CBSE Class 12 English The Last Lesson Worksheet Set G

Extract Based Questions:

1. Read the given extract to attempt questions that follow.
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 saw mill the Prussian soldiers were drilling.

Question. Which among the following is TRUE?
(a) The narrator spent a good amount of time watching the Prussian soldiers drilling in the open field.
(b) Every day he would feed the birds while going to school.
(c) The narrator started for school very early that morning.
(d) The narrator could overcome all temptations on his way to school.

Answer: D

Question. The narrator was
(a) a studious person
(b) curious to know the secrets of nature
(c) a procrastinator
(d) proactive and enthusiastic about his studies

Answer: C

Question. Franz was reluctant to go to school because
(a) he did not learn the rules for participles
(b) he wanted to see the Prussian soldiers drill
(c) he wanted to search birds‘ eggs
(d) he wanted to enjoy warm and bright sun

Answer: A

Question. Which among the following sentences gives the meaning of the word 'drill‘ as it is used in the extract above?
(a) The carpenter was drilling a hole into a wooden board.
(b) The enemy soldiers drilled the target from 50 yards away.
(c) The drill can be practiced every evening, especially during winter season.
(d) A dentist can remove any decay or old filling from the tooth with a drill.

Answer: C

Question. What was the task given to the narrator by his teacher?
(a) Learning the spelling of difficult words and phrases in French
(b) Learning the rules for participles in French
(c) Writing the rules for sentence construction in French
(d) Drawing the map of France

Answer: B

Question. Select the suitable option for the given statements.
(1) The birds are chirping at the edge of the woods in a warm weather.
(2) The narrator is scared of his teacher.
(a) (1) is true, but (2) is false
(b) (2) is false, but (1) is true
(c) Both (1) and (2) are true, and related to each other
(d) Both (1) and (2) are true, but unrelated to each other.

Answer: D

2. Read the given extract to attempt questions that follow.
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.
Through the window I saw my classmates, already in their places, and M. Hamel walking up and down with his terrible iron ruler under his arm.

Question. The teacher M. Hamel is
(a) cruel and cunning
(b) cranky, but honest
(c) hard working and ambitious
(d) patriotic, but insensitive

Answer: B

Question. Which among the following is true?
(a) The students are attending the last lesson in German.
(b) M. Hamel is frustrated at the behaviour of students in the class.
(c) Students are sitting quiet because a special Sunday prayer is organised at school.
(d) The narrator wished to enter the classroom stealthily.

Answer: D

Question. The phrase 'counted on‘ here means
(a) Expected
(b) Added
(c) Depended
(d) Continued counting

Answer: A

Question. Who is 'I‘ referred to in the extract above?
(a) The former postmaster
(b) Franz
(c) Hauser
(d) Wachter

Answer: B

Question. The usual atmosphere of the class was
(a) very peaceful
(b) disciplined
(c) tumultuous
(d) quite still

Answer: C

Question. Find the odd one out from the following.
(a) Opening and closing of desks
(b) Franz‘s classmates sitting quietly in their places.
(c) M. Hamel‘s iron ruler rapping on the table.
(d) Lessons being repeated in unison.

Answer: B

3. Read the given extract to attempt questions that follow.
What a thunderclap these words were to me!
Oh, the wretches; that was what they had put up at the town-hall!
My last French lesson! Why, I hardly knew how to write! I should never learn anymore! I
must stop there then! Oh, how sorry I was for not learning my lessons, for seeking bird‘s eggs, or going sliding on the Saar!
My books that had seemed such a nuisance a while ago, so heavy to carry, my grammar, and my history of the saints, were old friends now that I couldn‘t give up. And, M.
Hamel, too; the idea that he was going away, that I should never see him again, made me forget all about his ruler and how cranky he was.

Question. Franz‘s feelings and attitude towards his school and M. Hamel changed because
(a) he began to realise the real worth of his school and the teacher.
(b) he was afraid of Prussian soldiers.
(c) the teacher explained everything with much patience.
(d) the village elders told him to do so.

Answer: A

Question. Select the suitable option for the given statements.
(1) Franz forgets the irritable nature of M. Hamel.
(2) M. Hamel goes away from the school for good.
(a) (1) is true, but (2) is false
(b) (2) is true, but (1) is false.
(c) (1) is the reason for (2)
(d) (2) is the reason for (1)

Answer: D

Question. What were the startling and unexpected words to Franz?
(a) The order from Berlin to teach only German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine.
(b) The transfer order of the French teacher M. Hamel.
(c) Order to recite the rules for participles.
(d) Order to take his seat before the lesson begins.

Answer: A

Question. Franz expresses his __________ in not learning his mother tongue seriously.
(a) anger
(b) elation
(c) remorse
(d) contentment

Answer: C

Question. Bulletin board at the town hall brought news about
(a) the orders of the commanding officer
(b) the lost battles
(c) the draft
(d) All of the above

Answer: D

Question. Who are called 'wretches‘?
(a) Students
(b) Elderly villagers
(c) Germans
(d) People of France

Answer: C

4. Read the given extract to attempt questions that follow.
Once some beetles flew in; but nobody paid any attention to them, not even the littlest ones, who worked right on tracing their fish-hooks, as if that was French, too. On the roof the pigeons cooed very low, and I thought to myself, ―Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?"

Question. The last sentence of the extract reflects
(a) extreme linguistic chauvinism of Germans
(b) racial prejudice of Germans
(c) submissive nature of people of France
(d) inclusiveness of French culture

Answer: A

Question. Identify the literary device used in "On the roof the pigeons cooed very low, and I thought to myself, ―Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?
(a) Simile
(b) Irony
(c) Metaphor
(d) Personification

Answer: C

Question. Now the students are getting a lesson in
(a) history
(b) writing
(c) grammar
(d) maths

Answer: B

Question. Through the above lines the writer conveys Franz‘s
(a) enthusiasm to learn a new language
(b) anxiety about the imposition of a new language
(c) indifference to a foreign language
(d) concern about pigeons

Answer: B

Question. Which among the following is TRUE?
(a) Small children got distracted from the lessons when some beetles flew in.
(b) M Hamel delivered a speech on the futility of war.
(c) Franz recited the rule for participle without any error
(d) The mother tongue was as natural to the people of Alsace as cooing is to the pigeons.

Answer: D

Question. Students are attending the lesson with fierce concentration because
(a) M. Hamel is walking up and down with the terrible iron ruler in his arm.
(b) they know that their beloved mother tongue is taken away from them by Germans.
(c) they want to score good marks in the ensuing examinations.
(d) they may not be able to attend the lessons the following day as they have to work on farms.

Answer: B

5. Read the given extract to attempt questions that follow.
I heard M. Hamel say to me, ―I won‘t scold you, little Franz; you must feel bad enough.
See how it is! Every day we had said to ourselves, 'Bah! I‘ve plenty of time. I will learn it tomorrow.‘ And now you see where we‘ve come out. Ah, that is the great trouble with Alsace; she puts off learning till tomorrow. Now those fellows out there will have the right to say to you, 'How is it; you pretend to be Frenchmen, and yet you can neither speak nor write your own language?‘But you are not the worst, poor little Franz. We‘ve all a great deal to reproach ourselves with."

Question. 'Those fellows‘ in the extract referred to
(a) Frenchmen
(b) Prussians
(c) Students who did not get admission at this school
(d) Common people gathered at the town hall

Answer: B

Question. Franz must feel bad enough for
(a) being late to reach school.
(b) creating a distraction in the classroom.
(c) not reading the bulletin board at the town hall.
(d) not reciting rules for participles correctly.

Answer: D

Question. Find the word which is not similar in meaning to the word ‗reproach‘.
(a) Criticise
(b) Blame
(c) Admire
(d) Reprimand

Answer: C

Question. M. Hamel has a feeling of __________ towards the people of Alsace.
(a) appreciation
(b) anger
(c) contempt
(d) gratitude

Answer: C

Question. People of Alsace have a general attitude of
(a) promptitude
(b) alacrity
(c) dilatoriness
(d) punctuality

Answer: C

Question. What were the things being taken for granted by the people of Alsace?
(a) Time and learning at school
(b) Money and power
(c) Defeats in battles
(d) Lives of elderly people

Answer: A

Extract Based Short Answer Type Questions:

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
My last French lesson! Why, I hardly knew how to write! I should never learn anymore! I must stop here then! Oh, how sorry I was for not learning my lessons, for seeking birds‘
eggs, or going sliding on the Saar! My books, that had seemed such a nuisance a while ago, so heavy to carry, my grammar, and my history of the saints, were old friends now
that I couldn‘t give up. And M. Hamel, too; the idea that he was going away, that I should never see him again, made me forget about his ruler and how cranky he was.

Question. How did the narrator‘s feelings about M Hamel and books change?
Answer: His books, which seemed a nuisance and a burden a while ago, were now his old friends whom he could not depart from. He forgot all about M. Hamel‘s horrible ruler and cranky nature.

Question. What were the activities that the narrator involved in instead of learning his lessons?
Answer: Seeking birds‘ eggs, or going sliding on the Saar.

Question. Find the word from the passage which means the same as ―bad tempered.
Answer: Cranky

Question. How was the atmosphere of the classroom when the narrator entered it?
Answer: Solemn, strange and sad

Question. Who is ―I" referred here?
Answer: Franz 

Question. How did the narrator react to the declaration that it was their last French lesson?
Answer: He was shocked to hear that M. Hamel was leaving and that it was his last lesson. He realised that he would not be able to read and speak his own mother tongue and regretted his lack of interest and carelessness.

Short Answer Type Questions:

Question. Why did the villagers come to the school that day? How did they look?
Answer: The villagers knew that German would be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine from the next day onwards. It was their last opportunity to attend French lesson. They wanted to extend their gratitude to the teacher M. Hamel for his forty years of faithful service to the school. Moreover, they wanted to pay tribute to their mother tongue and their country. They were also expressing their patriotism and solidarity with France. All the villagers were looking very sad that day. They all had a feeling of guilt for not learning their mother tongue even after getting opportunity to learn it for the last many years.

Question. What did M. Hamel say about the French language? What did he ask his people to do and why?
Answer: In his last lesson, M Hamel told his students and the villagers that the French language was the most beautiful language in the world—the clearest and the most logical. He asked them to guard it amongst themselves and never forget it, because when a people were enslaved, as long as they held fast to their language, it was as if they had the key to their prison.

Question. What words did M. Hamel write on the blackboard before dismissing the last class? What 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‘. M Hamel‘s great love for his country and his deep sense of patriotism are shown here.

Question. Franz thinks, ―Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?‖ What could this mean?
Answer: Franz wondered whether the German rulers would make the pigeons on the roof also to sing in German. This question reflects the fear and anxiety of Franz about the imposition of German language in the land of France. He feared German atrocities. The language was as natural to them as cooing is to the pigeons. Robbing them of it and forcing the learning of German on them would be not only difficult but next to impossible. Being deprived of the learning of the mother tongue would mean the snapping of all bonds with the mother land. The severity of linguistic chauvinism of Germans is shown here.

Question. What was so unusual about the school on the last day of French lesson?
Answer: Usually there would be a great bustle of opening and closing of the desk, lesson repeated loudly and the teacher‘s ruler rapping on the table but that day was very calm and quiet like Sunday morning. The back benches which were usually empty were occupied by the village people. M Hamel had put on his beautiful green coat, a frilled shirt, and a little
black embroidered silk cap. This was the special ceremonial attire which he usually wore on days of inspection and prize days. He was pacing up and down with a ruler under his
arm.

Question. What had been put up on the bulletin-board?
Answer: For the last two years the bulletin-board had been giving bad news of lost battles, the draft and the orders of the commanding officer. On that day a notice had been put up stating the order from Berlin to teach only German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine.

Question. According to M. Hamel what were the reasons for the children not learning French?
Answer: According to M. Hamel, the students never learned French in time. They postponed it every time. The parents were not anxious enough to have their children learn French.
They preferred to put them to work on a farm or at the mills so as to have a little more income. M. Hamel himself found faulty for the poor performance of the children in their mother tongue. He had often sent them to water his plants instead of learning their lessons. Whenever he wanted to go for fishing, he gave them a holiday.

Question. How was the last lesson taught by M. Hamel?
Answer: M. Hamel described French as the most beautiful language in the world - the clearest and the most logical. He was teaching French with much patience on that day and the students and villagers were listening to the lessons with much interest and concentration. He taught grammar, writing and history lessons. Whenever Franz looked up from his writing,
he found the teacher sitting motionless in his chair and gazing from one thing to the other. It seemed to him that the teacher wanted to fix in his mind everything in that little class room before leaving the school.

Question. "What a thunderclap these words were to me!‖ What were the words that shocked and surprised the narrator?
Answer: M. Hamel announced in the class that an order had come from Berlin to teach only German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine from the next day onwards. It was the last French lesson that he would give them. The new master to teach German would come the following day. This announcement seemed to be a thunderclap to Franz. He was left in surprise and shock to learn that a new master was going to arrive the next day and they would learn German instead of their mother tongue.

Question. What happened when the church-clock struck twelve?
Answer: The moment the church-clock struck twelve, everyone could hear Angelus. At the same moment the trumpets of the Prussian army, returning from drill, were sounded. M. Hamel stood up and he wanted to tell something but his voice was chocked. He gathered his strength and wrote on the black board as large as he could – 'Vive La France‘ and dismissed the school.

 

              Very Short Answer

             

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

Q.2)       How did Franz and other hoys enjoy their lessons in writing?

Q.3)       How did M. Hamel feel and behave during the last lesson?

Q.4)       “He had the courage to hear every lesson to the very last.” What led Franz to make this remark?

Q.5)       What happened when the lesson in history was over?

              Short Answer

Q.6)       How did Franz’s feelings about M. Hamel and school change?

Q.7)       What had been put up on the bulletin board?

Q.8)       What reasons did M. Hamel give for their lack of interest in learning French?

Q.9)       Answer the following questions:-

(1)          Why were the old men of the village present in the classroom?

(2)          What was Hamel’s reaction when Franz could not answer his question in class, correctly?

Q.10)     What did M. Hamel say about the French language?

              Long Answer

Q.11)     What impression do you form of M. Hamel on the basis of your study of the story ‘The Last Lesson’?

Q.12)     The people of Alsace and Lorraine were forced to study German. They were not allowed to study French. It implies that students of the area were taught only one language. They did not follow the concept of three language at school. Write an article on the topic Advantages of Three language System at school.

Q.13)     War causes destruction and spreads hatred. People feel insecure. Discuss the disadvantages of war keeping in mind Franco-Prussian war.

Q.14)   Describe the Theme of the Chapter?

Q.15)   It is often said that each language is unique in itself. No language is superior or Inferior. People need to understand that a language is one of the means of communication. Discuss this statement in the light of the following lines:

“My children, this is the last lesson I shall give you. The order has come from Berlin to teach only German in schools of Alsace and Lorraine. The new master comes tomorrow. This is your last French lesson…”

Please click on below link to download CBSE Class 12 English The Last Lesson Worksheet Set G