Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
The people in this story suddenly realize how precious their language is to them. What shows you this? Why does this happen?
Advertisements
Solution
The crowd surrounding the bulletin-board, the presence of the villagers in the class, the silence in place of the routine hustle and bustle of the school, the emotions that gripped M. Hamel and Franz, representing that of the teacher and the student community respectively, were all indicators of the realisation of the importance of their language to them.
In the story, M. Hamel says that people realise the importance of somebody or something in their lives very often when it is lost to them. Similarly, it was the order from Berlin that made people realise the importance of their language for them.
APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
Answer the following question in 120 – 150 words:
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.
The entire classroom, M. Hamel as well as those present in the class, is full of regret. For what and why?
Answer the following question in 120 − 150 words :
How different from usual was the atmosphere at school on the day of the last lesson? (The Last Lesson)
Answer the following question in 120-150 words :
How did the order from Berlin change the situation in the school ? (The Last Lesson)
Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the context.
- in great dread of
- counted on
- thumbed at the edges
- in unison
- a great bustle
- reproach ourselves with
What was Franz expected to be prepared with for school that day?
What changes did the order from Berlin cause in school that day?
How did Franz’s feelings about M. Hamel and school change?
Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?” What could this mean?
What happens to a linguistic minority in a state? How do you think they can keep their language alive? For example:
Punjabis in Bangalore
Tamilians in Mumbai
Kannadigas in Delhi
Gujaratis in Kolkata
Notice the underlined words in these sentences and choose the option that best explains their meanings.
“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.”
It is as if they have the key to the prison as long as they ______
Find out about the following (You may go to the internet, interview people, consult reference books or visit a library.)
- Linguistic human rights
- Constitutional guarantees for linguistic minorities in India
Have you ever changed your opinion about someone or something that you had earlier liked or disliked? Narrate what led you to change your mind.
Answer the following question in about 40-50 words.
When do the residents of Alsace realise how precious their language is to them?
- How was this year for you?
- Are you happy with what you could study this year?
- What did you miss, or could not do?
- What do you plan to do about it- about the things you could not do/study well?
- What was the best moment for you this year?
Who is M. Hamel?
Find the explanation for ‘participles’ given in the book.
In what region does the story take place?
In what time period does the story take place?
What is it like when your school begins? Tell it in short.
Why is the iron ruler said to be ‘terrible’?
Who is narrating the story?
How did M. Hamel dress up on special occasions?
Think and answer:
Is the school closing down?
Think and answer:
Why is it the last lesson?
Think and answer:
Why were the old men of the village attending school that day?
Find where Alsace and Loraine are located with the help of the map.
Why did M. Hamel not scold Franz?
According to M. Hamel, who are the people that did not take education seriously? What examples does he give to support his view?
Why does Franz understand his lesson well?
Guess why M. Hamel was leaving the country.
Why does the author say, ‘I never saw him look so tall’?
Find five words ending with ‘-ing’ and five words ending with ‘-ed’ from the lesson.
What is the meaning of the following word and phrase in the passage? Choose the correct alternative.
______ was in great dread of
What is the meaning of the following words and phrases in the passage? Choose the correct alternative.
______ got a little over my fright
What is the meaning of the following word and phrase in the passage? Choose the correct alternative.
What a thunderclap these words were to me!
What is the meaning of the following word and phrase in the passage? Choose the correct alternative.
______ She put off learning tomorrow
What should people never lose even when they lose freedom?
Continue to write as many sentences as the number of students in the group, till you reach the number 10.
After that, go on forming bigger groups and writing sentences with as many words as the number of students in the group. However, you may write only one or two sentences at each step after 10.
