NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 1: The Last Lesson

Chapter at a glance

Think as you read

Question C1

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

Answer

Franz was expected to be prepared with the rules for participles. M. Hamel had said that he would question the students on participles that day, and Franz did not know the first word about them.

He was expected to be prepared with the rules for participles, on which M. Hamel had said he would question the class.

Question C2

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

Answer

Usually, at the beginning of school there was a great bustle — the opening and closing of desks, lessons repeated in unison and the teacher’s ruler rapping on the table. That day, everything was as quiet as a Sunday morning. M. Hamel was wearing his best clothes — his beautiful green coat, frilled shirt and little black silk cap, which he wore only on inspection and prize days — and he spoke kindly to Franz instead of scolding him for being late. The village people — old Hauser, the former mayor, the former postmaster and others — were sitting quietly on the back benches, which were usually empty.

The school was as quiet as a Sunday morning instead of bustling; M. Hamel was in his best ceremonial clothes and spoke kindly to the late Franz; and village elders like old Hauser, the former mayor and postmaster sat quietly on the back benches.

Question C3

What had been put up on the bulletin-board?

Answer

For the past two years all the bad news — lost battles, the draft, the orders of the commanding officer — had come from the bulletin-board. That day the notice announced the order from Berlin that only German was to be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine.

The order from Berlin that only German would be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine (so this was the last French lesson).

Question C4

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

Answer

1. It was the last French lesson, so M. Hamel came in his best clothes and taught with great patience and seriousness.
2. The usual noise was absent; the classroom was solemn and quiet.
3. Village elders came and sat on the back benches to thank M. Hamel for his forty years of faithful service and to show respect to the country that was theirs no more.
4. M. Hamel did not scold Franz; he spoke of the importance of the French language and blamed everyone, including himself, for neglecting learning.
5. Everyone, including Franz, paid full attention; even the little ones traced their fishhooks; old Hauser read the lesson with tears.

The order made it the last French lesson: M. Hamel wore his best clothes and taught patiently, the class was solemn and quiet, village elders sat on the back benches to pay their respects, M. Hamel spoke of the value of French, and everyone paid full attention with deep emotion.

Question C5

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

Answer

Earlier, Franz found school boring, was afraid of being scolded, and thought of M. Hamel as a strict teacher with his “great ruler”. He preferred to wander in the woods. After learning that it was the last French lesson, Franz felt sorry for not learning his lessons; his books, which had seemed a nuisance, now seemed like old friends he could not give up. He forgot the ruler and felt sympathy and respect for M. Hamel, realising his devotion. The idea that M. Hamel was leaving made him forget all his crankiness. He wished he could learn more and listened with great attention.

From finding school dull and fearing M. Hamel’s strictness, Franz came to regret not learning French, saw his books as old friends, and felt deep sympathy and respect for M. Hamel, forgetting his crankiness and listening with full attention.

Understanding the text

Question U1

The people in this story suddenly realise how precious their language is to them. What shows you this? Why does this happen?

Answer

What shows it: 1. The village elders came to the school and sat on the back benches; they were sorry they had not gone to school more; old Hauser brought his old primer and read with tears in his eyes, his voice trembling. 2. Franz regretted that he had not learnt French; he wished he could recite the rules of participles; his books seemed like old friends. 3. Everyone listened attentively to M. Hamel; the little ones traced their fishhooks with care. 4. M. Hamel said that French was the most beautiful language in the world — the clearest and most logical — and that they must guard it, for it was the key to their prison.

Why it happens: The order from Berlin banned French in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. People realise the value of something only when they are about to lose it. The loss of their language meant the loss of their identity and freedom, so they became emotional about it.

The villagers’ attendance at the last lesson, old Hauser reading his primer with tears, Franz’s regret and new love for his books, and everyone’s rapt attention show the realisation. It happens because the order from Berlin was taking their language away; people value something most when they are about to lose it, and language is tied to identity and freedom.

Question U2

Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?” What could this mean? (There could be more than one answer.)

Answer

1. It shows the extent of the oppression: the Prussians could impose German on human beings, but could they control nature too? It is ironic and suggests the absurdity of imposing a language.
2. It expresses Franz’s anger and resentment at the order; the cooing of pigeons is natural and cannot be changed by any order — similarly, people’s mother tongue is natural to them.
3. It reflects Franz’s innocence — a child’s imagination that the conquerors’ power extends everywhere.
4. It may also suggest that the conquerors would try to “Germanise” everything in Alsace, leaving nothing French.

It mocks the absurdity of imposing a language — the conquerors might force people to speak German, but not nature (pigeons) — expressing Franz’s resentment and innocence, and the fear that everything French would be wiped out.

Talking about the text

Question T1

“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

Examples: 1. Alsace and Lorraine (1871) – German imposed after the Franco-Prussian War (as in the story). 2. British India – English was imposed as the language of administration and higher education (Macaulay’s Minute, 1835), which undermined Indian languages. 3. East Pakistan (Bangladesh) – the imposition of Urdu as the only national language by West Pakistan led to the Bengali Language Movement of 1952 (21 February — now International Mother Language Day) and contributed to the creation of Bangladesh in 1971. 4. Native Americans and Aboriginal Australians – children were sent to residential schools and punished for speaking their native languages. 5. Spanish and Portuguese colonies in Latin America – native languages replaced by Spanish/Portuguese. 6. Wales, Ireland, Scotland – Welsh, Irish and Gaelic were discouraged in favour of English (“Welsh Not”). 7. Soviet Union – Russian imposed on many republics.

These show that language is central to identity; people who retained their language kept their culture and resisted domination.

Examples include German imposed on Alsace–Lorraine, English imposed in British India, Urdu imposed on East Pakistan (leading to the 1952 Bengali Language Movement and Bangladesh), the suppression of native languages of Native Americans and Aboriginal Australians, Spanish and Portuguese in Latin America, English over Welsh and Irish, and Russian in Soviet republics.

Question T2

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

What happens: A linguistic minority (e.g. Punjabis in Bengaluru) often has to learn and use the dominant local language for work, education and daily life. Over generations, children may lose fluency in their mother tongue; the language may be used only at home; there may be a feeling of isolation or discrimination, and pressure to assimilate.

How they can keep their language alive: 1. Speaking it at home and teaching it to children; reading and writing practice. 2. Community associations and cultural organisations – celebrating festivals, organising cultural programmes, plays, music. 3. Schools and classes – setting up language classes or schools; Constitutional rights (Articles 29 and 30) allow minorities to run their own educational institutions. 4. Literature and media – reading newspapers, books and watching films and TV in the language; using social media and online resources. 5. Places of worship and community centres (e.g. gurdwaras for Punjabis) as centres of language and culture. 6. Maintaining links with their home state.

A linguistic minority often has to adopt the local language, and its own language may decline over generations to only home use. It can keep its language alive by speaking it at home, teaching children, forming cultural associations and celebrating festivals, running language classes or schools (Articles 29–30), using books, newspapers, films and social media, and keeping ties with the home state.

Question T3

Is it possible to carry pride in one’s language too far? Do you know what ‘linguistic chauvinism’ means?

Answer

Yes, pride in one’s language can be carried too far. Linguistic chauvinism means an aggressive and excessive belief in the superiority of one’s own language, accompanied by contempt or hostility towards other languages and the people who speak them. It may lead to imposing one’s language on others (as the Prussians did in the story), discrimination against speakers of other languages, violent agitations, and division in society. In a multilingual country like India, it can threaten national unity. Love for one’s language is natural, but we must respect all languages; the story itself shows how the conquerors’ linguistic chauvinism hurt the people of Alsace.

Yes. Linguistic chauvinism is an aggressive, excessive belief in the superiority of one’s own language with contempt for others’ languages, leading to imposition, discrimination and conflict — as the Prussians showed in the story. Pride in one’s language is good, but all languages deserve respect.

Working with words

Question W1

English is a language that contains words from many other languages. Find out the origins of the following words: tycoon, barbecue, zero, tulip, veranda, ski, logo, robot, trek, bandicoot.

Answer

tycoon — Japanese; barbecue — Spanish (from Taino); zero — Arabic via Italian (from Sanskrit shunya); tulip — Turkish/Persian via French and Dutch; veranda — Hindi/Portuguese; ski — Norwegian; logo — Greek; robot — Czech; trek — Afrikaans/Dutch; bandicoot — Telugu.

Question W2

Notice the underlined words in these sentences and tick the option that best explains their meaning. (a) “What a thunderclap these words were to me!” (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.” (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.” (i) very late (ii) too early (iii) early enough. (d) “I never saw him look so tall.” M. Hamel (i) had grown physically taller (ii) seemed very confident (iii) stood on the chair.

Answer

• (a) A “thunderclap” here means a sudden shock — (ii) startling and unexpected.
• (b) “Hold fast” means to cling to — (ii) are attached to their language (they retain it firmly; (i) “do not lose” is also close, but “attached to” captures the meaning best).
• (c) “In plenty of time” — (iii) early enough.
• (d) “Look so tall” — figuratively, M. Hamel stood with dignity and pride — (ii) seemed very confident.
  2. startling and unexpected; (b) (ii) are attached to their language; (c) (iii) early enough; (d) (ii) seemed very confident.

Noticing form

Question N1

“M. Hamel had said that he would question us on participles.” The verb form “had said” (past perfect) indicates an “earlier past”. Pick out five sentences from the story with this form of the verb and say why this form has been used.

Answer

1. “I had counted on the commotion to get to my desk without being seen…”
2. “For the last two years all our bad news had come from there…”
3. “It was in honour of this last lesson that he had put on his fine Sunday clothes…”
4. “My books, that had seemed such a nuisance a while ago… were old friends now…”
5. “…Hauser had brought an old primer, thumbed at the edges…”
6. “For forty years he had been there in the same place…” / “…the hopvine that he had planted himself…”

Why: the past perfect is used to show an action that was completed before another action in the past. Since the whole story is narrated in the past tense, the past perfect marks events that happened even earlier (e.g. the bad news had come before that morning; M. Hamel had put on his clothes before Franz arrived).

Examples: “I had counted on the commotion…”, “all our bad news had come from there”, “he had put on his fine Sunday clothes”, “My books, that had seemed such a nuisance…”, “Hauser had brought an old primer”, “For forty years he had been there…”. The past perfect shows actions completed before another past action, since the story itself is narrated in the past.

Writing

Question Wr1

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

ABC PUBLIC SCHOOL, NEW DELHI

NOTICE

26 October 20XX

INTER-HOUSE DEBATE COMPETITION

The Literary Club is organising an Inter-House Debate Competition on the topic “Mother Tongue Should Be the Medium of Instruction up to Class V” on 5 November 20XX at 10:00 a.m. in the school auditorium. Each House may send two participants (one for and one against the motion) from Classes IX–XII. Each speaker will get three minutes. Interested students should give their names to their House Captains by 31 October 20XX. Exciting prizes await the winners.

Riya Sharma Secretary, Literary Club

A notice should have the school name, the word NOTICE, date, a heading, and the details (what, when, where, who, how to register), signed by the issuing authority — e.g. an Inter-House Debate Competition notice from the Literary Club secretary.

Question Wr2

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

Answer

For studying three languages: In a multilingual country like India, learning three languages at school is a valuable asset. The mother tongue or regional language keeps us rooted in our culture and helps us think clearly. Hindi, spoken widely across the country, connects us with people of other states, while English opens doors to global knowledge, higher education and jobs. Learning several languages sharpens the mind, improves memory and develops respect for other cultures. It also strengthens national integration. Although it adds to the workload, the benefits of being multilingual far outweigh the effort. Hence the three-language formula is a wise policy.

Sample (for): Studying three languages keeps students rooted in their mother tongue, connects them with fellow Indians through Hindi and with the world through English, sharpens thinking and memory, builds respect for other cultures and strengthens national integration — benefits that outweigh the extra workload.

Question Wr3

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

(Sample narrative.)

When I joined Class IX, I disliked our mathematics teacher, Mr Verma. He was strict, rarely smiled, gave us lots of homework and insisted that we show every step of a solution. I thought he enjoyed troubling us.

Everything changed during the half-yearly examination. I was ill for two weeks and missed many classes. I expected Mr Verma to scold me. Instead, he called me to the staff room during recess every day and patiently explained each chapter I had missed. He even gave me his own notes. When I scored well, he smiled and said, “Hard work never fails.”

I realised that his strictness was his way of caring for us; the steps he insisted on had taught me to think logically. Like Franz in The Last Lesson, who understood M. Hamel only on his last day, I learnt that we often misjudge people. Since then, mathematics has become my favourite subject and Mr Verma my favourite teacher.

Sample: a student disliked a strict mathematics teacher, but after the teacher patiently helped them catch up during an illness, they realised his strictness came from care — like Franz understanding M. Hamel — and came to admire him.

Things to do

Question D1

Find out about the following: (a) Linguistic human rights (b) Constitutional guarantees for linguistic minorities in India.

Answer

(a) Linguistic human rights – the rights of individuals and communities to use their own language freely: to speak their mother tongue in private and public, to receive education (especially primary education) in it, to use it in dealings with authorities, courts and media, and not to be discriminated against on the basis of language. They are recognised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 2 — no discrimination on the basis of language), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Article 27 — minorities’ right to use their own language), the UN Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities (1992), and the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights (Barcelona, 1996). UNESCO promotes mother-tongue education; 21 February is International Mother Language Day.

(b) Constitutional guarantees in India: 1. Article 29 – any section of citizens having a distinct language, script or culture has the right to conserve it. 2. Article 30 – all minorities, based on religion or language, have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice. 3. Article 350 – every person can submit a representation for redress of grievances in any language used in the Union or the State. 4. Article 350A – states shall provide facilities for instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage to children of linguistic minority groups. 5. Article 350B – a Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities (Commissioner) to investigate and report on safeguards. 6. Article 347 – recognition of a language spoken by a substantial section of a state’s population. 7. Eighth Schedule – 22 recognised languages.

1. Linguistic human rights are the rights to use one’s language freely in private and public life, to be educated in one’s mother tongue and not to be discriminated against for language — recognised in the UDHR, ICCPR Article 27, the UN Minorities Declaration (1992) and the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights (1996). (b) India’s Constitution guarantees these through Articles 29, 30, 347, 350, 350A (mother-tongue instruction at primary level), 350B (Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities) and the Eighth Schedule.

Question D2

Given below is a survey form. Talk to at least five of your classmates and fill in the information you get in the form. (S.No., Languages you know, Home language, Neighbourhood language, City/Town language, School language.)

Answer

(Sample filled form — students should survey their own classmates.)

Observation: most students know three or more languages; home languages vary, but Hindi is the common neighbourhood and city language and English is the school language — showing India’s multilingualism.

Survey five classmates and tabulate the languages they know and use at home, in the neighbourhood, in the city and at school; typically most know three or more languages, with varied home languages, Hindi as the common local language and English as the school language.

Topic checklist

• ☒ Comprehension of events and characters (C1–C5, U1, U2)
• ☒ Language, identity and linguistic rights (T1–T3, D1, D2)
• ☒ Vocabulary — word origins and idioms (W1, W2)
• ☒ Past perfect tense (N1)
• ☒ Notice, argumentative paragraph, narrative (Wr1–Wr3)

Total questions answered: 18 of 18