Chapter 4: The Last Lesson

English
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Chapter 1: The Last Lesson

Class: XII

Exercise number – 1

 

Question 1

Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meanings from the context.

 

Answer 1

 

Expression	Meaning
In great dread of	very much worried / Fearful of anticipation of something
Counted on	To 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 activity or a rapid, active commotion
Reproach ourselves with	To feel guilty about something

 

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Think As you Read

 

Question 1

What was Franz expected to be prepared with for school that day?

 

Answer 1

Franz was expected to be ready with queries on participles that day as mr.
Hamel had told the category that he would question them on the subject that day.

 

Question 2

What did Franz notice that was unusual about the school that day?

 

Answer 2

Usually once the college began there would be plenty of commotion. However that day
everything was quiet. It seemed to be sort of a Sunday with none noise or activity within the school. However, the students were at their places and Mr. Hamel was walking up and down along with his terrible iron ruler beneath his arm.

 

Question 3

What had been put up on the bulletin-board?

 

Answer 3

The bulletin-board notified the overall public concerning an order from Berlin. It stated
that solely German was to be taught to students within the schools of Alsace and Lorraine.

 

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Think As you Read

 

Question 1

What changes did the order from Berlin cause in school that day?

 

Answer 1

The order from Berlin brought all the routine hustle and bustle of the school life to a stand-still. M. Hamel, the teacher, became a lot of sympathetic to his students and educated his lessons with a lot of patience. The students became a lot of conscious of their classes. The back benches were no additional empty as they used to be. The villagers had occupied those seats.
They had return to indicate their respect and feeling to M. Hamel. They regretted not attending the classes over they did. The order conjointly led to a good change within the feelings of the individuals towards their country and their native language. There was a general unhappiness concerning not having the ability to utilise the opportunities of learning French once it had been simply accessible.

Question 2

How did Franz's feelings about M. Hamel and school change?

Answer 2

Franz was shocked when M. Hamel told the students concerning the order from Berlin
and that it had been their last French lesson. He forgot about his teacher’s ruler and cranky nature. He developed a passion for M. Hamel at the worrying plan of being separated from him forever. He understood the pain and agony his teacher was undergoing. He became a lot of sympathetic towards his teacher.
Now his school carried a unique meaning for him. His books and lessons were like his recent friends whom he couldn’t hand over. He completed with pain what quantity French meant to him and regretted not paying attention to his classes earlier. Suddenly, he felt that the ‘difficult concepts' had really never been tough.

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Understanding the text

Question 1

The people in this story suddenly realize how precious their language is to them.

What shows you this? Why does this happen?

Answer 1

1. Hamel told the studentsand villagers that henceforwardonly German would be
   taught within the colleges of Alsace and Lorraine. People who referred to as themselves Frenchmen would neither be able to speak nor write it. He praised French because the most lovely, the clearest and most obvious language within the world. He said that for the slave folks, their language was the key to their prison. Then the folks complete however precious their language was to them. This shows people's love for their own culture, traditions and country. Pride in one's language reflects pride in motherland.

Question 2

Franz thinks, "Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?" What could

This means?

Answer 2

Alphonse Daudet’s ‘The Last Lesson’ terribly conspicuously raises the question of
linguistic and cultural form of government of the colonial and imperial powers and their lust for controlling the planet and influencing their cultures and identities. Prussians non inheritable the districts of Elsass and French region in warfare, however they weren't glad with mere political domination, they desired to enforce their own language on the individuals of the defeated nation. They discharged the order that from currently German would be schooled in colleges rather than French. Franz puzzled whether or not they would create even pigeons sing in German. It implies that that they had big up victimisation French as their language and currently snatching away their language from them would be unfair and unkind. The language was as natural to them as let out is to the pigeon bird. So, compulsion to talk another language is like dominating the force of nature and enslaving it. Because it is next to not possible to change the approach pigeons sing, in the same approach it's troublesome for individuals to just accept a language that is forcibly obligatory on them. Adopting a brand new language causes pain and discomfort.
Or
this sentence may presumably mean that but laborious the authorities had tried to plant
German language within the culture of Elsass and French region, the natural standing of French, for them, would stay unchanged. French flew within the air and also the entire place was imbued with its effect. Although they trained students in German, the essential mode of communication would stay unchanged just like the let out of the pigeons.

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Talking about the Text

Question 1

"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 1

Some examples of the native language taken away from its people 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.

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

Tamilians in Mumbai

Kannadigas in Delhi

Gujaratis in Kolkata

Answer 2

A linguistic minority in a state doesn't have the maximum amount liberty to exercise linguistic
skills because the natives of the state. They initially try and learn the jargons in order to deal with the daily life activities and eventually begin to grasp the language with regular
interaction. At the work and academic organizations, English or the link language
helps plenty to cope up with the work and learning method. But, once it involves
understanding the essential norms of the society so as to socialize, one will face a kind of
linguistic barrier throughout communication.
To keep their language alive, the linguistic minorities will form small communities wherever
they can celebrate their festivals as per their traditions. Moreover, they'll still
speak their language at their homes in order to create their children learn the
language. Individuals should, even, try and visit their native places at regular intervals in order to stay near their roots.

Question 3

Is it possible to carry pride in one’s language too far?

Do you know what ‘linguistic chauvinism’ means?

Answer 3

Yes, it's possible to carry pride in one's language too far if one is keen on one’s own language at the value of others. Indifference towards alternative languages isn't healthy for any democracy like India.
When the sense of happiness to one's own language crosses the thin line between ‘pride’ and ‘proud’, it becomes linguistic chauvinism. If people feel sensible regarding their languages and traditions, they have to have tolerance for different languages too. Everyone has the right to follow the faith also as speak the language as per his/her need. In fact, it is disparaging to distort the names of communities, for example, Bongs for Bengalis, Gujju for Gujratis, etc.

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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 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 – Babylonians, Mayans and Indians

Ski – Norwegian

Trek – Dutch

Question 2

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.

(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.

1. Hamel _____________________

(a) had grown physically taller.

(b) seemed very confident.

(c) stood on the chair.

Answer 2

(a) "What a thunderclap these words were to me!" The words were 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 are attached to their language.

 

(c) Don’t go so fast, you will get to your school in plenty of time.

You will get to your school early enough.

 

 

(d) I never saw him look so tall. M. Hamel seemed very confident.

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Noticing Form

Question 1

Read this sentence.

 

1. 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 1

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 and it’s Explanation:

 

Sentences in past perfect form	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.
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.

 

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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 1

Delhi Public School, Delhi  Notice   Opportunities After SSCE

1^st Feb 2018

  Noted counsellor Thomas Alva will deliver a talk on opportunities after SSCE, as per details below:

Date: 10^th Feb 2018   Time: 11.30 am      Venue: School Auditorium

Note:

11. i) Class XI and XII allowed only ii) Full school uniform with blazer is compulsory  iii) No entry after 11.15 am

Yashika Dey    School Captain

 

Question 2

Write a paragraph of about 100 words arguing for or against having to study three languages at school.

Answer 2

We live in a polyglot world that's changing into progressively globalized and it's therefore important to understand more than one language. There are three main reasons for this: a further language will assist you progress in your career, you gain associate awareness of alternative cultures, and it helps increase our understanding and information of our own language.
The reason that it's necessary to understand over one language is that it will increase cultural awareness and permits you to speak with completely different people. All sensible ways of learning languages additionally entail learning concerning another culture, particularly once your language skills get to the next level.     This awareness permits people from completely different nationalities and religions to get along with each other better that is incredibly necessary given the high levels of immigration. several countries with high immigration levels have bother with a scarcity of integration, and this is often actually because of the language barrier, thus people find yourself being quarantined, staying in communities wherever their own language is spoken. Even people who say they don’t care concerning meeting people of alternative cultures can have noticed these issues, and will settle for the importance of learning alternative languages.
Overall there is no denying that learning languages is whole positive for people and society which it's extremely necessary to understand quite one language. If a lot of folks were multilingual, the world would ultimately be a happier and a lot of prosperous place.

Question 3

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 3

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

Note: (Directions have been provided for students’ benefit. It is strongly recommended that students prepare the answer on their own).