COSMOS CASTLE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

CLASS XII
SUBJECT: ENGLISH CORE (301)
FLAMINGO CH.1 THE LAST LESSON

REFERENCE TO CONTEXT:

1. “Usually, when school began, there was a great bustle, which could be heard out in the street,
the opening and closing of desks, lessons repeated in unison, very loud, with our hands over
our ears to understand better, and the teacher’s great ruler rapping on the table. But now it
was all so still! 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.”

Questions:
(a) What was the great bustle when school began usually?
(b) What do you understand by ‘Counted on the commotion’?
(c) What was the scene of the classroom that day?
(d) Find the word from the passage opposite in meaning to ‘calmness’.

Answers:
(a) When school began usually, there was a great bustle, which could be heard out in the street, the
opening and closing of desks, lessons repeated in unison, very loud and teacher’s great ruler rapping
on the table.
(b) ‘

Counted on the commotion’ means getting an advantage of hubbub, various heavy noises:
disturbances spread out there.
(c) That day, there was no noise in the classroom, everything had to be as quiet as Sunday morning.
(d) commotion

2. All at once the church clock struck twelve. Then the Angelus. At the same moment the
trumpets of the Prussians, returning from drill, sounded under our windows. Mi Hamel stood
up, very pale, in his chair. I never saw him look so tall. “My friends”, said he, “I—I—” But
something choked him. He could not go on.

Questions:
(a) What is an ‘Angelus’?
(b) What did Franz listen under their windows?
(c) ‘I never saw him look so tall’. What does this mean?
(d) Why M. Hamel couldn’t speak? What choked him?

Answers:
(a) An ‘Angelus’ is a Catholic denotion/prayers memorializing the incarnation. (Prayer for the
honour of the God).
(b) Franz noticed the trumpets of the Prussians, returning from the drill, sounded under their
windows.
 (c) ‘I never saw him look so tall’ means that Franz never saw M. Hamel so tired, depressed and
disappointed. He (M. Hamel) was looking very pale and apathetic and lifeless. Further he considered
the leaving of the school as an act of courage.
(d) M. Hamel couldn’t speak due to extensive sorrow and the wheeze (cough) choked his throat as he
was internally agonized.

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING IN SHORT:

Question 1.
Why had M. Hamel put on his fine Sunday clothes? Why were the old men of the village sitting there in the
back of the classroom?

OR

Who occupied the back benches in the classroom on the day of the last lesson? Why?
Answer:
The back benches were occupied by the people of the village. Old Hausar, who had his three-cornered hat,
the former Mayor, the former post master and several other elders. They came to express their respect and
gratitude for M. Hamel as it was his last lesson
.

Question 2.

What changes came over little Franz after he heard M. Hamel’s announcement? (All India 2010)
Answer:
When M. Hamel announced that this was to be their last French class a grim realisation dawned on Franz
that he could hardly write his language and now he was being deprived of the opportunity to learn it. He felt
very guilty of neglecting his classes and escaping school. The thought of losing his teacher, M. Hamel, also
pained him.

Question 3.
How did Franz perform when his turn came to recite? How did M. Hamel react?
Answer:
Franz’s name was called and he was asked to recite. Despite his best efforts, he got mixed up on the first
words. He stood there holding on to his desk. His heart beat fast. And he did not dare look up. M. Hamel
told him in a polite tone that he would not scold him as he was not the only one who neglected learning
French. Many others in Alsace shared his fate because of procrastination. He said that everyone had a great
deal to reproach themselves with.

Question 4.
“We’ve all a great deal to reproach ourselves with”, said M. Hamel. Refer to the context and explain what he
wanted to convey to his students.
Answer:
M. Hamel wanted to convey to his students that still no loss has caused. If they desire, they can do a lot.
Further, he advised them to move on and not to look back. He boosted the morale of his students by saying
that though they have to blame themselves for not attending the school and he himself had to blame and
disgrace himself for giving the holiday to students but hoped that they could mend their ways.

Question 5.
How did M. Hamel say farewell to his students and the people of the town?
Answer:
M. Hamel looked very pale and tall when he stood up in his chair. All the students were quiet. The village
people old Hauser, the former Mayor, the former postmaster and several others were present in the
schoolroom. The teacher told the villagers that French was the most beautiful language in the world. He
ended the lesson by writing “Vive La France” on the blackboard. He made a gesture with his hand to
indicate that the school is dismissed and students could go home.

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING IN DETAIL:

Question 1.
What changes did the narrator find in the school when the order from Berlin came?
Answer:
The order from Berlin prohibited teaching of French in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. Instead, German
was to be taught in the schools. Franz was late for school that day. He noticed that the hustle and bustle was
missing. There was no opening and closing of desks, no repetition of lessons or rapping of the teacher’s ruler
on the table could be heard. It was all very quiet and still.
Franz was further surprised because, instead of meeting an angry teacher, he was welcomed by a kind and
polite teacher, who was dressed in his best clothes, a beautiful green coat, frilled shirt and an embroidered
silk cap, which he wore only on inspection and prize days. The back benches were occupied by the village
people who never came to school, as they were more concerned about their livelihood. He was further
astounded to know that M Hamel was going to teach his last lesson that day.

Question 2.
Justify the title of the story, ‘The Last Lesson’.
Answer:
The title of the story, ‘The Last Lesson’ is self-relieving. The whole story revolves around the title. The
beginning of the story serves as preparation for it. The title also conveys the central theme of the story—the
fact that sometimes even the most precious things in our lives are taken for granted. The people of Alsace
never gave much importance to the mother tongue, French.
They did not even insist their children to pay any attention to their language. They did not encourage regular
attendance of their children in French classes. They preferred their children to work and earn, instead of
studying. The order from Prussians made them realise the importance of their mother tongue. So, they attend
M. Hamel’s last lesson altogether. Thus, the title, ‘The Last Lesson’ is justified.

Question 3.
Write a character sketch of M. Hamel as a teacher.
Answer:
M. Hamel was a true French man who has been teaching French in the districts of Alsace and Lorraine for
forty years. He loved his profession and was proud of his language, French. He had a deep sense of respect
for his mother tongue. He considered French to be the most beautiful language of the world. As a teacher, he
was very particular and strict in imparting knowledge to his students. When France was overtaken by
Prussians, he was depressed because French was banned from being taught in the schools. While taking his
last lesson, he tried his best to remain calm and composed.
His sorrow was evident in the way he was sitting in the class while his students were completing their
writing assignment. He felt tormented at the fact that people had become indifferent to learning French and
appealed to them to keep their language alive. He was a true patriot. He believed that mother tongue is a
means of holding one’s identity and self-respect. At the end of his last lesson, he writes ‘Vive La France!’
on the blackboard. This shows his love and concern for the people and the language of his country.