Class 12 Ncert Solutions for English Flamingo The Last Lesson

Class 12 Ncert Solutions for English Flamingo The Last Lesson

Think as you read


1. What was Franz expected to be prepared with for school that day?
Ans. Franz was expected to be prepared with participles that day as M.Hamel would question them on participles. But Franz had not learnt anything about participles.

2. What did Franz notice that was unusual about the school that day?
Ans.  Franz noticed that the school was  calm and quiet like a Sunday morning. On any other day  there would be great commotion in the school caused by the opening and closing of the desks,lessons being repeated loudly in unison and rapping of the teacher's ruler on the table.

3. What had been put up in the bulletin-board?
Ans.  Orders had been put up in the bulletin board to teach German  in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine by the Germans.

4. What changes did the order from Berlin cause in school that day?
Ans. Because of the order that came from Berlin M.Hamel was going to teach the last lesson in French that day in school. Students were all sitting in their places calmly and unlike any other day M. Hamel was kind and wearing his beautiful green coat, his frilled shirt, and the little black silk cap.Furthermore, there were village people sitting in the last benches that usually remains empty.They had all come to attend the last French lesson.

5.  How did Franz's feelings about M.Hamel and the school change?
Ans.  After M.Hamel announced about the last lesson in a gravy tone, Franz realized that he had not learnt much and wasted his time. He came to know that next day onwards they will have to learn lessons in German so he no longer hated his books. Consequently. Franz also began to like his teacher M. Hamel.

Understanding the text

1. The people in this story suddenly realize how precious their language is to them. What shows you this? Why does this happen?

Ans. The order to teach German to the French speaking people which was put up in the bulletin board had brought deep pain to M. Hamel and the villagers. Everybody in the school including the villagers was paying attention to M. Hamel's last French lesson.  During his lesson M. Hamel described the French language as the most beautiful clearest and most logical language in the world and that they must guard it among them and never forget it, for as long as they held it they will never be enslaved. The people in the story then realized how precious their language was to them and that they had never invested their time in learning it properly.This shows their patriotism and love for their culture.

2. Franz thinks, " Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?' What could this mean?

Ans. The sentence suggests Franz's anger against the forceful imposition of German on them. It also suggest that the order given by the Germans to teach German in the schools was absurd and that imposing German to the French speaking people  forcefully was unjust.

Answers for other Lessons
A Thing of Beauty
The memoirs of Chota Sahib
The Roadside Stand
Going Places

                      Class 12 Ncert Solutions for English Flamingo The Last Lesson

Extra Questions

(a) What was the commotion that Franz anticipated in the classroom?

Ans The commotion that Franz anticipated was the great bustle that could be heard from the streets,the opening and closing of desks, lessons repeated in unison,very loud, with the hands of students over their ears to understand better, and the teacher's great ruler rapping on the table.

Very Short Answer Questions:


(a) What did M. Hamel say that he would ask his students that morning?
Ans.

(b) What did Franz think 'for a moment'?
Ans.  For a moment Franz thought of running away and spending the day out of doors.

(c) What is the name of  the blacksmith in " The Last Lesson"?
Ans. Wachter is the name of the blacksmith in "The Last Lesson".

(d) What is the river mentioned in The Last Lesson?
Ans. The name of the river mentioned in 'The Last Lesson ' is the Saar.

(e) How long did M. Hamel teach in his school?
Ans. M.Hamel taught in his school for forty years.

(f) What did M. Hamle tell the students, mounting his chair?
Ans. M. Hamel told the students that he would give them his last lesson in French.

(g) What is the 'great trouble with Alsace' ?
Ans. The great trouble with Alsace was that she put  learning till next day.

(h)  What did M. Hamel do when he wanted to go fishing?
Ans. When M. Hamel wanted to go fishing he gave his students a holiday.

(i) What did M. Hamel want to give his students before going away?
Ans. M.Hamel wanted to give his students everything he knew before going away.

(j) Why was the lesson called "The Last Lesson"?
Ans.  The narrator of the lesson was going to take the last French lesson in school so the lesson was called "The Last Lesson".

Short Answer Type Questions:

(a) What news has been displayed on the bulletin board since the last two years in " The Last Lesson"?
Ans.  On the bulletin board of the town hall, all the bad news such as the news of the lost battles, the draft, the order of the commanding officer were displayed for the last two years.

(b) Why did Wachter, the Black smith, tell Franz not to hurry school?

Ans. Wachter, the Black Smith had read the news about the order given by the germans. That is why he asked Franz not to hurry because he knew that he would  reach school in time  that morning.

(c) Why was Franz surprised to see M. Hamel on that particular morning when he went in late?
Ans. On that particular morning Franz was surprised to see M. Hamel beacause he was in his beautiful green coat, frilled shirt and embroiderred black silk cap which he wore only on special occassion like inspection and prize days.

(d) What did Franz love to do instead of learning his lesson?
Ans.  Franz did not like to spent his time on learning his lessons instead he loved to seek bird eggs or to go sliding on the river Saar.

(e) Why did M. Hamel not blame Franz alone for his inability to learn?
Ans. M. Hamel did not blame Franz alone for his inability to learn because his parents were not interested in making him learn instead wanted him to work in farms or at the mills.M. Hamel also blamed himself for it as he have sent him to water his flowers and sometimes gave a holiday when he wanted to go fishing.

(f) What did M.Hamel say about the French language?
Ans. M. Hamel said that French was the most beautiful language in the world. Furthermore, he said that it was the clearest and the most logical language.He also added that they must guard it among them and never forget it.

(g) " Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?' What does this sentence suggest?
Ans. The sentence suggests Franz's anger against the forceful imposition of German on them. It also suggest that the order given by the Germans to teach German in the schools was absurd and that imposing German to the French speaking people  forcefully was unjust.


Working with words

1. 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  barbeque  zero  tulip   veranda   ski  logo  robot   trek   bandicoot

Ans.  tycoon       - Japanese
          barbeque   - Portugese
          zero          - Arabic
          tulip          - Persian
          veranda     - Portugese
          ski             - Norwegian
          logo          - Greek
          robot         - Czech
          trek           - South African Dutch
          bandicoot - Telegu

2. 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. The correct answer is (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. The correct answer is (ii) are attached to their language


 (a) 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. The correct answer is (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. The correct answer is (ii) seemed very confident


Answers for other Lessons
A Thing of Beauty
The memoirs of Chota Sahib
The Roadside Stand
Going Places

Class 12 Ncert Solutions for English Flamingo The Last Lesson

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