The Last Lesson-Important Questions

 

Prose Extract-Based Questions for The Last Lesson

Page 5, 3rd Paragraph

1. “I heard M. Hamel say to me, “I won’t scold you, little Franz; you must feel bad enough. See how it is! Every day we have said to ourselves, ‘Bah! I’ve plenty of time. I’ll learn it tomorrow.’ And now you can see where we’ve come out. Ah, that’s the great trouble with Alsace; she puts off learning till tomorrow. Now those fellows out there will have the right to say to you, ‘How is it; you pretend to be Frenchmen, and yet you can neither speak nor write your own language?’ But you are not the worst, poor little Franz. We’ve all a great deal to reproach ourselves with.”

1. Why do you think Little Franz might be feeling ‘bad’?

2. Where do you think the people of Alsace have ‘come out’?

3. What, according to M. Hamel, is the ‘trouble’ with Alsace?

4. Who are ‘those fellows out there’? What will they say to you?

Page 5&6 5th paragraph

2....it was the most beautiful language in the world - the clearest, the most logical; that we must guard it 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.

1. Who said these words and what was the occasion?

2. Who are 'we' in the above extract?

3. Why according to the speaker, should we 'guard it'?

4. Who is the narrator and how does he feel about the whole situation?

Page 7, 3rd Paragraph

3.On the roof, the pigeons cooed very low, and I thought to myself, "Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?"

1. Whom does 'they' refer to?

2. Who is 'I' in the above extract?

3. Why does he wonder if 'they' would make the pigeons sing in German?

He was aware about what the Prussians were trying to do, impose their language on the people of Alsace. He was aware about the concept of Linguistic Chauvinism.

4. Is the narrator aware of linguistic chauvinism? Yes

Page 7 Last Paragraph

4. Whenever I looked up from my writing I saw M. Hamel sitting motionless in his chair and  gazing first at one thing, then at another, as if he wanted to fix in his mind just how everything looked in that little school-room. Fancy! For forty years he had been there in the same place, with his garden outside the window and his class in front of him just like that. Only the desks and benches had been worn smooth; the walnut trees in the garden were taller, and the hopvine that he had planted himself twined about the windows to the roof. How it must have broken his hear to leave it all, poor man; to hear his sister moving about in the room above, packing their trunks! For they must leave the country the next day.

1. Who is I the above extract?

2. M. Hamel was sitting motionless in his chair because:

a) He was embittered by the events.

b) He was saddened by the events.

c) He was angered by the students who had not studied French well.

d) Both a) and b) are correct.

2. With reference to the extract, choose the correct option with reference to 1) and 2) given below:

     1) M.Hamel was sitting motionless in his chair gazing at the worn benches, the hopvine and the walnut trees.

     2) M.Hamel wanted to preserve the memories of forty years of service.

a) 1) is correct, but 2) is incorrect

b) 1) is incorrect, but 2) correct

c) Both 1) and 2) are incorrect

d) Both 1) and 2) are correct.

3. Describe the tone in the above extract in one sentence.

4. What would have broken his heart according to the extract?

Short answer questions

1. Why according to M. Hamel were the people of Alsace not very fluent in French?

2. How would you differentiate between the Prussian’s Linguistic Chauvinism and M. Hamel’s pride in the French language? Are they the same?

3. How did M.Hamel attempt to infuse pride, respect, and a sense of patriotic fervour in his students during the last French lesson?

Long Answer Type Questions

1. It takes a catastrophic moment to change the course of history. Support this statement with evidence from the lesson.

2. Write a letter to your sister in Paris describing your last French lesson. You are Little Franz.

3. Draft a diary entry in 120 to 150 words. You are M. Hamel. Describe your last day as a French teacher at the school in Alsace.

4.  M. Hamel in 'The Last Lesson' and Edla in 'The Rattrap' are the guiding lights of self-realization to Franz and the peddler, respectively. Comment

The Tale of Melon City - Analysing Satire in the Poem

In this post, I am going to attach photographs of slides I created on a PPT to analyse Satire with reference to Vikram Seth's poem, The Tale of Melon City.

Spotting the Amazing Bar-headed Geese at the Chandu Budhera Wetland

 

Bar-headed Geese never fail to amaze me each time I spot them, whether it is in Gurgaon or even elsewhere! These migratory birds are known for their endurance, having flown in from as far away as central Asia and Tibet! They are important overland guests who visit the Indian continent in the winter months of November to March. It is unfortunate, however, that their nesting grounds are disappearing due to development. There used to be a wetland known as the Basai Wetland, where one commonly spotted them, but it no longer exists, as it is now the site of flyovers and residential buildings.

It looks like the Chandu Budhera wetland, where these birds converge in large numbers, too, will become a victim of developmental activities. These sightings of these venerable guests will soon be remembered in the days to come. Bar-headed Geese happen to be indicators of climate change, and their changing migratory patterns are strong indicators of changing food patterns. Till then, however, one cannot help admiring their ruggedness and grace.

One can't help wondering how they manage to traverse such long distances, flying at heights where there is a scarcity of Oxygen. Moreover, these amazing birds manage to follow the magnetic patterns of the Earth; they follow landmarks, rivers, and other markers, often landing up in the same spot in Gurgaon every year.

Seeing them in such large numbers at the Chandu Budhera wetland area, against the lush green fields of Wheat and greenery, can be a most refreshing sight for visitors. While spotting them in flight can be a sight worth treasuring, finding them in large groups on land can be equally amazing!

Birds of Keoladeo - A Photo-essay

The Bharatpur National Park is a treasure trove of wild birds, resident and migratory. A wide range of Duck species visit the spot during the winter season, and then they fly away to colder regions as summer approaches the Indian continent. Among the migratory birds that visit the park are the Ruddy Shelduck, White Eyed Pochards, and Red-crested Pochards. Incidentally, Ruddy Shelduck birds are also called Surkhab in Hindi.

The large number of birds that descend on the Bharatpur National Park provides photography enthusiasts with a great opportunity to photograph some of the rarely spotted birds. Unfortunately, the weather plays an important role in wildlife photography. Spotting a flock of Northern Shovelers swimming in formation and a flock of Common Coots swimming together can be a most fulfilling experience.

Darters are large water-dwelling birds that have long, slender dagger-like bills. They are also known as snake birds because of their long twisted necks. Ibis birds also have long, curving beaks. They probe the water for food.

A Season's End Visit to the Bharatpur National Park - Taking the RF-F/11 600mm STM Lens through its paces

A sudden late-night decision to visit the Bharatpur National Park resulted in my brother and me waking up early the next morning for a one-day visit to the Keoladeo National Park. We left Gurgaon at 3:15 a.m.,  on the last day of February, took the Mumbai Vadodara Expressway, took a left turn into the Yamnua Expressway, took a U-Turn from the Mathura Highway onto a narrow road leading to the National Park. Surprisingly, the route was clear, and we reached the national park at 6:06 a.m., barely three hours after leaving Gurgaon, having travelled 193.6 kilometres! For the return journey, however, we took the Alwar bypass road, avoiding the Mathura Road and parts of the Yamuna Expressway, and instead joined the Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway. We left Bharatpur at 1:06 p.m and reached Gurgaon at 5:00 p.m. Since it was a Saturday, there was less traffic.

Unfortunately, the sky on the 28th of February was overcast and cloudy, and it would soon rain. We hired an E-rikshaw (number 6) owned by Mr Raghubir Singh. Initially, I was disappointed when it started to rain, but then soon things changed, and the sun peeped through the clouds. We were guided by Mr Raghubir Singh as he knew the lay of the land. He took us through all the lanes and knew the hiding spots of animals and birds. It is often a good idea to hire an E-rikshaw driver who can double down as a guide. Interestingly, most of the e-rikshaw drivers owning rikshaws in single digits are veterans.

My desire to make a second visit to the Keoladeo National Park was also driven by my desire to test my Canon F/11 600 mm STM  RF lens mated to a Canon R-7 Camera body. Being an F/11 lens, the 600 mm STM lens needs a good amount of light. I therefore carried a tripod and a monopod, I did not use them and took photographs handheld. Amazingly enough, the photographs came out pretty well!

It was a joy to be able to spot so many birds and wild animals, including Wild Boar, Spotted Deer and a pack of Jackals. The Canon RF 600 mm STM lens did not let me down. The photographs of the Scops Owl came out quite well despite the challenging lighting conditions near the hollow cavity in the tree.

The visit to the Bharatpur National Park led to us being able to spot quite a large number of White-eyed Pochards and Red-crested Pochards, a special moment for me as I had rarely spotted these birds from so close at hand!

It was a joy to spot a Partridge while driving along the pathway. While Partridges are rather shy and difficult to spot, this one, however, gave me enough time to photograph it. Partridges in the wild are easily scared and rather difficult to photograph because by the time one lifts the camera to photograph them, they are gone with the wind, disappearing into the scrub!

Spotting a pack of Asian golden Jackals was a treat, while spotting a Brahmini Starling enjoying an early morning scratch was funny enough. Spotting a Cotton Pygmy Goose was a rare sight.

Of course, how can I forget sharing a photograph of the most knowledgeable guide and E-rickshaw driver, Mr Raghubir Singh. He knew each nook and corner of the park, and he had his favourite trees that were the residents of spotted owls, and other residents. He can be contacted at his mobile number: 7742635159, and his vehicle number is 6.