Class-12 Flamingo chapter –1 The last lesson Questions and Answers

NCERT solutions for class 12 English (flamingo) chapter -1 The last lesson text questions and answers

Author

Alphonse Daudet

THINK AS YOU READ

Question: 1 what changes did the order from Berlin cause in school that day?

Answer –

The school saw many changes that day following the Berlin Order. On that day, instead of an uproar in the school, there as a lot of a silent atmosphere.

This happens when people start opposing a language other than their own. Soon they realized that this was an injustice and now once again English has become a compulsory subject in most of the schools. This opposition to all languages except their own language is called linguistic conservatism.

Everyone was silent. Students quietly sat at their desks. Even the teachers do not scold Franz when he comes to school late. He talks with the same unusual kindness throughout the day. He was also wearing a very beautiful dress.

Everyone seemed very sad. The Berlin order had hurt the sentiments of the people. It had instilled in him a love for his language.

Question:2 How did Franz’s feelings about M. Hamel and school change?

Answer –

Never before this day of the last lesson did Franz even show his love for the French. Hours never praised M. Hamel. Franz was afraid of M. Hemel and his Iron Ruler. He always enjoyed himself, due to which he used to miss school.Today he is sorry for all this. It was very difficult for him to carry grammar and history.

It was like an old friendship, which he could not understand. He hated the ruler of King M. Hemal and considered him insane. At the thought of his departure, Franz had forgotten all these things. He has a ghostly love for that school and for M.Hemel. he remembers 40 years he spent in that school.

Finally Franz says that M.Hamel had never before looked so tall. Thus Franz’s feelings were completely changed on the day of his last French lesson.

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

Question:1 The people in this story suddenly realised how precious their language is to them. What shows you this? Why does this happen?

Answer –

One suddenly realise how important their language is. In this lesson, we have been told that when we have a thing, then we do not know its importance, But when that thing is snatched from us, then We feel very sad when it is taken away from us. We don’t know the value of what we have.

M. Hamel in the story blames everyone for having out of the learning of French thinking that there was enough time to do so. Even the old people of the village weep when they learn that their children will not be taught the language any longer.

Question–2 Franz thing, will they make them sing in german even the pigeons”? What could this mean?

Answer –

Franz thinks that they have come from childhood using their own language and now those people are feeling very sad. It will be very cruel to those people. It is as sad for those people as it is for the pigeons. This language will be allowed away from them. if they can force the human being to change their language, they may also force the bird and the animal to do so.

Perhaps as M. Hamel remarks , they do so because language is a key to freedom. there is a chance of their being free.

TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT

Question:1 “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.”

Can you think of examples in history where a conquered people had their language taken away from them or had a language imposed on them?

Answer –

It has been seen in the history of India that our debate has been imposed by removing our living language. When the Mughals were in power in India, they too imposed their language on the Indians. Hindi was the only language of India. In the same way, English did it, they made the language of English the only flow of India.

All ancient languages which have now become extinct must have become so only because of the rulers.

Question:2 What happens to a linguistic minority in a state ? How do you think they can keep their language alive ?

Punjabis in Bangalore
Tamilians in Mumbai
Kannadigas in Delhi
Gujaratis in Kolkata

Answer –

It is not difficult for the linguistic minorities in India to keep their language alive on the basis of language. India is a democratic country. In this, a person of any language can live in any state. Their children can also choose that language as a subject of their study. Sometimes there is a dispute regarding language in India.

The same is true of Tamils, Kannada and Gujaratis who live in provinces where their language is not commonly spoken.

Question:3 Is it possible to carry pride in one’s language too far?
Do you know what ‘linguistic chauvinism’ means?

The whole school was very strange and quiet. And the biggest and strangest thing was that the elderly people were also sons by making their place on the desk in the school today. They were occupying bookshelves which were always lying empty before.

Answer –

Yes, it is absolutely true that everyone should be proud of their language. We should love our language more than our lives. When people go out to protest their language, they become conservative. People in India have faced this protest many times. The British had also imposed their English on the people of India, people had opposed it a lot, which people also accepted. But now the rest of the people will also have to read English as a win again. English has become very important. It is not uncommon to see people turning nectar into poison.

WORKING WITH THE WORDS

Question:1 English is a language that contains words from many other languages. This inclusiveness is one of the reasons it is now a “world ”.

E.g.

petite – french

kindergarten – German

capital – Latin

Democracy – Greek

bazaar – Hindi

find out the origins of the following words:

Word Language

tycoonjapanese

tulip turkish

logo — Greek

bandicoot — telugu

barbecue — spanish

veranda — Hindi

robot — Czech

zero — zephirum

ski — Norwegian

trek — Afrik

Question:2 Notice the underline words in these sentences and tick the option that best explains their meaning:

a) “what a thunderclap these words were to me!”

the words were

1) loud and clear

2) starting and unexpected

3) pleasant and welcome

Answer –

2. starting and unexpected.

b) “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

1) do not lose their language

2) are attached to their language

3) quickly learn the conqueror’s language

Answer –

2. are attached to their language.

c) Don’t do fast, you will get to your
school in plenty of time.

“you will get to your school”

1) very late

2) too early

3) early enough

Answer –

3. early enough.

d) I never saw him look so tall.

M.Hamel

1) had grown physically taller

2) seemed very confident

3) stood on the chair

Answer –

2. seemed very confident.

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