Arpit Porwal

• YouTuber with over 2,20,000+

subscribers
• Perusing B.Tech
• Founder of APpedia
Flamingo
| Questions discussed in video
1. Draw a character sketch of M.
Hamel as it is shown in The Last
Lesson?
2. What does the writer want Saheb
to do? Why does she feel
embarrassed about it later?
3. Narrate in your words how
William Douglas was nearly
drowned in the Y.M.C.A. pool?
4. "The story also focuses on
human loneliness and the need to
bond withothers." Comment
5. Why did Gandhiji agree to a
settlement of 25 per cent refund to
the farmers?
6. Attempt a character sketch of
Sophie as a woman who lives in her
dreams?
Ans1. In The Last Lesson', Alphonse
Daudet presents M. Hamel's character with
due sympathy and respect. Initially, he is
presented in the mold of a traditional
schoolmaster. He used his 'terrible ruler
under his arm Eyeryone could hear the
rapping of the great ruler on the table even
outside in the street.
Ans1. Franz reminds us 'how cranky' M.
Hamel was. The students used to dread
their school master Franz was scared of
scolding as he did not prepare his lesson
on participles. He feared while going to
school that day. For a moment he even
thought of running away from school.
Ans1. Mr. Hamel was a hard master. He
maintained discipline in the class. The other
side of Mr. Hamel's character is seen after the
order from Berlin came He had been
transformed now. He became soft and gentle
towards his students. He didn't scold Franz for
coming late. He even did not use his ruler
when little Franz got mixed up and confused
when his turn to recite came.
Ans1. He declared that it was his last
lesson in French as from next day German
would be taught in the schools of Lorraine
and Alsace. He would leave next day. A
new teacher would come in place of him.
He wore his best dress in honor of the last
lesson.
Ans1. M. Hamel loved France and French from the
depth of his heart. He regarded French as the
most beautiful language in the world. He told the
people to guard it among themselves and never to
forget it. On hearing the sound of trumpets of the
Prussian soldiers under his window, patriotic
feelings overpowered him. He mounted the chair
and tried to speak. Something choked him. He
wrote Viva La France" with a piece of chalk on the
blackboard.
Ans2. Saheb is a poor ragpicker. The writer
watches him one morning searching the
garbage heaps in the neighborhood. She asks
Saheb why he doesn't go to school. At this
Saheb says, "There is no school in my
neighborhood. When they build one, I will go.
"The writer says half-jokingly, "If I start a
school, will you come?"
Ans2. "Yes," says Saheb, smilingly, A few days
later, Saheb watches the writer. He came
running to her, and asked "Is your school
ready?" The writer felt small. She had made a
promise which she did not mean. Now she
could only say, "It takes longer to build a
school. "Promises like these are often made
with the poor but they are never fulfilled
Ans3. Ans. Douglas wanted to learn swimming.
Being afraid of water, he chose the Y.M.C.A
pool as it was safe. He bought water wings and
went to the pool to practices swimming. One
day as he sat alone near its edge, a strong boy
came there. He looked at skinny Douglas in
scorn. He picked up Douglas and threw him
right into the pool, out of fun.
Ans3. Douglas hit the water in sitting position. The
water over there was nine feet deep. Douglas
sank gradually. He planned to jump the bottom of
the pool and come to the top. He hoped he would
float like a cork, and then he would swim to the
edge. However, he actually jumped off the bottom,
the movement upward was slow. He reached the
surface but laid his hand on nothing. His legs
became stiff and lifeless. He was again pulled to
the bottom.
Ans3. Once again he jumped and had the
same experience. He froze with terror. His
heart throbbed. He tried calling for help but
only swallowed water. The experience was
repeated once again. Finally, he felt
exhausted. No energy was left in him. He
passed into oblivion with no fear.
Ans4. The Rattrap' revolves around human
loneliness and the need to bond with others. The
rattrap peddler leads a sad, monotonous and
lonely life .Even the old crofter lives in his cottage
alone. He welcomes the peddler with all
enthusiasm and happiness. He needs somebody
to talk to in his loneliness. He plays with old pack
of cards called 'mjolis, a game of cards. Even the
ironmaster leads more or less a lonely life. His
wife had died and his sons were abroad.
Ans4. He stays with his daughter. Even after
the peddler's true identity was revealed, Edla
makes her father agree to the stranger's
staying with them for Christmas as he did not
have any company for Christmas Eve. The
peddler stayed to enjoy day of peace with them
there-just one in the whole year. The story thus
rightly focuses on human loneliness and the
need to bond with others.
Ans5. The whole situation in front of Gandhiji
was a deadlock. He wanted to break this
deadlock somehow Gandhiji agreed to a
settlement of 25 percent refund to the farmers;
as he fact the amount was less important than
the fact that the landlords had to be forced to
return part of the money and with it, part of
their pride and prestige.
Ans5. So far the planters had behaved as
if they were above the law, they had to
realize the Britishers were not above the
law. The peasants now saw they too had
rights and defenders, and they learned
courage.
Ans5. Peasants were also saved from the
trouble of spending time and money on
court cases. Within a few years, the British
planters abandoned their estates andleft.
The land come back to the peasants and
this was the end of indigo share cropping.
Ans6. Sophie is a young girl of a lower middle
class family. She wants to open a boutique and
also become an actress or a fashion designer
or a manager. She, anyhow wants to come out
of her economic situation. She is an incurable
dreamer and an escapist. Although she is
warned against such dreams by her friend,
Jansie and her father but she ignores them.
Ans6. As no one believes her, she shares
her dreams only with her brother, Geoff,
who is an introvert. She also hero-worships
the football player, Danny Casey. She
fantasizes about meeting Danny at the
marketplace and later near the canal.
Q. Most of us do not raise our voice against injustice
in our society and tend to remain mute spectators
Anees Jung in her story, 'Lost Spring vividly
highlights the miserable life of street children and
bangle makers of Firozabad. She wants us to act.
Which qualities does she want the children to
develop?
Ans. Anees Jung wants the children to become
free from the vicious cycle of poverty into which
they have fallen due to the middlemen, sahukars
and law enforcement officials. She wants them to
be bold enough to raise their voice against their
oppressors. She wants them to be fearless and
optimistic so that they can dream of taking up
other Occupations, just like Mukesh, who wants to
be a motor mechanic .
Ans. She wants them tobecome free from their
traditional occupations so that they can be free
from injustice and exploitation andrealise their
life's ambitions. She sees the spark of such a
quality in Mukesh, who is willing to go to
anylengths to become a motor mechanic. She
wants some people to help them develop these
qualities so thatthey can take up respectable jobs
which will improve their financial condition.
 Thank-You
Like | SHARE | Subscribe