The Last Lesson
Short Questions
1. Give 2 reasons why Franz thought of running away and spending the day out of doors?
2. What was more tempting than the rule of participles?
3. What was the bulletin board famous for?
4. Describe the usual scene and how was it different that day?
5. Describe the appearance of the master M. Hamel that day?
6. What surprised Franz on entering the classroom?
7. What was the news that came as a thunderclap to Franz?
8. Do you think Franz was upset for not learning his French lessons during the whole year?
9. Give 3 reasons for the presence of villagers in the classroom on the day of the last lesson?
10. What role did the parents and teachers play for the children’s neglect of French language?
11. What was the opinion of M. Hamel regarding French language?
12. Mention a characteristic each required of both from the teacher and the student for effective learning as portrayed in the text.
13. How does M. Hamel evoke feelings of patriotism in the class towards the end of the lesson?
14. Do you think the group of children in the classroom belonged to a heterogeneous age group? If yes substantiate with evidence from the text?
Essays
1. Political enslavement leads to an identity crisis Discuss with reference to the Last Lesson.
2. Do you think either the students or the teacher sincere in their task till the day of the last lesson? Substantiate with evidence from the text?
3. When you have sight you never realize the value of your eyes’ how far is this true with the story `The Last Lesson?’
More Important Questions For CBSE Class 12 English HOTs The Last Lesson........
2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
Poor man! It was in honour of this last lesson that he had put on his fine Sunday clothes, and now I understood why the old men of the village were sitting there in the back of the room. It was because they were sorry, too, that they had not
gone to school more.
i. Who was called ‘Poor man’?
(a) Old Hauser
(b) Franz
(c) M. Hamel
(d) Wachter
ii. What feelings were expressed by the villagers when they came to attend the last lesson?
(a) regret for not learning French
(b) thanking their master for his forty years of faithful service
(c) showing their respect for the country that was theirs no more.
(d) All of the above
iii. Why did the country belong to them no more?
(a) Because they were leaving the country.
(b) Because Germans had taken over their country.
(c) Because it was destroyed in the war.
(d) Because their country was merging with Prussia.
iv. M. Hamel says, “...that’s the great trouble with Alsace; she puts off _________ till tomorrow.
(a) time
(b) money
c) language
(d) learning
2. Why were the elders of the village sitting in the classroom?
Ans. The elders of the village were sitting in the classroom to attend the last French lesson by M. Hamel. They were there not only to pay their respect to M. Hamel, but also to their country and mother tongue that was perhaps being taught for the last time in the village.
3. How did Franz react to the declaration that it was their last French lesson?
Ans. Franz was overcome with a feeling of remorse and regret when he heard that hence forth only German was to be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. He wished that he hadn’t spent so much time in trivial pursuits like seeking birds’ eggs, or going sliding in the Saar. The books that seemed such a nuisance earlier appeared like old friends now.
4. “What a thunderclap these words were to me!” —Which were the words that shocked and surprised Franz?
ans. M. Hamel announced in the class that this would be the last French lesson he would be teaching them. He disclosed that an order had come from Berlin. All the schools of Alsace and Lorraine would now teach only German. The new
teacher was to come the next day. The news left everyone shocked and grieved.
5. Whom did M. Hamel blame for Franz’ inability to answer his questions?
Ans. M. Hamel blamed the students, their parents and to some extent, himself too for Franz’ inability to answer his questions. M.Hamel expressed his
deep regret that for various reasons, especially thinking that there was plenty of time to learn, studying French was not given due importance by the adults, let alone the children.
6. Everybody during the last lesson is filled with regret. Comment.
Ans. Refer to answer 26 and 27.