NCERT Solutions - The Last Lesson

Think As you Read

Q1: What was Franz expected to be prepared with for school that day?
Ans: Franz was expected to be prepared with participles that day as Mr. Hamel had told the class that he would be taking a test on the topic that day.

Q2: What did Franz notice that was unusual about the school that day?
Ans: Usually, when school began there would be a lot of commotion. But that day everything was quiet and it appeared to be like a Sunday, but the students were at their places and Mr. Hamel was walking up and down with his terrible iron ruler under his 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: The order from Berlin brought all the routine hustle-bustle of school life to a standstill. The teacher, M. Hamel, became more sympathetic to his students and taught his lessons with more patience. The students became more attentive in their classes. The villagers, who were sitting at the usually empty back benches and had come to show their respect and gratitude to M. Hamel, regretted not going to school more than they did. The order also brought about a great change in the feelings of the people towards their country and their native language. There was a general sadness about not being able to utilize the opportunities of learning French when it was easily accessible.

Q5: How did Franz's feelings about M. Hamel and school change? 
Ans: Franz was shocked when M. Hamel told the students about the order from Berlin and that it was their last French lesson. He forgot about his teacher's ruler and crankiness. He developed a fondness for M. Hamel at the troubling idea of being separated from him forever. He understood the pain and agony his teacher was undergoing. And, he became more sympathetic toward his teacher.
His school too, now, carried a different meaning. His books and lessons seemed like old friends whom he couldn't give up. He realized with pain how much French meant to him and regretted not being attentive in his classes earlier. Suddenly, he felt that the 'difficult concepts' had never actually been difficult.

Understanding the text

Q1: The people in this story suddenly realize 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, 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?
Ans: Franz's question about whether pigeons can sing in German demonstrates that humans can impose their will on other humans but cannot impose it on nature. It suggests that human power is always limited. They cannot have complete control over the world. Similarly, Prussians can control their schools and learning patterns, but they cannot kill their pride in their country and language.

Talking about the text

Q1: "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."
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: Some examples of the native language taken away from its people and/or imposition of the language of the conqueror are:

• Portuguese becoming the lingua franca of Angola.
• English imposed on the various Celtic peoples.
• Spanish imposed on the Basques and the Catalans.
• Turkish imposed on the Kurds.

Q2: 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: A linguistic minority in a state does not have as much liberty to exercise linguistic skills as the natives of the state. They initially try to learn the jargon in order to cope with day-to-day life activities and finally begin to understand the native language with regular interaction. At the workplace and in educational organizations, English or the link language helps a lot to cope with the work and learning process. But, when it comes to understanding the basic norms of society, in order to socialize, one does face a sort of linguistic barrier during communication.
To keep their language alive, linguistic minorities can form small communities where they can celebrate their festivals as per their traditions. Moreover, they can continue to speak their native language at their homes in order to make their children learn the language. People must, even, try to visit their native places at regular intervals in order to stay close to their roots.

Q3: Is it possible to carry pride in one's language too far?  Do you know what 'linguistic chauvinism' means?
Ans: Yes, it is possible to carry pride in one's language too far if one is fond of one's own language at the cost of others. Indifference towards other languages is not healthy for any democracy like India. When the sense of belonging to one's own language crosses the thin line between 'pride' and 'proud', it becomes linguistic chauvinism. If people feel good about their languages and traditions, they must have tolerance for other languages too. Everybody has the right to follow the religion as well as speak the language as per his/her desire. In fact, it is disparaging to distort the names of communities, for example, Bongs for Bengalis, Gujju for Gujratis, etc.

Working with Words

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 origin of the following words.
tycoon barbecue zero 
tulip veranda ski 
logo robot trek 
bandicoot
Ans: 
tycoon - Japanese
tulip - French
logo - Greek
bandicoot - Telugu
barbecue - Spanish
veranda - Hindi
robot - Czech
zero - Italian
ski - Norwegian
trek - Dutch

Q2: Notice the underlined words in these sentences and tick the option that best explains their meanings.
(a) "What a thunderclap these words were to me!"
The words were 
(i) loud and clear.
(ii) startling and unexpected.
(iii) pleasant and welcome.
(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.
(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.
(d) I never saw him look so tall.
M. Hamel _____________________
(a) had grown physically taller.
(b) seemed very confident.
(c) stood on the chair.
Ans: 
(a) (ii) startling and unexpected.
(b) (ii) are attached to their language.
(c) (iii) early enough.
(d) (b) seemed very confident.

Noticing Form

Read this sentence.
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 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.
(ii) Hauser had brought an old primer.
Reason: The event of 'bringing' happened earlier than Franz noticed it.
(iii) That was what they had put up at the town-hall!
Reason: The 'putting up' of bulletin happened earlier. Now it is recalled.
(iv)....... they had not gone to school more.
Reason: The action of 'not going' happened much earlier.
(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

Q1: Write a notice for your school bulletin board. Your notice could be an announcement of a forthcoming event, a requirement to be fulfilled, or a rule to be followed.
Ans:

Q2: 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 India, the three-language formula is followed in many schools to promote linguistic and cultural diversity. Students typically study their mother tongue or regional language, Hindi (the official language of the Union), and English (the international link language). In Hindi-speaking states, a South Indian language like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, or Malayalam is taught as the third language, while in non-Hindi-speaking states, Hindi is included. This system encourages national integration by familiarizing students with different cultures, traditions, and social customs. However, learning three languages can sometimes be stressful, so the syllabus should be planned carefully to reduce pressure on students.

Q3: 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 the 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 roommate 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.