THE LAST LESSON
1. What was Franz expected to be prepared with for school that day?
Ans: Franz was expected to be prepared with a lesson on participles for school that day. However, he hadn’t studied and was worried about being scolded by M. Hamel.
2. What did Franz notice that was unusual about the school that day?
Ans: Franz noticed several unusual things at school that day. The school was unusually quiet, with no typical hustle and bustle. Villagers, who usually didn’t attend, were sitting at the back of the classroom. Additionally, M. Hamel, the teacher, was dressed in his best clothes, which he normally reserved for special occasions. These unusual details made Franz realize that something important was happening.
3. What had been put on the bulletin board?
Ans: On the bulletin board, an official order from Berlin instructed that only the German language be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine from the next day onward.
4. What changes did the order from Berlin cause in school that day?
Ans: The order from Berlin was sad and shocking news for the people of Alsace and Lorraine. It said that from now on, only German would be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. That day was their last French lesson.
The whole school felt very quiet and serious. M. Hamel, the French teacher, was unusually kind and patient. He had worn his best Sunday clothes to show respect for the last lesson. Many villagers were sitting silently on the back benches. They had come to show their respect and also felt sorry for not learning French properly when they had the chance.
Everyone listened very carefully to M. Hamel. Franz, the little boy, felt he could understand everything that day, and M. Hamel explained everything with great patience and love.
5. How did Franz’s feelings about M. Hamel and school change?
Ans: At first, Franz did not like going to school. He found it boring and wanted to spend time playing outside. He was also afraid of M. Hamel because he had not learned his lessons.
But on the day of the last French lesson, everything changed. He felt sad and guilty for not taking school seriously. He suddenly realized how important school and his language were. He felt sorry for wasting time.
His feelings for M. Hamel also changed. He started respecting him and understood that M. Hamel really loved teaching and cared about his students. Franz listened carefully and wanted to learn. He felt emotional and valued both his school and his teacher for the first time.
Extra Questions
Question: What, according to M. Hamel, was the great fault of Alsace and Lorraine? Whom did he blame for it?
Answer: According to M. Hamel, the great fault of the people of Alsace and Lorraine was that they kept delaying their learning. They always thought there was plenty of time to learn later. As a result, they did not take their language seriously and remained ignorant.
M. Hamel blamed the parents for this because they would rather send their children to work on farms or in the mills to earn some extra money instead of sending them to school. He also blamed himself. He admitted that he often gave students a holiday or sent them to water his flowers instead of teaching them. Sometimes, he even went fishing and let the class have a break.
Question: What were the subjects and topics taken up on that day by M. Hamel? How did Franz find the topics?
Answer: On the day of the last lesson, M. Hamel taught a lesson on the French language. He said that French was the most beautiful, clearest, and most logical language in the world. Then, he read a lesson from the grammar book. After that, he gave the students a writing exercise.
Franz found the topics very interesting that day. He was able to focus well on the lesson and was surprised that he understood everything clearly. He felt that M. Hamel explained everything with great patience. Franz also realized that he had never listened so carefully before, and M. Hamel had never taught with so much dedication.
Question: Why did little Franz think of spending the day outdoors and running away in such a way?
Answer: Little Franz wanted to spend the day outside because he was afraid of going to school. His teacher, M. Hamel, had said he would ask questions about participles, and Franz didn’t know anything about them. So, he thought of running away to avoid getting scolded.
Also, the weather was nice and warm, the birds were singing near the woods, and he saw the Prussian soldiers drilling in the open field behind the sawmill. All of this made him feel like enjoying the day outdoors instead of going to school.
Q. Why did M. Hamel wear the special dress on that day?
Ans: M. Hamel wore the special dress on that day because he was going to teach the last French lesson to his students, and that day was the end of his forty long years of teaching. So, it was in honour of his motherland and the French language he wore his special Sunday clothes on that day.
Q. What was M. Hamel’s opinion about the French language?
Ans: M. Hamel had quite a great opinion about the French language. He said that French was the most beautiful language in the world, and according to him, it was the clearest and the most logical language. He also advised the people not to forget the French language and asked them to keep it safe among themselves.
Q. What was written in the new copies brought by M. Hamel? How did the copies look like?
Ans: In the new copies brought by M. Hamel, it was written – France Alsace, France Alsace, in beautiful round hand.
The copies looked like little flags floating everywhere in the schoolroom, hung from the rod at the top of their desks.