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

Exercise: 

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

• In great dread of 

Ans: fearful in anticipation of something

• Counted on 

Ans: to rely or trust on somebody/something

• Thumbed at the edges 

Ans: worn or soiled edges caused by frequent handling

• In unison 

Ans: something happening or being done at the same time

• A great bustle 

Ans: an excited (and often noisy) activity or a rapid, active commotion

• Reproach ourselves with 

Ans: to express disapproval, criticism, or disappointment

Think as you Read:

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

 Ans: The lesson on principle was expected to be prepared by Franz.

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

Ans: The school had lots of hustle and bustle in the morning. The was commotion caused by the opening and closing of desks, lessons being repeated in unison, and THE rapping of a ruler on the desk. Everything was missing that day. There was a strange stillness in the air that was actually a characteristic of a “Sunday Morning”.

3. What had been put up on the bulletin board?

Ans: An order from Berlin for the general public was displayed on the bulletin board. It mentioned only German to be taught to students in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine.

Think as you Read

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

Ans: The order from Berlin stated that German would be taught in all the schools. There was a general sadness about not being able to learn and respect your mother tongue for long. They were forced to learn the language of the oppressors. The school came to a standstill and Mr. Hamel wore his green coat that he wore on special occasions. He taught the last lesson more lovingly and sympathetically. The villagers also came to attend the classes and sat on the backbenches as a tribute to Mr. Hamel for teaching their native language for so long.

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

Ans: Franz never enjoyed going to school. The news came as a shock to him and he was sad about this lesson being the last French lesson that Mr. Hamel would teach. He never liked him but grew sympathetic towards him, understanding the agony and pain he must be going through. The idea of being separated from him forever pained him and he forgot about his crankiness and ruler. He wished that he would have paid attention in the classes earlier. Mr. Hamel taught so lovingly that day that even the difficult concepts appeared easy.

Understanding the Text

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

Ans: The notice on the bulletin stated that German would be taught in all schools instead of French. The whole village was unhappy about this order from Berlin. In school, the regular commotion was replaced with silence. Few villagers came to attend the class as a last tribute to Mr. Hamel for teaching their mother tongue and their repentance for not putting enough effort to learn it. Mr. Hamel also stated that we realize the importance of something when we lose it and similar was the case with their language, French.

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

(There could be more than one answer.)

Ans: Language carries the heritage and culture of the speaker. It connects an individual to their roots and culture. It’s not only a means of communication but binds people speaking the same language together. Franz points out the fact that the government can force them to learn their language forcibly at school but they can’t change the love that the people have for the language. They might learn the language in school but still won’t lose touch with their language and find every possible occasion to speak or sing in it. They can cage the spirit of the humans but the birds are free. They can’t capture them nor their will to communicate and love their language.

Talking about the Text

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?

Ans: Some examples of the native language taken away from its people and/or imposition of the language of the conqueror are:

(a) Portuguese became 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.

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

Ans: A linguistics minority doesn’t have much liberty to propagate their language. They often have to learn the language of the majority of speakers so that they can blend and be accepted in society. Language becomes a barrier in communication because of this and blocks interaction. This makes universal language like English quite popular. The language represents the culture of an individual and must be respected and accepted. It allows an individual to be more authentic and keeps them alive and happy from within.

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

Ans: Yes, it is surely 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 Gujaratis, etc.

Working with Words

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

Ans:

Tycoon - Japanese 

Tulip - French 

Logo – Greek

Bandicoot - Telugu 

Barbecue - Spanish 

Veranda - Hindi 

Robot - Czech

Zero - Italian 

Ski - Norwegian 

Trek – Dutch.

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.

Ans: (ii) 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

(i) Do not lose their language.

(ii) Are attached to their language.

(iii) Quickly learn the conqueror's language.

Ans: (ii) 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

(i) Very late.

(ii) Too early.

(iii) Early enough.

Ans: (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.

Ans: (b) Seemed very confident.

Noticing Form

1. 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 the verb and say why this form has been used.

Ans: In the following sentences, two activities of the past, occurring at two different points of time in the past, are indicated. 

The one that happens earlier takes the “had”+ past form of the verb (V3), while the one that follows it takes the simple past form of the verb (V2).

Sentences in past perfect form (Reason/ Explanation)

(i) For the last two years all our bad news has come from there.

Reason: The 'coming' of bad news happened earlier than the bulletin in the story.

(ii) Hauser had brought an old primer.

Reason: The event of 'bringing' happened earlier than Franz noticed it.

(iii) That was what they had put up at the town hall!

Reason: The 'putting up' of the bulletin happened earlier. Now it is recalled.

(iv) they had not gone to school more.

Reason: The action of not going* happened much earlier.

(v) the hopvine that he had planted himself twined about the windows to the roof.

Reason: The 'planting' of hop vine happened earlier than its twining about the windows.

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.

Ans:

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

Ans: For: Learning new languages at an early age helps a child to build up a more cosmopolitan view. The child is more accepting towards new cultures, people and excited to learn and know about them. It also provides sufficient international exposure to the child and would aid his communication if they plan to travel abroad. It also opens doors to new job opportunities for them.

Against: It burdens kids at an incredibly early age. If they live in a country where the language is not frequently spoken, they forget it after some time. Kids don't have a natural inclination towards learning languages and should be taught to kids who demand it. No clear use of learning so many languages if you are not going to use it.

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.

Ans: As a child, I was never fond of vegetables. I would always skip them in a meal and would throw tantrums if I was forced to eat them. In recent years I started consuming vegetables, especially green leafy and seasonal vegetables since my health wasn't in the best possible shape. But my opinion changed when I saw the effect it had on my body and overall health. My skin felt better and my body was healthier. I started happily eating vegetables after that to take better care of myself.

Things to Do

1. Find out about the following (You may go to the internet, interview people, consult reference books, or visit a library.)

(a) Linguistic human rights

Ans: The human and civil rights that concern the individual and collective right to choose are called linguistic human rights. These rights provide an individual to choose the language for communication, in public or private.

(b) Constitutional guarantees for linguistic minorities in India

Ans: India is a secular and democratic country. Various articles in the Constitution help to support this. Article 350 A asks every state to provide primary education in mother tongue and special offers for linguistic minorities under Article 350 B

Benefits of NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Chapter 1 Question Answers - The Last Lesson

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Conclusion

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NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Flamingo: Chapterwise Links

You can find chapter-wise links for NCERT Solutions to Class 12 Flamingo for all other chapters in the table below: