Class 12 – English Core (301)

Textbook - Flamingo
THE LAST LESSON - Alphonse Daudet

1. Why was Franz in great dread of a scolding?

2. What was more tempting for Franz than the rule for participles? OR What things attracted
Franz away from school?
3. What was the significance of the bulletin board?
4. What was the commotion Franz was referring to? Or What had the narrator counted on, to
enter the class room unnoticed?
5. What were the things that surprised Franz on that day? Or What changes did the narrator find
in the school when the order from Berlin came?
6. How does Franz describe the lesson in Writing on the last day?
7. Why were some elderly people sitting in the last benches?
8. What announcement did M. Hamel make? What impact did that have on Franz?
9. What extra efforts did M. Hamel go into to make his last class memorable?
10. The people in this story suddenly realise how precious their language is to them. What
shows you this?
11. ‘While I was thinking of all this, I heard my name called,’ says Franz. What was he
thinking about?
12. This story throws light on the cruelty and viciousness of war. Substantiate with
instances from the text.
13. Justify the title of the story.
14. Comment upon the importance of the bulletin board in the village of Alsace.                
15. What were M Hamel and Franz's reaction to the latter's recitation of the participles?
16. ‘We’ve all a great deal to reapproach ourselves with’………Why did Hamel tell Franz
this?
17. Describe briefly what happened when the church-clock struck twelve?
18. “I was amazed to see how well I understood it.” Give two reasons to explain why the
speaker ‘understood it’ so ‘well’ at that point?
19. “…it was so funny to hear him that we all wanted to laugh and cry.” Whom does
‘him’ and ‘we’ refer to? Explain the significance of this line with reference to the lesson.
20. How were the parents and M. Hamel responsible for the children’s neglect of the
French language?
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21. What did M. Hamel say about the French language? Or Pick out evidences from the
lesson that show Hamel’s love for the French language.
22. Write a note on M Hamel’s contribution towards teaching French in Alsace.
23. What observations does Franz make regarding M Hamel on the day of the last French
lesson?
24. What makes Franz say that all of them paid attention to the last lesson in a devoted
manner? 
25. Describe the lesson in Grammar.
26. Describe the lesson in Writing.
27. Comment on the ending of the lesson.
28. Everybody during the last lesson is filled with regret – Comment.
29. How did M Hamel begin his last lesson? What did he focus on in it?
30. How did M. Hamel say farewell to his students and the people of the town?
31. Attempt a character sketch of M. Hamel.
32. How does M. Hamel prove to be an ideal teacher?
33. See, how it is! Every day we have said to ourselves, ‘Bah! I’ve plenty of time. I’ll
learn it tomorrow.’
M. Scott, a psychiatrist and writer once said, “Unless you value yourself, you will not value
your time. Until you value your time, you will not value anything with it.”
After reading “The Last Lesson” and wise words of M. Scott you ponder about the habits of
youths to waste valuable time and putting off important things that need immediate attention.
As head boy / head girl of your school you decide to address the students in the morning
assembly telling them about the importance of making the optimum use of their time and the
importance of not delaying things that need to be done. You wish to stress the fact that time
is a valuable resource which if used well will benefit not just the individual but society as a
whole. Write the speech in about 100 words.
34. M. Hamel emerges as a true facilitator, guide and philosopher for his pupils when he
teaches the last lesson. Elucidate.
35. Is it possible to carry pride in one’s language too far? Do you know what ‘linguistic
chauvinism’ means?
36. Message, character sketches, justification of the title.
→ THEME -The pain that is inflicted on the people of a territory by its conquerors by taking
away the right to study or speak their own language.
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→ SUB-THEME -Student and teacher attitudes to learning and teaching

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37. All textual questions

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