The Last Lesson and Lost Spring: Key Q&A
The Last Lesson: Key Questions and Answers
Q: What is the name of the blacksmith in ‘The Last Lesson’?
Ans: In the short story “The Last Lesson” by Alphonse Daudet, the name of the blacksmith is Wachter.
Q: What is the ‘great trouble with Alsace’?
Ans: The great trouble with Alsace is that it puts off learning until tomorrow.
Q: Why did little Franz want to spend his day out of doors?
Ans: Franz didn’t want to go to school that day and wanted to spend his day out of doors because he feared a scolding, as he hadn’t prepared his lesson on participles, on which M. Hamel was to question the class. Besides, the warm and bright weather, the chirping of birds, and the sight of the marching Prussian soldiers also tempted Franz to stay away from school that day.
M. Hamel’s Views on the French Language
Q: What are M. Hamel’s views about the French language? Or How did M. Hamel praise the French language? Or What shows M. Hamel’s love for the French language? Or What did M. Hamel tell them about the French language?
Ans: M. Hamel called French the most beautiful language in the world. According to him, it was the clearest and the most logical language. He wanted the people of France to guard or preserve it amongst themselves and never forget it.
Significance of Villagers Attending the Last Lesson
Q: Comment on the significance of the villagers sitting at the back in M. Hamel’s classroom. Or Why did the elders of the village attend the last lesson? Or Why did the village elders occupy the back benches in the classroom to attend the last lesson delivered by M. Hamel? Or Why were some elderly persons occupying the back benches that day? Or Why did Hauser and the other villagers come to attend the last lesson?
Ans: The village elders occupied the back benches in the classroom to attend the last lesson delivered by M. Hamel because they were sorry that they had not attended school more often. They also wanted to thank their teacher for his forty years of faithful service and to show their respect for the country that was theirs no longer.
Importance of Mother Tongue
Q: How is the mother tongue important to a person? What does M. Hamel, the teacher, say about it?
Ans: The mother tongue is the representative of a nation’s true identity and character. It acts as a binding force, creating unity among the countrymen. M. Hamel rightly said that when people are enslaved, as long as they hold fast to their language, it is as if they have the key to their prison.
Blame for Neglect of Learning
Q: Who did M. Hamel blame when Franz was unable to answer a question on French participles? Or Who did M. Hamel blame for the neglect of learning on the part of boys like Franz? Or Whom did M. Hamel blame for Franz’s inability to answer his questions?
Ans: M. Hamel blames both the children’s parents and himself for the neglect of learning on the part of boys like Franz. The parents sent the children out to work instead of sending them to school. He blamed himself for making the students do his personal work during school time and giving them a holiday when he wanted to go fishing.
Bulletin Board News
Q: What was the bulletin board news that caused a change in the school? Or What had been put up on the bulletin board?
Ans: A news had been put up on the bulletin board stating that only German should be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine from the next day.
M. Hamel’s Attire
Q: What was unusual about M. Hamel’s clothes on his last day in the school?
Ans: M. Hamel had put on his ceremonial clothes on his last day in the school. He was wearing a beautiful green coat, a frilled shirt, and a little black embroidered silk cap.
Franz’s Reaction to the News
Q: “What a thunderclap these words were to me!” (Franz). What were those words and was their effect on Franz? Or Why is the order from Berlin called a thunderclap by Franz? Or “What a thunderclap these words were to me!” What were the words that shocked and surprised the narrator?
Ans: M. Hamel told his students that it was their last French lesson as an order had come from Berlin that henceforth only German was to be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. This announcement seemed to be a thunderclap to Franz as he was surprised and shocked on hearing them.
Inference from Pigeons Statement
Q: Explain the inference that can be drawn from the line. ‘Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?’
Ans: The given statement by Franz shows that the Frenchmen were full of hatred against the Germans. Besides, they feared German atrocities. They thought that they would be forced to read German and no one will be spared.
Franz’s Understanding
Q: Franz was able to understand everything that day. Why?
Ans: Franz thought that probably he had never paid much attention in the class, and that M. Hamel had never explained everything with so much patience. Perhaps, these were the very reasons that he was able to understand everything that day.
Content of the Last Lesson
Q: What did M. Hamel teach the class in his ‘last lesson’?
Ans: In his ‘last lesson’, M. Hamel taught the class about grammar, then about writing, and finally a lesson in history. More than this, he made his students realise the importance of their mother tongue, and taught them to take pride in their language.
Unanswered Questions from the Text
Q: What was the order from Berlin? How did that order affect the people of Alsace, particularly M. Hamel and his students?
Q: Describe the unusual things that Franz noticed on the day of the last lesson.
Q: Give a detailed account of the scene in the classroom on the day of the last lesson. Or How different from usual was the atmosphere at school on the day of the last lesson?
Lost Spring
Author and Theme
Q: Who is the author of “Lost Spring”?
Ans: The author of “Lost Spring” is Anees Jung.
Q: What is “Lost Spring” about?
Ans: “Lost Spring” is about the grinding poverty and traditional mindsets that condemn poor children to a life of exploitation.
Mukesh’s Aspiration
Q: What does Mukesh want to be?
Ans: Mukesh wants to be a motor mechanic.
Saheb’s Background
Q: Where was the original home of Saheb’s family?
Ans: The original home of Saheb’s family was amidst the green fields of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Q: What does the author of “Lost Spring” find Saheb doing every morning?