Tamilnadu Board Class 10 English Solutions Prose Chapter 6 The Last Lesson

Tamilnadu State Board Class 10 English Solutions Prose Chapter 6 The Last Lesson

The Last Lesson In text Questions

Question a.
What kind of news was usually put up on the bulletin board?
Answer:
All bad news like lost battles, the draft, the orders of the commanding officer, came from the Bulletin board.

Question b.
What was the usual scene when school began every day?
Answer:
When school began every day, there was a great bustle of opening and closing of the desks, lessons were repeated in unison loudly and the teachers ruler rapped on the table.

Question c.
Other than the students, who were present in the class?
Answer:
The village people, old Hauser, the former mayor, the former postmaster and several others were present in the class, besides the students.

Question d.
Why did Mr. Hamel say it was the last French lesson?
Answer:
The order had come from Berlin to teach only German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. So Mr. Hamel said that was the last French lesson.

Question e.
What was Franz asked to tell? Was he able to answer?
Answer:
Franz was asked to recite the rule for participle all through. But he got mixed up on the first words and stood there nervous.

Question f.
Why did Mr.Hamel blame himself?
Answer:
Mr. Hamel blamed himself because he had often sent Franz to water his flowers instead of learning his lessons and when he went for fishing he gave him a holiday.

Question g.
What did M. Hamel say about the French language?
Answer:
M. Hamel said that French was the most beautiful language in the world – the clearest, the most logical and that they must guard it and never forget it.

Question h.
How many years had M. Hamel been in the village?
Answer:
M. Hamel had been in the village for forty years.

The Last Lesson Textual Questions

A. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences.

Question 1.
Why did Franz dread to go to school that day?
Answer:
Franz dreaded to go to school that day because M.Hamel had said he would question them on participles and he did not know the first word about them.

Question 2.
What were the various things that tempted Franz to spend his day outdoors?
Answer:
The day was warm and bright. The birds were chirping and in the open field back of the saw mill the Prussian soldiers were drilling.

Question 3.
Why was the narrator not able to get to his desk without being seen?
Answer:
The narrator was not able to get to his desk without being seen because that day everything was quiet about the school. He had to open the door and go in before everybody, who were in their places already.

Question 4.
What was Franz sorry for?
Answer:
Franz was sorry for not learning his lessons, for having found his books heavy and his history of the saints, were old friends, now that he couldn’t give up. He also felt sorry for Hamel who was going away.

Question 5.
Why were the old villagers sitting in the last desk?
Answer:
The old villagers sat in the last desks feeling sad that, that was the last French lesson that would be taught at school. They were sorry that they hadn’t gone to school, it was their way of thanking the master for his forty years of faithful service.

Question 6.
What were the thoughts of the narrator’s parents?
Answer:
The narrator’s parents preferred to send him to work on a farm or at the mills so as to have a little more money.

Question 7.
Why does M. Hamel say that we must guard our language?
Answer:
M. Hamel said that we must guard our language 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.

Question 8.
M. Hamel was gazing at many things. What were they?
Answer:
M.Hamel was gazing at his garden outside the window, his class in front of him, the walnut- trees in the garden and the hopvine that he had planted twined about the windows to the roof, with a broken heart that he is leaving all.

Question 9.
When and how did M. Hamel bid farewell to the class?
Answer:
When the trumpets of the Prussians sounded under their windows, M.Hamel stood up, very pale, with words choking his throat, he turned to the blackboard, and wrote “LONG LIVE FRANCE!” in French with a great deal of effort and a heavy heart.

Short Questions & Answers – Additional

Question 1.
What changes did the order from Berlin cause in the school?
Answer:
The order from Berlin directed schools in the districts of Alsace and Lorraine in France to teach German instead of French.

Question 2.
How did franz react to the declaration that it was their last french lesson?
Answer:
Franz was shocked and sad when he heard this news.Suddenly he developed a liking for his language and was keen to learn french. He was remorseful for not learning well in the past and was sad that his teacher, Mr.Hamel would go away.

Question 3.
What was franz expected to be prepared with for school that day?
Answer:
Franz was expected to be prepared with particples that day as Mr.Hamel had told the class that he would be taking a test on the that day.

Question 4.
What did Franz notice that was unusual about the school that day?
Answer:
Usually when the school began there would be a lot of commotion. But that day everything was quiet and it appeared to be like a Sunday, but the students were at their places and Mr. Hamel was walking up and down with his terrible iron ruler under his arm.

Question 5.
What had been put up on the bulletin-board?
Answer:
The bulletin-board notified the general public about an order from Berlin. It stated that only German was to be taught to students in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine.

Question 6.
Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?” What could this mean?
Answer:
The Frenchmen were highly patriotic and took a pride in their language. A strong feeling of revolt was in the air against the Germans. Franz did not accept their rule and thought that whether the Germans would make the pigeons sing in the German language.

Question 7.
How did Franz find teaching and learning that day?
Answer:
Franz found teaching and learning very interesting that day. He was very attentive and careful. Franz also realized that M Hamel had never explained everything with so much patience

B. Answer the following questions in about 100-150 words:

Question 1.
We appreciate the value of something only when we are about to lose it. Explain this with reference to the French language and M. Hamel.
Answer:
The order from Berlin read that only German should be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine, after the Prussians defeated the French and the districts of Alsace and Lorraine came under Prussians. They not only wanted the territory but also wanted their language and culture of Germans to dominate it. M.Hamel who had taught French for forty years, felt the pain when the French language was being taught for the last time in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine.

He told that French was the most beautiful language, the most logical and that it was language that should be guarded, to have that as the key to the prison of the enslaved people.

Question 2.
Give an account of the last day of M. Hamel in school.
Answer:
In honour of his last French lesson, M. Hamel put on his fine Sunday clothes and the old villagers were present to respect his forty years of faithful service. In the class room Hamel told Franz that the Prussians would find fault with the Frenchmen that they did not know to read or write French. As he spoke about many things, he said that French was the language to be .held and guarded to be used as a key to the prison of the enslaved.

He took a grammar lesson a lesson in writing and kept gazing at the garden and the classroom where he had spent 40 years of his life. When the trumpets of the Prussians were finally blown, M. Hamel stood up, but could not speak out of grief and wrote “Long Live France” in French on the blackboard and dismissed the school.

Paragraph Questions & Answers Additional

Question 1.
Our language is part of our culture and we are proud of it. Describe how regretful M. Hamel and the village elders are for having neglected their native language, French.
Answer:
When Berlin ordered that the French language would no longer be taught in schools in the French districts of Alsace and Lorraine, it stirred the otherwise lazy Frenchmen. Suddenly, they all had a strong desire to learn how to read and write their mother tongue. It was not only the children who went to school but also the elders of the village who had not studied seriously in their childhood, putting off ‘unimportant’ works to the next day. The day finally arrived as the last day of the French language in the schools.

They become serious and keen to learn as they feel the German would laugh at them for not knowing their own language. They are ashamed of themselves when the teacher says that this lack of knowledge is the reason for their defeat to the Germans and asks them to guard their mother tongue as being.close to ones language is the key to escape from the prison of slavery.

Question 2
What changes did the order from Berlin cause in school that day?
Answer:
The order from Berlin brought all the routine hustle-bustle of the school life to a stand-still. The teacher, M. Hamel, became more sympathetic to his students and taught his lessons with more patience. The students became more attentive in their classes. The villagers, who were sitting at the usually empty back benches and had come to show their respect and gratitude to M. Hamel, regretted not going to school more than they did.

The order also brought about a great change in the feelings of the people towards their country and their native language. There was a general sadness about not being able to utilise the opportunities of learning French when it was easily accessible.

Question 3.
How did Franz’s feelings about M. Hamel and school change?
Answer:
Franz was shocked when M. Hamel told the students about the order from Berlin and that it was their last French lesson. He forgot about his teacher’s ruler and crankiness. He developed a fondness for M. Hamel at the troubling idea of being separated from him forever. He understood the pain and agony his teacher was undergoing. And, he became more sympathetic towards his teacher.

His school too, now, carried a different meaning. His books and lessons seemed old friends whom he couldn’t give up. He realised with pain how much French meant to him and regretted not being attentive in his classes earlier. Suddenly, he felt that the ‘difficult concepts’ had never actually been difficult.

vocabulary

C. In column A are some of the idiomatic phrases from the essay. Match them with equivalent single words in column B:
Answer:

A	B
go far	succeed
blow up	explode
Show up	reveal
Call on	Require
Break off	finish
Knuckle under	submit

D. Frame sentences of your own using the above idiomatic phrases.

1. she decided to ………………….. a head of competitors.
2. The terrorists …………………… the hotel.
3. The thieves ……………….. at the court.
4. The prime minister ………………… the flood victims.
5. He voice …………………… as she was singing.
6. The soldiers refused to …………………. the pressure of their enemies

Answers:

1. go far
2. blew up
3. showed themselves up
4. called on
5. broke off
6. knuckle under

E. Given below are some idiomatic phrases. Find the meaning of it using the dictionary:

A	B
Put on	Walk away
Come in	Time out
Try again	Try again

Answer:

A	Meaning
put on	wear
come in	enter
try again	repeat
walk away	avoid
time out	time is over

Listening

F. Listen to the article titled “Remembering Nel Jayaraman

In pairs, present an interview. One student will be the interviewer and the other would be Nel Jayaraman himself. Two sets of conversations has been given as examples for your help.

Student A : (interviewer) – Vanakkam sir. For what cause do you organise festivals?
Student B : (NJ) -1 organise these festivals with a difference. I present seeds to all the participating farmers.

Student A : (interviewer) – Oh ! That’s really good, Sir. What do you expect in return?
Student B : (NJ) – In return I expect them to have double the harvest next year.

Student A : (interviewer) – Where did you organise the NEL festival?
Student B : (NJ) –I organised the NEL festival at Thiruvarur.

Student A : (interviewer) – Can you mention how many people congregated for the meeting?
Student B : (NJ) – 5,000 people congregated for the meeting.

Student A : (interviewer) – What did you distribute to the farmers?
Student B : (NJ) -I distributed the traditional paddy seeds.

Student A : (interviewer) – How did you commute to each these villages?
Student B : (NJ) –I commuted to each village by my cycle or by bus.

Student A : (interviewer) – Ayya, Do you plan your schedules?
Student B : (NJ) – No. I do not plan my schedules.

Student A : (interviewer) – How could you remain so cool and clam sir?
Student B : ( NJ) -1 have an alternative .

Student A : (interviewer) – Where was your heart and soul?
Student B : (NJ) – My heart and soul was in the paddy fields.

Student A : (interviewer) – People say when your popularity grew, you spent less time in the field?
Student B : (NJ) – It is wrong. I spent more time in the field.

Student A : (interviewer) – What is your message to the world?
Student B : ( NJ) – If you work selflessly for the society, it will give back.

Student A : (interviewer) – Thank you, Sir. Nandri
Student B : (NJ) – Nandri.

Speaking

G. A road map is given below. Answer the questions that follow with the help of the road map. Work in pairs and discuss to give directions to get to one place from another.

Question 1.
You are at the market. You need directions to go the pharmacy.
Answer:
From the market, go straight on Park Street. Take your left at Museum on Central Avenue. At the end of the road, on your right, you will find the pharmacy.

Question 2.
You are in a book shop. Ask your partner to direct you to the Art Gallery.
Answer:
Go straight on Central Avenue. Cross the Post Office and take your left on South Road. Take your right on George Street. You will find the Art Gallery on your left.

Question 3.
Give your partner the directions to go from the Bank to the hotel
Answer:
Oil Take your right and immediate left from the bank on to Central Avenue.. Cross the Post Office and turn left on South Road. At the end of South Road, turn left on George Street. The hotel is on your left.

Question 4.
Direct your partner from the post office to the market.
Answer:
Walk towards South Road from the Post Office. Turn left go straight on the South Road. Then turn left on George Street. Go straight. At the end of George street you will find the Market on your right.

Question 5.
Your partner wants to go the library from school. Give suitable directions.
Answer:
From the school on Central Avenue walk straight and turn left on North Road. Walk straight down the lane and turn left on George Street. You will find the Library on the right.

Reading

H. Read the poem carefully and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1.
Fill in the blanks.
(a) ………………….. is the festival which fills our hearts with delight.
(b) …………………….. is referred to as a festival of sacrifice.
Answer:
(a) Festival of light
(b) Joy of giving

Question 2.
What kind of joy is unfurled during the festival of sacrifice?
Answer:
Joy of giving is unfurled during the festival of sacrifice.

Question 3.
How can we make our life worth living?
Answer:
Giving things joyfully and celebrating them well makes our life worth living.

Question 4.
What does the poet mean by ‘Festival of flowers’?
Answer:
CGBI ‘Festival of flowers’ brings out the brightness of colours.

Question 5.
When are we in a state of trance?
Answer:
We are in a trance during the festival of dance.

Question 6.
What do the people do when the festival of Music is celebrated?
Answer:
During the festival of music people sing the joyous lyric.

Question 7.
What makes us happy and free, according to the poet?
Answer:
Sharing the word of love from above makes us happy and free.

Question 8.
Find out the rhyme scheme employed in the fourth stanza.
Answer:
ab, ab, is the rhyme scheme in the fourth stanza.

Question 9.
Pick out the rhyming words from the first stanza of the poem.
Answer:
harvest – best; light – delight, are the rhyming words in the first stanza.

Question 10.
Write down the words that alliterate in the poetic lines below.
(a) Festival of Flowers
(b) That spreads treasures on a tree
Answer:
(a) Festivals, Flowers
(b) That, treasures, tree

Writing

I. Create posters for following

Question 1.
You are Raja/ Ranjani. Draft a poster to create awareness about the harmful effects of using plastics, in not more than 50 words.
Answer:

Question 2.
Say ‘No to Drugs’ – Design a poster for it in not more than 50 words. You may use slogans/ phrases.
Answer:

Question 3.
“Save our Earth” is the need of the hour. Draft a poster with attractive slogans/ phrases for same in not more than 50 words. Use attractive drawings.
Answer:

Question 4.
You are Sita/ Sudhan. Design a poster in not more than 50 words to focus on not wasting water. Be creative.
Answer:

Question 5.
Good handwriting is the index of an individual. Design a poster on the importance of good handwriting. Use catchy slogans or phrases. Your poster should not exceed 50 words.
Answer:

Writing

j. Draft letters for the following

Question 1.
You are Ajeet, living in a remote village in Tirunelveli. You participated in a health camp organised by your school. You were surprised to observe that most of the residents were unaware of health and hygiene. As a concerned citizen, write a letter to the editor stating the need to organise such camps focusing on the importance of health and hygiene.
Answer:

Question 2.
You are Sanjay. Your colony utilises solar energy to light the common areas. You find many friends of your colony forgetting to switch off the lights in the common area. As a responsible citizen, write a letter to a newspaper, echoing the importance to conserve and preserve solar energy.
Answer:

Question 3.
You are Sadasivam. You recently visited your native town in Vellore. You happened to accompany your grandmother to your family temple. You were shocked to notice the poor condition and maintenance of the temple. Write a letter to the Editor of local newspaper highlighting the poor condition of the temple. Also give some suggestions and request the HRC to take steps to improve the situation.
Answer:

Question 4.
You are Sudha. Your neighbour has a pet dog that barks continuously. Write a letter to the Editor of a weekly newspaper of your locality, highlighting the nuisance and noise pollution created thus. Also suggest ways to solve the problem.
Answer:

Question 5.
You are Raja. The street lights of your area do not work properly. As a responsible citizen, write a letter to the newspaper enlightening them about the problem and also suggest ways to brighten the area.
Answer:

Grammar

A. Fill in the blanks appropriately.

1. Mahatma Gandhi ………………. the father of our nation.
2. There …………………. ten dogs in my street
3. They …………………… to write the exercises neatly.
4. Buttermilk ………………….. good for health.
5. Fruits ……………………… good for health.

Answers:

1. is
2. are
3. have
4. is
5. are

B. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate verb:

1. The quality of dal ………………….. not good.
2. The horse carriage ………………. at the door.
3. My friend and teacher ……………….come.
4. ……………… your father and mother at home?
5. Honour and glory ……………… his reward.
6. The ship with its crew ……………… sailing good.
7. Gullivers Travels ……………… an excellent story.
8. Neither food nor water ……………. found here.
9. Mathematics ………………… a branch of study.
10. Fifteen minutes ………………….. allowed to read the question paper.

Answers:

1. is
2. is
3. have
4. Are
5. is
6. is
7. is
8. is
9. is
10. is

C. Change the singular nouns to plurals by either adding s’, ies’, es’, Ves

	Singular	Plural
1.	leaf	leaves
2.	lorry	lorries
3.	bat	bats
4.	clock	clocks
5.	table	tables
6.	lamp	lamps
7.	doll	dolls
8.	biscuit	biscuits
9.	knife	knives
10.	loaf	loaves

Additional exercises:

	Singular	Plural
1.	life	lives
2.	story	stories
3.	belief	beliefs
4.	mango	mangoes
5.	orange	oranges
6.	baby	babies
7.	duty	duties
8.	feather	feathers
9.	institute	institutes
10.	calf	calves

D. Identify the non-finites in the following sentences and underline them

1. Roshan dreams of becoming an architect.
2. We must aim at fulfilling Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam’s dream to make India the most developed country by 2020.
3. Taking the children to the museum is Seema’s responsibility.
4. Having finished the work, the manager decided to return home.
5. Travelling with her family, Tara enjoyed every minute of it.

E. Replace the underlined words by a participle in the following sentences:

Question 1.
While Sudha was climbing the stairs, she tripped and fell down.
Answer:
On climbing the stairs Sudha tripped and fell down.

Question 2.
After her evening prayers, my grandmother went to the temple.
Answer:
After completing her evening prayers my grandmother went to the temple.

Question 3.
Since he is a king, he can order everybody.
Answer:
Being a king he can order everybody.

Question 4.
They took the last wicket and walked back to the pavilion.
Answer:
Haring taken the last cricket, they walked back to the pavilion.

Question 5.
When he saw the train in the platform he rushed.
Answer:
On seeing the train in the platform he rushed.

F. Fill in the blank with the correct alternative:

1. ………………….. on the flute, Krishna returned it. {Played / Having played}
2. We wish she continues ……………. healthy, {being /be}
3. The doctor advised him against ………………. in the sun. {wander / wandering}
4. I like ……………….. rasam. {drinking / drink}
5. ………………… the scissors I returned it to her. {Using / Having used} [

Answers:

1. Having played
2. being
3. wandering
4. drinking
5. Having used

G. Tick the correct sentences:

1	I had desired to eat a cake.	✓	I had desired to have eaten cake.
2	My son is fond of music.	✓	My son is fond to music.
3	Sreena avoids eating fruits.	✓	Sreena avoids to eat fruits.
4	Bravery is not to pick a quarrel.		Bravery is not picking a quarrel.	✓
5	5. It is easier to say than do.		It is easier said than done.	✓

The Last Lesson by Alphonse Daudet

Alphonse Daudet (1840-1897) is a French novelist and short-story writer. He began his career as a school teacher in the South of France. He quit it to make a living as a journalist in Paris. Then he took to writing and his poems were collected into a small volume, “Les Amoureuses” (1858). The Last Lesson is set in the days of the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) in which France was defeated by Prussia led by Bismarck.

The Last Lesson Key Points

• The Last Lesson is set in the days of the Franco-Prussian War (1870- 1871)
• Prussian forces under Bismarck attacked and captured France.
• The French districts of Alsace and Lorraine went into Prussian hands. (Germany was a part of Prussia).
• The new Prussian rulers discontinued the teaching of French in the schools of these two districts.
• The French teachers were asked to leave.
• Franz was a student and he was afraid of going to school as he had not learnt participles.
• He wanted to enjoy the beauty of nature, such as the bright sunshine, the birds, chirruping in the woods.
• The Prussian soldiers were drilling in the open field.
• Franz hurried off to school.
• There was a crowd in front of the Bulletin board at the town hall.
• It had all their bad news for the last two years such as the lost battles, the draft and the orders of the commanding officer.
• The Blacksmith, Wachter was reading the bulletin. He told Franz not to go so fast to school.
• Franz noticed the changes in the school.
• Instead of noisy classrooms, everything was as quiet as Sunday morning.
• The teacher, M. Hamel, did not scold him and told him very kindly to go to his seat.
• The teacher was dressed as if it was an inspection day or prize day. •
• The villagers including old Hauser, former Mayor, former Postmaster were occupying the last benches.
• Everybody looked sad. The teacher told them that, that was the last lesson he would give them.
• The Order had come from Berlin to teach only German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine.
• The new master would come the next day.
• The teacher informed them that, that would be their last French lesson.
• Franz assumed that, that was the notice put up on the bulletin board.
• He realized that he did not know his own mother tongue.
• He realized that he did not know his own mother tongue.
• He regretted why he had not taken his lessons seriously.
• He also realized the reason why the teacher put on his Sunday clothes and the villagers sitting at the back.
• It was their way of thanking the teacher for his 40 years of faithful service and also of showing their respect for the country (France).
• The teacher understood that all three, the children, the parents and he himself were to be blamed for losing respect and regard for their mother tongue, French.
• He advised them to keep their mother tongue always close to their heart as it was the key to their prison of slavery.
• The teacher started teaching the grammar lesson and the students understood it so easily.
• After grammar, they had a lesson in writing.
• The teacher gave them copies written in a beautiful round hand – France, Alsace, France, Alsace.
• Franz wondered if Prussians could force the pigeons to sing in German.
• The students very well remembered the last lesson.
• When the church-clock struck twelve, the teacher stood up with emotions and he was unable to talk.
• Then, with all his might, he wrote on the blackboard “Long Live France”.
• The story describes the sadness of the whole situation about how people feel when they don’t learn their own language.
• It tells us about the significance of one’s language in one’s life for the very existence of a race and how important it is to safeguard it.

The Last Lesson Summary

The story is narrated by a French student Franz. He dislikes studying French and hates his teacher M. Hamel. After overpowering their districts of Alsace and Lorraine in France, Berlin has ordered that the German language is to be taught in the schools, instead of French. It is the last day of their French teacher M. Hamel, who has been there for forty years. He is full of grief, regret and patriotism. As a mark of respect for his hard work, the village men also attend his ‘last lesson. They are sad as they have not learnt their mother tongue, French in their childhood. Franz is shocked to know that it is his last lesson, as he does not know French.

Now, suddenly, he gets interested in learning it and understands everything taught on that day. He develops an instant liking for the teacher, M. Hamel and respects him for his sincerity and hard work. He feels sad at departing from him and is ashamed for not being able to recite the lesson of participles. M. Hamel tells them that they all are at fault for not being eager enough to learn, putting it off to the next day. He blames himself for not teaching them sincerely. His patriotism is reflected in his praise for the French language as being the most beautiful and most logical language in the world. He tells the class to guard their language as being close to one’s language is the key to escape from the prison of slavery. It will help them in getting free from the Germans. They realize the importance of learning their mother tongue.

The Last Lesson Glossary

chirping (v) – making a short, sharp high pitched sound (usually by small birds or insects)
bustle (v) – move in an energetic manner
unison (n) – simultaneous utterance of words
rapping (v) – striking with a series of rapid audible blows
thumbed (v) – a book which has been read often and bearing the marks of frequent handling
cranky (adj.) – strange
Saar – a river in northeastern France and western Germany
Angelus (n) – a Roman Catholic devotion commemorating the Incarnation of Jesus and including the Hail Mary, said at morning, noon, and sunset.

Tamilnadu Board Class 10 English Solutions