The Last Lesson Class 12: Top Questions and Answers for Exam Preparation

If you're studying for your CBSE Class 12 English exam on "The Last Lesson," by Alphonse Daudet you may be wondering what questions to expect and how to prepare. This guide provides you with important questions and answers to help you succeed and ace your exam. You can also download the PDF of these important/extra questions answers and take a printout of it.

Subject	English Language & Literature
Class	12
Board	CBSE
Chapter Name	The Last Lesson
Type	Important Questions and Answers
Session	2024-25
Book Name	Flamingo
Literature	Prose

Life is not a spectator sport. If you're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you're wasting your life.

- Jackie Robinson

Class 12 The Last Lesson Questions and Answers

Q. No. 1) On his way to school, Franz says that he had the strength to resist and chose to hurry off to school.

The underlined phrase suggests that Franz was

a. hesitant.

b. threatened.

c. tempted.

d. repentant.

Ans. Option (c)

Q. No. 2) Franz saw a huge crowd assembled in front of the bulletin board but did not stop. How would you evaluate his reaction?

a. Franz was too little to care about the news of lost battles.

b. Nobody in Franz’s family was in the army, so it did not matter.

c. Bad news had become very normal, so he went about his task.

d. It was too crowded for Franz to find out what news was up on the board.

Ans. Option (c)

Q. No. 3) There was usually great bustle and noise when school began, but it was all very quiet. Which of the following describes Franz’s emotions most accurately?

a. shock and awe

b. disappointment and anxiety

c. confusion and distress

d. curiosity and uncertainty

Ans. Option (b)

Q. No. 4) Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

While I was wondering about it all, M. Hamel mounted his chair, and, in the same grave and gentle tone which he had used to me, said, "My children, this is the last lesson I shall give you. The order has come from Berlin to teach only German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. The new master comes tomorrow. This is your last French lesson. I want you to be very attentive." What a thunderclap these words were to me! Oh, the wretches; that was what they had put up at the town hall!

i. Who are 'the wretches' Franz refers to in this extract?

a. the French

b. the Prussians

c. the village people

d. the school children

Ans. Option (b)

ii. Why does M. Hamel tell everyone to be 'very attentive'?

a. He wants to quiz them on the last lesson later in the day.

b. He wants to inform them of his wish to retire as a teacher.

c. He wants to tell them about the new language they will soon learn.

d. He wants to teach them as much of their language as possible in that class.

Ans. Option (d)

iii. What does the order from Berlin signify?

a. the blending of two different cultures.

b. the imposition of one culture over another

c. the peaceful coexistence of multiple cultures

d. the universal recognition of one culture as superior

Ans. Option (b)

iv. This line from the extract depicts Franz's __________. What a thunderclap these words were to me!

a. confusion about the new language

b. astonishment at a wasted opportunity

c. disappointment in M. Hamel's teaching

d. anger towards the people of the village

Ans. Option (b)

v. Select the option that uses 'mounted' as used in the extract.

a. Salima mounted the bicycle and rode downhill.

b. Peter mounted the platform to a rousing welcome.

c. Satyajeet bit his nails as the tension mounted in the game.

d. Kimpi mounted a protest by refusing to talk to her sister all day.

Ans. Option (b)

Q. No. 5) Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

Poor man! It was in honor of this last lesson that he had put on his fine Sunday clothes, and now I understood why the old men of the village were sitting there in the back of the room. It was because they were sorry, too, that they had not gone to school more. It was their way of thanking our master for his forty years of faithful service and of showing their respect for the country that was theirs no more.

i. Why does the narrator refer to M. Hamel as ‘Poor man!’?

a. He empathizes with M. Hamel as he had to leave the village.

b. He believes that M. Hamel’s “fine Sunday clothes” clearly reflected that he was not rich.

c. He feels sorry for M. Hamel as it was his last French lesson.

d. He thinks that M. Hamel’s patriotism and sense of duty resulted in his poverty.

Ans. Option (c)

ii. Which of the following idioms might describe the villagers’ act of attending the last lesson most accurately?

a. ‘Too good to miss’

b. ‘Too little, too late'

c. ‘Too many cooks spoil the broth’

d. ‘Too cool for school’

Ans. Option (b)

iii. Choose the option that might raise a question about M. Hamel’s “faithful service”.

a. When Franz came late, M. Hamel told him that he was about to begin class without him.

b. Franz mentioned how cranky M. Hamel was and his “great ruler rapping on the table”.

c. M. Hamel often sent students to water his flowers and gave them a holiday when he wanted to go fishing.

d. M. Hamel permitted villagers put their children “to work on a farm or at the mills” for some extra money.

Ans. Option (c)

iv. Choose the option that most appropriately fills in the blanks, for the following description of the given extract.

The villagers and their children sat in class, forging with their old master a (i) _____ togetherness. At that moment, the classroom stood (ii) _____. It was France itself, and the last French lesson a desperate hope to (iii) ______ to the remnants of what they had known and taken for granted. Their own (iv) _______.

a. (i) graceful; (ii) still; (iii) hang on; (iv) country

b. (i) bygone; (ii) up; (iii) keep on; (iv) education

c. (i) beautiful; (ii) mesmerized; (iii) carry on; (iv) unity

d. (i) forgotten; (ii) transformed; (iii) hold on; (iv) identity

Ans. Option (d)

Q. No. 6) “I never saw him look so tall”. Which of the following best captures M. Hamel on the last day of school?

a. cranky, miserable, dedicated, resigned

b. patient, dignified, emotional, courageous

c. calm, nostalgic, disappointed, patriotic

d. proud, reproachful, persistent, heroic

Ans. Option (b)

Q. No. 7) Look at the table below. Column A provides instances from the story ‘The Last Lesson’. Column B provides titles of some famous English language poems. Choose the option that correctly matches items of Column A with Column B.

Column A	Column B
1. M. Hamel distributed new copies that looked like little French flags and ended the class with an emphatic "Vive La France!".	i. 'Remorse is memory awake' (Emily Dickinson)
2. Hauser sat at the end of the class, thumping his primer, desperately trying to learn with the children, even as he cried.	ii. 'A House Called Tomorrow' (Alberto Rios)
3. M. Hamel shared how Alsace always put off learning, and how its people always thought they had plenty of time.	iii. 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' (John Donne)
4. Classes ended when the church clock struck twelve. And then the Angelus. Simultaneously, Prussian trumpets sounded under the school windows.	iv. 'Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night' (Dylan Thomas)

a. 1 – (i); 2 – (ii); 3 – (iii); 4 – (iv)

b. 1 – (ii); 2 – (iii); 3 – (iv); 4 – (i)

c. 1 – (iii); 2 – (iv); 3 – (i); 4 – (ii)

d. 1 – (iv); 2 – (i); 3 – (ii); 4 – (iii)

Ans. Option (d)

Q. No. 8) Concluding his last lesson by writing ‘Vive la France!’ on the blackboard shows that M. Hamel

a. was overwhelmed with emotions.

b. wanted to distract all attending class that day.

c. was keen on not leaving the country.

d. wanted to teach French participles through it.

Ans. Option (a)

Q. No. 9) Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

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. 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. I had to open the door and go in before everybody. You can imagine how I blushed and how frightened I was.

i. List any two sensory details present in this extract.

Ans. Sensory details present in the extract are:

• The sounds of the opening and closing of desks
• The loud lessons repeated in unison
• The teacher's ruler rapping on the table.

ii. Why does the protagonist feel anxious about entering the classroom on this particular day?

a. The classmates have started the lesson

b. The teacher is in a bad mood

c. The classroom is too quiet

d. The protagonist is running late

Ans. Option (a) [The protagonist sees through the window that the other students are already in their places, and this makes him feel anxious as he is trying to avoid being seen and is worried about being scolded by the teacher and embarrassed in front of his classmates. The fact that the other students have already started the lesson adds to his anxiety.]

iii. Complete the sentence appropriately.

The phrase "as quiet as Sunday morning" suggests that _____.

Ans. The school was unusually quiet and still, as if it were a day of rest/holiday/school off, rather than a bustling school day.

iv. Pick evidence from the extract that helps one infer that this was not the protagonist’s first time being late to school.

Ans. The protagonist seems to have a plan for how to sneak into class without being noticed, suggesting that they may have been in similar situations before. [The protagonist states: "I had counted on the commotion to get to my desk without being seen," which implies that they have been late before and have developed a strategy for avoiding punishment.]

v. What does the term 'terrible iron ruler' indicate about M. Hamel?

Ans. The strictness and severity of M. Hamel's discipline.

vi. Which of the following headlines best suggests the central idea of the extract?

a. The Fears of a Latecomer

b. The Importance of Punctuality

c. The Rigidity of the School System

d. The Anxiety of a Young Student

Ans. Option (b) [The extract revolves around the theme of punctuality and the consequences of being late. The protagonist is anxious and embarrassed about being late to school, highlighting the importance of being on time. The other options, such as A) The Fears of a Latecomer, C) The Rigidity of the School System, and D) The Anxiety of a Young Student, touch upon some of the themes in the extract but do not fully capture the central idea.]

Q. No. 10) Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

M. Hamel went on to talk of the French language, saying that it was the most beautiful language in the world — the clearest, the most logical; that we must guard it among us and never forget it, because 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. Then he opened a grammar book and read us our lesson. I was amazed to see how well I understood it. All he said seemed so easy, so easy!

i. Which of the following can be attributed to M. Hamel’s declaration about the French language?

a. subject expertise

b. nostalgic pride

c. factual accuracy

d. patriotic magnification

Ans. Option (d)

ii. Read the quotes given below. Choose the option that might best describe M. Hamel’s viewpoint.

a. Option (i)

b. Option (ii)

c. Option (iii)

d. Option (iv)

Ans. Option (b)

iii. “I was amazed to see how well I understood it.” Select the option that does NOT explain why Franz found the grammar lesson “easy”.

a. Franz was paying careful attention in class this time.

b. M. Hamel was being extremely patient and calm in his teaching.

c. Franz was inspired and had found a new meaning and purpose to learning.

d. Franz realized that French was the clearest and most logical language.

Ans. Option (d)

iv. Franz was able to understand the grammar lesson easily because he was

a. receptive.

b. appreciative.

c. introspective.

d. competitive.

Ans. Option (a)

Q. No. 11) How and why was M. Hamel dressed differently that day?

Ans. M. Hamel was dressed differently on the day of his final lesson because he was wearing his best clothes. He wanted to show his respect for the importance of the occasion and his love for his country, despite the fact that it had been occupied by the Germans. As Franz notes in the story, "M. Hamel 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." M. Hamel's attire reflects his sense of duty and his commitment to teaching, even in the face of difficult circumstances. By dressing up for his final lesson, he shows his students that he takes their education seriously and that he is proud of the work that they have done together.

Q. No. 12) Comment on the significance of the villagers sitting at the back in M. Hamel’s classroom.

Ans.

• As a sign of repentance for not attending school often.
• They wanted to thank M. Hamel for his 40 years of dedicated service.
• As a mark of respect for the country which was no longer theirs.

Q. No. 13) Who did M. Hamel blame when Franz was unable to answer a question on French participles?

Ans. M. Hamel blames:

• People of Alsace for postponing learning.
• Parents who preferred to send their children to work in fields and mills instead of sending them to school.
• Himself for not fulfilling his duty as a teacher sincerely - by sending the children to water the plants in the garden & declaring a holiday whenever he wanted to go fishing.

Q. No. 14) “We’ve all a great deal to reproach ourselves with,” said M.Hamel. Refer to the context and explain what he wanted to convey to his students.

Ans.

• M. Hamel said it to Franz when he felt embarrassed at not being able to answer.
• He consoles Franz by saying everyone in Alsace is to be blamed for not learning their mother tongue
• parents, teachers, and children all are to be blamed
• Alsace puts off learning for tomorrow

Q. No. 15) “You realize the true value of a thing only on losing it.” Comment on this statement in the light of the story, The Last Lesson.

Ans.

• Prussians put a ban on the French language.
• People realized the importance of holding onto their mother tongue.

OR

• M Hamel was considered strict and the classes/work given by him were not taken seriously.
• After he was ordered to leave the country, villagers realized the importance of his contribution to society.

Q. No. 16) If this had been M. Hamel’s first lesson, how do you think the school experience of the students might have been impacted?

Ans. If "The Last Lesson" had been M. Hamel's first lesson, it's possible that the school experience of the students would have been very different. M. Hamel's passionate and dedicated teaching style may have inspired the students to take their studies more seriously and to appreciate the value of education.

Q. No. 17) Little Franz is the narrator of the story. The name ‘Franz’ means ‘from France’. In what way does the story being told as a first-person narrative of Franz impact your reading and understanding of the story? Provide at least one piece of evidence from the text to support your opinion.

Ans. The fact that "The Last Lesson" is told from the perspective of the young protagonist Franz has a significant impact on the reader's experience of the story. Through his eyes, we are able to see the events of the story unfold in a more immediate and personal way, and we are able to empathize with his feelings of regret and nostalgia at the end of the lesson.

One of the ways in which Franz's perspective impacts our understanding of the story is that it allows us to see the effects of the French language ban on a child who is just beginning to develop his love for learning. We see how the ban has disrupted Franz's education and how it has affected his relationship with his teacher, M. Hamel. This creates a sense of empathy in the reader, as we understand the significance of the loss that Franz and his classmates are experiencing.

For example, in the story, Franz describes the moment when he realizes that it is his last French lesson with M. Hamel: "It was at that moment that I realized how much I had to regret, for it was the last French lesson I was ever to have" (from "The Last Lesson" by Alphonse Daudet). This quote shows how Franz's personal experience of the events of the story shapes his perspective and emotions, and it allows the reader to feel a similar sense of regret and loss.

Q. No. 18) At the end of his last lesson, M. Hamel decides to leave a little note for each of his students for them to find the next day at their desks. Based on your reading of the story, what might his note to Franz read?

You may begin like this:

Dear Franz,

I know you have always preferred to run in the open fields …

Ans. Dear Franz,

I know you have always preferred to run in the open fields, but I hope that today's lesson has shown you the value of exploring new ideas and perspectives. Remember to keep your curiosity alive and to seek out knowledge wherever you can find it. The world is full of wonders, and I have no doubt that you will continue to discover new joys and insights wherever your path may lead.

With warmest regards,

M. Hamel

Q. No. 19) Though tempted by the bright day, Franz stated that he had “the strength to resist, and hurried off to school.” As the story progresses, the reader realizes that Franz, M. Hamel, and the villagers would perhaps need “the strength to resist” much larger forces.

Discuss how the story provides strategies for resistance and protection of one’s identity and community through its events and characters. Provide relevant textual details to support your argument.

Ans. "The Last Lesson" provides several strategies for resistance and protection of one's identity and community through its events and characters. These strategies include valuing one's cultural heritage, standing up for what one believes in, and cherishing the relationships that connect us to our community.

Firstly, the story emphasizes the importance of valuing one's cultural heritage. M. Hamel's dedication to teaching French to his students, despite the ban on the language, demonstrates the power of preserving one's language and culture. He encourages his students to appreciate the beauty and history of the French language, and in doing so, he helps them to connect with their cultural heritage. This is reflected in the passage where M. Hamel declares, "It is our language, our soul."

Secondly, the story emphasizes the importance of standing up for what one believes in, even in the face of adversity. M. Hamel's decision to hold his last French lesson, despite the looming threat of German occupation, demonstrates his courage and conviction. He refuses to let external forces dictate his actions and instead chooses to act on his own beliefs and values. This is reflected in the passage where M. Hamel declares, "We must always keep learning."

Finally, the story emphasizes the importance of cherishing the relationships that connect us to our community. Franz's love and respect for his teacher, M. Hamel, is a testament to the deep connections that can form between individuals in a community. When M. Hamel gives his final speech to the students, he emphasizes the importance of these connections, saying, "We must love our country, and cherish it always."

Q. No. 20) Franz from The Last Lesson and the peddler from The Rattrap demonstrate the importance of learning from our mistakes to evolve into better people. Imagine that Shubhangi, your friend, feels as if she has made a mistake by not taking her academics seriously. Write an essay to Shubhangi in 120–150 words discussing instances from the two texts to give her an insight into the human tendency to make mistakes and learn from them.

You may begin like this:

Shubhangi, all of us have made mistakes at one point or another in our lives. After all, to err is human...........

Ans.

Mistakes are common - all of us, whether old or young, may make numerous mistakes. For example, little Franz is careless, indisciplined, and unpunctual while the vagabond, who is much older than Franz, remains greedy and chooses to engage in petty thievery.

If not corrected in time, our mistakes bring our growth to a standstill. As in the case of Franz, since he does not take Mr. Hamel’s classes seriously, he is unable to learn French despite being present in the classroom. The man with the rattrap, on the other hand, is not satisfied by people’s kindness to him. Instead, he steals from compassionate people like the old crofter who shared his meal with him and gave him a place to rest, without any remorse. He also greedily pretends to be the master blacksmith’s long-lost acquaintance, hoping for money from the blacksmith.

However, when they are confronted with their respective situations, they realize their mistakes. Franz attends the last lesson only to realize that he had lost the only opportunity to learn his mother tongue while the vagabond who pretended to be Captain Von Stahle was taken aback by the goodness of Edla.

Upon this realization, Franz is filled with remorse and tries his best to recite the lesson. He is unable to do so and feels guilty, so he listens to the remaining part of the lesson with rapt attention. Similarly, inspired by Edla’s kindness to him, the rattrap man returns the stolen money.

Both of these characters thus realize their mistakes and take initiative to fix them. They make the choice to evolve into better people by learning from their mistakes, something that makes a difference in their lives.

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