NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 1 The Last Lesson
NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English
Flamingo Chapter 1
The Last Lesson Class 12
Chapter 1 The Last Lesson Exercise Answers & Summary
Exercise : Solutions of Questions on Page Number : 2
Q1 :
Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meanings from the context.
Answer :
· in great dread of - fearful in
anticipation of something
· counted on - to rely or trust on
somebody/something
· thumbed at the edges - worn or soiled
edges caused by frequent handling
· in unison - something happening or being
done at the same time
· a great bustle - an excited (and often
noisy) activity or a rapid, active commotion
· reproach ourselves with - to express
disapproval, criticism, or disappointment
Q1 :
What was Franz expected to be prepared with for school that day?
Answer :
That day, Franz was expected to be prepared with the lesson on participles.
Q2 :
What did Franz notice that was unusual about the school that day?
Answer :
That day, Franz noticed the absence of the routine commotion caused by the opening
and closing of desks, repeating of lessons in unison and rapping of the teacher's ruler
on the table. The usual hustle-bustle was replaced by a strange stillness that was the
characteristic of a school on a "Sunday morning."
Q3 :
What had been put up on the bulletin-board?
Answer :
The bulletin-board notified the general public about an order from Berlin. It stated that
only German was to be taught to students in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine.
Q4 :
What changes did the order from Berlin cause in school that day?
Answer :
The order from Berlin brought all the routine hustle-bustle of the school life to a stand-
still. The teacher, M. Hamel, became more sympathetic to his students and taught his
lessons with more patience. The students became more attentive in their classes. The
villagers, who were sitting at the usually empty back benches and had come to show
their respect and gratitude to M. Hamel, regretted not going to school more than they
did. The order also brought about a great change in the feelings of the people towards
their country and their native language. There was a general sadness about not being
able to utilise the opportunities of learning French when it was easily accessible.
Q5 :
How did Franz's feelings about M. Hamel and school change?
Answer :
Franz was shocked when M. Hamel told the students about the order from Berlin and
that it was their last French lesson. He forgot about his teacher's ruler and crankiness.
He developed a fondness for M. Hamel at the troubling idea of being separated from
him forever. He understood the pain and agony his teacher was undergoing. And, he
became more sympathetic towards his teacher.
His school too, now, carried a different meaning. His books and lessons seemed old
friends whom he couldn't give up. He realised with pain how much French meant to him
and regretted not being attentive in his classes earlier. Suddenly, he felt that the 'difficult
concepts' had never actually been difficult.
Understanding the texttalking about the textworkin : Solutions of Questions on Page Number
: 9
Q1 :
The people in this story suddenly realize how precious their language is to them.
What shows you this? Why does this happen?
Answer :
The crowd surrounding the bulletin-board, the presence of the villagers in the class, the
silence in place of the routine hustle and bustle of the school, the emotions that gripped
M. Hamel and Franz, representing that of the teacher and the student community
respectively, were all indicators of the realisation of the importance of their language to
them.
In the story, M. Hamel says that people realise the importance of somebody or
something in their lives very often when it is lost to them. Similarly, it was the order from
Berlin that made people realise the importance of their language for them.
Q2 :
"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."
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 :
Some examples of the native language taken away from its people and/or imposition of
the language of the conqueror are:
(a) Portuguese becoming the lingua franca of Angola.
(b) English imposed on the various Celtic peoples.
(c) Spanish imposed on the Basques and the Catalans.
(d) Turkish imposed on the Kurds.
(A few examples have been provided for students' reference. It is strongly
recommended that students develop the answer on their own.)
Q3 :
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 origin of the following words.
Tycoon, tulip, logo, bandicoot, barbecue, veranda, robot, zero, ski, trek
Answer :
tycoon - Japanese
tulip - French
logo - Greek
bandicoot - Telugu
barbecue - Spanish
veranda - Hindi
robot - Czech
zero - Italian
ski - Norwegian
trek - Dutch
Q4 :
Franz thinks, "Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?" What
could this mean?
(There could be more than one answer.)
Answer :
Language is inherent to culture and identity. The authority of human beings is restricted
only to false boundaries that can be controlled. Nature and other things cannot be
governed by some superficial laws of the wilful people. By taking the reference of
making the pigeons learn German, the author is pointing to this very constraint.
(or)
This sentence could possibly mean that however hard the authorities try to embed
German language in the culture of Alsace and Lorraine, the natural status of French, for
them, will remain unchanged. French flows in the air and the entire place is imbued with
its effect. Even though they train students in German, the basic mode of communication
would remain unchanged like the cooing of the pigeons.
(Two model answers have been provided for students' reference. It is strongly
recommended that students prepare the answer on their own.)
Q5 :
What happens to a linguistic minority in a state? How do you think they can keep
their language alive? For example:
Punjabis in Bangalore
Tamilians in Mumbai
Kannadigas in Delhi
Gujaratis in Kolkata
Answer :
A linguistic minority in a state does not have as much liberty to exercise linguistic skills
as the natives of the state. They initially try to learn the jargons in order to cope with the
day-to-day life activities and finally begin to understand the native language with regular
interaction. At the workplace and educational organisations, English or the link language
helps a lot to cope up with the work and learning process. But, when it comes to
understanding the basic norms of the society, in order to socialize, one does face a sort
of linguistic barrier during communication.
To keep their language alive, the linguistic minorities can form small communities where
they can celebrate their festivals as per their traditions. Moreover, they can continue to
speak their native language at their homes in order to make their children learn the
language. People must, even, try to visit their native places at regular intervals in order
to stay close to their roots.
(A model answer has been provided for students' reference. It is strongly recommended
that students prepare the answer on their own.)
Q6 :
Is it possible to carry pride in one's language too far?
Do you know what 'linguistic chauvinism' means?
Answer :
Yes, it is possible to carry pride in one's language too far if one is fond of one's own
language at the cost of others. Indifference towards other languages is not healthy for
any democracy like India.
When the sense of belonging to one's own language crosses the thin line between
'pride' and 'proud', it becomes linguistic chauvinism. If people feel good about their
languages and traditions, they must have tolerance for other languages too. Everybody
has the right to follow the religion as well as speak the language as per his/her desire.
In fact, it is disparaging to distort the names of communities, for example, Bongs for
Bengalis, Gujju for Gujratis, etc.
(This question is to be answered on the basis of students' own understanding and
experience. However, a model answer has been provided for students' reference)
Working with wordsnoticing form : Solutions of Questions on Page Number : 10
Q1 :
Read this 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 verb and say why this
form has been used.
Answer :
In the following sentences, two activities of past, occurring at two different points of time
in the past, are indicated. The one that happens earlier takes the “had” + past form of
verb (V3), while the one that follows it takes the simple past form of verb (V2).
Sentences in past perfect form | Reason/ Explanation |
| 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. | The protagonist decided to depend on the commotion to sneak into the classroom before he encountered the quietness at the school. |
| Not till then, when I had got a little over my fright, did I see that our teacher had on his beautiful green coat … prize days. | Getting over the fright happened before he noticed his teacher’s green coat. |
| …Hauser had brought an old primer, thumbed at the edge, and he held it open on his knees with his great spectacles lying across the pages. | Of the two actions, Hauser’s bringing of the old primer happened before he held it open on his knees. |
| It was because they were sorry, too, that they had not gone to school more. | The feeling of regret comes after they realise they did not go to school more than what they did. |
| My books, that had seemed such a nuisance … were old friends now that I couldn’t give up. | The books were a nuisance earlier. It is only later that the protagonist talked about them in a different light. |
Q2 :
Notice the underlined words in these sentences and tick the option that best
explains their meanings.
(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.
NCRTSOLUTIONS
(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) (ii) startling and unexpected.
(b) (ii) are attached to their language.
(c) (iii) early enough.
(d) (b) seemed very confident.
Things to dowriting : Solutions of Questions on Page Number : 11
Q1 :
Find out about the following (You may go to the internet, interview people,
consult reference books or visit a library.)
(a) Linguistic human rights
(b) Constitutional guarantees for linguistic minorities in India
Answer :
(This question is to be answered on the basis of students' own understanding and the
research done by them. It is strongly recommended that students prepare the answer
on their own.)
NCRTSOLUTIONS
Q2 :
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 :
that students prepare the answer on their own.)
Q3 :
Given below is a survey form. Talk to at least five of your classmates and fill in
the information you get in the form.
Answer :
(This question is to be answered on the basis of students' own understanding and
experience. It is strongly recommended that students prepare the answer on their own.)
Q4 :
Write a paragraph of about 100 words arguing for or against having to study three
languages at school.
Answer :
For
Knowledge of additional language gives an edge - makes a person more competitive in
today's fast paced world - better employment opportunities with fluency in a foreign
language - multi-national companies send professionals for on-site projects to other
countries - delegates from other countries coming to interact with people of our country -
can work as translators, interpreters or tourist guides, etc. - preservation of culture and
tradition through native language.
Against
Students are already burdened with two languages - no need for a third language - no
natural inclination for foreign language - foreign language not of much use in daily life
and gradually gets forgotten - should not be forced on people who do not need it - can
be taught only to those who demand for it - time and effort should not be wasted on
something of no clear use.
(Pointers have been provided for students' reference. It is strongly recommended that
students prepare the answer on their own.)
NCRTSOLUTIONS
Q5 :
Have you ever changed your opinion about someone or something that you had
earlier liked or disliked? Narrate what led you to change your mind.
Answer :
Directions: Think about something that you hated earlier but hate no more. It may be
anything - eating a particular vegetable, studying a subject, going to a particular place.
Or, you may think about a person whom you did not like earlier but your opinion about
that person has changed now. It might be because of some misunderstanding or so.
After you make your choice, recollect the reason for your dislike. Recollect what
happened that made you change your opinion about the thing or person. Think about
how it helped you look at things or events or people in different perspective. Write about
it in a paragraph form. You may end it by talking about the learning experience or how it
enriched your perspective or broadened your scope of thinking.
(Directions have been provided for students' benefit. It is strongly recommended that
students prepare the answer on their own.)
