The Last Lesson (notes)

Q1 - `Who is the author of The Last Lesson?

A) Jane Austen
B) Rabindra Nath Tagore
C) None
D) Alphonse Daudet

Q2- Alphonse Daudet was from which country?

A) India
B) France
C) England
D) New Zealand

Q3- The story ‘The Last Lesson’ highlights which human tendency?
A) Male Chauvinism
B) Procrastination
C) Courage
D) Cowardice

Q4 - What were the things being taken for granted by the people of Alsace?
A) Teachers of the school
B) Time and school
C) People around
D) Money and power

Q5 - What does The Last Lesson symbolize?

A) Loss
B) Loss of freedom
C) Loss of language
D) Loss of language and freedom

Q6 - What does The Last Lesson signify?

A) Change of power
B) change of Government
C) change in life
D) Change of teachers

Q7- What do the marching soldiers under the windows represent?

A) The Dawn of Prussia in the defeat of French people
B) The defeat of Prussia
C) The victory of French
D) None of these

Q 8-From where did the orders come to teach only German in the districts of Alsace and Lorraine?
A) France
B) Lorraine
C)Berlin
D) Germany

Q9- What does effects this story speaks about?

A) Power
B)Money
C)Transition
D) people

Q10- Why was Franz reluctant to go to school?

A) wanted to enjoy warm Sunlight
B) wanted to see soldiers drill
C) wanted to enjoy outdoor
D) lesson on participles was not prepared

Q11- What did Franz find on reaching the school?

A) People were dancing
B) school was closed
C) Police patrolling
D) strange quietness

Q12- Who occupied the back benches in the class?

A) weak students
B) teachers
C) monitors of the class
D) village elders

Q13- Why was Franz surprised?

A) Because of village elders
B) Because of police patrolling
C) because of students' behavior
D) because of [Link]'s kind and polite behaviour

Q14- Why was Franz feeling regretful and sad?

A) for reaching late
B) for not learning participles
C) for change of the Government
D) for not learning his mother tongue

Q15- Whom did [Link] blame for not sending students to school?
A) Parents
B) friends
C) teachers
D) watchman

Q16- What did Hauser bring?

A) sweets
B) children
C) friends
D) old Primer

Q17- What made Franz forget [Link]'s ruler and crankiness?

A) Police Patrolling
B) Strange Quietness
C) Bustle on the streets
D) The idea of his going away
Q18- For how many years did M. Hamel serve the school?
A) 20 years
B) 35 years
C) 30 years
D) 40 years

Q19- Where did the parents send their children?

A) school
B) coaching
C) farms and mills
D) movies

Q20- Why were the parents sending their children to the farms and mills?
A) to play
B) to meet friends
C) to meet relatives
D) to earn money

Q21-Why did the villagers come to meet M. Hamel in the school?

A) to complain
B) to say goodbye
C) to gossip
D) to show gratitude

Q22- Why did Mr. M. Hamel call the French language the most beautiful?
A) Because it was the clearest and logical
B) Because it was his native language
C) Because people were from France
D) None of these

Q23- What was Franz expected to be prepared for at school that day?
A) song
B) dance
C) essay writing
D) Participles
Q24- When people are enslaved, what key do they have to the prison, according to [Link]?
A) their behaviour
B) power
C) aggressiveness
D) mother tongue

Q25- What did Franz notice that was unusual that day?
A) quietness in the school
B) soldiers in the school
C) crowd in school
D) all of these

Q26- What had been put up on the Bulletin Board that day?
A) Teach only French
B) Speak only English
C) Teach only German
D) Teach all these

Q27- What changes did the order from Berlin cause in school that day?
A) hustle-bustle
B) people were happy
C) teachers were sad
D) strange quietness and sadness

Q28- What changed Franz's feelings about [Link] and school?

A) Police Patrolling
B) Orders from Berlin
C) Strict words from M. Hamel
D) old Primer

Q29- What made Franz and the people realize about the preciousness of their mother tongue?
A) M. Hamel's words
B) School orders
C) Sudden orders from Berlin
D) School Principal

Q30- Expression 'Thunder Clap" in the lesson means _______.

A) loud but not clear
B) loud and clear
C) startling and unexpected
D) unpleasant

Q31- What did Mr. Hamel bring for his class on his last day in the school?
A) new pens
B) new notebooks
C) sweets
D) story books

Q32 "The Last Lesson" story was written in which year?

A) 1869 - 1870
B) 1870 - 1871
C) 1872- 1873
D) 1870 - 1872

Q33- Don't go so fast, you will get to your school in plenty of time means ___
A) getting late
B) very early
C) not early
D) early enough

Q34- What was there in front of the Bulletin Board?

A) children
B) police
C) hawkers
D) a crowd

Q35- What bad news used to come from the Bulletin Board?
A) lost battles
B) the draft
C) orders of commanding officers
D) All of these

Q36- Which language would the students study from the next day?
A) English
B) German
C) Dutch
D) Spanish

Q37- What does the expression "in great dread of scolding" mean?
A) to be happy about it
B) very badly scared of scolding
C) To be indifferent
D) None of these

Q38- Why was Franz was shocked to see M. Hamel?

A) Because of his formal dress
B) because he gave sweets
C) because he had a flower in his hand
D) all of these

Q 39- What attitude of [Link] surprised Franz?

A) soft and kind
B) rude
C) firm and strict
D) none of these

Q40- Who was [Link]?

A) a spy
B) language teacher
C) soldier
D) School Principal
Short Answer Questions (2 Marks)
1. What was Franz expected to be prepared with for school that day? Why was he late for
school?
Or
Why was Franz scared of M. Hamel?
Or
What was the narrator’s greatest fear as he moved towards school?
Franz was expected to learn the rules of participles for the French grammar class. His teacher
M. Hamel had given him that topic to prepare. But he did not know even a single word about
this. Moreover, he was late for school that morning. As he moved towards the school, the fear
of M. Hamel’s scolding gripped him for not learning his lessons and for being a late-comer.

2. What thoughts ran across Franz’s mind as he walked towards the school?
Or
What did Franz think of doing, instead of going to school?
Or
Why did Franz think of running away and spending the day out of doors?
Or
What was the temptation and how did Franz resist it?
Franz had started late for school. Moreover, he had not learnt his lesson given by his teacher,
M. Hamel. So he thought of running away and spending the day outdoors enjoying its warmth
and brightness. The sight of chirping birds and the Prussian soldiers drilling tempted him more
than the rules of participles. But he resisted himself and rushed to school.

3. What did the narrator observe as he passed the town hall? Why did the sight trouble him?
Or
What was the importance of the bulletin board in the town?
Or
What had been put up on the bulletin board?
Franz saw a huge crowd in front of the bulletin-board as he passed the town hall. The sight
troubled him because for the past two years the bulletin board had revealed all the bad news
about the Franco-Prussian war. It informed the villagers about the lost battles, the draft and the
orders of the commanding officers etc. But the latest information on the board was about the
German rulers order. The teaching of French would be replaced by German in the schools of
Alsace and Lorraine.

4. What did the blacksmith say to Franz?

Franz was late for school. He was going as fast as he could. The blacksmith was standing in front
of the bulletin-board at the town hall. On seeing Franz, he said, “Don’t go so fast, boy. You’ll get
to school in plenty of time.”
5. What was the usual atmosphere in the school, when it began? What was so different that
day?
Franz had expected to meet the usual scenario on reaching the school. There used to be a great
bustle when school began. The noise of opening and closing of desks, lessons being repeated
and the rapping of the teacher’s ruler on the table could be heard out in the street. But that day
it was all missing and was very still and as quiet as Sunday morning. The students were already
in their places and the usual commotion was missing.

6. What changes did the order from Berlin cause in school that day?
Or
What surprises awaited Franz as he entered his classroom?
Or
What had the narrator counted upon reaching school? What did he find on the contrary?
Or
How did M. Hamel react to Franz’s late arrival to school? What was different about M. Hamel
that day?
Franz was surprised when he noticed unusual silence in the school as Sunday morning. Instead
of meeting an angry teacher M. Hamel, he was welcomed by kind and polite teacher.
Moreover, he was dressed in his best clothes, a beautiful green coat, frilled shirt which he wore
only on inspection and prize days. Another surprise was that the back benches were occupied
by the village people who had never come to school till that day.

7. How did the village honour M. Hamel?

Or
Why had the villagers occupied the back benches of the class that day?
The villagers had occupied the back benches of the class as a mark of respect for the teacher for
his forty years of faithful service and to show their respect for the country that was theirs no
more. They were sorry for not having attended school more and learning their mother tongue
seriously.

8. What was the ‘thunderclap’ the narrator received as M. Hamel began the lesson?
Or
Why was the order from Berlin a thunderclap for Franz? What realization did it dawn on
Franz?
Or
How did Mr. Hamel give the shocking news to the students and the villagers and with what
effect?
The classroom was full, villagers also sat along the students on the back desks. M. Hamel
mounted on his chair. He spoke gravely and gently. He said that it would be the last French
lesson. The teaching of French would be replaced by German in the schools of Alsace. This news
left everyone shocked and grieved. Franz was filled with a feeling of regret at putting off the
learning of his language to tomorrow and now, before he could speak or write the language, it
was going to be lost.
9. What happened when Franz was asked to recite the rules of participles? How did his
teacher react & Why?
Or
How was Hamel’s reaction different from other days when Franz could not answer the
question on participles?
Or
Why didn’t M. Hamel scold Franz for not learning his lesson?
Or
How did Franz perform when his turn came to recite? How did M. Hamel react?
Franz had not learnt the rules of participles. When he was asked to recite he repented his
carelessness. He wished to recite his lesson without any mistake but he got mixed up on the
first words. He stood there without looking up. But Mr. Hamel did not scold him as he was not
the only one who neglected the French language; such was the nature of all the people of
Alsace. He regretted that now they could no longer learn their own language in their own
country. Though they were Frenchmen, yet they could neither speak nor write their language.

10. Who all did Hamel blame for neglect of learning?

Or
What does M. Hamel mean when he says, “We’ve all a great deal to reproach ourselves
with”?
Or
Why did Hamel say about Alsace ‘She puts off learning till tomorrow’?
M. Hamel repented that the people of Alsace had never taken learning their language seriously.
He felt that it were not the children alone to be blamed, even the adults had not been serious
about the learning. The parents preferred to put their children to work on a farm or at the mills
to earn a little more money. Even Hamel had sent the children to water the flowers instead of
making them learn their lessons and giving them a holiday when he wanted to go fishing. Now
he repented on such neglect of their own language.

11. What was Hamel’s advice to the class about the French language?
Or
What views did M. Hamel express regarding the French language?
Or
Why did M. Hamel insist that the people of Alsace should hold on to their language?
Or
Why does the teacher feel the need to safeguard their language?
M. Hamel talked at length about the French language. He called French to be the most beautiful
language in the world. It was the clearest and the most logical too. The people should hold on
to their language and safeguard it as it was the key to their prison and a symbol of their
identity.

12. What sort of person does Franz appear to be? Substantiate the answer with example.
Or
What made the narrator change his attitude towards his teacher?
Franz was a student of a school in Alsace. He was not brilliant. He was not excited in going to
school and did not show any interest in learning or teaching of his teacher M. Hamel. But as he
came to know about Berlin’s order, his views about French took a patriotic turn. He listened to
M. Hamel’s last lesson with great respect and attention. Now he saw his books, which were a
nuisance for him, his old friends. Thinking about German language and losing his teacher he felt
love for his teacher. Now he forgot about his iron ruler and cranky nature.

13. What was the impact of the orders from Berlin on Hamel?
Or
Why do you think M. Hamel looked at things so intensely?
Or
Would you say that M. Hamel was a dedicated teacher? Why? Why not?
M. Hamel was an ideal teacher. He had provided forty years of meritorious service to the
school. He was heartbroken on the orders from Berlin. He lamented that he had not been able
to make the villagers take the language seriously. He blamed himself also for neglecting his duty
at times. Since it was his last lesson, he was nostalgic about the forty years he had spent in the
school. He sat solemn and still in the chair looking at everything in the room as if to absorb it all.
He looked sad and regretful.

14. How did M. Hamel bid farewell to his students and the people of the town?
Or
How did M. Hamel arouse patriotic feelings in the people of Alsace?
M. Hamel aroused patriotic feelings in the people of Alsace. He told them that their language
was the key to their prison. Finally, he wrote the words ‘Vive La France’ making them realize
that only they could fight for the liberation of their country and restore its identity.

15. What were the political conditions that form the background of the story ‘The Last
Lesson’?
Or
How had the natives of Alsace become victims of linguistic chauvinism?
‘The Last Lesson’ is set during the days of Franco-Prussian war. France had been defeated by
Prussia (Germany). The Prussians wanted to acquire and rule over not only the lands but also
over the minds and hearts of the people. They released orders that French, their native
language would not be taught in the schools of Alsace. They were compelled to bid farewell to
their mother tongue and forced to learn German.

Long Answer Questions (6 Marks)

What feelings and experiences did Franz have on the day of the last lesson?
Or
How did Franz’s feelings about M. Hamel and school change?
Or
How did the narrator react when the teacher told him that he was to be their last French
lesson?
Franz was a young boy. He was not much interested in learning. He liked to enjoy himself in the
open countryside. He hated school as well as his teacher, M. Hamel. He considered his books
unnecessary burden. He did not want to go to school but wanted to spend his day out on the
morning of the Last Lesson because he had not been able to learn the rules of participles. But
he suppressed his desire to enjoy and ran to school for fear of his teacher.

But when M. Hamel told him them that it was the last lesson in French, he was shocked. He
then realized that he had not learnt anything so far. Now he was sorry to have wasted his most
precious time. His books no longer looked him useless. Rather he considered his books lifelong
friends. His desire to learn was suddenly roused. He listened to Hamel attentively and could
understand everything.

He felt love, pity and admiration for M. Hamel who had served with great dedication and had
to leave the place suddenly forever. He forgot all about his ruler and his temper. He hated the
Prussian’s order and wondered if they could teach the pigeons to coo in German.

What did the teacher M. Hamel teach his students in the Last Lesson?
Or
Describe M. Hamel’s last day at the school.
Or
Describe the feelings, emotions and behavior of M. Hamel on the day of the Last Lesson.
Or
In The Last Lesson could M. Hamel teach the regular lessons? What additional matters did he
touch on that day?
M. Hamel was a strict and dedicated teacher and did his duty faithfully. He had been teaching
for forty years. He enjoyed a great respect in the town. On the last day the former mayor and
the former postmaster also came to school and sat on benches as if they were his pupils – this
was their way of paying respect to him.

On his last day, he put on his finest clothes which he wore only on inspection and prize days of
the school. He was greatly pained at the order from Berlin because he was a patriot and loved
French and France. He did his duty till the last. He heard all the lessons. He looked at everything
in the school he was going to leave forever. But besides the usual lessons, he taught a different
lesson too. He said people could not call themselves Frenchmen till they were not able to read
and write their language well. He told all present that French was the most beautiful language
in the world – the clearest and the most logical. He was sorry that the people of Alsace had
never been serious about learning. He told them that their language was the key to their
freedom. He stated, “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.” So they must learn it, protect it and stick to it.
Overwhelmed with emotions, he wrote on the blackboard in big letters “Vive La France!” and
then he dismissed the class with the gesture of his hand.
Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?” What could this mean?
France is defeated by Prussia led by Bismarck. The order from Berlin comes that henceforth
only German will be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. The school teacher M. Hamel
tells his students in the school that this is his last French Lesson. M. Hamel, the students and
the old men of the village feel shocked and sad. Franz is critical of the Berlin order. He is
determined to learn his own language rather than German.

M. Hamel gives his students a lesson in writing. He has brought new copies for the students,
with the words written in a beautiful hand: France, Alsace, France, Alsace. They begin to do
their work quietly. There is absolute silence. The only sound is the scratching of the pens over
the paper. At that time some beetles flow in, but nobody pays any attention to them, not even
the littlest ones. On the roof the pigeons coo very low. And at that time Franz mocks at the
Berlin order which has imposed German language on the French people. In a mocking vein he
thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?” The Prussians could impose
German in schools but they could not deprive them of the mother tongue. People will continue
to speak their mother tongue inspite of the ruler’s order. Babies would learn French from their
mothers. The Prussians could not force mothers to teach their babies German. In fact, no
language can be imposed on the unwilling learners, especially a foreign language.

Justify the title of the story “The Last Lesson”.

Life is an ongoing process and as long as man is alive he feels there is always plenty of time to
do things. He keeps postponing learning the lessons of life, quite unaware of the fact that
circumstances may change any time and he may never be able to learn that in time. Life may
cut short his learning and it may unexpectedly prove to be his last lesson.

The story “The Last Lesson” highlights an identical situation. The French had been defeated by
the Prussians and an order had come from Berlin that only German would be taught in schools.
The Last Lesson refers to the last lesson delivered by Hamel in the village school before he was
going to pack and leave. The whole village had assembled to attend it in honour of the village
master who had served them for forty years.
The master had dressed up specially for the occasion though the air was heavy with grief and
regret. The master taught as if he wanted to give all he had in that one class and the villagers
sat with a seriousness to learn as much. In his last lesson, he made them realize the importance
of one’s language and the consequences of putting off learning till tomorrow, which may not be
in their control.

What do you understand by ‘linguistic chauvinism’?

‘Linguistic chauvinism’ is to consider one’s language the best in the world and to try to keep it
pure. Some people are so obsessed with this idea that they hate all other languages of the
world. They favour the teaching of only their language in schools.

Some people in certain parts of India once started a campaign against language other than their
own. They opposed the screening of films of other languages in their talkies. They even painted
black the sign-boards of other languages in their states. But it is the unreasonable belief,
especially when aggressively expressed, in the superiority of one’s own language. It is like
shutting the windows and living in a dark room. Every language of the world has rich literature.
It is good to promote the study of as many languages as possible. Otherwise if a language
remains pure, it will never flourish. A language must adopt words of other languages. That will
enrich the language.