INTERNATIONAL INDIAN SCHOOL, RIYADH

CLASS-XII
ENGLISH
THE LAST LESSON
Understanding The Text:
1. The people in this story suddenly realise how precious their language is to them. What shows
you this? Why does this happen?
A: The French districts of Alsace and Lorraine had fallen into Prussian hands, according to the
story. As a result, they received an order from Berlin mandating that only German be taught in
Alsace and Lorraine schools. It was at that point that they all realized the importance of their
language. The usual commotion at school was replaced by the peace of Sunday church. The
students’ sincerity was evident by the fact that they all began working quietly. The only sound in
the room was the scratching of pens across the paper. Even the villagers came in and sat quietly
as students in the class. Everyone appeared to be depressed. M. Hamel, who was otherwise
disliked, instilled in the students a sense of regret. Franz regretted not paying close attention to
him, whereas M. Hamel, who was heartbroken at the prospect of leaving, had never explained
everything with such patience. He almost seemed to want to tell them everything he knew
before leaving. In his words, he adequately captured the mood. ‘We all have a lot of things to be
ashamed of.’
2. Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?” What could this
mean?
A: Franz’s question about whether pigeons can sing in German demonstrates that humans can
impose their will on other humans but cannot impose it on nature. It suggests that human power
is always limited. They cannot have complete control over the world. Similarly, Prussians can
control their schools and learning patterns, but they cannot kill their pride in their country and
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?
A: “When people are enslaved, as long as they hold fast to their language, it is as if they had the
key to their prison.” Examples of conquered people having their language taken away or having a
language imposed on them can be found throughout history.
1. Imposition of English in India during colonization by Britain.
2. Imposition of Chinese in Tibet
3. Arabization in North Africa (imposition of Islam and so, imposition of Muslim languages)
4. Imposition of French in Britain (Francization)
5. Turkish imposed on 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
A: In any state, the linguistic minority is easily identified and faces the same discrimination as
religious, social, or ethnic minorities. However, there is a significant disparity between the
treatment meted out and the level of acceptance displayed by the majority community in that
region. Some cities, such as Delhi and Mumbai, have a cosmopolitan outlook.
The linguistic minority attempts to preserve its identity through intimate contact, interaction,
and language preservation in social gatherings, family functions, and regional festivals.
Adherence to social customs and traditions in family gatherings and women’s meetings fosters
unity among members of the linguistic minority. In a nutshell, they have built a mini-Punjab in
Bangalore, a mini-Chennai in Mumbai, a mini-Bangalore in Delhi, and a mini-Surat in Kolkata.
3. Is it possible to carry pride in one’s language too far? Do you know what ‘linguistic chauvinism’
means?
A: People often take quite enough pride in their native tongues and repress others. This is
incorrect as we should treat all languages and cultures equally.
Linguistic chauvinism refers to a person’s excessive pride in their native language. Being overly
aggressive and fanatical about one’s language is referred to as carrying pride.
EXTRACTS:
1) I started for school very late that morning and was in great dread of a scolding, especially
because M. Hamel had said that he would question us on participles, and I did not know the first
word about them. For a moment, I thought of running away and spending the day out of doors.
It was so warm, so bright! The birds were chirping at the edge of the woods; and in the open
field back of the sawmill the Prussian soldiers were drilling.
(a) Alphonse Daudet, the author of ‘The Last Lesson’ was a ...................... novelist and short story
writer.
(i) Spanish
(ii) German
(iii) French
(iv) Austrian
(b) Franz was late and wanted to skip going to school as he dreaded
(i) beating from M. Hamel
(ii) scolding from the teacher
(iii) taunts from his classmates
(iv) scolding from parents
(c) What would have M. Hamel questioned Franz about?
(i) adjectives
(ii) writing skills
(iii) the previous days’ activities
(iv) participles
(d) Which of the outdoor activities were tempting Franz more than attending school that day?
(i) chirping of the birds
(ii) the drill practice by Prussian soldiers
(iii) both (i) and (ii)
(iv) children playing outside

2) I thought he was making fun of me, and reached M. Hamel’s little garden all out of breath.
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.
(a) ‘I thought he was making fun of me.’ Who is Franz referring to here?
(i) the blacksmith Wachter
(ii) the gardener
(iii) the old Hauser
(iv) his teacher
(b) The expression ‘out of breath’ means
(i) exhaled breath
(ii) excess breath
(iii) feeling short of breath
(iv) respiratory failure
(c) What were the pointers to a great bustle in the school?
(i) the opening and closing of desks
(ii) teacher’s great ruler rapping on the table
(iii) lessons repeated in loud unison
(iv) all the above
(d) What was Franz banking upon to go to his seat unnoticed?
(i) the fight in the class
(ii) teacher’s absence
(iii) the commotion in the class
(iv) by tip-toeing in the class

3) I jumped over the bench and sat down at my desk. Not till then, when I had got a little over
my fright, did I see that our teacher had on his beautiful green coat, his frilled shirt, and the little
black silk cap, all embroidered, that he never wore except on inspection and prize days. Besides,
the whole school seemed so strange and solemn. But the thing that surprised me most was to
see, on the back benches that were always empty, the village people sitting quietly like
ourselves; old Hauser, with his three-cornered hat, the former mayor, the former postmaster
and several others besides.
(a) ‘Got a little over his fright’ means that Franz
(i) was still feeling frightful
(ii) had overcome his fright
(iii) was out of his wits
(iv) all of the above
(b) Besides, the whole school seemed so
(i) noisy and scary
(ii) messy and strange
(iii) queer and in ruins
(iv) strange and solemn
(c) What struck Franz the most about M. Hamel that day which was quite different was
(i) his formal attire
(ii) his mannerisms
(iii) his behaviour
(iv) all of the above
(d) Who were sitting on the back benches on the last day of the lesson?
(i) parents
(ii) village people
(iii) only young children
(iv) other staff members