Updated on 29/05/2026
1. The Last
Lesson (Alphonse Daudet)
Main points
of the chapter
Ø In this
story M. Hamel is a dedicated and patriotic French teacher, who has been
teaching French language for 40 years.
Ø Today he
was going to deliver his last lesson.
Ø A student named Franz was late for school that day.
Ø Franz was afraid because he had not learnt his lesson on participles.
Ø He saw a big crowd in front of the bulletin board when he was coming to
school.
Ø All bad news has come by this bulletin board for the past two years.
Ø When Franz came, M. Hamel was in the classroom with a rod in his hand.
Ø He did not rebuke Franz. He tasked him to take his seat.
Ø People of villages were also sitting at back benches on that day to attend
his last lesson.
Ø Mr. M. Hamel spoke in a gentle tone & announced this is their last lesson
in French language.
Ø He said that an order had come from Berlin, only German would be taught in
schools of Alsace and Lorraine.
Ø Because France had been defeated by Prussia.
Ø The new teacher would come the next day.
Ø He urged students & countrymen to protect their language.
Ø In the end he tried to speak, but something choked him.
Ø He took a piece of chalk and wrote on blackboard “Vive La France” (Long Live
France).
Very Short Type
Q-Ans.
1. Who
is the writer of the story’ The Last Lesson’?
Ans. Alphonse Daudet
2. Who
is the narrator of the story ‘The Last Lesson’?
Ans. A boy named Franz
Q. 3 Which
language did the narrator hardly know to write?
Ans. French
Q. 4 What
was the narrator sorry for?
Ans. Not learning his lessons
in French
Q. 5 Who was
M. Hamel?
Ans. A French teacher
Q. 6 What
did Franz see in front of the bulletin board?
Ans. A big crowd
Q.7 Who were
sitting at the back benches of the class?
Ans. Some people from the village/town
Q. 8 What
did M. Hamel say about his lesson?
Ans. It was his last lesson
in French
Q. 9 What
order had come from Berlin?
Ans. Only German would be
taught in schools of Alsace and Lorraine
Q.10 When
would the next teacher come, according to M. Hamel?
Ans. The next day
Q. 11 How
long had M. Hamel served the school?
Ans. Forty years
Q. 12 What
did M. Hamel write on the blackboard?
Ans. Vive la France (Long
live France)
Q. 13 What
was the mood in the classroom on the day of the last lesson?
Ans. The mood in
the classroom was very strange, quiet, and solemn.
Q. 14 Which districts of
France passed into Prussian hands?
Ans. The
districts of Alsace and Lorraine passed into Prussian hands.
Q. 15 What did M. Hamel
bring for his students on his last day?
Ans. M. Hamel
brought new copies for the students, on which "France, Alsace"
was written in a beautiful round hand.
Q. 16 What does M. Hamel
call the French language?
Ans. He calls it
the most beautiful, clearest, and most logical language in the world.
Q. 17 Who was Wachter?
Ans. Wachter was
a blacksmith who was reading the bulletin board with his apprentice.
Q. 18 Why did the village
elders attend the class that day?
Ans. They came
to show respect to M. Hamel for his 40 years of faithful service and to
honor their country.
Q. 19 What was the
'thunderclap' for Franz?
Ans. M. Hamel’s
announcement that it was their last French lesson was like a thunderclap
for Franz.
Q. 20 What instrument did
M. Hamel keep under his arm?
Ans. He kept a terrible
iron ruler under his arm.
Textual
Questions
Q.1 What did
Franz notice that was unusual about school that day?
Ans. Franz noticed that there
was usually a lot of noise when the school began. But today's scene was totally
different. There was no noise, no hustle and bustle. Everything was as still as
Sunday morning.
Q.2 What had
been put up on the bulletin-board?
Ans. When Franz came into the
school, he saw a big crowd in front of the bulletin-board and read a notice
which said that it was an order from Berlin. It said that only German would be
taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. The new teachers were coming the
next day.
Q.3 How did
Franz feel about M. Hamel and school?
Ans. Franz was shocked when
he heard that Mr. Hamel was leaving the school for ever. His feelings now
changed altogether. He cursed himself for not learning his lesson. He forgot
all about Mr. Hamel's ruler and his cranky nature.
Q. 4 What did M. Hamel
say about the French language?
Ans: M. Hamel
called French the most beautiful, clearest, and most logical language in the
world. He said that when people are enslaved, as long as they hold fast to
their language, it is as if they had the key to their prison.
Q. 5 How did
M. Hamel bid farewell to his students and the villagers?
Ans. The church clock struck
twelve. It was time to close to school. He stood up and tried to speak, but he
could not speak. He only took a piece of chalk and wrote on board, ‘Vive La
France’ (Long Live France).
Q.6 Why was
Franz afraid of?
Ans. Franz was very late for
school that day. He was afraid because the teacher was to ask questions on
participles and he didn’t know a single word about them.
Q.7 What was
the effect of M. Hamel’s announcement on the narrator?
Ans. When Mr. Hamel told the
children that this is his last French lesson. The order came from Berlin to
teach only German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. The new teacher was
coming the next day. Franz was sad that he would never see Mr. Hamel again. Now
Franz became very attentive to learning French.
Q.8 What was
the temptation and how did Franz resist it?
Ans. Franz was afraid because
the teacher was to ask questions on participles and he didn’t know a single
word about them. So he decided to run away and spend the day out. Open fields,
the chirping of birds and the Prussian soldiers drilling were more attractive
than the participles. But he resisted his temptation and decided to go to
school.
Q.9 What
kind of clothes was M. Hamel wearing? Why had he put on that fine dress?
Ans. He was wearing his
beautiful green coat, frilled shirt and black silk cap. He wore those clothes
only on inspection and prize days. But today he was wearing these clothes in
honour of the last lesson.
Q.10 Who did
M. Hamel blame for the neglect of learning?
Ans. M. Hamel
blamed the parents for sending children to work on farms, the students
for delaying studies, and himself for giving students holidays when he
wanted to go fishing.
Long-Answer
Q. 1 Write a
brief character-sketch of M. Hamel.
Ans. Mr. Hamel is a teacher
of the French language at the narrator’s school. He is very strict as a
teacher. His students are afraid of him. But they also respect him. All
villagers also respect him. He is a great patriot. He loves his country and the
language of his country. He urged upon the students and the villagers to
protect the French language. He is deeply shocked when the new German rulers of
the country disallow the teaching of French in schools. Mr. Hamel has to leave
the school. Mr. Hamel was very sad. He told his students that ‘My children,
this is the last lesson, I shall give you. The order came from Berlin to teach
only German in schools of Alsace and Lorraine. The new teacher comes tomorrow.
This is your last lesson. I want you to be very attentive.’ In the end, he got
up. He wanted to say something, but emotion choked him. He took a piece of
chalk and wrote on the blackboard in big letters, “Vive La France!” (Long Live
France).
Q. 2 Write a
brief character sketch of Franz.
Ans. Franz is a little
student. He is the narrator of this story. He was late for school that day. He
was afraid that the teacher would scold him. He was also afraid because the
teacher was to ask questions on participles and he didn’t know a single word about
them. So he thought of running away and spending the day out. But when he
passed by town hall, he saw a big crowd in front of the bulletin board. Franz
wondered what the matter could be, but he didn’t stop there. On seeing Franz,
the village blacksmith said, don’t go so fast. You’ll get to school in plenty
of time. Franz thought that the blacksmith was making fun of him. He continued
going fast. When he reached his school, he was all out of breath. Franz opened
the class-room door and went in. He was very frightened, but to his surprise
Mr. Hamel said very kindly, ‘Go to your seat quickly, Franz’.
Important-Spellings
1.
Participles
2.
Prussian
3.
Drilling
4.
Bulletin-board
5.
Blacksmith
6.
Frightened
7.
Primer
8.
Apprentice
9.
Spectacles
10.Attentive
11.Cranky
12.Recite
13.Patience
14.Thunderclap
15.Wretches
16.Patience
17.Floating
18.Scratching
19.Hopvine
20.Pigeon
Word-meanings
1.
Scolding-rebuking
2.
Plenty-enough
3.
Making a fun-laugh at
4.
Terrible-dreadful
5.
Kindly-politely
6.
Give up-leave
7.
Anxious-worried
8.
Ought to-should
9.
Dread-Fear
10.Drilling-Parading
11.In
unison-together
12.Commotion-confusion
13.Former-
previous
14.Wretches-
unfortunate people
15.Cranky-
Eccentric
16.Apprentice-Trainee
17.Beetles-
flying insects
18.Vive La
France-Long live France