Short Answer Type Questions : 3 Marks (30-40 Words)
Question 1 : Why were some elderly persons occupying the back benches that day?
Answer : The elderly villagers occupied the back benches in the classroom on the day of the last lesson. They did this to show their affection for the French language and pay respect to the teacher, M Hamel.
Question 2 : Why did Franz not want to go to school that day?
Answer : Franz did not want to go to school that day as he had not prepared his lesson on participles. His French teacher would certainly scold him for this. So, Franz wanted to avoid going to school.
Question 3 : What did Franz wonder about when he entered the class that day?
Answer : When Franz entered class that day, he was expecting a scolding from M Hamel he spoke very kindly and asked him to sit. Franz also wondered at the presence of senior villagers occupying back benches of the class.
Question 4 : Why did M Hamel write ‘Vive La France!‘ on the backboard?
Answer : M Hamel wrote ‘Vive La France!‘ on the backboard to show his love for his country as well as for the French language. In addition, he was displaying his resistance to the German occupation of France.
Question 5 : “We have all got a great deal to reproach ourselves with,” said M Hamel. Comment.
Answer : M Hamel said this as most of the people of Alsace could neither speak not write French. The parents of students preferred to put them to work to earn money and M Hamel himself did not give much importance to learning as it demanded.
Question 6 : How did M Hamel display his love for the French language?
Answer : M Hamel showed his love for the French language by telling the students that the French language was the most beautiful language in the world – the clearest and the most logical.
Question 7 : What was the bulletin board news that caused a change in the school?
Answer : A news had been put on the bulletin board stating that only German should be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine from the next day.
Question 8 : Whom did M Hamel blame for Franz’s inability to answer his question?
Answer : M Hamel blamed the habit of people of Alsace of putting off learning for tomorrow and not sending their children to school regularly. He also blamed himself for neglect of learning of boys like Franz.
Question 9 : What was unusual about M Hamel’s dress on his last day in school?
Answer : M Hamel had put on his ceremonial clothes on his last day in the school. He was wearing a beautiful green coat, a frilled shirt, and a little black embroidered silk cap.
Question 10 : What tempted Franz to stay away from school?
Answer : Franz feared a scolding at school as he had not prepared his lesson on participles. Besides, the warm, bright weather, the chirping of birds and the sight of the marching Prussian soldiers also tempted him to stay away from school.
Question 11 : “What a thunderclap these words were to me!” (Franz). What were those words and what was their effect on Franz?
Answer : M Hamel told his students that it was their last French lesson as an order had come from Berlin that henceforth only German was to be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. This announcement seemed to be thunderclap to Franz as he was surprised and shocked on hearing them.
Question 12 : Who were sitting on the back benches during M Hamel’s last lesson? Why?
Answer : Some of the elderly people from the village were sitting on the back benches during M Hamel’s last lesson. The villagers had come there to attend his last lesson as it was their way of paying respect to the master ,who had given forty years of faithful service to the school.
Question 13 : Why does M Hamel reproach himself for his students’ unsatisfactory progress in studies?
Answer : M Hamel had been rather irregular as a teacher. Besides, he had often sent the students to water his plants, and whenever he wanted to go fishing, he just gave them a holiday. So, he reproached himself for his students’ unsatisfactory progress in studies.
Question 14 : What words did M Hamel write on the blackboard before dismissing the last class. Why did they mean?
Answer : Before dismissing the last class, M Hamel turned to the blackboard and wrote the phrase, ‘Vive La France!‘ as large as he could. These words meant ‘Long Live France’, and spoke of M Hamel’s great love for his country and his deep sense of patriotism.
Question 15 : What made M Hamel cry towards the end of his last lesson?
Answer : M Hamel had taught French at the school for the last forty years. He was emotionally attached to the school and was really heartbroken to leave. All this made him cry towards the end of his last lesson.
Question 16 : What did M Hamel tell them about the French language? What did he ask them to do and why?
Answer : M Hamel told his students that the French language was the most clearest, most logical and most beautiful language in the world.
He asked them to safeguard the French language and never forget it because when people are enslaved the only to unlock the key to their prison is by means of their language.
Question 17 : What did Franz see when he passed the town hall?
Answer : When Franz passed the town hall he saw a crowd in front of the bulletin board. He thought to himself what the matter was and what bad news awaited them.
Question 18 : “But the thing that surprised me the most was to see….” What surprised Franz most in the class?
Answer : The thing that surprised Franz most was to see the elderly villagers seated on the back benches of the class. It surprised him as they hardly used to come to attend the class earlier.
Question 19 : How did Franz react to the declaration that it was their last French lesson?
Answer : The French teacher M Hamel announced that he would be teaching his last French lesson that day because the orders had come from Berlin to teach only German in schools of Alsace and Lorraine. On hearing this, all the students as well as Franz felt very sorry that they would not be learning their mother tongue in future. Franz regretted not having learnt his lesson.
Question 20 : What was the order from Berlin and what changes did it cause in the school?
Answer : The order from Berlin stated that only German will be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. Due to this an unusual silence prevailed in the school. M Hamel became soft in speaking to the students, while students realised the importance of their language.
Question 21 : When Franz reached his school, what unusual situation did he observe?
Answer : Usually, there used to be a great hustle and bustle when the school began. The noise of opening and closing of the desks, lessons being repeated in unison and the hitting of the teacher’s ruler on the table, could be heard out in the street. But that day, it was all quiet and still as on a Sunday morning.
Question 22 : What were Franz’s regrets after M Hamel’s announcement of his last lesson?
Answer : When M Hamel announced that it was their last French lesson, Franz realised he had so much more to learn. He felt sorry for whiling away his time and skipping his lessons.
Question 23 : How did M Hamel say farewell to his students and the people of the town?
Answer : At the end of his ‘Last Lesson’, M Hamel stood up to say farewell to his students and the people of the town but overwhelming emotion chocked his voice. He then wrote ‘Vive La France!‘ as large as he could on the blackboard; and dismissed the class with a gesture of his hand.
Question 24 : Why did M Hamel ont scold Franz when the latter fumbled with the rule for the participle?
Answer : Since it was M Hamel’s last class, he did not scold Franz when the latter fumbled with the rule of the participle. He told Franz that he would not scold him as he knew that Franz was already feeling bad about it.
Question 25 : What was Franz expected to be prepared with for the school that day?
Answer : Franz was expected to be prepared with participles that day. His teacher M Hamel, was to question him on the topic.
Question 26 : Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?” What does this tell us about the attitude of the Frenchmen?
Answer : This shows that the Frenchmen were full of hatred against the Germans. Besides, they feared German atrocities. They thought that they would be forced to read German and no one will be spared.
Question 27 : What had the narrator counted on to enter the school unnoticed?
Answer : The sounds that were heard daily like the banging of the desks, repetition of the lessons and rapping of the ruler, were so loud that the narrator thought he could enter the classroom without being noticed.
Question 28 : Mention two things about M Hamel that surprised Franz on his last day at school.
Answer : M Hamel didn’t scold Franz for being late; instead he told him very kindly to go to his place. Also, that day he was dressed in his best clothes; which he wore only on inspection or prize days.
Long Answer Type Questions : 6 Marks (120 – 150 Words)
Question 1 : “Our language is part of our culture and we are proud of it”. Describe how regretful M Hamel and the villagers are for having neglected their native language, French.
Answer : During ‘The Last Lesson’ everybody, including M Hamel, Franz and the villagers are filled with regret. M Hamel regrets that he had not taken enough interest in teaching French by often sending students on his personal errands like watering his flowers, besides giving them a holiday when he wanted to go fishing. The villagers regretted that they did not utilise opportunities given to them for learning French when it was possible, and that is why they had turned up in full strength for the last lesson. It was their way of thanking M Hamel for his forty years of faithful service and of showing respect for the country which was no longer theirs. Thus, all of them regretted that this was his last lesson in French that they would have.
Question 2 : “Our native language is part of our culture and we are proud of it.” How does the presence of village elders in the classroom in M Hamel’s last lesson show their love for French?”
Answer : M Hamel, in his last lesson, says that the French language was the most beautiful language of the world. It was the clearest and the most logical of all languages. He regrets that the people of Alsace had not paid much heed to the learning of this great language. He asks the people to safeguard it among themselves as it is the key to their unity and freedom.
Further, at the end of the lesson, he wrote on the blackboard, ‘Vive La France’ , meaning ‘Long Live France!’, showing his immense love for the French language.
The village elders suddenly realise how precious their language is to them. They have earlier neglected to learn their language by not attending school due to their preoccupations. But on the last day of the French lesson, they have turned up in full strength to learn French.
Question 3 : During ‘The Last Lesson’ everybody, including M Hamel, Franz and the villagers are filled with regret. Comment.
Answer : M Hamel regrets that he had not taken enough interest in teaching French by often sending students to water his flowers, besides giving them a holiday when he wanted
Question 4 : 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 later 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 no sound of striking 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 one, who was dressed in his best clothes, which he wore only on inspection and prize days.
The back benches were occupied by the village people who never came to the school, as they were more concerned about earning their livelihood. He was further astounded to know that M Hamel was going to teach his last lesson that day.
Question 5 : How was M Hamel and different teacher while giving his last lesson?
Answer : For a start M Hamel wore his formal suit on the day he was giving his last French lesson. He did away with his dominating tone and spoke gently. Then assuming the role of a mentor, he advised the villagers to change their priorities and pay more attention to learning at school.
As a true patriot he displayed his love for his country and its language and called upon the class to safeguard their language, French, which was the most beautiful and logical language in the world. He did not even take Franz to task when the latter got all mixed up when his turn to recite came. By the end of the class he was chocked with emotions and could hardly speak, so he took a piece of chalk and wrote on the blackboard in large, bold letters, ‘Vive La France‘ (Long Live France).
Value Based Answer Type Questions : 6 Marks (120 – 150 Words)
Question 1 : Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?”
After reading the chapter, you realise that man has an intense desire to subjugate others. You feel that in the modern world; there is a strong need for brotherhood. Write an article in about 120-150 words for a national magazine for this.
Answer : In the chapter ‘The Last Lesson’, France loses two districts to Germany. The Germans pass the order that from now on, only German will be taught in the schools of those districts.
As Franz is attending his last class in French, he suddenly hears the pigeons on the roof, cooling in a low tone. He wonders whether the Germans will make the pigeons to sing in German too. This remark is a French boy’s typical reaction to the imposition of learning German. This also shows the extent to which the Germans would go in their attempt at forcing their language and culture on the territories they had occupied in war.
It makes it clear that man has a strong desire to impose his will upon others and to subdue others. In this strife-ridden world, there is a strong need for compassion, tolerance and brotherhood, which alone can lead us towards peace and prosperity.
Question 2 : ‘My Last French Lesson! Why I hardly knew how to write! I should never learn any more! I must stop there, then!’
The problem of school dropout and illiteracy /backwardness still plagues our country. What qualities on the part of the administration, educationists and youth do you think will help to surmount this hurdle?
Answer : India is a country with a very poor literacy rate. In spite of all the government efforts to raise the level of literacy , the problem of school dropouts and rampant illiteracy still remains. The administration and the educationists of our country must have a clarity of vision on how to go about in solving these problems, besides having a strong political will to do so.
They must bring about awareness among parents and children about the importance of education in removing backwardness and illiteracy. In this context, it is important that the affluent and well-off people need to give back to society by helping the government in such ventures. Government can use the educated youth to spearhead the process of removing this hurdle to progress by employing their services. This can be further speeded up by giving a stipend to such youths who volunteer for this task during their free time.