ASSIGNMENT
CHAPTER -1 ‘THE LAST LESSON’
Learning Outcomes – Assessment Strategies
I. QUIZ
Instruction:
Please provide one word each /phrase which means the following.
The Initial Letter has been given as a clue:
1. Saying or repeating something together - U_____________
2. Deferring or postponing things to tomorrow -P_________________
3. Belief in the superiority of one’s language - L_______ ____
4. Excessive love for one’s country and a strong dislike for others ‘culture, language etc…-
J_______
5. The bell rung to announce the time of the prayer- A_______
6. Something sudden and startling -T_______
7. Busy and noisy activity -C______
8. To subjugate people -E_______
9. Body movements -G_______
10. To blame ourselves -R__________
II. MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
Choose the best option in the following each:
Q1 All their bad news including the news of the draft had come from the bulletin board The word
‘draft’ means
[a]a strong gust of wind
[b]a drink of water
[c]compulsory military service
[d]invasion
Q2 Who asked Franz to hurry to school?
[a]old Hauser
[b]blacksmith Watcher
[c]the village postmaster
[d]the Mayor
Q3What was Franz banking on to enter the class?
[a]M Hamel’s teaching on the board
[b]commotion in the class
[c]the chirping of the birds
[d]the drilling sound of the Prussian soldiers
Q4What does the last lesson taught by M. Hamel symbolize?
[a]no more teaching of French
[b] domination of Prussia
[c]learning of German
[d]loss of freedom and loss of language
Q5What is the moral that M Hamel wants to impart?
[a]not to put off things till tomorrow
[b]the old order changes place to new
[c]one should accept everything that happens
[d]teachers should be respected
Q6 Franz thinks---will they make them coo in German-even the pigeons? What could this mean?
[a]the Germans would use brutal force on everyone
[b]harsh orders will be passed
[c]when people are deprived of their essence even the surroundings are affected
[d]the Germans will rob France of their language
Q7 M Hamel emerges as a_______________ when he teaches his last lesson.
[a]meek person
[b]true patriot
[c]repentant man
[d]defeated man
Q8 Why does the author urge the readers to respect their language?
[a]as it is what makes them respect their countrymen
[b]it is the key to their freedom
[c]they can communicate effectively
[d] it reflects their art and literature
Q9 M Hamel had served that school for
[a]ten years
[b]fifteen years
[c]forty years
[d]thirty –five years
Q10 ‘Vive la France’ became an emotional evidence of M Hamel’s
[a] sadness and patriotism
[b]finality and depression
[c]nostalgia and emotional outburst
[d] love for the school and the country
III. Extracts for Comprehension
Questions:
Q1. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow briefly (4 marks each).
a) “What a thunderclap these words were to me! Oh, the wretches that was what they had
put up at the town hall”
i) Who is the speaker here? Which words had shocked him?
ii) What does the word ‘wretches’ mean here? Who are referred to as wretches?
iii) What was the political change that had occurred in their lives?
iv) Which language was imposed on them as a result of that change?
b) “Bah, I’ve plenty of time. I will learn it tomorrow. Now you see where we’ve come out.
Ah, that’s the great trouble with the Alsace she puts off learning till tomorrow”
i) Who is the speaker here? Who is he speaking to?
ii) Who does he refer to by ’I’? What is the ‘I’ guilty of?
iii) What is the bad habit that children of Alsace have?
iv) ‘Put off’ is a phrasal verb. What do the following two phrasal verbs mean?
Put on, Put up with.
c) “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 “
i) Who is the speaker here? Who is he speaking to?
ii) What is their mother tongue? What does the speaker say about it?
iii) What does “as long as they hold fast to their language” mean here?
iv) ‘Enslaved’ has ‘en’ as a prefix. Form two new words using ‘en’ as a prefix.
d) “Will they make them sing in German even the pigeons?
i) Who is the speaker here?
ii) Who does ‘they’ refer to?
iii) Who will force whom to sing in German? and why?
iv) What are pigeons symbolic of here?
Q2. Short questions – (30-40 words each) (2 marks each)
a) Who was Franz? Why was he reluctant to go to school?
b) What were the temptations on the way to school that were holding him back?
c) What did he see at the town hall?
d) What used to be the usual scene in their class room?
e) What was the unusual scene that day that surprised little Franz?
f) What accounted for the visit of the old people to the school that day?
g) What was the shocking announcement that M Hamel made that day?
h) What was the quick change perceptible in little Franz?
i) What, according to M Hamel accounts for lack of learning on the part of students,
parents and teachers?
j) How does M Hamel try to instill a strong feeling of patriotism among his students.
k) What are his last words? What do they signify?
Q3. Long questions (6 marks)
a) The story ‘The Last Lesson’ describes the pain that is inflicted on the people of a territory
by its conquerors by taking away the right to study or speak in their own language.
Discuss.
Value points:
Alsace and Lorraine annexed by the Prussians
The French citizens of these two towns robbed of their freedom and language
German language imposed on them
The people of Alsace and Lorraine shocked and stunned
Filled with a deep sense of regret and remorse for not having learnt their mother
tongue
feel embarrassed thinking how the Germans would ridicule them for neglecting
their language
young Franz feels abysmally sad and develops a sudden fondness for his books
and teacher M Hamel
M Hamel exhorts them to guard their language as is the key to their prison.
b) What is linguistic chauvinism? How is it detrimental to international peace in today’s
globalized world where the borders are vanishing?
Value Points:
Linguistic chauvinism means belief in the superiority of one’s language
The Germans tend to be the practitioners of this ideology and culture and impose
their language on the French people of Alsace and Lorraine
Its good to be proud of one’s language and culture and to preserve them but
hostility and hatred towards alien cultures and languages breeds jingoism and
narrow nationalism which is detrimental to world peace
We need to be all encompassing, all-embracing to foster world peace and
understanding
The more languages we know, the greater fraternity and amity will there be.
In today’s globalized world we cannot confine ourselves to our language. For
effective trade and commerce, job opportunities, education and good friendly
relations we ought to learn other languages too
(c) Attempt a brief character sketch of M Hamel.
Value Points:
M Hamel –a veteran teacher of French language in that town of Alsace
An embodiment of discipline, punctuality and experience
A ruler wielding strict teacher whose presence is always awe –inspiring and
domineering, a hard task master always dreaded by Franz
Emerges as a dedicated teacher, facilitator and guide
Very polite and patient on the last day; A patriot to the hilt
An honest man who owns up the fact of neglecting his teaching
A very emotional and sentimental man who bids adieu to his beloved students and
school by writing ‘vive la France’ on the black-board
Imparts the best lesson on his last day in the school -his lesson in patriotism
[Note: examples to be given to substantiate the points]
Mind Mapping: The Last Lesson
Franz, M Hamel
Alsace, France
Main
Characters Franco-Prussian war
Setting of the
story
Background
M Hamel’s Order from
shocking Impact of war,
Berlin. German The Last Lesson
announcement Theme loss of
to be taught
language,
Procrastination
Changes in
M Hamel ‘s Message of the school
last lesson the writer
Guard your language it
is key to your prison Old people seated on the back
benches
Bidding adieu M Hamel in his best dress; his
tone very polite
Love your language
Never Procrastinate
Vive La
France
Lesson Plan
Gist of the Lesson Learning Outcomes Methodology Assessment
The story ‘The Last Content Learning Outcomes 1.Brainstorming by asking 1.Vocabulary Quiz
Lesson’ describes the 1.The students will be able to questions on the role of 2.MCQ’s
agony of the French understand the theme of the one’s mother tongue in 3.Extracts for
people of Alsace and story. one’s life. comprehension
Lorraine on losing their 2.Will be able to describe 2.Introduction of the 4.Short answer questions
language and freedom different characters and the lesson and its writer. 5.Long answer questions
following their sequence of the events in the 3.Video lesson/PPTs to be
enslavement by the story. shown
Germans .The protagonist 3.Will be able to know about 4.Questions based on the
of the story Franz the Franco-Prussian war content of the above.
suddenly realizes 4.Will be able to understand 5.Silent reading by the
remorsefully how he the writer’s viewpoint and students within the given
never took his mother message time.
tongue seriously .After 5.Will be imbued with a 6.Explanation of difficult
listening to his teacher M strong feeling of nationalism spots
Hamel’s shocking and love for their mother 7.Question-answer round
announcement about the tongue 8.Recapitulation
teaching of GERMAN Language Learning Outcomes
from the next day he is 1.Will be able to use the
suddenly transformed in following words and phrase
to a very sincere and in their academic writing and
focused student and so is speech;
the case with his teacher Dread, commotion, bustle,
who turns in to a thunderclap, reproach, puts
visionary on the last day off etc.
of his school life and 2.Will be able to ask and
exhorts his pupils and the answer questions about the
people of Alsace to love text orally and in writing
and guard their mother 3will be able to locate a
tongue . particular piece of
information, read aloud with
correct pronunciation and
accent or read with a partner
4.Will be able to understand
the use of simple past tense
and past perfect tense
5.Will be able to write on an
argumentative topic like
‘Complete lockdown is the
only way to combat covid-19’
Innovative content /correlation to the other subject – Yes, European
History –the Franco –Prussian war 1870-71 –reasons for this war – Unification of Germany under
the leadership of Von Bismark.
Assignment made
by:
Archana Khandelwal
PGT English
KV No.1 Air force
Station
Agra
