The Last Lesson Questions Answers
Q.1 Why was Franz tempted to miss the school that day ?
Ans- He was tempted to miss the school as it was a warm bright day. The
thought of spending the day in the open watching the soldiers drill or being in
the woods was more appealing than being scolded by [Link] for not
learning the rules of participles.
Q.2 Why was M. Hamel kind to Franz even though he was late to
school?
Ans – That morning a directive had come from Berlin declaring German to
be an official language which was to be henceforth taught in schools. In the
phase of this drastic change, being late for school appeared to be a minor
offence.
Q.3 What unusual sight met Franz’s eyes when he entered the
classroom? What was the mood of the classroom?
Ans – Franz saw that the village elders occupied all the back benches
which were normally empty. Some of them had their old primers open on their
knees. They all looked very sad and solemn.
Q.4 What announcement did M. Hamel make and what was the
impact of the same on Franz?
Ans- [Link] announced that this was to be their last French lesson.
Franz was not only taken by surprise but also by panic at the thought that he
did not know French enough and had lost his chance. He was sorry for all his
previous indifferences and for the thought and for the thought that he would
not see his teacher again.
Q.5 How did the teacher describe the French language ?
Ans- He described the French language as the most beautiful language in
the world. It was the clearest, the most logical and one that would serve to
help them retain their sense of identity as enslaved people.
Q.6- When a people are enslaved as long as they hold fast to their
language it is as if they have the key to their prison. Elaborate.
Ans- The Directive from Berlin making German the official language for the
captured provinces of Alsace and Loraine heralded the last French from
[Link]. Though the teacher of 40 years expressed remorse and regret at
the fact that the people had shown indifference to attending school and
towards perfecting their mastery over their French language. What was central
to his talk was his determination to make the people realize what was
important.
[Link] wanted the people to remember that their language was
beautiful and logical one and needed to be kept alive specially as they are
enslaved. Under circumstances thet were bound to feel a loss of identity and
the only way that they could retain the same was by keeping their language
close to their hearts. It would prove to be a key to their prison when the idea of
succumbing to the will of their captors would be as well as keep them bonded
as race.
Q.7- It seemed as if the poor man wanted to give us all he knew
before going away and to put it into our heads in one stroke. Explain
why Franz experienced these feelings?
Ans- The provinces of Alsace and Lorraine have been taken over by the
Prussians and the directive from Berlin announced that French would no
longer be taught in schools. This announcement came as a shock for the
people and made the elders attend what would be the last French class for all
of them.
This announcement from M. Hamel, the teacher for the last 40 years seemed
to put the seal of finality making the reality of it sink in. M. Hamel expressed
his remorse for all the missed classes. He reproached the elders for not
attending the school and for keeping their children away from classes to work
on farm. On this particular day [Link] seemed to be intent on making the
class a memorable one as he stressed upon the importance on guarding the
French language and keeping it alive. The patience and meticulousness with
which he conducted the last lesson seemed to suggest Franz that their
teacher was determined to leave an indelible imprint in their minds and in the
last lesson to make up for all the lost time.
Q. 8- How is Franz the mouthpiece of the author about children’s attitude
towards studies?
Ans-Franz prefers to be outside the classroom more than inside it – a
temptation to which most students relate. Listening to the birds chirp at the
edge of the woods, watching the soldiers drill or to go sliding on the Saar river,
appeals to Franz far more than memorizing rules of grammar. He does not
realize the importance of a language class till it is too late as is common
among students even today.
One often finds children paying least attention in language classes or skipping
revision for these subjects until the exams are around the corner. Most
indigenous languages in India are considered second tier to English and by
the time the youth wakes up to this part of its cultural identity, it may be too
late. Franz was also too late to take a step in the right direction and we know
that,“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”
Q. 9- How is this story a commentary on linguistic chauvinism? OR
What was on the notice board that had the crowd gathered at town hall?
Why was such a
notice issued?
Ans– Linguistic chauvinism implies overbearing pride in one’s language. The
Prussians won the war against the French and instead of assimilating with the
existing culture and language, the Prussians chose the path of dominance.
They issued a notice to all teachers of French to leave the country
immediately as only German would be taught in the schools from the next day.
This blind pride in German language, disrespecting the native tongue (French)
is an apt example of linguistic chauvinism. In real life, we can catch a glimpse
of it when certain Indian states insist on putting up billboards, shop names or
bus route descriptions in the native tongue not respecting the multicultural
populace or tourists.