NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 1

The Last Lesson

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English Flamingo Chapter 1 The Last Lesson was designed by our team of subject
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The Last Lesson NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 1

The Last Lesson NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the context
(i) in great dread of
(ii) counted on
(iii) thumbed at the edges
(iv) in unison
(v) a great hustle
(vi) reproach ourselves with
Answer:
(i) in great dread of: a feeling of great fear about something that might or will happen in
future (for instance here—scolding by his teacher).
(ii) counted on : to trust somebody to do something or to be sure that something will
happen.
(iii) thumbed at the edges : to touch something with your thumb or thumbs, for instance
here the edges of the old primer.
(iv) in unison : to do or say something at the same time (here repeating the lesson at the
same time).
(v) a great bustle : extremely busy and noisy activity, (for instance here tumult before
opening of the school).
(vi) reproach ourselves with : to blame or criticise somebody for something that they
have done or not done, because you are disappointed in them.

The Last Lesson Think as you read (Page 7)

Question :
1. What was Franz expected to be prepared with for school that day ?
2. What did Franz notice that was unusual about the school that day ?
3. What had been put up on the bulletin-board ?
Answer:
1. Franz was expected to be prepared with lesson on participles because his teacher M.
Hamel had said that he would ask them questions about it.
2. Usually there used to be a great hustle and bustle and noise. But that day Franz
noticed that it was all so still, calm and quiet.
3. It was put up on the bulletin-board by Germans that only German could be taught in
the schools of Alsace and Lorraine in France.

The Last Lesson Think as you read (Page 8)

Question 1.
What changes did the order from Berlin cause in school that day ?
Answer :
The order from Berlin was that only German language would be taught in the schools of
Aslace and Lorraine in France. These two districts had passed into Prussian hands. It
was the last day of the French teacher M. Hamel in the school. French will no more be
taught in the school. So M. Hamel was leaving the school next day. M. Hamel had put
on his fine Sunday clothes. The old men of the village were sitting there in the back of
the room. It was their way of thanking M. Hamel for his forty years of faithful service.
The children now taught the French language and the books written in that language as
old friends.

Question 2.
How did Franz’s feelings about M. Hamel and school change ?
Answer:
Franz felt sorry for not learning his lessons in French any more. His books that had
seemed such a nuisance a short while ago, which he found so heavy to carry seemed to
him old friends now that he could not give up. Franz’s feelings about his French teacher
M. Hamel also were changed. The idea that he was going away, that he (Franz) should
never see him again, made Franz forget all about his teacher’s ruler and how cranky or
slightly eccentric he was.

The Last Lesson Understanding the text

Question 1.
The people in this story suddenly realise how precious their language is to them. What
shows you this ? Why does this happen ?
Answer:
In the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871), France was defeated by Prussia led by
Bismarck. In this story the French districts of Alsace and Lorraine had been passed in
Prussian hands. There was an order from Berlin that only German would be taught in the
schools of Alsace and Lorraine.

When the French master M. Hamel announced that it was their last French lesson and
he was leaving, these words came as a peal of thunder. Franz and others felt sorry for
not learning their lessons in French.

His books like French grammar and history of the saints which seemed a nuisance, a
short while ago, looked like old friends now that he could not give up. The old men of
the village sitting there in the back of the room had felt sorry about it. The people
realised that they must protect the French language – the most beautiful language of
the world, the clearest and most logical. The feeling that they would be deprived of
learning French made them suddenly realise that how precious their language was to
them.

Question 2.
Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons”? What could this
mean ? (There could be more than one answer).
Answer:
The order from Berlin that only German language would be taught in the schools of
Alsace and Lorraine in France had a severe reaction from the people. Though they could
not express their grudge openly, yet even little boy Franz felt, “Will they make them sing
in German, even the pigeons” ? When they were having a lesson in writing, there was
pindrop silence.

Once some beetles flew in; but nobody paid any attention to them, not even the littlest
ones, who worked right on tracing their fish-hooks, as if that was French too. Then on
the roof the pigeons cooled very low and little Franz thought that would they make them
sing in German, even the pigeons.It shows that though the human beings could be
forced to learn a language which is not their own language, yet the birds are free from
such pressures. They cannot be forced to sing in a particular way. That way birds are
more free than the helpless human beings.

The Last Lesson Talking about the text

Question 1.
“When the 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 ?
Answer:
When the people of a particular place or of a country are forced to be under a foreign
rule, they are deprived of the freedom they can enjoy otherwise. If the language of the
conquerers is imposed on them or they are forced to ignore or not to learn their own
language, they feel enslaved or as if “they had the key to their prison”. There are various
examples in history where the conquered people had their language taken away from
them or had a language imposed on them.

For instance, India was under the British rule and its states like Pondicherry and Goa
were under French and Portugal rule. Consequently, English, French and Portuguese
were imposed on the people. British rulers felt that if the education system was
changed to produce clerks in India, who could write and speak English, it would be easy
to manage the day-to-day affairs.Even after so many years after freedom from the
British rule, English is still a link language. That explains the widespread use of English
in the countries like Australia or Canada and some African countries like South Africa.

Question 2.
What happens to a linguistic minority in a state ? How do you think they can keep their
language alive ?
For example :
Punjabis in Bangalore,
Tamillians in Mumbai,
Kannadigas in Delhi,
Gujaratis in Kolkata.
Answer:
India is a vast country where so many languages are spoken. Even in some states, more
than one vernacular language is spoken. Each and every individual, in a free country, has
a fundamental right to speak or write one’s language or mother tongue. But the problem
arises when there is a linguistic minority in a state of a country or when the people of a
particular country live in other countries.

In such cases, the major problem is how the people can keep their language alive. For
example, how Punjabis living in Bangalore or Tamilians living in Mumbai or Kannadigas
living in Delhi or Gujaratis living in Kolkata can keep their mother languages alive. They
can do so by teaching their children their mother tongue or at least speaking to their
children in their mother tongues as far as possible.

Question 3.
Is it possible to carry pride in one’s language too far ? Do you know what “linguistic
chauvinism” means ?
Answer:
One is deeply attached with one’s mother tongue as one is attached with one’s mother.
But it is not possible in this global world to confine oneself to his or her mother tongue
only. So, it is not possible to carry pride in one’s language too far. Chauvinism is an
aggressive and unreasonable belief that our own country or our own language is better
than all others.So, ‘linguistic chauvinism’ means that one’s own language is better than
all others. Our mother tongue is usually and mostly spoken in our own region or area.

As such we can’t communicate with most of the people if we don’t learn other
languages in addition to our own mother tongue. Under British rule, a large number of
Indians had to learn how to write and speak in English. Our knowledge of English
opened doors to know many modern concepts, which was not possible otherwise.

In the present times, there are many more BPO’s or call centres in India than in countries
like China and Russia, who confined to Chinese and Russian. Not only in most parts of
the world, the knowledge of English has been beneficial for Indians to communicate
outside as well as in their own country. Thus in the present times, it is not possible to
carry pride in one’s language too far.

The Last Lesson Working with words

Question 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 – barbecue – zero
tulip – veranda – ski
logo – robot – trek
bandicoot
Answer:
The origin of the following words is as under :
(i) tycoon : Origin Japanese, ‘great lord’.
(ii) tulip : Origin French, ‘tulipe’.
(iii) logo : Origin Greek ‘logos’ meaning ‘word’.
(iv) bandicoot : Origin from a word in Indian lanugage, meaning ‘pig-rat’,
(v) barbecue : Origin Spanish ‘barbacoa’ meaning ‘wooden frame’.
(vi) veranda : Origin Portugese ‘varanda’ meaning ‘railing’.
(vii) robot : Origin Czech ‘robota’ meaning ‘forced labour’.
viii) zero : Origin Arabic, ‘cipher’
(ix) ski : Origin Norwegian.
(x) trek : Origin South African Dutch ‘trekken’ meaning ‘to pull, travel’.

Question 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

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
Answer:
(a) (i) loud and clear.
(b) (ii) are attached to their language.
(c) (iii) early enough.
(d) (b) seemed very confident.

The Last Lesson Noticing Form

Read the 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 the verb and say why this form
has been used.
Answer:
(i) For the last two years all our bad news had come from there – the lost battles, the
draft, the orders of the commanding officer and I thought to myself, without stopping,
‘What can be the matter now’ ? (This form of past perfect has been used to indicate
earlier past, i.e., bad news put on the bulletin-board indicating what happened in the
earlier past over a period of two years).

(ii) I had counted on the commotion to get to my desk without being seen; but of course,
that day everything had to be as quiet as Sunday morning.(This form had been used to
indicate what used to happen in the earlier past, for instance, hustle and bustle in the
class).

(iii) My books that had seemed such a nuisance a while ago, so heavy to carry, my
grammar, and my history of the saints, were old friends now that I couldn’t give up.(This
form has been used to indicate how Franz felt in the recent past).

(iv) I think, too, that I had never listened so carefully, and that he had never explained
everything with so much patience. (This form has been used to indicate how Franz had
listened in earlier past and how his teacher used to explain in the earlier past).

(v) Only the desks and benches had been worn smooth; the walnut-trees in the garden
were taller, and the hopvine that he had planted himself twined about the windows to
the roof.(This form has been used to compare things, trees and creeper as they used to
be in earlier past).
The Last Lesson Writing

Question 1.
Write a notice for your school bulletin board. Your notice could be an announcement of
a forthcoming event, or a requirement to be fulfilled, or a rule to be followed.
Answer:

Notice Board :

D.A.V. Model School

Silver Jubilee Celebration

September 5, 20XX

We are going to organise an inter-school competition in one-act plays on

the occasion of Silver Jubilee Celebrations of our school on 17th

September, 20XX from 10:30 onwards in School Auditorium. More than

10 schools have already given their approval.

All the students are informed to have a ticket to look at the performance of

young artists from various schools.

Get you enrolled with the undersigned.

Sahil

XII A, President