to his
desk unseen during the commotion. But that day it was very quiet. So, Franz had
to open the door and go in before everybody. He blushed as he was late. He was
frightened that the teacher might rebuke him, but M. Hamel spoke kindly to him
that day.
Q7.
What three things in school surprised Franz most that day?
Ans: First, M. Hamel, the teacher had
put on his fine Sunday clothes—his beautiful green coat, frilled shirt and the
little black silk cap, all embroidered. Second, the whole school seemed quite
strange and solemn. Thirdly, the village people were sitting quietly like
school children on the back benches that usually remained empty.
Q8.
Why had the villagers come to school that day? How did they look?
Ans: The villagers had come there to thank M. Hamel for his
forty years of faithful service. They also wanted to show their respect to the
country that was theirs no more. They were sorry that they had not gone to
school more. They were sitting quietly and looked sad.
Q9.
“What a thunderclap these words were to me!” Which were the words that shocked
and surprised the narrator?
Ans: M. Hamel, the teacher, told the children in a solemn and
gentle tone that it was their last French lesson. Henceforth, only German would
be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. The new master would come the
next day. As that was their last French lesson, he wanted them to be very
attentive. The teacher’s kind gesture and use of soft words shocked and
surprised the narrator.
Q10.
How did Franz react to the declaration: ‘This is your last French lesson’?
Ans: The words appeared startling and unexpected like a
thunderclap. He now understood why there was a crowd at the bulletin board, why
the village people had come to school, why the teacher was dressed in his
Sunday best and why there was sadness and silence in the school.
Q11.
What tempted Franz to stay away from school?
Ans: Franz was not prepared Tor the
test on participles. The Prussian soldiers were drilling in the open field at
the back of sawmill. The birds were chirping at the edge of woods. These things
tempted him. So he hurried off to school.
Q12.
Who did M. Hamel blame for neglect of learning on the part of boys like Franz?
Ans: He thought it typical with the people of Alsace. They
would put off learning till tomorrow. Parents are not quite anxious to have
their children learn. They put them to work on a farm or at the mills in order
to have a little more money. The teacher got his flowers watered or gave them a
holiday. He too neglected their lessons.
Q13.
What did M. Hamel tell them about French language? What did he ask them to do
and why?
Ans:M. Hamel told them that French
was the most beautiful language in the world. It was the clearest and the most
logical language. He asked them to guard it among them and never forget it. He gave a reason also. When a
people were enslaved, as long as they held fast to their language, they had the
key to their freedom.
Q14.
Why were the elders of the village sitting in the classroom?
Ans: M. Hamel was taking the class of
last French lesson. That is why elders of the village were sitting in the
classroom to attend it. It was done not only to pay respect to M.Hamel but to
pay respect to his own language.
Q15.
“He had the courage to hear every lesson to the very last.” What led Franz to
make this remark?
Ans: Franz noticed that M. Hamel was feeling sad on having to
leave the place sifter 40 years and not being allowed to teach French any
longer. Yet, he kept control on his emotions. He performed his duties
faithfully. He heard every lesson to the last. The school was dismissed only at
mid-day prayer time.
Q16.
How did M. Hamel behave as the last lesson came to an end?
Ans: M. Hamel stood up in his chair.
He looked very pale and tall. He wanted to say some parting words, but
something choked him. Then he wrote “Vive La France!” on the blackboard with a
piece of chalk. Then he stopped. He leaned his head against the wall. Without a
word, he made a gesture to the students with his hand to permit them to go as
the school was over.
Q17.
What order had been received from Berlin that day? What effect did it have on
the life at school?
Ans: An order had been received from Berlin that only German would be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. This order had far-reaching effects on the life at school. M. Hamel, who had been teaching French at the village school for the last forty years would deliver his last lesson that day.
It was in honour of the last lesson that M. Hamel, the teacher had put on his best clothes. Old men of the village were sitting quietly at the back of the classroom. They were sad as well as sorry for they had not gone to school more. They had come to thank the master for his forty years of faithful service and to show respect for the country that was theirs no more. The teacher addressed the students in a solemn and gentle tone. He asked them to be attentive and explained everything quite patiently. He appealed to them to preserve French among them. During slavery it would act as key to the prison. He felt so overwhelmed by emotion that he could not bid farewell properly.
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